Chapter 1136: Backing the Right Side Is Truly Rewarding
On the second floor of the Badi Palace, Soult stared irritably at the room directly across from his makeshift office. He was hoping that one of the dozen or so men inside would suddenly burst out and tell him, "I know a shocking secret about the Sultan."
But more than ten days had passed, and the Moroccan Sultan’s brothers and nephews had offered nothing of value besides frantic pleas for mercy.
He had no choice but to begin organizing the defenses of Marrakech to face the inevitable counterattack of Suleiman’s grand army.
However, he had only 3,500 Portuguese and Spanish soldiers and 4,000 Algerian troops under his command. Without a steady supply of ammunition, he lacked the confidence to hold the city for long.
Just then, his chief of staff rushed in, waving a letter excitedly. "Commander, they agreed! They’ve agreed!"
Soult stood up abruptly. "The General Staff agreed to our retreat? No, wait—word couldn't have reached Paris that quickly."
"It’s the Sultan of Morocco," the staff officer shouted. "He has accepted most of our conditions, including recognizing Spanish sovereignty over Tangier, Tetouan, and northern Salé."
"He also declared the Wazzan and Rif tribes as 'enemies of the Sultan,' forbidding any Moroccan from providing them with support..."
Soult’s eyes widened. He snatched the letter and scanned it.
"Why would he do this?" Soult frowned at his staff officer, his tone cautious. "This could be a ploy by Suleiman to mislead us. Tell the men not to lower their guard."
But the Moroccan army never came. Four days later, a Spanish officer arrived in Marrakech with a massive convoy of supplies and horses, explaining why Suleiman had suddenly capitulated.
"I’m supposed to be backing Hicham for the throne?" Soult asked, his face a mask of confusion.
The Spanish supply officer nodded with an admiring look. "That’s what everyone in Meknes is saying. They claim the army in Marrakech has already proclaimed Hicham as Sultan and that he’s ready to march north with you to attack Meknes at any moment."
It took Soult half an hour of questioning to finally piece together the reason.
The crux of the problem was that Suleiman was infertile.
Therefore, the next Sultan had to be chosen from among his brothers.
Suleiman’s second elder brother, Hicham, had once served as the Governor of Marrakech, but because he hadn't supported Suleiman’s succession, he had been kept under house arrest ever since.
Suleiman preferred his younger brother, Ibrahim, as his heir. Ibrahim had been stationed in Marrakech to hold the fort while Suleiman went to Meknes to stabilize the situation.
As it turned out, both his greatest political rival and his handpicked successor had been captured by the "Spanish" force that raided Marrakech.
For Suleiman, it would be a total catastrophe if the Spanish government decided to throw its weight behind either of them.
Hicham, in particular, held great sway in Marrakech and had many sons. Numerous Moroccan nobles were secretly in contact with him—in fact, history would later record that it was Hicham’s son, Abd al-Rahman, who would ascend the throne over a decade later.
Furthermore, Marrakech was the economic heart of Morocco. Now that Spanish forces controlled it, the northern capital of Morocco would face financial collapse within six months.
Suleiman had no confidence that he could defeat the Spaniards within half a year—he had no way of knowing that Soult’s expeditionary force had carried no logistical supplies.
After a quick calculation of the risks, he decided to abandon the two northern provinces.
Since they were already occupied by Spanish troops, he knew it would be difficult to reclaim them and figured it was better to use them as bargaining chips for a ceasefire.
At the same time, if he could use the Spaniards to wipe out those rebellious northern tribes, it would eliminate a major headache for him.
Thus, Spain and Morocco signed the Treaty of Fez with remarkable speed. After his "one-month tour" of Marrakech, Soult led his army back to Melilla along the northern foothills of the Atlas Mountains.
A month later.
The Count of Florida-Blanca, Spain’s Chief Minister, arrived at the Palace of Versailles accompanied by a retinue of high-ranking Spanish military and political officials to deliver a personal letter from Carlos IV to Joseph.
"His Majesty originally intended to visit you in person, but the conflict in Portugal has not yet concluded, making it impossible for him to leave Madrid."
Joseph opened the letter. The first half was filled with expressions of gratitude for France's help in resolving the Moroccan crisis, while the latter part mentioned the early transfer of the Ceuta fortress to France.
According to the previous agreement between Joseph and Carlos IV, France was to take control of Ceuta only after Spain had reclaimed Gibraltar.
But this time, Spain had not only saved over ten thousand troops trapped in the Rif Mountains but had also stumbled into an unexpected harvest: the entire northern Moroccan provinces. Cordoba’s original demand had been a blatant attempt to ask an exorbitant price; no one expected Suleiman to actually agree to cede Tangier and Tetouan.
While the area wasn't massive—roughly 13,000 square kilometers—it consisted of fertile plains adjacent to the Mediterranean, perfectly situated for maritime trade. It was a prime colonial acquisition.
More importantly, with these two regions, Spain’s territories in the northern Rif Mountains were now contiguous. Moroccan tribes would no longer be able to cut off and ambush their forces.
As for the Wazzan and other northern tribes, having lost their political legitimacy, they no longer dared to engage the Spanish army. Most retreated into the heart of the Rif Mountains, while a few chose to defect to the Spanish side.
When the news reached Madrid, Carlos IV was ecstatic. He immediately decided to hand over Ceuta to France ahead of schedule.
In actual history, Spain wouldn’t have acquired the northern Moroccan coastal colonies for another thirty or forty years, and even then, it would have cost them an army of 70,000 men. Even then, they would eventually rely on French intervention to win.
Of course, the early handover of Ceuta was also the brainchild of several Spanish ministers. They knew that once France had possession of the base, Joseph would be too embarrassed to just go through the motions when it came time to attack Gibraltar.
Joseph tucked the letter back into its envelope, a smile playing on his lips.
Carlos IV might not be the most capable ruler, but he certainly knew how to play the game.
By handing over Ceuta early, he had made it awkward for Joseph to even ask for the "rental fee" for Soult’s services.
In truth, the French Navy desperately needed a base near the Strait of Gibraltar.
Previously, it took at least eight days to sail out of the Mediterranean from the nearest port in Mitidja.
From Ceuta, it would take only three hours.
This provided the French Navy with a massive strategic advantage for future operations in the Atlantic against the British Navy.
Furthermore, France’s growing fleet of steam warships could now use Ceuta as a coaling station, doubling their operational efficiency.
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