The air hangs heavy with coal dust, whispers, and gunpowder. Beneath the flat caps and behind the stained glass of The Red Dagger pub, a new shadow walks through the streets of Small Heath. César Daniau, age 30. Fresh off the train from Marseille. Dressed like a gentleman. Moves like a soldier. Talks like he already owns the room. They say he lost his family to war. They say he burned down a police station in Calais. They say he was once a priest — and once a killer. Both might be true. But tonight, in the back room of the pub, Tommy Shelby lights a cigarette and says: “If the Frenchman’s smart... he’ll drink, listen, and not try to be clever.” César only smiles. Because clever is exactly what he came to be. 2 THE FRENCHMANS WAR Chapter I: Smoke Over Birmingham Three days had passed since César arrived in Birmingham. Three days of silence, drinks, and watching. He doesn’t ask — he listens. And that alone has unsettled half the town. He knows the Peaky Blinders are used to blood. But César believes that words, when used properly, can cut deeper than razors in their caps. In the back room of The Garrison, he speaks to Polly Gray for the first time. She eyes him with the caution of a woman who’s seen too many clever men. “I don’t like pretty men who think too much,” she says. “Then you’ll hate me,” he replies, without a smile. That evening, Tommy invites him to dinner. They sit alone, far from noise. On the table: Irish whiskey, two knives, and silence. Tommy: “They say you were a priest. Then a killer. What are you now?” César: “Someone who knows when to listen... and when not to trust.” Tommy: “You know how to shoot?” César: “I know when not to.” Tommy stares longer than manners allow. Then nods. “Tomorrow, you’re going to Luke’s depot. Bring me something I don’t already know... and you’ll be useful. If not — no one will miss you.” When he leaves, Tommy turns to Polly: “He’s dangerous. But not the usual kind. I don’t think he needs to shoot to kill.” 3 THE FRENCHMANS WAR Chapter II: Blood and Words 4 THE FRENCHMANS WAR Chapter III: The Depot Morning in Small Heath is never quiet. The early light brings chimney smoke, workers’ curses, and the screech of horse carts. César stands in front of the depot — a massive warehouse where the Peaky Blinders store their goods, weapons, and whispers. He’s greeted by Luke, a large man with a red scarf and a wicked grin. “The boss says you need to see how things work... before we give you something that matters.” César nods and steps inside. Inside, chaos. Unlabeled whiskey crates, bags of cash, old military boxes. Two young men are packing revolvers. A third — Zeke, young, twitchy, and far too curious — leans in and whispers: “They say you killed an inspector in France. True?” César looks at him, calm. “They say many things. But no one says it twice.” In the corner, César notices what no one else does — a driver with a wounded hand trying to hide burn marks on his fingers. Someone’s been shooting too much. Or talking too much. César memorizes the face. That evening, when Tommy receives the report, he says simply: “The Frenchman sees more in a day than Arthur sees in a week.” César receives his first assignment. On paper: “Follow Thomas Tate. Don’t approach. Just observe.” Thomas Tate — once a Peaky Blinder, now a smuggler on his own. Tommy suspects he’s selling secrets to the Irish. That means betrayal. César tails him for four days. Always in shadow. Always two steps behind. He watches Tate visit a tin-roofed pub by the canal. Meets a man in a grey jacket. No drinks. Only whispers. On the fourth day, Tate changes his route. Suspicion. The moment César turns a corner — three faces. One with a knife. One with a gun. The third — familiar. The depot driver. Tate sold him out. But César doesn’t fight like ordinary men. He slips through shadow, mud, smoke, silence. No gunfire. No shouting. He disappears. Next day, Tommy finds a note slipped into his coat pocket: “The driver’s the leak. Tate brought him. Not anymore.” Polly looks at Tommy and says: “The Frenchman doesn’t shoot. But he leaves a hole.” 5 THE FRENCHMANS WAR Chapter IV: The First Lesson Birmingham holds many secrets, but César Daniau carries one no one here knows. One evening, while sitting at The Garrison scribbling names into a small black notebook, a stranger enters the pub in a French military coat. His face is half-scarred, but his eyes — sharp as ever. Jacques Morel. Once a lieutenant in the French Foreign Legion. César left him to die in Algeria. But clearly, Jacques survived. He walks up to the table and grabs a bottle without asking. “I always knew the war would bring us back together,” he says in French. César doesn’t react. But his left hand tightens — an old reflex. “You owe me more than silence, Daniau. And if they knew what you really are...” César interrupts. “Then you wouldn’t be standing. You came for revenge, Jacques? Or for money?” “Neither,” Jacques replies. “I came to remind you — war doesn’t end in Algeria. It ends where it began.” At that moment, Tommy Shelby enters. He sees them. Feels the tension. But asks nothing. He just glances at César and nods once. Message clear: “Be ready. And watch your back.” 6 THE FRENCHMANS WAR Chapter V: A Face from the Past ✨ From Ordinary to Legendary. You don’t just get a story. You become the story. 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