Chapter 1049: The Great Game
Kuloğlu immediately led his army northward, launching a campaign to suppress the Kabyle tribes.
In truth, the Algiers Council had long looked askance at Medjana, viewing it as a "state within a state." This unexpected rebellion played right into their hands, providing the perfect excuse to settle the score once and for all.
The Kabyle, a mountain-dwelling people numbering just over a hundred thousand, were struck with terror at the sight of the ten-thousand-strong army from Algiers. Desperate, they scrambled to send messengers to the Berbers in Annaba, pleading for assistance.
Once the Crown Prince finished reading the report, Major Vernier continued, "Your Highness, the Director has instructed me to ask for your guidance. Should we provide support to the Kabyle tribes?"
Joseph’s initial instinct was to nod in agreement.
Lavalette’s intuition was sharp; this was indeed a rare opportunity for France.
Algiers was the largest power in the Barbary region and the primary target of France’s North African strategy.
When Algiers had invaded Tunisia with British backing, Joseph had already considered wiping them out. However, at that time, France’s most urgent priority had been stabilizing the Tunisian political situation. Furthermore, he hadn't wanted to alarm the other European powers, so he had stayed his hand.
Now, the Kabyle tribes had handed him a perfect casus belli. Since they had embraced the theories presented in the "Analysis of Tunisian Origins," it was only natural for France, as their "Roman kin," to come to their aid.
In the current political climate, as long as France was dealing with North African affairs, no one except Britain was likely to raise an objection.
Joseph’s brow furrowed slightly as he reached this point in his reflections. 'Yes, this is also a rare opportunity for the British.'
While the military strength of Algiers was negligible, if the British provided financial aid and weapons from behind the scenes, France could easily find itself bogged down in an endless quagmire of guerrilla warfare. The Atlas Mountains stretched across the entirety of Algiers, particularly in the southwest, where the peaks were high and the forests dense—home to many fiercely independent tribes. To be dragged into such a conflict would be a nightmare.
Moreover, Morocco had formed an offensive and defensive alliance with Algiers two years prior. At Britain’s prompting, they might support the rebels in the western mountains or even intervene directly.
Therefore, it was essential to prevent the British from meddling.
A thin smile touched Joseph’s lips. He would make the British busy—so busy they wouldn't have the luxury of worrying about North Africa.
He turned back to Major Vernier. "Tell Lavalette not to intervene in the hostilities in Medjana for now."
The Major looked hesitant, clearly reluctant to let the chance slip away. "Your Highness, if we do nothing, the Kabyle people might be..."
Joseph waved a hand dismissively. "You may send agents to warn them. Tell them not to face the Algiers army in a pitched battle. They should retreat into the mountains."
He paused, his eyes gleaming. "If they can hold out for six months, they may find a turning point."
Though Vernier was deeply perplexed, he did not dare to question the order. He bowed and quickly took his leave.
Once the door clicked shut, Joseph pulled out a stack of paper and a pen. "It seems I need to accelerate the progress in Persia," he murmured to himself.
He began to write, his pen dancing across the page as he organized his thoughts. At the very top, he inscribed three words: The Great Game.
Late into the night.
Joseph stared at the completed draft of "The Great Game," but his frown returned. 'Who should deliver this to the British government? Arthur Conolly is probably still a child right now...'
Arthur Conolly was the historical intelligence officer who would, in the nineteenth century, first propose Britain's Middle Eastern strategy.
He would go on to conduct extensive surveys across the vast territories from Transcaucasia to Afghanistan and Central Asia. His conclusion would be that Britain must engage in a strategic competition with Russia along the line from Central Asia to Persia. Otherwise, they would lose Afghanistan—the vital buffer preventing Russia from reaching India.
His strategic vision would eventually be adopted by the British government and famously dubbed "The Great Game."
Since Conolly wasn't around to do it, Joseph felt compelled to help the British "perfect" their strategic theory himself.
His draft would later be polished by experts in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure it was both persuasive and inflammatory.
However, without Conolly, submitting this strategic report to the British government was tricky. If he just gave it to some low-level functionary, Lord Grenville might ignore it. Finding an influential British strategist to "discover" this theory on short notice wouldn't be easy either.
An idea suddenly flashed through Joseph’s mind, and he couldn't help but chuckle. 'Why am I overthinking this? The Irish must have informants deep within the British government. I'll let them handle the delivery.'
His thoughts then drifted toward South Africa.
Although the Boers currently posed little threat to the British, even the smallest profit was still worth taking. He would let them join the fray as well.
Joseph picked up his pen again and drafted two detailed sets of orders. He handed them, along with the "Great Game" manuscript, to Eman, instructing him to have them dispatched to Paris overnight.
The following day at noon.
At the Royal Palace of Madrid.
Carlos IV received his "old friend," the French Crown Prince, with immense pomp and ceremony.
After a series of tedious protocols and a lavish banquet, Joseph finally found himself in Carlos IV’s private receiving room, ready to discuss the real matter at hand.
"Your Majesty, I hope you will consider transferring the Louisiana territory to France." Joseph had no intention of beating around the bush; his opening statement was a bombshell.
Dealing with a colony spanning over two million square kilometers was not something that could be achieved through mere trickery. It was better to be direct and save everyone’s time.
Carlos IV and the high-ranking ministers beside him were stunned into silence.
After a long moment, Campos cleared his throat. "Your Highness, we are truly grateful for the assistance you provided during the New Orleans incident, but Louisiana belongs to our kingdom..."
Joseph responded calmly, "You must have heard that the Americans are massing their forces. By next spring at the latest, New Orleans will face an assault far larger than the previous one."
The Count of Aranda immediately raised his voice. "We will declare war on the United States and send an expeditionary force to crush them!"
Joseph nodded politely. "Indeed, I do not doubt the courage of your soldiers for a moment. But in North America, for every gold coin the Americans spend, the Spanish Empire will have to spend ten to counter it."
He leaned forward slightly. "Furthermore, the Americans are currently only engaging in military harassment. If a full-scale war breaks out, they can mobilize forty to fifty thousand men."
He let the silence hang for a moment. Everyone in the room understood the unspoken truth.
Spain currently lacked the maritime capacity to transport forty thousand troops to North America.
Even if they did, they wouldn't dare send that many soldiers across the Atlantic, because doing so would cause the front in Portugal to collapse instantly.
If that happened, it wouldn't just be a matter of losing Portugal; the British-Portuguese allied forces might take the opportunity to march all the way to Madrid.
Clearly, compared to controlling the entire Iberian Peninsula and eventually reclaiming Gibraltar, that desolate, wild expanse of Louisiana was not worth the risk.
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