Chapter 214: Changing the World
Chapter 215: Changing the World Once he had made up his mind, Joseph immediately had Eman summon all of the Crown Prince's exclusive retinue.
Before long, observing the painters, sculptors, pharmacists, acrobats, and other attendants standing in two rows before him, Joseph again mused, 'My mother's decision to have me bring them to Tunisia was simply brilliant!'
Without these individuals, implementing his plan would have been quite difficult. Even if master craftsmen could be found in Tunisia, maintaining secrecy would be a major issue.
As for the specific method of operation, he didn't have to rack his brain. Predecessors had already devised mature plans; he would simply copy them.
He first gave brief instructions to the pharmacist and the ventriloquist, then arranged for the Police Intelligence Bureau and the French merchant Agathon to cooperate with them. Afterward, he turned to the most crucial member for this mission: his exclusive sculptor, Monsieur Brigitte.
"The Islamic traditional festival of Ashura is in about ten days," Joseph told the sculptor. "I need you to create a stone sculpture for me before then."
"Oh, considering the time required for transport, you'll only have eight days."
Brigitte bowed deferentially, his expression eager, and asked:
"Your Highness, what kind of artwork do you require?"
Brigitte paused, stunned. This opulent hall was nearly 4 meters high!
He immediately looked troubled. "Your Highness, begging your pardon, but a stone sculpture of that size... eight days would likely be impossible to complete."
"It doesn't need to be overly intricate. Just the face needs some detailed carving; the rest only needs to clearly resemble a person."
"Even so, it's highly unlikely..."
Joseph smiled faintly, bringing out the power of wealth:
"Complete it one day early, and you'll receive a reward of 1,000 Livres. Two days early, 2,000 Livres. Three days early, 4,000 Livres. And so on, the reward doubles for each day you finish sooner."
Brigitte's mind instantly filled with the clinking and jangling of silver coins. He immediately clutched his chest and nodded without hesitation:
"Rest assured, Your Highness, you will see your stone figure within eight days!"
He paused, then cautiously inquired, "Your Highness, if you could allow me to borrow some sappers, the construction period would be even more guaranteed."
"No problem. You may go to the legion and select the men yourself shortly."
Joseph then gave some detailed instructions, finally reminding him:
"Oh, by the way, this stone figure must be sculpted with one eye. Please remember that."
Brigitte didn't want to waste a moment. After leaving the Crown Prince, he immediately went to Berthier to request a few sappers responsible for demolition, then headed straight to the vicinity of the Medjerda River—the Crown Prince had requested this location for ease of transport.
He quickly selected a massive limestone boulder, had the sappers drill holes in it, install gunpowder, and detonate it.
Each sapper received 30 Livres for their hard work from the sculptor, so they demonstrated their utmost skill. They spent most of the day using extremely precise blasting to shape the huge rock into a rough human silhouette...
Days later, a prophecy from Elder Alayi began to spread throughout Tunisia: a divine oracle would soon descend upon Tunisia, delivered to the world through water or forest...
At first, people didn't pay much attention, until one day, a resident of Majaz al Bab found a stone with white markings, vaguely resembling a line of text, inside a fish he had bought.
The writing wasn't carved, appearing extremely mystical.
He immediately took the fish and stone to the town's mosque, asking the clerics to decipher it.
Soon, the entire town was in an uproar, because the Imam recognized the inscription, which read: "The Roman Descendants shall drive out the Janissaries!"
In the following days, people from cities along the Medjerda River successively discovered more stone fragments with mysterious patterns inside fish, bearing the same inscription.
Some fishermen even unearthed "oracle stones" from fish they had just caught, startling them into immediately kneeling on their boats to pray.
In areas farther from the Medjerda River, such as the northeastern mountains, some people faintly heard foxes howling at night, and the cries sounded remarkably like "Drive out the Ottomans."
Clearly, Elder Alayi's prophecy had come true! All of Tunisia surged with excitement again. People began openly gathering to discuss the expulsion of the Janissaries.
This was a divine oracle!
With the Lord backing them, what was there to fear from even the most ruthless Janissaries?
Of course, all the divine oracles were actually orchestrated by the Crown Prince's exclusive retinue.
They used strong acid to etch text onto stones, then inserted them into the bellies of live fish. For efficiency, they would sell them directly in the market; for a more realistic touch, they would discreetly place them in fishermen's nets.
