"Hegel remarks somewhere that all great world-historic facts and personages appear, so to speak, twice. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce." —Karl Marx, The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte
Chapter Summary: In order to force through a highly controversial special Ukraine aid bill (which aimed to provide seed capital for the formation of a European volunteer army and the autonomization of European arms production), President Macron resorted to invoking Article 49.3 of the Constitution. Unfortunately, his government fell when the opposition narrowly passed a vote of no confidence. At a moment of constitutional crisis for the nation, the President announced the dissolution of the National Assembly and called snap elections. In the end, Macron won a landslide victory, with his Renaissance Party securing an outright parliamentary majority in a single stroke, completely reshaping France's political landscape. President Macron was jokingly dubbed "Louis Bonaparte the Second."
§ 2.1 Transparent Shackles
Upon its establishment, the European Ukraine Aid Super-Committee (hereafter "the Aid Committee") immediately received an injection of the founding four nations' already-budgeted "regular" 2025 Ukraine aid allocations. This was a substantial sum, yet the uses of these funds had already been strictly designated by the authorizing nations—primarily for military procurement from the United States and direct fiscal support to the Ukrainian government. The Committee's role was more akin to an efficient funding conduit than a strategic brain capable of autonomous action. Aside from that mysterious founding donation, it had almost no resources to advance any agenda truly its own.
Nevertheless, in the first month or two after its establishment, the Committee's actions brought a fresh wind to European politics. First, it consolidated the military procurement of its member nations and, in negotiations with American arms dealers, secured slightly better prices and faster delivery guarantees. Second, the Committee strictly adhered to its charter by executing all non-classified financial transactions through blockchain technology, and proactively invited representatives from other major European Ukraine-aid donors (such as Denmark and Sweden) to serve as resident observers and auditors. This move received widespread acclaim. The Danish Minister for Aid Affairs said in an interview: "Efficient in a way that doesn't seem European... I mean Western European."
Finally, the Committee dispatched audit inspection teams to Kyiv, compelling the relevant Ukrainian government departments to adopt the Committee's blockchain-based financial system. Though this sparked sporadic protests in the Ukrainian parliament decrying it as "a national humiliation," the public response was overwhelmingly positive. A Kyiv resident, interviewed by our correspondent, gave a thumbs up and said in French thick with a heavy accent: "Vraiment, il faut les seigneurs européens pour régler ces corrompus" ("To deal with those corrupt officials, you really need the European lords").
These initial successes were quickly interpreted on Parisian talk shows as a personal political victory for the President. Alain Bonneau, professor emeritus at Sciences Po, was once again invited to the studio of France 24.
"As I predicted," he expounded to the camera, "the responsibility for Ukraine aid that France—or rather Europe—was forced to shoulder has now been entirely converted into political capital for President Macron. That money just took a bath in the Committee's accounts! Of course, they've done some things well, but honestly, I could have done the same."
"Thank you, Professor. Thank you for your brilliant commentary," the beautiful hostess said with a smile as she ended the program.
§ 2.2 The European Volunteer Army Recruits from Alsace
Meanwhile, along the vast front lines between Russian and Ukrainian forces, the Russian army was launching localized breakthroughs at a disquieting tempo, advancing slowly but steadily. At the same time, the Trump administration in Washington was growing increasingly passive in military aid deliveries and intelligence support, seemingly intent on using this leverage to pressure President Zelensky into accepting a humiliating "peace treaty."
It was against this backdrop that in Strasbourg—deep in the European heartland, in the place immortalized by Daudet's "The Last Lesson"—the formation of the European Volunteer Army (later redesignated as the "European People's Volunteer Army" when officially deployed to the battlefield) was proceeding with great urgency.
President Macron selected Colonel Alain de Croo from the French Foreign Legion—a combat hero whose torso bore as many bullet scars as Deputy Commander Ma Guocheng—promoted him to brigadier general, and placed him in sole charge of organizing the European Volunteer Army. Months later, through fan interactions on X with Guiguzi, I chanced upon the name Alain de Croo. In an inconspicuous reply, an unverified account named "Alain" had written to Guiguzi: "I remember our first meeting at 161 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. You said the same words. A pity I had to rush back to school and couldn't finish the coffee you bought me."
Appointed alongside General de Croo was a Mr. Ma Youchang, about whom publicly available information was virtually a blank page. His official title was Political Commissar of the 1st Division, 1st Combat Group of the European Volunteer Army.
Using a special presidential decree, Brigadier General Alain transferred a cadre of battle-hardened veterans from the Foreign Legion to form the Volunteer Army's first cohort of instructors and officer corps. Immediately afterward, a grand recruitment campaign rolled out across major European television networks and TikTok. The advertisements were stirring, the terms clear and concise:
Mission: Resist Russia, aid Ukraine, defend Europe.
Identity: "The Legion is your new homeland" (Legio Patria Nostra). New recruits were permitted to enlist under a "declared identity" (identité déclarée), beginning a brand-new identity and future.
Compensation: After-tax monthly salary of €2,000. The Volunteer Army provided food, housing, and all weapons and equipment (the kind of "bring your own rations" situation seen in the Russian army would absolutely never happen!). Every soldier was issued a brand-new iPhone 16 with Apple Intelligence. Additional generous combat allowances applied upon deployment to the war zone.
Future: Those who served three years with a clean record would receive French permanent residency.
After the advertisement was published, applicants flooded in. The recruitment committee, led by Political Commissar Ma Youchang, conducted extremely rigorous interviews and background checks, ultimately selecting the first batch of 800 recruits to form the "1st Regiment, 1st Division, 1st Combat Group of the Volunteer Army." Approximately two thousand more were placed on a reserve list, to be inducted in phases as future financial and training conditions permitted.
The first time I saw this newborn army with my own eyes was in late August 2025, one month after I had been compiling this book's second chapter. It was at Strasbourg's brand-new Stade de la Meinau, during a Ligue 1 match. Approximately eight hundred soldiers who had just completed their initial assessments, each wearing a green kepi (Képi Vert) symbolizing their special status, came in civilian clothes to watch the match as a group relaxation activity. Mr. Ma Youchang was seated right next to me. He bought me a whisky and enthusiastically told me about the Volunteer Army's formation. I said to him: "Brother Youchang, I know you've read every military treatise cover to cover, but please don't interfere with General Alain's command, alright? Remember that, I beg you." Ma Youchang gave me a baffled look.
At halftime, the stadium suddenly filled with the heavy, rousing sound of drums—as if from a classical battlefield. The astonished spectators looked up at the stadium's big screen, which began playing training footage of Volunteer Army soldiers crawling through mud and filth. Young people of different skin colors and faces struggled and fought under the shouted orders of their instructors. Then the camera suddenly cut to the stands, precisely capturing the soldiers wearing their green kepis. Every young person caught by the camera instantly sprang from their seat and snapped a salute. It was a carefully choreographed yet utterly genuine moment of collective emotion.
Finally, to the thudding rhythm of the drums—boom, boom, boom—the announcer's voice rang through the entire stadium, calling on all spectators to rise and pay their respects. As tens of thousands stood, the big screen used a sledgehammer effect to smash out eight enormous Chinese characters:
抗俄援乌，保卫欧洲！
Resist Russia, Aid Ukraine, Defend Europe!
And then, a tidal roar echoed through the night sky:
"Resist Russia!" "Aid Ukraine!" "Defend!" "Europe!"