Chapter 1147: Governor of Egypt
At that moment, the Ottoman vanguard of over ten thousand men had just finished crossing the river. The troops following behind were crowded along the banks, preparing to board the boats. They watched with wide, terrified eyes as the howling Mamluk cavalry bore down on them.
Infantry caught out of formation were as defenseless as newborn chicks before a charge of heavy cavalry.
Three thousand riders leveled their sabers at their sides. As they galloped through the crowd, their blades easily sliced through the bodies of hundreds of Janissaries.
In an instant, desperate shouts and cries of agony drowned out all other sounds on the northern bank of the Harazunigan River.
Countless Ottoman soldiers scurried like panicked ants to evade the Mamluks' lethal steel. Men leaped into the river in a frantic bid to escape, only to be swallowed by the current and sink rapidly beneath the surface.
Raif’s face turned deathly pale. Under the frantic protection of his guards, he fled toward Obor in a state of utter confusion.
Ibrahim, for his part, did not linger to savor the slaughter. After shattering the Ottoman organizational structure, he immediately wheeled his forces to the east to continue the pursuit.
At the same time, another thousand Mamluk cavalry appeared on the southern bank of the Harazunigan River, launching a fierce assault on the Ottomans who had just completed their crossing.
Just as the Ottoman soldiers were preparing to jump back into the river in terror, the low, rhythmic drone of horns echoed from the distance.
Muhammad Ali personally led three thousand soldiers to form a defensive line, shielding the panicked Ottoman troops on the beach. They unleashed a thunderous volley of flintlock musket fire at the charging Mamluk cavalry.
The Mamluk officers, strictly following Abdullah’s prior instructions, feigned a loss of momentum. They pulled their reins and retreated toward the south.
The Ottoman soldiers had just witnessed the carnage on the northern bank. Having survived such a brush with death, they were practically ready to fall to their knees before Muhammad Ali.
In an instant, the entire riverbank was filled with emotional cheers. "May the Lord bless our Muhammad Ali!"
"Thank you, milord! Praise be to you..."
"It was the Albanian Legion that saved us!"
Muhammad Ali took the opportunity to order the ten thousand Janissaries to return to Cairo for rest and reorganization. He then made a grand show of leading his own troops to cover the retreat, a gesture that moved the Janissaries to tears of gratitude.
Abdullah pursued Raif’s remaining twenty thousand troops all the way to the vicinity of Suez. It was only when his logistics could no longer keep pace that he finally turned back.
Masséna’s army also entered Cairo, handing over nearly ten thousand captured Halaqa infantrymen to Muhammad Ali.
After a week of rest and recovery, the French forces followed the prior agreement between France and the Ottomans, withdrawing from Egypt via the Port of Alexandria. They left behind only a three-hundred-man scientific and geological survey team.
Indeed, Joseph was not at all worried that Muhammad Ali might turn against him.
In fact, he counted on Ali doing exactly that.
Given Ali’s character and ambition, it was impossible for him to remain a loyal, subservient Governor of Egypt. Only if he rebelled would France have a legitimate excuse to intervene in Egyptian affairs at the invitation of the Ottomans.
Of course, during the early stages when his foothold was still shaky, Ali would certainly depend on secret French support. This period would be more than enough for Joseph to recoup his investment.
What Joseph didn't yet know was that one of the French transport ships returning from Egypt was already laden with gifts from Muhammad Ali, valued at roughly three million francs. These were offerings "contributed" by the Mamluk nobility, over seventy percent of which Ali had sent to his "French friends."
This sum was more than enough to cover the military expenses of the expedition with a significant surplus left over.
Soon after, Muhammad Ali began handling the daily administrative affairs of Cairo from the Governor's Palace.
His first act was to announce a general amnesty for all Mamluk officers and soldiers.
Abdullah immediately followed the prearranged plan, leading his men back to Cairo to surrender. This was one of the primary reasons the Mamluks had accepted the French terms—they had helped Muhammad Ali drive Raif away, and Ali was expected to reciprocate. This allowed them to preserve their existing interests to the greatest extent possible.
Of course, they completely underestimated the ruthlessness of this minor Albanian officer.
In the true annals of history, once Muhammad Ali had secured total control over Egypt, he would eventually wipe out the entire middle and upper echelons of the Mamluk caste in the span of a single banquet.
Next, Ali secretly reached out to the religious authorities.
Previously, the Mamluks had been the sole dominant power in Egypt, forcing even the clerics to pay them taxes.
Ali promised the most influential grand imams that he would strictly forbid the Mamluks from taxing religious figures in the future.
The clerics immediately pledged their full support to him.
Finally, Ali implemented tax cuts.
Although the reduction was not massive, it earned him the profound gratitude of the Egyptian lower classes.
Combined with the praise spread by the religious leaders, cries of acclaim for their "New Governor," Muhammad Ali, could be heard throughout Egypt.
Constantiniyye.
Selim III strolled along the gravel paths of his garden, a smile playing across his lips that he couldn't quite hide.
Egypt, which had been slipping from Ottoman control for over a century, was finally back in his hands. All he had to sacrifice was his claim to Algiers.
Algiers was too far from the Ottoman heartland and lacked a land connection. Its significance to the empire was little more than a few hundred thousand gold coins in annual tribute, for which the empire had to provide trade preferences in return.
Egypt, however, was not only incredibly wealthy but also adjacent to the core regions of the empire, making it far easier to rule.
Trading Algiers for Egypt was a spectacular bargain. How could he not be happy?
He turned his head to the Grand Vizier, Izzet, who was walking beside him. "Since the position of Kadiasker wasn't given to the Khurshid family last time, let Nadin Khurshid be appointed as the Governor of Egypt."
Izzet bowed slightly. "Yes, Your Majesty. He is indeed the most suitable candidate."
Selim III then asked, "By the way, what about that Muhammad Ali? He performed exceptionally well this time. What sort of reward do you think would be appropriate for him?"
The report the Sultan had received stated that after Raif’s main force was repelled, Ali had keenly sensed the vacuum in Cairo’s defenses. He had decisively ignored Raif’s cowardly orders to retreat and had captured Cairo in one fell swoop.
Later, Ali had rushed to the Harazunigan River to defeat the Mamluks' final desperate counterattack, saving tens of thousands of Raif’s troops.
One could say that without him, there was no telling what the Egyptian theater would look like now.
Izzet thought for a moment and suggested, "Your Majesty, considering his previous successes in suppressing rebellions, his raids in Wallachia, and his current performance in Egypt, perhaps he could be appointed as the Governor of Albania?"
Selim III shook his head. "His influence in Albania is already too great. It would be difficult to control him later."
"Then, let him..."
As Izzet was speaking, the Court Steward approached and handed two reports to the Sultan.
"Your Majesty, these just arrived from Egypt. They appear to be a joint petition from the grand imams of Cairo and over a hundred Mamluk nobles."
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