These were mass-produced "oracle stones," ensuring that almost all major towns received one.
The ventriloquist, however, had a harder time, having to travel to various locations nightly to imitate fox calls. After half a month, he was exhausted and had lost six or seven pounds.
However, what ultimately triggered the explosion among the Tunisian natives was the astounding divine oracle that appeared on Ashura.
Ashura is recorded in scripture as the day of repentance for Adam and Eve, whom the Lord permitted to eat the forbidden fruit. Yes, indeed, the accounts of these two human ancestors are identical in Islam and Christianity.
On that day, tens of thousands gathered in Utica to celebrate the festival. A giant ferry, arriving there, struck something with its paddle in the middle of the river.
The captain, puzzled, ordered his crew to dive into the Medjerda River to investigate, only to discover a colossal stone figure there!
Naturally, this captain had been arranged in advance by the Police Intelligence Bureau.
Thus, Utica organized numerous boats and personnel, using ropes to tie the stone figure and drag it ashore from the river.
Upon seeing the one-eyed stone giant, people immediately recalled a strange prophecy left by a mysterious ascetic: 'A stone giant with one eye shall cleanse the corrupted Ottomans.'
The prophecy had come true, and a divine oracle appeared once more!
The Utica clerics immediately announced that a mosque would be built upon the stone statue, making it convenient for people to visit the divine miracle. Outside Utica, nearly ten thousand people prostrated themselves around the one-eyed stone figure for a long time, loudly praising the Lord's power, and all swearing to obey the divine oracle's message.
Monsieur Brigitte completed this massive work in five days, earning a 4,000 Livre bonus, and simultaneously delivered the Janissaries in Tunisia their final send-off.
...
As the astonishing oracle event spread from Utica throughout Tunisia, people finally overcame their timidity and launched their first attack against the Janissaries.
Gemile, leading members of the "Sword of Vengeance" and tribesmen from the Fawaz clan, a force of nearly 600, stormed into the Andalusian town—this small town had no proper defenses—and quickly drove 200 Janissaries into the town's mosque.
Gemile and his warriors first prostrated themselves before the "oracle stone" they had brought, then rose, drew their scimitars, pointed them at the enemy's last stronghold, and loudly declared:
"No more Ottoman oppression! Obey the divine oracle! Warriors, attack!"
These 600 men were well-equipped, with 100 flintlock muskets and scimitars and spears largely ubiquitous. They immediately charged toward the Janissaries inside the mosque with war cries.
On the Janissary side, though terrified by the sight, they were, after all, professional soldiers. At their officers' commands, the soldiers quickly grabbed their firearms and began shooting outwards.
As the chaotic gunfire erupted, several members of the "Sword of Vengeance" in the vanguard were hit and fell. Seeing their bodies torn apart by bullets and the dark blood staining the ground, those behind them immediately hesitated.
The Janissary officer, witnessing this, shouted sternly:
"You despicable wretches, how dare you rebel! You and your families will all be hanged outside the city! Not a single one of you will escape!"
Upon hearing this familiar, terrifying roar, much of Gemile's army's courage vanished instantly. They hastily turned and retreated beyond the Janissaries' firing range.
Gemile was furious. He personally led a charge again. But after a few more men were shot, the charging team immediately recoiled.
Gemile, frustrated, could only order his men to exchange fire with the Janissaries. And so, the two sides crackled and popped at each other for a day, suffering about ten casualties, until nightfall.
Ishaq, the Police Intelligence Bureau agent observing from a distance, could only curse under his breath. Even a few hundred sheep armed with flintlock muskets might have shown more bravery than these men.
He knew that this was the Tunisians' first attempt to attack the Janissaries, and all the natives of Tunisia were watching. Victory had to be achieved quickly, or the natives' newly boosted morale would quickly dissipate.
If other Janissary reinforcements arrived, the situation would become even worse.
Thinking this, he immediately rushed back to Tunis City that very night.
The next day, the battle in Andalusian continued. The Janissaries even launched a breakout attempt. Fortunately, Gemile led his elite commanders to desperately hold them back, or their efforts might have failed.
As dusk approached and Gemile was growing increasingly agitated, a deafening roar suddenly echoed from near a bend in the distant road. Immediately, bricks and stones flew from the Janissaries' hiding place, and a chest-high hole appeared in the back wall.
