Chapter 272: Grim Situation
Ottoman Empire.
Konstantiniyye.
Sultan Hamid I watched the British Special Envoy leave from his bed.
The servant bowed his head and closed the grand doors. Only then did the Sultan weakly turn to face his Grand Vizier:
"How do you think we should best handle this matter?"
Grand Vizier Yusuf mused for a few seconds before replying:
"Great Sultan, while the British proposal to "jointly attack Tunisia" is impractical, they have indeed provided assistance, helping our people seize control of Tripoli.
"The Empire has just suffered a defeat in Bessarabia and desperately needs some victories to boost morale. I believe we should send troops to garrison Tripoli, transforming it into a true province of the Empire.
"Furthermore, this would create a pincer movement against Egypt, threatening the Mamluks and compelling them to come to Topkapi Palace to reaffirm their loyalty to you."
Hamid I nodded silently:
"I hope I live to see that moment. Go and select some troops; have the navy transport them to Tripoli. I need to rest now..."
"As you command, Great Sultan."
Yusuf bowed and withdrew.
Due to French influence in Tunisia, the Ottoman Empire differed from its historical counterpart—they hadn't exhausted their main forces in the Russo-Turkish War, so they still had some troops available to deploy.
A few days later, over ten thousand Ottoman Guard Army soldiers and Sipahi cavalry boarded transport ships bound for Tunisia.
...
French North Africa, Sousse Province.
Tunis City.
Joanne and Ishaq, accompanied by several officials, welcomed the Crown Prince and his entourage in front of a villa north of the city.
Although Joanne was currently only the Administrative Commissioner of Sousse, he managed all administration since the Governor of Sousse Province had not yet taken office.
At the same time, because Ishaq had previously served as a leader of the Tunisian rebels, he wielded significant influence within the Tunisian Legion, which was reformed from the rebel forces.
In essence, they were the top military and political authorities in Sousse Province.
Joseph had specifically instructed them not to publicize his movements, otherwise, he would be constantly surrounded by Tunisian dignitaries and unable to accomplish anything important.
Joanne and Ishaq respectfully led the Crown Prince into the villa's main hall and had servants bring in high-quality local coffee.
Joseph gestured for everyone to sit down and asked directly, "Are you aware of the situation in Tripoli?"
Ishaq promptly replied, "Yes, Your Highness. Benjiour's forces have completely seized control of the area from Tripoli City to Benghazi. They are currently attacking the Pasha's troops in Zuwarah."
He then elaborated on the current combat situation in Zuwarah.
Zuwarah is a city bordering Tripoli and Tunisia. Currently, fewer than 600 soldiers loyal to the former Tripoli Pasha Ali I remain. They are entrenched there, putting up a stubborn resistance.
However, under the superior firepower of the British-equipped rebels, they were on their last legs. Especially after Ali I fled Tripoli, their morale plummeted even further.
Joseph then asked, "Will they pose a threat to Tunisia?"
"Your Highness, while that is a possibility, Benjiour only commands 2,000 soldiers. If he dares to set foot in Tunisia, the Tunisian Legion stationed in Sfax can certainly handle them."
As they spoke, an Arab Intelligence Bureau agent anxiously gestured to Ishaq from outside the door. Ishaq frowned, quickly exited, and after hearing the agent's report, immediately returned to the hall and addressed Joseph:
"Your Highness, we've just received news. The Sultan of Morocco has dispatched 12,000 royal guards to garrison Algiers. Furthermore, the Algiers Guard Army seems to have acquired a shipment of flintlock muskets. While most were produced in Germany or Spain, it's highly probable they were supplied by the British."
Over the years, Britain had procured numerous Austrian and Spanish weapons through various channels during wars, making it entirely plausible they would supply them to Algiers.
"The British again?" Joseph frowned. "The Moulins Legion will arrive in Tunisia in a few days. Have them deploy to the Algiers border first to prevent any unforeseen incidents."
He then looked at Ishaq and asked, "Roughly how many men in the Tunisian Legion possess significant combat strength?"
At the time, the Tunisian rebel army numbered nearly 20,000, but most of them were elderly and weak individuals who had joined merely to scavenge for spoils, while many tribal militias returned to their tribes after the war.
Consequently, only a little over ten thousand men were ultimately integrated into the Tunisian Legion, and among them, even fewer were truly trained elites.
Ishaq hesitated. "Your Highness, the strongest units are Major Gemile's two regiments, and Ghazi's battalion is also quite capable."
In other words, there were only two and a half regiments with genuine combat effectiveness, totaling fewer than 4,000 men. The rest of the soldiers could largely only fire their weapons from defensive positions; in a direct confrontation, they would likely collapse at the first blow.
Joseph roughly calculated the number of troops in Algiers and couldn't help but frown and shake his head. He hadn't expected the situation in Tunisia to suddenly become so grim.
After all, the Algiers Guard Army had launched an attack on Tunisia at the instigation of the British last time. With the British involved again, they had no choice but to be on guard.
After their previous devastating defeat, the Algiers Guard Army still numbered around six or seven thousand. Combined with the Moroccan forces, they already approached 20,000 men. Relying solely on the Moulins Legion and the native Tunisian soldiers would be highly precarious.
'It seems we'll need to dispatch more troops from the homeland,'
Joseph immediately took up his pen and wrote a letter to Berthier. Afterwards, he discussed the situation on both the eastern and western flanks of Tunisia with Ishaq and the others, as the sunlight outside the window began to fade.
Seizing a pause from the Crown Prince, Joey promptly suggested:
"Your Highness, I have prepared a banquet for you. Would you like to dine first?"
Joseph, feeling hungry at the suggestion, rose and followed him towards the dining room.
Along the way, Joseph glanced through an arched window and saw hundreds of people in the distance, busy wielding hoes, shovels, and similar tools. He casually asked Joey:
"It's so late; what are those people doing?"
Joey also glanced over and then turned back, saying:
"Your Highness, those are Algerians captured in the last war, along with Albanian mercenaries. They are currently working as slaves, building roads across Tunisia. They won't stop until it's completely dark."
Joseph immediately understood. It was no wonder the previous reports from Tunisia indicated that new roads were being built incredibly fast—it was because robust prisoners were doing the work.
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