Chapter 202: Target, Tunisia!
Admiral Jervis continued:
"Furthermore, Algiers also needs an army to counter a successful French forced landing.
"As far as I know, their Janissaries only drink and seek prostitutes; their combat effectiveness won't be very strong."
"We can recruit Albanian mercenaries," the Duke of Leeds said, inhaling the aroma of his tea with a relaxed expression. "The people there are very fierce, and they also speak Arabic. Most importantly, they're cheap."
Pitt nodded slightly, then looked at Jervis. "How many mercenaries do you estimate are needed to defend Algiers?"
"At least 10,000 men; 15,000 would be best."
"Your Grace, please be careful." Consul Stuart's voice interrupted the Duke of Leeds's thoughts. The latter quickly refocused, crossed the gangplank, and stepped onto the port of Mitidja.
After another two hours in a carriage, the Duke of Leeds and his entourage finally managed a secret meeting with Mansour, the current Dey of Algiers. With numerous French spies present, they had to proceed discreetly.
Mansour seemed very enthusiastic towards the British. After all, they were bringing benefits; who wouldn't welcome that?
Initially, Mansour was quite resistant to allowing tens of thousands of Albanian mercenaries into Algiers, especially as he was expected to bear one-third of the cost.
However, he soon saw the edict from Ottoman Sultan Mihrad I, brought by "Sultan's Advisor" Mr. Stuart, which urged him to strengthen his military and use mercenaries to resist potential foreign invasions.
In truth, what Mihrad I had sent was less an edict and more a guarantee — its main content assured that these mercenaries would obey the Algiers government and would withdraw immediately once the threat had passed.
The following day, the Algiers council engaged in a fierce debate.
The pirates, who represented the naval power, along with the local Berbers, were largely in favor of accepting the mercenaries. After all, the intelligence Mansour had received from the British indicated that France was likely to attack Algiers' naval bases.
Conversely, the Janissary faction strongly opposed the mercenaries' entry into Algiers, fearing they would pose a threat to their own power.
Ultimately, after Mansour promised to allocate sixty percent of the British aid to the Janissaries, and with the navy's staunch insistence, the Janissaries reluctantly agreed to allow the mercenaries to garrison the city.
The Duke of Leeds was overjoyed upon receiving the news. He left Stuart to manage affairs in Algiers and, feeling satisfied, boarded a warship bound for Britain.
His expedition across the Mediterranean had lasted over two months, and by spending just over 400,000 Pounds Sterling, he had successfully curbed France's expansionist ambitions in North Africa. This was undoubtedly a massive strategic success! Previously, Britain had launched a war and invested nearly ten million Pounds Sterling to achieve similar strategic objectives.
The world was now entering the Industrial Age, and only vast colonies could provide markets and raw materials to support a nation's development. In recent years, over half of the Empire's income had come from colonies in the Far East and America.
And a France lacking colonies? Hah, it would never possess the strength to compete with the Empire!
...
France, Paris.
In an office on the second floor of the Tuileries Palace, Joseph meticulously reviewed reports on strategic grain reserves across the country. Due to rapid industrial expansion and a significant increase in industrial officials after the Minister of Industry took office, the original Industrial Planning Bureau was clearly insufficient. Thus, Joseph simply allocated a small section of the Tuileries Palace for the new planning bureau's offices. After all, the palace had numerous guest rooms and was rarely fully occupied.
The figures in the report made Joseph frown slightly. Grain reserves had only seen a minor decrease in July and August, but starting in September, the stored grain had plummeted by tens of millions of pounds.
This accounted for seventeen percent of the total reserves!
He knew this was because private households had some grain stored previously, but with the total crop failure caused by the hailstorms, many people's reserves had been depleted, leaving them to rely on government stockpiles to survive.
It was fortunate that he had started purchasing grain from abroad since the beginning of the year; otherwise, France would likely be in chaos by now. Historically, it was at this very point that the French government became powerless to quell the widespread riots, leading it to announce the convocation of the Estates-General the following year, thus ushering in the great revolution.
Joseph couldn't help but sigh softly at the thought. Though the situation was tenuously stabilized for now, he couldn't afford to relax his vigilance.
First, due to the severe drought, grain production in the latter half of this year would certainly be significantly lower than in previous years. According to church estimates, the harvest might only reach seventy percent of typical years, or even less.
It was crucial to remember that France was still an agrarian nation; a thirty percent reduction in grain harvest essentially meant the country had lost a third of its vitality!
