Vive la France

[Sarah Tintagyl]

[i]Bordeaux, Aquitaine
Hotel de Ville[/i]

"Is this the last of the documentation Valmonde?" Therese looked up from her desk at the General standing in front of her. "With this Burgundy is completely finished?"

"Everything from your conference in Versailles. The treaties, so on and so forth, we have full justification to begin moving troops and securing the borders with South Germany, North Germany, and the Netherlands. With the fall of Gallia, we are poised to command the whole of France with the exception of Brittany who are our allies in the Western European Union."

The Prime Minister nodded and stood up from her chair, looking out the windows of City Hall into central Bordeaux. "I don't see there being much of a problem in securing the areas. Our neighbors most definitely would rather see a France led by Aquitaine then Hohenzollern anyways." She shook her head. "The fact he and his ilk still influence the throne of France sickens me the royals, Bourbon, Bonaparte, all of them, they aren't needed in the world today. Just soaking up the well earned francs of those who actually need them. God forbid the ideals of the Revolution actually be realized."

Valmonde and the other members of the Prime Minister's cabinet straightened their uniforms and looked at the ground, before the General cleared his throat and looked back up at Therese's figure staring out towards the horizon. "Paladin Josselyne is ready too move when ever you give the word Milady."

Therese nodded. "How large of a force shall we be moving into secure the general populace?"

"Lady Adelaide has said that a force of about Three hundred thousand and about three thousand tanks would be more than an ample amount to cross to the borders and provide public defense and order. The question of course was that given that Paris is now under our control, will we be moving the capital?"

The Prime Minister turned and clasped her hands behind her back. "Not at the moment, the government needs time and given just how messy the relations between the Burgundians and our people were. Hasty moves could be dangerous to both our immediate home front and the Burgundian one as well. We plan accordingly. Secure France first."

"Of course Milady." Valmonde bowed as he turned with his officers and walked out of Therese's quarters. After he had disappeared she sat back down and cracked her fingers.

"Vive la France." She chuckled and poured herself a glass of champagne. "Vive la France."

---

[i]The Former Border, Aquitaine-Burgundy[/i]

Adelaide Josselyne stared through her binoculars at the French countryside north of Limoges, the beauty of the rolling hills that beyond lay the Seine and the Ardennes was almost too much for Adelaide to take. She wanted to reach out through her gloves and touch Paris again, hike through the forests, relax and swim in the rivers. So much of France had been taken from them as of late and finally they had the orders to get it back and this time without the cost of ever damaging the countryside or the cities. Behind her position were two brigades of the Aquitainian army poised to move towards Paris whilst up and down the borders of the countryside, tens of thousands of men were in the position to move towards the cities and regions of Marseilles, Dijon, Lyon, Caen, and the French borders. All she required was the go-ahead, which came in the fashion a roaring jeep, bounding up the hills to where she stood.

"Lady Adelaide!" The driver called, as he parked the vehicle and hopped out with a white letter in his hand.

"Is that from Therese?"

"Yes Lady Paladin." He handed her the letter.

Grabbing the letter from him, Adelaide poured over its contents, a smile rising before tossing it to the ground. "Ready the brigades and send word to all region commanders to begin to advance. We should be in Paris by nightfall of the second day."

And thus the advance was made. Three hundred thousand soldiers would advance, unopposed into the former nation of Burgundy. Under Adelaide's direct command were about one-hundred thousand soldiers spread from Limoges to Clermont, along with one thousand tanks. It was their job to secure the roads leading towards Paris, take Paris and then once the capital was taken, begin to move out in arc patters towards the cities and towns around Paris spreading the word, if Burgundy hadn't already done so, that Aquitaine was now in control of France and with that they would bring massive technological advancements that the Burgundians could not hope to achieve. It may not have been fair to say, but Burgundy was in essence a third-world country and with the economic collapses from the previous French state, the people needed to be brought back to modernity. Aquitaine could achieve that. With them, the soldiers brought all necessary items in case they found the cities void of order, these were their brethren and would be treated as such. They would also be carrying versions of the treaty signed in Versailles.

Beyond Adelaide's personal force, two other arcing forces, both of hundred thousand men and a thousand tanks moved from Toulouse and Nantes as well, they would be focused on arcing through the Northern and Southern regions of France respectively. The north concentrating on Caen and Le Harve, with once those were secure meeting up with the vanguard force in Paris. Whist in the south, the objectives would be securing Marseilles and Lyon, before eventually turning north and linking up with the vanguard in Dijon. The entire operation to cover the whole of France would take some time, but it was time that Adelaide had an abundance of and with Burgundy legally under Aquitaine control, it would just be a matter of restoring social order to a people who were to profit forever from Aquitaine's advancements and from this. The Birth of France once again.

And by that nightfall, the vanguard had arrived in the outskirts of Paris and by dawn after seeing out patrols of the city and Adelaide setting up her headquarters in the outskirts of the city as the patrols were conducted. Thus by dawn, the Cross of Lorraine once again flew proudly over the Eiffel Tower.

[Acca Dacca]

We send our congrats to France on this accomplishment.

