Chapter 1466: Advising the King of Egypt
"Baron Trudaine has done an excellent job," Joseph noted, nodding at Lavallee. "Proceed with the subsequent phases of the plan as quickly as possible."
"Yes, Your Highness," the Security Bureau chief replied, though he hesitated. "However, the Minette Ironworks and the Gregor Brothers Steel Company have expressed some grievances regarding the reduction of sales to North Germany. I am concerned they may not strictly adhere to the directive."
According to the plan, French ironworks needed to yield a portion of their market share to facilitate Prussia's "steel industry explosion."
These two companies held a significant market share in the North German states, yet the French government could not publicly issue a prohibition decree. If they chose to continue secret sales, there was little anyone could do to stop them.
Joseph sighed. "Tell them not to fixate on such low-end markets. Furthermore, the Ministry of Finance will provide them with subsidies."
This time, the two million francs Baron Trudaine had "earned" from the Queen of Prussia would be more than enough to compensate all French companies for their losses in the North German market.
The loss was only in certain low-end sectors where profit margins were thin anyway.
Joseph finished speaking and then recalled something. "By the way, where is Charles now?"
After suffering a severe emotional blow in Berlin, Charles had barely endured until his inspection of the armaments in Essen was complete before rushing back to Paris.
"His state of mind isn't very good, is it?"
"Uh, so it would seem, Your Highness."
Joseph pondered for a moment before instructing, "Don't have him return to Paris. Send him directly to Brest."
He then gestured to Eman, who was waiting by the door. "Please draft an invitation for Princess Marie Elisabeth to join us in Brest for the 'White Beach Food Festival'."
Marie Elisabeth Wilhelmine was a Princess of Baden. At eighteen, she was cheerful, easygoing, and exceptionally beautiful—exactly the kind of woman Queen Marie envisioned as the perfect wife for Charles.
Joseph truly didn't know how to comfort his brother this time, so he simply pawned him off on their mother, who was currently vacationing in Brest. He was certain she would be far more adept at handling such complicated matters of the heart.
As for Princess Marie Elisabeth, he hoped Charles would take a liking to her and finally move past his recent heartbreak.
"Yes, Your Highness." Eman started to turn away but suddenly paused. "Um, Your Highness, the 'White Beach Food Festival' you mentioned... I don't believe I've ever heard of it."
"Well, it doesn't exist yet. But we can begin the preparations immediately."
Joseph couldn't exactly send a Princess of Baden to Brest just to watch his mother catch crabs, so he had to invent a food festival on the fly. Having Charles and the Princess attend would also serve to launch the event's reputation, potentially turning it into a staple tourist attraction for Brest in the future.
Having settled the Prussian affairs, Lavallee continued, "Your Highness, there is also news from Mr. Delattre in Cairo, which arrived yesterday. A tribe from Nejd called Diriyah is leading an army to besiege Mecca."
"Muhammad Ali seems to want to use this opportunity to seize Gaza and the Sinai region. However, his current military funds are limited, so he may request a loan from us."
Gaza, along with the surrounding territories and the Sinai Peninsula, served as the bridge between North Africa and the Levant.
Once this area was occupied, one could march straight into the Levant, which was essentially the "purse" of the Ottoman Empire.
Joseph looked puzzled. "What is the origin of this 'Diri' tribe?"
The Security Bureau chief replied promptly, "Your Highness, they are a tribe from the Al-Arid region. Their current leader is named Saud bin Abdul-Aziz. After forming an alliance with the Wahhabi sect, he has proclaimed himself Imam and quickly unified the tribes of Nejd and the southeastern Hejaz."
"According to the intelligence gathered by Mr. Delattre, Saud currently commands nearly thirty thousand troops."
Joseph immediately understood. It was the Saudis.
In history, they had indeed occupied Mecca, followed by the second Holy City, Medina.
Lavallee added, "Your Highness, Mr. Delattre believes the Ottomans will struggle to mobilize enough troops to handle conflicts in both Hejaz and Gaza simultaneously. If we provide support to the Egyptians, we should see significant returns once they are victorious."
Joseph, however, shook his head firmly. "No. Send word to Mr. Delattre immediately. He must stop Muhammad Ali from going to war with the Ottomans."
Lavallee didn't question the order, simply bowing. "Yes, Your Highness."
Once the Security Bureau chief had left, Joseph summoned Talleyrand. He directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to dispatch a special envoy to Egypt as soon as possible, providing him with detailed instructions.
Half a month later.
Inside the Ablaq Palace in Egypt, Muhammad Ali looked at Perrot, the French special envoy sitting on the carpet across from him, with an expression of shock. "Are you certain this is the wish of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent?"
Previously, the French liaison Delattre had prevented Egypt from advancing on Gaza, which Muhammad Ali could more or less understand.
But this envoy had brought a new suggestion from the Prince Regent, actually proposing that he should take the initiative to offer Kostantiniyye his assistance—suggesting that the Egyptian army "station" itself to repel the Diriyah forces threatening the Holy City.
Perrot nodded. "His Highness sent me here to remind you that while the Saudi army appears large, their actual combat effectiveness is quite weak. They will likely exhaust most of their energy simply suppressing the resistance of the tribes around Mecca."
"If you rashly attack Gaza, you are destined to face the Ottoman army alone."
Muhammad Ali remained silent, but his eyes were filled with disbelief.
Despite being so close to the Arabian Peninsula, his own knowledge of the Saudi army was not nearly as extensive.
Perrot caught his expression and said calmly, "You can have complete confidence in our nation's intelligence capabilities."
Of course, all this information came directly from the Prince Regent himself.
Joseph remembered that in history, even with no Ottoman resistance, it had taken the Saudi army five years to move from Mecca to Medina. To expect them to pin down the Ottomans while Egypt attacked? That was a fantasy.
Perrot continued, "However, if you lead your army to recapture Mecca, the benefits will be far greater."
"First, you can request that the Sultan officially appoint you as the Governor of Egypt. This will make many internal matters in Egypt much easier to handle in the future."
"Second, the Sultan will certainly provide you with a massive military budget and most of the necessary logistics. In truth, you would only need twenty thousand men to defeat the Diriyah forces."
"Finally, recapturing the Holy City will bring you immense prestige."
As he spoke, the furrow in Muhammad Ali's brow slowly smoothed out.
Indeed, if the French intelligence was accurate, he would have otherwise been walking into a grueling war. Although Egypt had developed well under his leadership in recent years, compared to the powerful Ottoman Empire, his strength was still far from sufficient.
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