As for whether these Guards would rise up in the M'zab region and launch a reprisal against Algiers, that was almost impossible.
From now on, their existence would be a daily struggle for survival with the Sahara Desert; if they could manage simply to stay alive, that would already be counted as a success—how would they have any energy left to head north and make trouble?
On the contrary, after several decades or even a hundred years, the more than a hundred thousand people struggling to survive in M'zab would most likely be assimilated by the prosperous French Algeria Province, relying on France in every respect—economically, politically, and culturally.
By then, it was highly likely that they would voluntarily request to be incorporated into the French Province.
The storeroom in the Mitidja Governor's Palace was piled high with the vast amount of wealth Shafik had sent; the number just tallied by the servants was 210,000 rials, that is, 4.4 million francs.
