Novels online

Chapter 1080: The Roman Identity

"Romans?" Rahman froze for a moment, but then he reacted immediately, nodding vigorously with excitement. "Yes! You're absolutely right! This place will always belong to us Romans!"

Currently, in this small corner of North Africa, the definition of "Roman" stemmed from the book Analysis of Tunisian Origins. It was a collective identity encompassing the French, the Berbers, and the Arabs living in North Africa.

As a merchant who frequently did business with Tunisia, Rahman had naturally read the book long ago.

It was no wonder he was so excited. Based on what Colonel Gemile said, the Berbers of Algiers could also be accepted as "Roman descendants."

With the French army currently controlling Mitidja, if they became "one of their own," the Berber faction—which had been oppressed by the Janissaries and the Navy for so long—would finally have its day of reckoning!

Gemile seemed to see right through him and reached out to pat his shoulder. "I once lived through the era of enslavement under the Ottoman Janissaries. It was the great Crown Prince who helped us drive those demons away."

"Now, you can use the same method to reclaim the freedom and rights you deserve!"

Rahman's breathing grew heavy. "You mean... driving out the Janissaries?"

"Not just the Janissaries, but those in the Navy as well. For the past hundred years, they have treated you like slaves. Now it's time for them to pay the price!" Gemile used a new term he had learned from his instructors in Paris. "This is a revolution belonging to the Romans!"

Gemile continued to perform according to the Crown Prince's "script." "As you've seen, Governor Uste doesn't like being bothered by tedious administrative affairs. As long as you present him with the wealth of the Janissaries and the Navy, he won't interfere with anything."

"Once General Ney's army returns to Europe, my men will take over the defense here. And I will give you my full support."

Rahman hesitated for only half a second before placing his hand over his heart and declaring loudly, "All Roman descendants in Algiers will follow your command!"

He blinked and immediately added, "And we shall remain forever loyal to His Great Majesty the King!"

Gemile immediately recalled the unique gift this commerce guild president had sent to Governor Uste and nodded inwardly. It was no wonder this man had been chosen to lead the Roman uprising; he was truly a clever one.

While other Algiers nobles had sent gold, silver, jewels, and beautiful women, Rahman had sent a statue of the Crown Prince. Upon hearing that the French had captured Mitidja, Rahman had immediately ordered craftsmen to take a statue commissioned by a M'zab elder and modify it into the likeness of the French Crown Prince. Because time was short, they only had time to alter the face. However, according to him, it represented the Crown Prince inspecting Algiers.

Three days later.

The Algiers naval faction began publicly broadcasting the various crimes of the Janissaries in major cities like Mitidja and Constantine.

The charges ranged from election fraud and bribery to an utter disregard for human life.

As the political rivals of the Janissary faction, the Navy knew their dirty secrets better than anyone.

Subsequently, courts in various towns began trial proceedings for these cases.

Rahman, who had been busy preparing the Berber tribes for an uprising, was somewhat surprised, but he reacted quickly, putting on a show of joining forces with the naval faction.

Berbers and Arabs made up ninety percent of Algiers' population. Now, without the threat of the Janissary army and incited by Berber nobles, they began to march in major cities, demanding severe punishment for the Janissaries' crimes.

Naturally, a fair amount of looting and rioting was inevitable. Almost every Janissary residence was stormed.

Seeing the Berber "commoners" daring to snatch the spoils, the naval faction also hurriedly sent their own people to join the ranks of those plundering the Janissaries.

For a time, almost all of Algiers fell into chaos.

The Janissary faction initially tried to resist, but they were quickly overwhelmed by the enraged crowds. Most of their forces had been sacrificed by Kuloğlu, and the Ottomans in the local security forces had been dismissed by the French. Without military power, the Janissary faction was simply no match for the other two groups.

Five days later, the Mitidja court was the first to deliver a verdict. The Algiers Janissaries were found guilty of treason, collusion with foreign enemies, and the persecution of Berber tribes. Every Ottoman descendant and their relatives were declared guilty.

Indeed, the Janissary judges had already been purged from the courts, so Rahman and Shafik could essentially hand down whatever sentences they desired.

Soon, courts in other cities followed suit, issuing similar rulings one after another.

The entirety of Algiers descended into a frenzy. Janissaries were arrested everywhere, and their properties were confiscated.

It wasn't that Rahman's organizational and mobilization skills were particularly powerful; rather, the lower classes of Algiers had long harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Janissary class. Now that the shackles were removed, they needed no prompting to enact the most brutal revenge.

In just over two months, the Janissary influence in Algiers was uprooted. The remaining ten thousand or so Janissary inhabitants began to flee in all directions.

This was Joseph's plan to purge the aristocratic power in Algiers.

He aimed to exploit the contradictions between the three existing political factions to the maximum, starting with the Janissaries, who had the most enemies, and dealing with them one by one.

Ultimately, by using the identity of "Roman descendants," he would unite the most numerous Berber-Arab ethnic groups to serve as the foundation for governing Algiers.

Compared to the historical precedent where the French government sent its own army to suppress opposition through force, this method was at least a dozen times more efficient.

Moreover, it would prevent the people of Algiers from harboring a grudge against the French. In the past, starting from the reign of Charles X, tens of thousands of French troops had fought Algiers resistance groups for over a decade before finally managing to suppress the opposition.

However, seeds of hatred were sown as a result. For over a century, independence movements had continuously erupted in Algiers until it eventually broke away from France.

While Joseph's method wouldn't allow for the immediate plunder of massive wealth, it was a long-term strategy. In a dozen years or so, it would solidify control over the Algiers region.

The Janissary refugees first tried to head west toward Morocco, but they soon found that all routes had been sealed by the French army.

Then, rumors began to spread that some had successfully escaped south to M'zab.

Immediately, all the Janissaries began flocking toward M'zab. Within about three months, the Ottoman Janissaries had almost entirely vanished from Algiers.

Indeed, M'zab was the "living way" Joseph had reserved for them.

Surrounding on three sides while leaving one open was always the best approach when trying to eliminate a force once and for all.

If those tens of thousands of Janissaries had been backed into a corner with no choice but to fight to the death, they could have struggled for at least two or three years using the wealth they still held.