Bertier did not personally meet Sinanidine, who had come as an emissary, but sent someone to Ksar Hellal Palace with a list of pirates, demanding that Hamoud Ali immediately hand over the individuals.
Under Hafsa's advice, Ali decided to take a tough stance and uncompromisingly drove the French emissary out of Tunis City.
At the same time, a large-scale mobilization began within Tunis City.
Because many troops had been previously dispatched to Kairouan to deal with Eunice, there were less than a thousand guards left in Tunis City. However, Sinanidine demonstrated commendable personal ability, mobilizing over 7,000 noble guards within just two days.
To those unfamiliar with the situation in Tunisia, this might sound somewhat awkward. That is because the term "Guard" in Tunisia does not refer to the name of an army, but is closer to a class.
Over a hundred years ago, during the heyday of the Ottoman Empire, elite Ottoman Imperial Guards invaded North Africa, including Tunisia, Algiers, and Tripoli, and effortlessly defeated the locals, turning these places into provinces of the Ottoman Empire.
Afterward, as the Ottoman Empire declined, the Ottoman Imperial Guards stationed in North Africa began to control these areas and gradually broke away from Ottoman rule, becoming separate ruling entities.
The Ottoman Sultan, having no solution, simply granted them the title of "Pasha," similar to a governor, acknowledging their rule over various parts of North Africa.
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To prevent being assimilated by the locals, these Ottoman Imperial Guards strictly practiced intermarriage within their group, maintained Ottoman attire, customs, and other traditions, forming a unique class.
Over the years, the Ottoman Imperial Guards became extremely wealthy by exploiting the local North Africans. The new generation of Guards, living comfortably from a young age, no longer possessed the valor of their ancestors.
Meanwhile, fragmentation began to appear within the Guards. The lower ranks continued to undertake military duties, while those with power and influence could hire others to serve in their place, eventually developing into a system where one could be exempted from military service by paying a fee.
Thus, the Tunisian Guard was no longer an army, but had become synonymous with the nobility.
At present, the Tunisian Guard class numbers nearly ninety thousand people, but the actual combat forces are less than twenty thousand.
However, nominally all members of the Guard were still soldiers, so when the Bey of Tunisia issued a mobilization order, a large number of noble guards were called up and formed into an army.
Yet most of these individuals had hardly ever handled guns, and their military training was almost non-existent, so one could imagine their combat effectiveness.
The next day at noon, an emissary from the Guard Corps arrived outside Tunis City, enumerated the crimes of the pirates, and vehemently denounced Hamoud Ali for collusion and sheltering pirates.
Subsequently, Bertier ordered an attack.
Tunis City, closely adjacent to the Port of Tunis, is a coastal city, so its defenses were primarily built against threats from the sea, with walls on only three sides—the side facing inland had almost no defense.
However, the Guard Corps happened to be attacking from land.
This time, unlike the landing operation needed in Bizerte, the entire corps could fully deploy. Cannons, war horses, and other equipment were all in place. It was a battle that could fully showcase the entire strength of the Guard Corps!
Bertier could become Napoleon's chief of staff because he had an exceptional talent for troop deployment.
He had already surveyed the nearby terrain the night before and had drawn up a detailed combat plan.
At this moment, he stood on a mound opposite Tunis City, peering through his telescope at the dense Tunisian forces, and although he was somewhat nervous, he still ordered the artillery to begin the attack strictly according to the planned time.
The rolling sounds of gunfire immediately entered Tunis City, and together with the news from the previous day that the European fleet had blockaded the Port of Tunis, the city was thrown into utter chaos.
At the side gate of Ksar Hellal Palace, the guards were taken aback to see their lord's nephew, Haji, approaching with more than a dozen entourage.
The leading guard hurriedly came forward with a salute and asked, "Pasha, do you need something?"
"I have urgent business with the Bey," Haji gestured to a person dressed as a tailor behind him, "and on the way, make him a new robe."
"Make a robe? Now?" The guard listened to the distant gunfire, a look of great confusion on his face.
Just then, those "tailors" suddenly surged into the palace gate, subduing the guards with their pistols. Beside the sculptures at Ksar Hellal Palace, roughly forty to fifty men armed with guns and scimitars rushed out, surrounding Haji as they continued toward the inner palace.
Since there was conflict with the Europeans, many of the guards from Ksar Hellal Palace had been reassigned. At this time, only a few dozen guards were present, scattered throughout the palace grounds on patrol.
Prosper personally led over a dozen special agents from the Police Affairs Department in formation at the front of the group. Whenever they saw a guard rushing over, they would immediately issue a command to stop and greet them with volley fire, then reload and continue advancing.
