December 10, 1788.
The whole of Paris shivered under the biting cold wind, especially as news of insufficient grain supply from other provinces arrived from time to time, making this winter seem exceptionally cold.
Only the news of victory in North Africa brought some good spirits to people during this difficult winter.
At the eve of national awakening, the French people could now empathize with the achievements and glory of their country, and the topic heatedly filled the streets and alleys.
When the Guard Corps returned to their Paris quarters, the area outside the barracks was already surrounded by people, greeting them with cheers and warm smiles.
Meanwhile, the Palace of Versailles was also hosting a grand victory celebration.
Joseph, somewhat exhausted, stepped down from the rail carriage and was immediately greeted by a tsunami of cheers; looking up, he saw thousands of nobles thronging the sides of the road in the Versailles Palace Square, all the way to the palace gates.
Summoning his energy, he waved to the crowd, again sparking fervent cheering.
To be honest, he had traveled for more than half a month from Tunisia to Paris, and at this moment, what he desired most was to sleep soundly on a soft bed for an entire day.
However, Joseph also knew that one often cannot control one's own circumstances, and he still needed to face the necessary ceremonies.
He glanced back at the carriage; Bertier, Joan, and a few agents from the Police Affairs Department, along with the representative from Tunisia, Xilada, got down from the carriage one after another.
The group was clearly unaccustomed to such a grand scene, standing in place for several seconds before being prodded awake by the Ceremonial Officer's whisper and quickly stepped forward to follow behind the Crown Prince.
The party, escorting Joseph, walked through the dense crowd, accompanied by the sound of the court orchestra playing nearby, followed by the booming salute of the cannons.
The young noblewomen of Versailles Palace were more passionate and infatuated with the Crown Prince than ever before. His recent experiences in distant North Africa had darkened his complexion slightly, giving him a more masculine air, along with an added sense of mystery that nearly made the young maidens swoon.
And the high-ranking nobles, at this time, looked upon Joseph with a gaze that was evidently different from before.
Before the Crown Prince went to Tunisia, the place was a mess, with attacks on the French left, right, and center, and the Cabinet was even prepared to drop this hot potato. However, after the Crown Prince's arrival, the situation in Tunisia quickly stabilized. By the time he returned to Paris, he even brought back a new province for France!
No one would think this was a mere coincidence.
Clearly, the young Crown Prince possessed talents and capabilities far beyond his years.
Of course, all this might also have been directed by Queen Mary herself, but that the Crown Prince managed to implement it without fault was equally remarkable.
Regardless of whether it was Queen Mary or the Crown Prince's maneuver in Tunisia, the prestige of the Royal Family was notably elevated. At least, no one regarded the royal house as a laughing matter anymore; on the contrary, those who praised and respected the Royal Family were becoming increasingly numerous.
Moreover, nobles who frequented the Royal Palace were undergoing intense inner struggle at this moment.
They had watched the Duke of Orleans falter step by step, losing the High Court, media control, and the reins of banking.
So should they continue to align with the Duke of Orleans, or should they make overtures to the Royal Family early, to secure a retreat for themselves...
On the steps in front of the main entrance to the Palace of Versailles, Queen Mary looked eagerly at her son approaching, but suppressed the impulse to rush forward and embrace him due to the presence of the Tunisian envoys, merely exchanging customary greetings with him.
Xilada stepped forward from behind, respectfully bowed to the King and Queen, and then presented the application signed by Haji Bey to join France to Louis XVI.
The addition of Tunisia as a French province was a matter settled ten days ago; this was just a formality now.
Louis XVI took a deep breath, mustering all his strength before resoundingly proclaiming, "I accept the loyalty of Tunisia, and in the name of the King of France, I will forever protect Tunisia, granting you peace and prosperity."
The crowd at Versailles Palace Square erupted into thunderous cheers: "Long live the King!"
"May our King's glory shine upon Tunisia forever."
"Praise the Lord! Praise our King!"
However, these ever-rising waves of cheers made the socially anxious Louis XVI extremely nervous, until the Ceremonial Officer came close to remind him, and then he raised his hand to signal for silence before inviting the Tunisian delegates and others into the Palace of Versailles.
