Chapter 1405 - 2: The Plague Arrives (Part 3)

Chapter 1405: Chapter 2: The Plague Arrives (Part 3)

"Our generation has blindly indulged in the past glory of France, but a war has awakened me. We are no longer qualified to be the Germans’ rivals. Although it’s hard to accept, we must admit that Germany’s strength is beyond our imagination."

"Germany’s national power is two or even three times ours. The future European order might be dominated by Germany and the United Kingdom. The only thing I can do is to delay the further decline of the republic."

"Alas, it’s too late to say anything, let’s talk about the pandemic! How is the situation nationwide now?"

The subordinate said, "We can now confirm that this is a large-scale influenza, especially severe in the northern cities, and similar situations are seen in Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom."

"According to data from East Africans, this pandemic has even impacted East Africa. We can confirm that this is a global contagion."

"After all, if East Africa is affected, then the United States, Brazil, and other parts of the world are inevitably involved."

"Also, according to the East African Government’s warning, the outbreak point of this pandemic is in Europe, and they warn us that this plague’s lethality might not be inferior to that of previous wars."

Upon hearing this, Clemenceau began to take it seriously and asked, "Do you think the East Africans are being alarmist?"

One must know that the casualty numbers of World War I reached tens of millions, and Clemenceau could not fathom the destructive power of a pandemic surpassing that of a world war.

Of course, the East African Government did not say the pandemic’s destructive power could surpass a world war, but that it might be comparably harmful, which is already quite significant.

Indeed, there had been pandemics in European history with such power, namely the Black Death, but this pandemic is clearly not the Black Death; it is influenza, so Clemenceau is skeptical of the East Africans’ claims.

The subordinate said, "I think we should take it seriously because the East African Government mentioned that the plague spreads extremely quickly. They suspect that the entire Atlantic Ocean coastal countries and Europe have already been affected. If we don’t pay attention, it might lead to irreparable consequences."

"Moreover, the current fatality rate of this plague is extremely high, with strong infectivity and high transmission rate. Even if it doesn’t reach the horrific level of the Black Death, it can still inflict severe damage on countries worldwide."

Clemenceau furrowed his brows and thought for a moment before asking, "How is the situation with our domestic pandemic now?"

The subordinate said, "It is already quite serious, but still within controllable limits. However, if what the East Africans said is true, we might have to go all out."

To deal with such a large-scale plague, the best method is quarantine, but obviously, this would provoke public dissatisfaction since quarantine measures would severely impact people’s normal lives.

Without a leader with considerable courage, it is difficult to make decisions. If it were the Black Death, Clemenceau would undoubtedly enforce a nationwide lockdown without hesitation.

But now, the specific situation of this pandemic is still unclear, and Clemenceau’s approval rates are precariously low. If mishandled, Clemenceau might truly ruin his reputation and become the most infamous president in the history of France.

However, Clemenceau is clearly no ordinary person; he is a genuine strongman. Having received warnings from the East African Government, Clemenceau believes he has the responsibility to shoulder the heavy burden of ensuring the life safety of all French citizens.

Anyway, he is already "notorious" in France now, so he might as well risk everything and do one last thing for the French people, even if it would result in further public disdain.