Furthermore, after last year's massive grain purchases from abroad and with other nations also experiencing drought, international grain prices had already risen by sixty percent compared to last year, and they continued to climb.
Countries like Britain, Prussia, and the various German states had already enacted laws strictly limiting grain exports; now, even with money, it was impossible to buy.
What's more, France didn't have much money at the moment...
Joseph had just reviewed the financial report. After his previous maneuvers, France's debt crisis had indeed been greatly alleviated; at least it wouldn't be on the verge of collapse at any moment as before. However, the budget was still in deficit.
Annual expenditures exceeded revenues by 20.7 million livres.
Compared to last year's 300 million livre deficit, this was indeed a significant reduction, but it remained a truly alarming figure!
Especially with the prospect of depleting grain reserves next year, a considerable sum would inevitably be needed to purchase food. If not handled carefully, the recently improved financial situation could quickly spiral out of control again.
Historically, in the three years from 1787 to 1789, France's national debt nearly doubled in response to famine and riots.
Joseph knew that the drought wouldn't ease until the latter half of next year; before then, he absolutely couldn't lower his guard.
To tackle the grain crisis, the first priority was to have funds at hand.
Whether it was for purchasing grain or, if necessary, seizing it, significant capital was required to support these efforts.
Currently, France had two main avenues for generating funds:
One was the nascent industrial sector. Although fields like papermaking, brewing, and carriage manufacturing were developing quite well, adding over eight million livres in revenue to France, this was merely a drop in the ocean when it came to sustaining the national treasury.
As for other sectors, they merely generated small profits at best. Particularly the major pillar industries like steam engines, textiles, and steel, which still required significant investment and were a considerable distance from becoming profitable.
The other source of increased income was North Africa.
Tunisia itself was a very wealthy trade hub, boasting several important trading ports. Moreover, almost the entirety of Tunisia consisted of fertile land suitable for cultivation. If extensive farmland could be developed there, it could largely resolve France's grain crisis.
In extreme circumstances, starving people could even be sent there directly, given land to cultivate, and allowed to grow their own food.
It could be said that in Joseph's strategic planning, Tunisia was the key to ensuring France's stability.
Just then, Eman softly tapped on the door and said:
"Your Highness, Consul Joanne has arrived, along with that person."
Joseph's spirits immediately lifted, and he instructed:
"Please show them in."
He had been waiting for this person ever since he received the intelligence report on North Africa a few days ago; today, they had finally arrived.
"Yes, Your Highness."
A short while later, Joanne, tall and slender with sun-darkened skin, entered the office with two others.
When he saw the Crown Prince looking his way, he hastily placed a hand on his chest and bowed:
"It is an honor to meet you, Your Royal Highness! I am Bernard Arnaud de Joanne, Consul to Tunisia."
The robust woman beside him, wearing a wide-brimmed hat with a veil and a new fitted dress, was clearly surprised by Joseph's age. She somewhat impolitely whispered a few questions to Joanne, and after receiving an affirmative reply, finally removed her hat, curtsied to Joseph, and rattled off a long string of Arabic.
Joanne quickly gestured towards the woman and translated for the Crown Prince:
"Ah, Your Highness, this is Lady Ayshe Rabia, the eldest daughter of Younis Pasha. Many of Younis's affairs are managed by her, and on this occasion, she is Younis Pasha's plenipotentiary representative.
"She just praised your temperament and renown, and extended her sincere greetings, wishing you a long life."
Joseph returned Rabia's smile, acknowledging her exotic features. "Welcome to Paris, having traveled so far." He then gestured to the sofa covered with a fine wool rug. "Please, both of you, sit and speak."
Rabia then pointed outside and spoke animatedly for a moment. Ishaq immediately translated for Joseph:
"Your Highness, she says she has brought some gifts on behalf of her father and hopes you will like them."
He lowered his voice slightly:
"Ah, some of them are just outside the door, mainly jewelry. Others have been left at the Port of Marseille; those are slaves, some fifty or sixty people... all purchased by her, mostly French, with a few Italians."
Joseph narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew these were the so-called "white slaves" – Europeans kidnapped by Barbary Pirates and sold into slavery in North Africa. Younis seemed to be trying to curry favor by returning French citizens.
He turned to Rabia and smiled faintly:
"Please convey my thanks to Mr. Younis. This will mark the beginning of our excellent cooperation."