Afterward, Queen Mary presided over the ceremony of France's acceptance of the four provinces of North Africa in the Hall of Mirrors.
This was a suggestion made by Joseph to the Queen on his way back to Paris, splitting Tunisia into four provinces – the Province of Bizerte, Sousse Province, Kairouan Province, and Sfax Province.
Tunis City was incorporated into Sousse Province. The more barren areas to the south were part of Sfax Province, and from then on, the name Tunisia would only appear as a geographic concept.
Joseph also broke his heart over this arrangement for the future long-term stability and order of Tunisia.
Dividing Tunisia into four provinces could, first of all, dilute the sense of a unified Tunisia, to prevent someone from promoting separatism in the future.
Secondly, the four Governors could check and balance each other, overseeing each other's actions, preventing the emergence of independent vassals overseas. After all, the lesson of the Ottoman Empire was still there; as soon as Imperial power weakened, the Imperial Guard immediately began to rule the roost in Tunisia.
Finally, in this era, communication and management capabilities were very limited, and it was difficult for a governor to effectively manage the entire territory. It is important to realize that Tunisia covers 160,000 square kilometers, more than a quarter of France's total area!
However, although Tunisia is vast in size, its population is relatively small, so appointing four governors was basically enough to manage it.
The ceremony of receiving the new province was over, and next was the ceremony where the King and Queen awarded those who had distinguished themselves in North Africa.
Joseph stood somewhat awkwardly in the first place, with Bertier, Joan, Isaac, and others to his right.
Queen Mary placed a garland on her son's head, looked him up and down, and finally couldn't help but pull him into her arms, saying with concern in a low voice, "My dear, I'm so proud of you! Tell me, have you been injured? Are you sick? Did you get used to the food in Africa..."
Joseph patted the Queen's back, nodding repeatedly, "Don't worry, everything is fine with me. After all, I am a grown man, and I'll be traveling around the world more often, so you don't always have to worry about me."
"Good, good..." Queen Mary's eyes were a bit wet, but the corners of her mouth curled upward, "My Joseph will surely soar through the expansive skies like a mighty eagle. And I, will always be here waiting for you to come home."
Louis XVI also came over and said softly, "Mmm, me too."
The Court Ceremonial Officer glanced at his watch and coughed helplessly.
Queen Mary quickly let go of her son, forcefully held back her tears, and took the garland from the Ceremonial Officer, walking towards Bertier: "Your exceptional performance in North Africa has astonished everyone, please accept our respect, Lieutenant Colonel."
At that moment, Joseph appropriately turned his head and whispered, "Mother, it should be Major General now."
The Queen nodded, "Yes, that's right, I've heard about that battle, and your contributions are enough to earn you a promotion to Major General."
A smile flashed across Joseph's face. According to tradition, Bertier was supposed to be promoted to Colonel this time, but an exceptional promotion to Major General wasn't out of the question. It was a good opportunity to secure his military rank while the Queen was pleased, which would greatly benefit the Guard Corps' future development.
After all, as a Major General, he could command an entire local garrison, which would make it much more convenient to increase the numbers of the Guard Corps or recruit officers in the future.
After the Queen had placed garlands on the last person and made a brief speech, it was time for lunch.
Queen Mary walked towards the dining room, arm in arm with Joseph, showering him with care and concern along the way, which made Clementine, who was eager to hear stories of the North African campaign from her cousin, scratch her head in frustration, as she couldn't find an opportunity to interject.
The Imperial Chef had specially prepared a North African-style "Tajine Pot" as the first course for the banquet. In fact, he had struggled for a long time over whether this North African dish should be considered a soup or an appetizer, ultimately deciding to categorize it as an appetizer because the soup portion was somewhat small.
Joseph, having eaten Tajine Pot every other day while in Tunisia, was very familiar with it.
This was a dish stewed in a clay pot, using a plethora of spices and sauces, with additions such as beef, fish, tomatoes, and various vegetables—somewhat akin to the Eastern hot pot, and quite delicious nonetheless.
When the French chef's Tajine Pot was served, and the servants lifted the pointed lid on the clay pot, a rich aroma immediately greeted everyone.
Joseph speared a piece of fish with his fork and put it into his mouth, where the saucy flavor enveloped the fish, releasing its seafood sweetness upon his palate, and he swallowed it after just a few chews.