[Zoot Zoot]

Empress Bonparte sends her congratulations for this wonderful news.
Apologies the Emperor could not send this himself, he is dealing with the war.

Sincerley
Empress Bonaparte I
Canadian Empire

[Lynneth]

"Our deepest congratulations to the great nation of France."

[Subtleknifewielder]

"The unification of France was a long time in coming. I can think of no nation on the planet that deserves to be united more."

~Anthony Harlem

[Michael McBride]

Italy welcomes its newest border neighbor warmly. We consider France to be much better neighbors than the pretenders that Burgundy were.

[Karl Martin]

There was no direction opposition to the "invaders" entering what was formerly Burgundy. Although the though of those coarse southerners ruling over them was appalling to many, the Will of the Emperor was that France shall be unified, and the subjects would follow the Will. There was no incidents as the forces rolled in, since all had been peaceful beforehand. However, there were some snickering when some of the soldiers asked for direction to the "capital" Paris, since Dijon was the center of the city. In addition, laughter erupted when the Cross of Lorraine was tried to be placed on the Eiffel Tower, for already the Cross was there, since the Maid was the patron saint of the Burgundians, a slightly ironic situation given history. But then, what did they expect from the country that had burned the Maid and led the former French republic to disaster? The "Burgundians" would always be the true keepers of the spirit of France.


There was a somewhat small force blocking the roads into Dijon. Apparently it seemed that the loyalists did not want the "invaders" to take care of security, and directed the forces around the city. Only Adelaide and her scurity details would be allowed in.


Meanwhile, at Paris, Degrelle was preparing for the ceremony of the reunification of France.

[Captain Enema]

"Are they going to trot out the guillotine for the Huns who stood on the necks of the French for so long?"

[Karl Martin]

"His Majesty Karl Martin is still King of Burgundy and Normandy."

[DeSchaine]

But he was king in name only. In Taeunas newspapers that reported the events, he was more often referenced as "an impotent figurehead with no power what-so-ever."

A letter of congratulations was sent from Taeunas to Aquitaine on their achievements.

Edited April 17, 2010 by DeSchaine

[Karl Martin]

Indeed, it is only a title. But even powerless titles have a certain amount of prestige to it.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

There would be no 'special' treatment for loyalty of the Burgundian Regime, weeks ago, as soon as Degrelle had placed his signature on that paper Burgundy ceased to exist and Adelaide's forces would be there to show this. The Aquitaine forces would push into Dijon and secure the city, fifty thousand soldiers had been placed here due to the rumor of high resistance, the city would be surrounded, whilst patrols would be scheduled for the city every night until everything in Paris had been settled, Adelaide had already given the regional military commanders to enforce martial law if necessary. It wasn't something that she would be proud of if it came down to it, but social order and preservation was more important at the moment then civil rights. Meanwhile, in Paris where Degrelle's ceremony was planned for unification, he would find that Adelaide had been looking for him to see what was planned for this ceremony of his. Needless to say, she wasn't exactly thrilled with the treatment her soldiers were getting from parts of the Burgundian population. Mind you, throughout the countryside there was a much warmer welcome, but the dissent would be controlled and when she would meet with Degrelle and the dissent would be the first thing that she would bring up.

That, "There is no way in hell that this kind of dissent will be allowed if a 'celebration' is going to take place." Otherwise, for as 'coarse' as the Southerners were treated, they treated their brothers and sisters as any family would, even if they had been in a cold war scenario the past few months. It only showed to Adelaide just how the Burgundians ran their country and what image they had painted of Aquitaine. A true shame, but it was a problem that Adelaide hoped to see wiped clean in the next few months.

But needless to say, local authorities would still be allowed charge of their regions, but they would be assisted by the Aquitaine Army as well. Unless they refused to allow the entrance of the military, then the local governments would have to be forcibly governed.

Edited April 17, 2010 by Sarah Tintagyl

[Bacharth]

From his base in Florida, Christopher replied, "Congratulations on your unification. Though I, being half Norman, think this 'king' is being a spoiled little kid. Although, that's what I think of most royalty. If the Burgundians don't want to accept their new rule, then they can die for their 'country'."

[Sarah Tintagyl]

"Do not worry, I can assure you that this 'King' has no power. France is a Republican state and will always remain as such. We did not fight through years of bloody tension to be ruled by Royals again, needless to say, Royals that we did not even approve. France is unified through Republican means and will thrive through Republican means."

[Karl Martin]

The news of the attempted opposition of the Burgundian Loyalist in Dijon had reached Degrelle when the first clashes happened. He immediately sent Lucien Lippert, former Chief of the Army, to put down the Loyalists. Upon arrival of Lippert, the Loyalist laid down their arms immediately, when they heard how the King was frowning upon the violence. Everything went smoothly for Aquitaine after that, In the rest of the country, there were no "resistence" except discreet opposition, exercised for the most part with infinite dexterity and tact, by reticences, omissions, and historical studies in which Aquitaine was attacked under foreign or ancient names. Nothing more serious happened.