Then, a second tremendous blast reverberated...
Ishaq had no other choice but to invite the artillery students from the police academy to "cheat." They used 4-pounder cannons to open a breach for Gemile.
Gemile, quick-witted, guessed that someone was helping with cannons, but he stood up and shouted loudly:
"Divine punishment! This is the Lord's divine punishment! The Janissaries are finished!"
Hearing "divine punishment," the Tunisian natives' morale immediately soared. If God was on their side, what was there to fear? They roared and followed Gemile in a ferocious charge.
The dim light prevented them from seeing how many comrades were shot around them. Driven by sheer momentum, they surged through the breach in the mosque, and, relying on their numerical advantage, indiscriminately hacked and slashed at the Janissaries inside.
They had been oppressed by the Ottomans for too long; the rage in their chests erupted, completely uncontrollable.
By the time Gemile's strength gave out and he sheathed his scimitar, he turned to realize that almost no Janissaries were left standing.
At dawn the next day, Gemile led his men to search all the Janissary homes in the town, collecting a massive sum of 30,000 Riyals that day.
News of the great victory in Andalusian quickly spread throughout Tunisia. The natives suddenly realized that the once arrogant Janissaries were not invincible after all.
The divine oracle had indeed been correct; the corrupted Ottomans would surely be cleansed!
More importantly, it was rumored that the Andalusian rebels had collected 50,000 to 60,000 Riyals from the Janissaries in just three days!
Everyone was immediately consumed by greed.
Clutching dreams of instant wealth, the natives no longer felt timid. Incidents of attacking Janissaries increased everywhere, quickly igniting a widespread uprising.
Meanwhile, there were no longer any attacks on French nationals throughout Tunisia—the Janissaries were being plundered for riches by the natives; who remembered their dealings with the British?
As for the natives, everyone was now a "Roman Descendant," so they naturally wouldn't trouble their French brethren of the same lineage. Besides, they still relied on their French brethren to provide weapons and equipment for their plundering.
Meanwhile, Gemile, after clearing out all the Janissaries in Andalusian, began leading his troops to support nearby native forces.
They were, after all, a victorious army, with high morale and some experience, and they quickly helped five or six towns breach Janissary defenses.
In just half a month, Gemile had gathered a native army of nearly 4,000 men.
This was after he had carefully selected brave and capable warriors, sending the cowards home.
This strongest native army, guided by military advisors brought by Ishaq, then successfully repelled the Janissaries who had come from Tunis City to suppress the rebellion, and then took advantage of the situation to capture Sousse, Tunisia's second-largest city, greatly boosting their prestige.
Another half a month later, Gemile's 5,000-strong army arrived at Tunis City.
Several other native rebel forces also arrived from other directions, loosely forming a total of about 20,000 men.
The various native groups elected Lord Zaganos, who had secretly supported all the rebels—that is, Ishaq—as their leader, and Gemile as their general, to command all the native forces and besiege Tunis City.
A week prior, Joseph had already ordered the Guards Corps to withdraw to Bizerte, while the Moulins Legion had secured the Kairouan fortress, deliberately not involving themselves in the impending storm.
...
When Said, the Special Envoy of the Ottoman Sultan, arrived in Tunisia, he witnessed widespread conflict, with large numbers of Tunisian Janissaries killed or driven out. A group of fleeing Janissaries even nearly robbed him.
After understanding the situation in Tunisia, he, a pure-blooded Ottoman, dared not linger. He escaped back to his ship as quickly as possible.
Fortunately, the Tunisian navy had been entirely destroyed by the Europeans, so he didn't have to worry about the natives pursuing him by sea.
However, this meant the Sultan's mission for him—to persuade the Bey of Tunisia to request the title of Pasha from the Ottoman Empire—could no longer be completed.
Failing his mission could well lead to execution by the Sultan.
Afraid to return to the Ottoman Empire, Said deliberated for a long time, eventually realizing that his only option was to somehow complete the mission.
To complete the mission, he first had to help the Tunisian Janissaries stabilize the situation.
He immediately turned his attention to Algiers, which the Ottoman Empire could still influence. The Janissaries there were also a branch of the Ottoman Janissaries and had a tradition of interfering in Tunisian politics. He had to convince them to deploy troops if he wanted any hope of saving his own life.
Comments