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Chapter 1135: Ceuta Fortress

Inside the command post of the Mediterranean Security Organization's coalition forces, General Onorato di Giva, commander-in-chief of the Sardinian Legion, stared at the order in his hand for a long time before finally stammering, "This... isn't this duration a bit too long?"

"Perhaps... I should return and report this to His Majesty the King..." he suggested tentatively.

The French officer standing before him offered a polite smile. "Rest assured, General. The General Staff has already obtained the consent of His Majesty Emmanuel IV. I believe his messenger will arrive in Ancona shortly."

This officer was an official from the General Staff Headquarters of the Mediterranean Security Organization.

He had just delivered the General Staff's latest orders to General Giva. To prevent Naples from launching a retaliatory strike and to ensure their strict adherence to the armistice agreement, the Security Organization had decided to station a garrison in Ancona on a rotational basis.

Ancona was a strategic city situated directly on the western flank of Abruzzo, a mere five or six-day journey away.

The Sardinian Legion had been granted the "honor" of serving as the first rotation of the garrison. They were to be stationed there for a full year before being relieved by the troops of Modena.

In truth, Joseph had no intention of moving against Sardinia just yet, despite them being the secret puppet masters behind the recent surge of Italian nationalism.

First, Sardinia would undoubtedly maintain that the accusations were nothing more than fabrications by the Young Italy organization. In an age without recording devices, it was nearly impossible to produce definitive, "smoking gun" evidence.

Secondly, even if the Sardinian royalty were forced to admit their involvement, such a transgression wasn't severe enough to warrant extreme measures under current diplomatic norms. The most rigorous punishment would likely be the self-imposed exile of Emmanuel IV, with his brother succeeding him as king.

For Sardinia, that would be little more than a minor inconvenience.

However, Joseph intended to punish this turncoat nation severely—his ultimate goal was to dismantle the kingdom into two or three smaller states.

But for now, he lacked a direct pretext for such a drastic action.

Consequently, Joseph had ordered Lavalette to leave the top leadership of the Young Italy organization untouched. Even those who had been arrested were not interrogated regarding their financial backers.

This was a calculated move to lull Sardinia into a false sense of security.

Before the expedition against Naples, Joseph had personally written a letter praising Sardinia's vital role within the Security Organization, urging them to contribute more troops to serve as an example for the smaller nations.

Then, under the authority of the Security Organization's General Staff, he had effectively sequestered those ten thousand Sardinian troops in Ancona.

These were Sardinia's elite Royal Guards. By depriving the kingdom of this force at a critical moment in the future, Joseph would significantly reduce the resistance he might face.

As for the one-year stationing period, if Sardinia hadn't been dealt with by then, the Modena forces scheduled for the next rotation would simply find various excuses to delay, ensuring the Sardinian army could not return home.

Simultaneously, Joseph had deployed a unit of several thousand men under the guise of rotating the garrison in Mantua, secretly leaving them stationed within the borders of Parma.

...

On the west coast of Morocco.

Anfa Port.

The dull thunder of heavy cannons shattered the tranquility of the early morning.

As three Spanish third-rate ships of the line and four fourth-rates unleashed a relentless suppressive fire on the harbor, the two main shore batteries managed to return fire for only ten minutes before they were completely silenced.

The Moroccan defenders were gripped by shock and confusion. According to their understanding with the British, a Royal Navy fleet should have been patrolling the waters outside Anfa Port at all times. How could they have allowed Spanish warships to get this close?

What they did not know was that Soult had directed the Spaniards to send a dozen ships as decoys to lure the British fleet away. He had launched his strike during that fleeting window of opportunity.

Half an hour later, transport ships lowered their longboats. Under the protective cover of the naval bombardment, a thousand soldiers from the Spanish Royal Infantry Battalion stormed the beachhead.

In truth, the primary force Soult relied on was still a Spanish infantry regiment, numbering approximately 1,500 men.

The Portuguese mercenaries were ill-suited for the rigors of an amphibious assault, and the Algiers tribal soldiers were even less capable—most of them didn't even know how to handle an oar.

Fortunately, the Moroccan defenders were caught completely off guard. The Spaniards swiftly captured the northernmost battery, found several cannons that were still functional, and turned them around to fire into the harbor.

Shortly thereafter, over two thousand Portuguese mercenaries slipped into the port's barracks area by exploiting the blind spot of the southern battery, quickly routing the disorganized and demoralized defenders.

By one o'clock that afternoon, Soult had secured full control of Anfa Port.

It was only an hour later that the British fleet finally realized something was amiss. They abandoned their pursuit of the Spanish decoys and rushed back toward the port.

By then, however, all the harbor batteries were firmly in Spanish hands and immediately began raining fire down upon them.

Deep within the harbor, twelve steam paddleboats intended for river navigation had their boilers stoked to full pressure. Spanish and Portuguese soldiers streamed across the gangplanks to board the vessels.

At half-past three in the afternoon, these steamships, carrying more than 2,300 soldiers, sped up the Oum Er-Rbia River at an impressive pace, moving against the current.

According to Soult's strategy, they would transition to a tributary west of Tadla and eventually disembark thirty kilometers east of Marrakesh.

The steamships would then return to Anfa Port to ferry up logistical supplies.

Following that, they would have to rely on conventional vessels for transport, as the coal carried by these steam paddleboats was only sufficient for a round trip and a half—there were no coal refueling stations to be found within Morocco.

By dusk the following day, Soult's "disposable" amphibious fleet had arrived near Demnate.

The soldiers lit torches and disembarked onto the riverbank under the cover of darkness.

Because of the incredible speed of the steam paddleboats, the messengers dispatched from Anfa to Marrakesh were still only halfway to their destination.

At daybreak, Soult led this raiding force in a direct strike toward Morocco's Southern Capital.

His soldiers carried only four days' worth of field rations and enough ammunition for three and a half hours of sustained combat.

Their two 4-pounder cannons were limited to a total of only 120 shells.

But in Soult's estimation, this would be more than enough.

The following afternoon, Soult peered through his telescope and saw the imposing walls of Marrakesh rise in the distance.

Judging by the merchant caravans moving leisurely in and out of the city gates, it was clear that the city had not yet entered a state of war readiness.

Without a moment's hesitation, he personally led his men in a fierce assault on the eastern gate.

The battle proceeded with remarkable ease. When the first cannon shots rang out, the Moroccan defenders actually mistook the sound for a celebration being held within the city.

It wasn't until Soult's infantry had seized control of the gate that the garrison managed to organize a pitiful counterattack of some two or three hundred men.

Three hours later, after shattering an organized unit of the Black Guard, Soult was in total control of the ancient city and had the Dar al-Badi Palace completely surrounded.

However, the palace was defended by more than four thousand guards. Soult bombarded the structure with his two measly 4-pounder light cannons for two days. It was only after the first wave of 1,500 reinforcements arrived via rowboats that he finally managed to storm the palace grounds.

The Grand Vizier was dragged before Soult. He stammered in terror for several minutes before the translator could finally make sense of his words: Sultan Suleiman had departed for Meknes at the beginning of the month.

Meknes was Morocco's Northern Capital and served as its administrative hub. To effectively govern a territory divided by rugged mountain ranges, the Sultan frequently traveled between the northern and southern capitals.

Just then, a young eunuch standing behind the Grand Vizier blurted out a frantic string of words. The translator turned to Soult with a look of surprise.

"Sir, he says that the Sultan's brothers, Hicham and Ibrahim, are currently here in Marrakesh. He is willing to lead us to them if you promise to spare his life."