It was much tastier than what the Tunisians made.
The French chefs truly lived up to their reputation!
An idea suddenly popped into Joseph's head: he could promote this dish in France to facilitate the French people's acceptance of the Tunisians.
However, when he looked up, he realized that aside from himself, everyone else was staring at the Tajine Pot without moving.
Could it be that this dish didn't suit the French palate?
As Joseph pondered, he saw the Court Ceremonial Officer whispering something to the Queen, who then awkwardly picked up a fork and reached into the clay pot.
The nobles below imitated the Queen and began to eat as well.
Joseph couldn't help but facepalm, having forgotten that at the Palace of Versailles, there were strict etiquette rules about what utensils to use and in what order, and which part of the meal to eat first.
So, faced with a North African dish they had never eaten before, everyone was at a loss about where to begin...
After the banquet, the celebration continued with a dance party—a Tunis-themed ball.
The nobles, dressed in North African-style attire, played exotic music and began to dance gracefully.
Joseph, following tradition, stood in a corner, watching those who had integrated into Tunisian fashion, quietly estimating how much the Parisian fashion designers had earned this time.
While some reveled in joy, others were fraught with worry. As everyone merrily celebrated, the military nobility appeared deeply troubled.
"Who said last time that Bertier's troops couldn't even enter Tunis City?" a middle-aged officer complained in a low voice, "In the end, not only did he stabilize the situation in Tunisia, but he even defeated the People of Algiers!"
"I didn't expect those People of Algiers to be so useless. If we had known it would be like this, we should've gone to Tunisia ourselves!"
General Astou frowned, "Now Bertier's prestige has greatly increased. You know, he is one of the Royal Family's men, and at this rate, the Royal Family's influence in the army will grow stronger and stronger!"
"Exactly, didn't Murat's Corps throw in their lot with the Royal Family?" the middle-aged officer said, "It was the Queen's direct order, without involving the Minister of War, that Duke Vilar's troops went to North Africa!"
Marquis de Saint-Veran, who had just returned to Paris yesterday, immediately added with resentment, "We cannot allow this trend to continue! The moment the Royal Family no longer relies on our military, they will discard us like a worn-out boot!"
Someone muttered softly, "But what can we do? We simply have no means to control that Bertier."
Another voiced even more quietly, "Actually, collaborating with the Royal Family isn't entirely off the table..."
The other officers immediately glared fiercely at the speaker. This unspoken matter was theirs alone; monopolizing the military meant they could squander France's military funds at will.
If the military command were given to the Royal Family, then the annual embezzlements of tens or even hundreds of thousands of livres, kickbacks from equipment purchases, and the extra funds for campaigning would all vanish.
More importantly, their descendants might not be able to inherit their high military ranks.
Their families might no longer carry prestigious names.
This was utterly unacceptable!
General Astou sternly stated, "We must unite. That Bertier is not invincible.
"Have you forgotten? His troops were originally a part of the French Guard, and another part now has become the Merit Corps. We could work on reinstating the old structure of the French Guard, merge these two corps back into the French Guard, and establish a High Commander for the Guard.
"This way, if the Royal Family wants to dispatch Bertier's Corps, they would have to issue orders through his superior High Commander."
"That's very feasible!" Marquis de Saint-Veran immediately agreed, "As for Murat's Corps, I remember they were previously commanded by Major General Vilar, only for Duchess Marie Emilie to suddenly take it back."
The Major General Vilar he mentioned was Duchess Marie Emilie's uncle.
"We need to use our influence to support Major General Villar. His niece, who is only sixteen or seventeen, is not a concern."
"We also have to create a situation where Bertier faces an enemy he can't handle, making the Royal Family compromise with us."
"You're absolutely right, but something like the situation with Algiers definitely won't work..."
...
Constantinople.
While Tunisia's decision to break away from the Ottoman Empire did not cause substantial damage to the Empire, it nevertheless caused an uproar in the Ottoman Empire.
This news became the final straw that broke the confidence of the Empire's public, especially under the extremely unfavorable circumstances of the war with the Russians.
Pedestrians whispered about the defeats on both the northern and southern fronts, with a sense of pessimism quickly spreading everywhere.