Rabia immediately curtsied in response:
"My father and I are both deeply honored, Your Highness."
Joanne diligently provided a simultaneous translation.
Joseph nodded to Joanne, then addressed Rabia:
"I believe Baron Joanne has already explained my intentions to Mr. Younis. What is his reply?"
A glint of ruthlessness flashed in Rabia's eyes as she declared loudly:
"Your esteemed Highness, my father greatly admires your proposal!
"Those contemptible scoundrels, Muhammad and Ali, have usurped Tunisia for over two decades. It is time to return it to its rightful owner.
"If you can help my father return to Qasr Palace, he will express his gratitude to you in every way possible!"
The Qasr Palace she referred to was the royal residence of Tunisia's Hafsid dynasty, and subsequently, the home of all successive Beys.
Joseph nodded with satisfaction upon hearing this.
He had already anticipated that Younis, a powerful figure who once commanded Tunisia's military and rebelled against his own father, would never be content to live out his days in lonely exile in Algiers.
Therefore, he had the Police Intelligence Bureau coordinate with the Tunisian consul to establish contact with Younis. The Bureau recently reported back that Younis was extremely interested in reclaiming the Bey's throne and had many supporters in Tunisia.
However, Younis evidently did not trust Joanne and the agents, insisting on a commitment from the French monarchy, which led to today's meeting.
Joseph chuckled, "Younis Pasha possesses the purest Bey bloodline; he rightfully ought to reclaim Tunisia.
"So, perhaps you could first tell me how I can assist him?"
Rabia seemed a little impatient as she said:
"Thank you, Your Highness. First, my father is under house arrest by the Algiers Janissaries. You need to help him leave Algiers."
Joanne immediately interjected, "Your Highness, regarding this, Mr. Pell of Prussia has already devised a plan. His people will attempt to delay the Algiers Janissaries.
"From Younis Pasha's residence to the coast, it's about an hour and a half by carriage, or faster by horseback. However, a warship will be needed for the rendezvous, otherwise, he might be intercepted by the Algiers navy... ahem, pirates."
Joseph nodded. "That's no problem. The combined fleet can be dispatched for the rendezvous."
Rabia's face lit up with joy, and she continued:
"My father has already sent people back to Tunisia to contact his followers. With his prestige, he should quickly be able to gather a large army.
"However, the main force of the Tunisian Janissaries may still obey Hammuda Ali. As you know, the Janissaries are very well equipped, which would lead to a difficult fight for us."
Hammuda Ali was the current Bey of Tunisia.
Joseph understood her implication: Younis's old guard had apparently been marginalized and were likely mere auxiliary troops, making it difficult for them to directly confront the main force of the Tunisian Janissaries.
He waved his hand magnanimously. "I can supply you with 5,000 Charleville Flintlock Muskets and ten cannons."
The so-called excellent equipment of the Tunisian Janissaries was only relative to the North African region; their army even included a considerable number of 17th-century matchlock muskets. It was worth noting that even the Ottoman Guard Army, whom they admired and envied, had equipment inferior to the Russian army, which ranked at the bottom in Europe.
Therefore, simply providing some standard French military weapons would give them an overwhelming advantage against the North African armies.
Rabia hadn't expected the young Crown Prince to be so generous. She immediately rose excitedly and curtsied:
"You are truly too generous, Your Highness! With these weapons, my father will surely sweep away those traitors!"
This also convinced her of the French's sincerity — with actual guns and cannons provided, what more could there be to doubt?
"So, how might we repay you?"
Joseph thought to himself, 'Of course, it's about fully accepting France's land purchases and factory establishments in Tunisia, negotiating Tunisia's tax rates with France, and aligning politically and culturally with France.'
Tunisia had vast amounts of arable land, and its grain output was crucial for alleviating France's food crisis.
Establishing factories in Tunisia meant products could be sold locally to nearby Algiers, Tripoli, and Greece, and transportation to the Ottoman Empire wouldn't be too far either.
This would make transportation costs significantly lower than for goods imported from Britain. Even if Britain held an advantage in industrial development, the final price would still be higher than French goods.
This would effectively give France a vast market stretching from North Africa to the Balkan Peninsula and even into Central Asia!
However, he didn't intend to mention these points to the woman before him, as there was no need.
He simply smiled and replied:
"I expect the Tunisian navy to declare a ban on plundering merchant ships. Trade will fully align with France. Additionally, the Port of Bizerte will be handed over to French administration."
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