The most dissent the non-extreme northerners had about the annexation was about the same amount of bad will the southern Germans had for the dominant northern Germans in the past, when they were under one government. Simply put, it was a sort of cultural battle that would not spill into politics, unless Aquitaine took the same path as the former French Republic and forcefully tried to exterminate all local cultures. Not that this was expected in the first place, but one would never. Also, unlike what Aquitaine would think, this was not the result of any Burgundian policy: It was the legacy of the Paris being the center of France for so long, to the point that Parisians always thought they were the most cultured. Such a high-nosed attitude would soon fall when the capital is moved to paris, but until then, thing would be slighlty tense.

Degrelle turned to face Adelaide with a slight frown when she arrived. "Do not think that the actions of the few means that everyone else follows the same ideals. Now, is there anything I can do to help?"



OOC: I said the people from Aquitaine were "coarse", not that they were treated coarsely.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

"Well I would hope not." Adelaide said as she took off her sword and handed it to an aide behind her. "To help however, I want detailed information of how this celebration is going to occur, who is going to be invited, how long, where it is going to take place, how long it is going to last. Everything about this celebration so that I can make sure that nothing bad happens." She sighed. "Not that I don't trust you, but any dissent is dangerous and like it or not, we have been in a cold war of sort and great deal of distrust from both Burgundy and Aquitaine. Social order is the most important thing here. However as for running things, your police and all state military officials will be answering to me from this point on. But you tell me what's going on with this and we'll go from there and plan accordingly."

[Karl Martin]

"Not to worry about everyone answering to you. All of Burgundy answers to me, and I answer to you.

The ceremony will follow the basic Bastille Day schedule. A traditional military parade on the Champs-Elysées starts near the Arc de Triomphe on the famed Avenue on the afternoon of July 14th and spreads across Paris, after which there will be a press conference with you giving an interview, discussing the situation of the country, recent events and projects for the future. Nicolas Sarkozy, elected president in 2007, has chosen not to give it. After that, a garden party at the Palais de l'Elysée, and finally fireworks, launched in the vicinity of the Eiffel Tower, the Saint Germain des Près district, and around Montparnasse."

[Sarah Tintagyl]

"Very well, then you answer to me and your men answer to my commanders as well. At the moment, the rest of the Aquitaine government has not been able to move towards Paris yet as it has not been decided that Paris will be the capital of the new Republic. But everything else will be fine so long as dissent stays low and nothing else happens. Thought I am looking forward to this celebration Degrelle and who knows, perhaps if everything goes well the distrust that exists between Burgundy and Aquitaine will be completely eradicated. But by the time of the 14th, the whole of France will be secured and this would be the crowning jewel to a united France under command of the new Republic. I have yet to receive word from Lady Zelle if she will be able to make it to the ceremony. I personally have advised against it because until all dissent is removed I am not risking her safety, especially as my best friend, and as second-in-command of the state, governance must fall to someone during extreme measures. So prepare the parade, I look forward to what your people can do." Adelaide smiled and re-strapped her sword to her belt.

[Karl Martin]

"As you wish."

[Kaiser Martens]

"Heil Frankreich. If there is anything we can do to help let us know. It seems that you're doing better than ever, however. Prosper."

[Sarah Tintagyl]

[quote]
[b]TO: Dierik Martens, Chancellor of North Germany
From: Therese Zelle, Prime Minister of France[/b]

[i]Excellency,

I appreciate your warm words to the continual prosperity of France, however in asking for something from your nation I would like to discuss two things. At the Treaty of Versailles, recently signed between ourselves and Burgundy. The Burgundians gave some of what would be French Flanders to the Dutch. If possible, we would like to see if a referendum could be held over this territory and if the people would see it in their minds and hearts to return to France. The people of Alsace-Lorraine have most definitely spoken before that they would rather live under German flags, but I would appreciate to learn whether or not the Flemish do as well.

In addition to that, at our meeting a few months ago, I realize that we did not document the extent of our negotiations. If possible, I would also like to begin the discussion for a closer friendship, a bond, of economic partnership and perhaps even military defense between the peoples of France and North Germany. I await your response in haste.

Sincerely,

Therese Zelle[/i]
[/quote]

[Kaiser Martens]

[i]The answer did not make itself wait,[/i]

"Hello,

We thought that this issue would soon be discussed. We in principle in fact agree that the people should express their will, and will always respect this. Right now, we are postponing any such referenda for several months, as we wish to have a proper transition. We do not want to seem as if we were simply cutting and pasting territory as we see fit, for PR concerns. I will say that, when the polls take place eventually, we will welcome representatives from your country in order to ensure the legitimacy. It will be the same as happened in Alsace and Lothringen, but...much less hurried, "done the right way" I would say. The People will get a chance to decide the fate of their lives and Fatherland no matter what. It is the right thing to do.

Lastly, although please do keep in mind that what I will say next will not affect our decision regarding French Flanders, we are rather concerned for the support shown towards the now-known-as-danish German slanderers. We did expect Southern Germany to support them, but not yourselves, I suppose.

Be well,

Kanzler Martens