With this orderly progress, they barely took more than ten minutes to escort Haji to the rear halls of Ksar Hellal Palace.
In the end, in a bedroom on the second floor, Haji saw Hamoud Ali, dressed in casual attire, and Hafsa standing by his side.
His eyes immediately filled with endless chill.
Prosper instructed his men to carefully search the room, ensuring no guards were present, before withdrawing with the special agents, leaving only Haji's people in the room.Free Web Novel
Home Life of Being a Crown Prince in France Chapter 259 - 208: Dubbed "Savior of Sorrows"_2
Life of Being a Crown Prince in France
Chapter 259 - 208: Dubbed "Savior of Sorrows"_2
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Haji's guard immediately stepped forward and surrounded Ali, who shouted with feigned bravado, "Haji, what are you doing?!"
Haji did not respond but simply drew the curved saber from the guard's waist and strode towards him.
Ali began to panic, staggering back, his voice trembling, "You, why are you doing this?"
"Seventeen years ago, you took advantage of my youth and forged my father's will, stealing my position as Bey. I could bear that!" Haji looked at Hafsa beside him, his voice filled with emotion, "Three years ago, you even tried to take my Hafsa! I knelt and pleaded with you, yet you had me thrown out."
Haji took a few steps forward, grabbed Hafsa with one hand, and raised the curved saber with the other, "Don't you understand? Without her, my life is nothing!"
"Ah, you can take her, I... I..."
A flash of cold light interrupted Ali, as the curved saber plunged into his left side below the ribs, the tip piercing through his back.
Haji, clenching his teeth, said emphatically, "I don't need your consent! I swore three years ago that I would take her back myself!"
As he spoke, he violently pulled out the saber, and Ali's crimson blood sprayed over both him and the woman.
"I did it! Look, I really did it!" Haji threw the saber aside, turned around, and hugged Hafsa tightly, burying his head in the nape of her neck, "We can finally be together!"
"Yes!" Hafsa nodded vigorously, "I saw it! From now on, we will never be separated again!"
The two embraced tightly, both with eyes brimming with tears.
After a while, Isaac's voice came from outside, "Haji Pasha, although I should not disturb you, time is pressing. Are you finished on your side?"
Haji quickly wiped away his tears, took a deep breath, and called out loudly, "Yes, Mr. Isaac, you may come in now."
Then, with Hafsa taking the lead, the guards in the palace were informed that Hamoud Ali had just been assassinated by traitors in the navy, and that he had left a will before his death appointing his nephew, Haji, as the new Bey.
Outside Tunis City, the left wing of the Guard Corps had breached the defensive line of the Tunisian Guard, quickly triggering the collapse of the Tunisian Army.
In fact, the Tunisian Guard was already in disarray after over ten rounds of bombardment by the artillery battalion of the Guard Corps. By this time, the latter's only two cannons had still not reached their position.
Afterward, the Guard Corps made a feint attack on the right wing, which allowed the left wing to easily achieve the breakthrough.
The Tunisian Army, outnumbered by double, was completely powerless, constantly fleeing and being hit.
Just as Bertier was about to order the left wing to turn and encircle, the palace steward of the Ksar Hellal Palace came rushing from Tunis City and conveyed the new Bey's order to the Tunisian Guard: "Stop resisting immediately, and let the French Army into the city."
The Tunisian officers, upon receiving the order, all heaved a sigh of relief—the army they were facing was terrifyingly efficient, with disciplined formations, fierce firepower, and proficient tactics. They had been afraid of being shot at any moment; at least now their lives were spared.
Bertier left some men to guard the prisoners, and he himself led three battalions of soldiers to Ksar Hellal Palace to provide support to Haji.
It should be noted, Hamoud Ali was dead, but there were certainly many among the high-ranking Tunisian officials who were loyal to him. And Haji, having been oppressed by Ali for years, had virtually no political power and would have difficulty maintaining control over these people.
The dozen or so men from the Police Affairs Department were hardly enough to ensure Haji's safety.
As the Guard Corps quickly controlled all the strategic points of Tunis City, officials began to make their way, either willingly or by coercion, to Ksar Hellal Palace to pay respects to the new Bey—Haji.
As for the death of Hamoud Ali, no one really cared—the officials knew he too had come to power through a conspiracy. Whether he died at the hands of the Tunisian Navy or not, whatever Haji said would be accepted as truth.
One of the first things Haji did after taking office was to announce the disbandment of the Tunisian Navy that participated in the assassination of the previous Bey, handing over the naval officers who had engaged in piracy to France for prosecution as Pirates.
After that, he ordered the Guard in Kairouan to continue purging the Eunice rebels and not to leave the fortress without authorization.
On Bertier's side, he immediately began organizing the police force of Tunis City, with its members entirely composed of the local Berber population. There were many instructors from the Paris Police Academy in the corps, and they were given responsibility for the training, while also "temporarily" holding all mid-level and senior police duties in Tunis.
The Guard of Tunis City had been completely disarmed, and for the time being, the security of the city was temporarily managed by the Berber policemen under the guidance of the Guard Corps.
Meanwhile, Tunisian officials were ordered to start tallying the number of white slaves and Europeans living in Tunisia.
...
France, Paris.
The front pages of nearly all the newspapers these past days were filled with news from North Africa.
His Majesty the King sent out an expeditionary force which, with the support of the naval fleet, had annihilated the Barbary pirates entrenched in Tunisia within a few months. The expeditionary force rescued more than 33,000 European citizens kidnapped by the pirates and protected over a hundred thousand Christians in Tunisia from the threat of piracy.
In the streets of Paris, people excitedly discussed the events in Tunisia: "A distant cousin of mine disappeared suddenly five years ago. It was not until he was recently rescued by the expeditionary force that we discovered he had been taken by the pirates!"
"These accursed pirates! Thank goodness His Majesty's grand army has wiped them out!"
"I heard that this time around nearly a thousand pirates were captured, and a large number of pirate ships were seized, which is just fantastic!"
"Long live the King! He truly is the greatest king!"
"Ah, have you seen what's reported in the newspaper? The Pope has proclaimed His Majesty as 'Savior of Sorrows', thanking him for the blessings he brought to countless Catholics!"
Of course, this title was the result of Joseph's people communicating with Pope Pius VI. The Pope also wanted to use this opportunity to enhance the prestige of the Holy See and to please France, so why not?
In the circles of wealthy nobles and factory owners, what concerned them was the news that "after sincere exchanges between His Majesty's diplomats and the new Bey of Tunisia, a series of agreements have been signed."
In a salon of the Louvre District, a group of nobles were heatedly discussing: "I hear now we can buy land in Tunisia?"
"Yes, I saw it as well; it was reported in the Paris Commercial News, and the land prices are very cheap."
"I have a relative who trades with North Africa. He told me that the land in Tunisia is incredibly fertile, allowing for three wheat harvests a year!"
"These past few years, France has constantly been troubled by droughts and hailstorms; perhaps buying some land in Tunisia wouldn't be a bad choice."
"All you think about is farming? Right now, Tunisia has almost reduced the customs duties for French goods to zero. You could make a fortune by just shipping over a bit of wine or clothing!"
"Exactly! Viscount Hoien is gathering funds to buy two ships for trade with North Africa. Anyone interested in investing?"
At the Palace of Versailles, Mirabeau and a few industrial system officials walked out of the office, looking somewhat exhausted. They had just finished discussing how to make use of the agreement that allowed the French to build factories in Tunisia to expand their industrial scale; now they were off to attend the ball hosted by Queen Mary to celebrate the successful eradication of the pirates.
The Hall of Mirrors was filled with lively music and crowded with nobles who had come to join the ball. These celebratory balls were very popular because the King and Queen were bound to be in very good spirits, often bestowing generous amounts of Gold Coins on the attendees.
Queen Mary, with an exaggerated hairstyle towering on her head, took Louis XVI's arm and gracefully proceeded to the front wooden steps of the Hall of Mirrors.
The ladies were all discussing the Queen's trendy hairstyle. It was a huge ship, taking up almost her entire head, and its height even surpassed her face.
"Oh, Her Majesty always sets the trend! That hairstyle is simply beautiful!"
"Oh God, that's a warship!"
"Madame Xisneros, do you recognize what ship that is?"
As the wife of a naval officer, Madame Xisneros had some knowledge on the topic and immediately answered: "If I'm not mistaken, that should be the flagship of the Combined Fleet, the Avant-Garde."
"It's said that the King himself crafted that headpiece."
"Oh, that is so romantic! If a man made such a ship for me, I'd marry him on the spot!"
The Queen's lady-in-waiting clapped her hands to signal everyone to be quiet, then curtsied and stepped back two paces.
Queen Mary, smiling, raised her hands and then, full of admiration, looked towards her husband beside her and loudly said, "Let us pay our highest respects to the great 'Savior of Sorrows'!"
The nobles immediately erupted with praise: "Long live the Savior of Sorrows!"
"Long live the King!"
Louis XVI, finding himself the center of attention, felt somewhat uneasy and rubbed his forehead, thinking that he hadn't really done much at all; why was the Pope being so generous?