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Chapter 427: The Power of Destruction

Joseph pondered for a moment, then looked at Brienne with a slight smile. "Our military operation against Annaba should be almost ready, shouldn't it?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Duke of Broglie mentioned to me yesterday that the reinforcements have already arrived in Bizerte. Oh, that must have been last week."

According to the Anglo-French Non-Intervention Treaty, France would retaliate against Algiers for its previous acts of aggression. Annaba, in northeastern Algiers, was to be the battlefield and, simultaneously, the spoils of war.

Annaba was small, and as long as the British tacitly agreed, other European continental countries would largely ignore it. The "salami-slicing" tactic remained highly effective at all times.

Joseph nodded. "We will fully leverage the impact of this war, so we must project an imposing presence. Of course, this will also be combined with other measures, which should be enough to make those tribes settle down..."

Tunisia.

Western suburbs of Tunis City.

A Berber Colonel, dressed in a white military uniform and black tight-fitting trousers, frowned as he watched the chaotic gathering of "soldiers" on the parade ground in front of the barracks. He turned to Gemile beside him and remarked,

"General, why must we conscript these fellows? They'll only drag down the army and serve no purpose whatsoever."

More than a year had passed since Gemile led the Sword of Vengeance in revolt against the Tunisian Janissaries. He had since been promoted to Major General, responsible for commanding the Tunisian Legion.

Gemile's French wasn't very good, so he replied in Arabic:

"This is an order from Paris, conveyed by Lord Ishaq, and it explicitly states that they must be present on the front lines."

The Colonel's expression immediately shifted to surprise:

"Even we are only responsible for logistics and clearing the periphery of the battlefield. Yet they are to go to the front lines?!"

Undoubtedly, the main combat roles were held by the "Roman brothers" from mainland France. The men before him had been conscripted over the past half-month from various tribes, all of whom held relatively high status within their communities.

According to the newly announced conscription rules, large tribes had 20-40 slots, while smaller tribes had 10. Tribal members participating in this campaign against Algiers would receive bonus points in the next Civil Service Examination.

Yes, that was the Civil Service Examination in Tunisia; only by passing it could one hold an official position in Tunisia. Therefore, the various tribes fiercely competed for these conscription slots.

"Who knows what the gentlemen at General Staff Headquarters are thinking," Gemile said, glancing at his subordinate. "Instead of worrying about that, you'd do better to figure out how to train these utterly useless men."

Although the Tunisian Legion was no match for the regular French army, after more than a year of training—especially with some officers studying at military academies in mainland France—its combat effectiveness was consistently ranked among the best in all of North Africa. Thus, they certainly had the right to look down on the "worthless" tribal members who had only undergone traditional combat training.

"Yes, General, I will certainly train them diligently!" the Colonel immediately snapped to attention.

Meanwhile, in the Sousse Province, eastern Tunisia, the Wakruma tribe was holding a farewell ceremony.

Four warriors from the tribe were going to the Yobari tribe to serve as Public Security Officers and police, responsible for maintaining safety there.

These were extremely honorable positions—not only did they come with generous salaries from the government, but they also wielded significant power. They could arrest, fine, or even temporarily detain anyone in the Yobari tribe who violated the law.

The Yobari tribe had over 2,700 people. Based on this size, a Public Security Officer could also recruit 12 patrol officers locally. These individuals would receive a monthly stipend of 8 livres from the government. Patrol officers would typically manage their own affairs, train twice a week, but had to be ready for deployment by the Public Security Officer at any time.

Oh, and if European patrol officers were recruited, the quota would increase to 20 people.

With immigrants from mainland France continuously pouring into Tunisia, finding Europeans to recruit was not difficult.

The tribe chief personally led his people to see the four warriors off for several kilometers. These Public Security Officers would bring considerable benefits to the tribe—each time they discovered a law violation in the Yobari tribe, it would contribute to something called "Public Security Contribution" for the Wakruma tribe. This contribution could then be used to offset the tribe's taxes.

The chief had calculated that if the four men could catch enough legal infractions, the tribe could save over a thousand livres in taxes each year!

Three days after seeing off the warriors, the Wakruma tribe received a decree from their province: to reduce inter-tribal conflicts, tribes would no longer be permitted to maintain any form of tribal soldiers.

The chief immediately grew anxious, asking the official who delivered the decree what they should do if bandits attacked the tribe without tribal soldiers.

The official smiled and told him that these matters would be handled by the newly appointed Public Security Officers. The Public Security Officer for the Wakruma tribe, it seemed, was from the Aboto tribe, and he would also recruit some patrol officers there...

At the Sousse Province Governor's Residence, the official responsible for policing was reporting to Governor Joanne on the appointment of Public Security Officers in various tribes.

Joanne nodded continuously, finally signing and stamping the thick stack of names.

After the police official left with the documents, an assistant to the Governor hesitated before speaking to Joanne:

"Governor, under this model, the province will have to pay a substantial amount in salaries for the Public Security Officers and their subordinates each year. This will place immense pressure on our finances."

His unspoken meaning was clear: previously, tribes were responsible for their own security. This money simply didn't need to be spent.

Joanne smiled. "First, this is an order directly signed by His Highness, the Crown Prince.

"Second, you haven't grasped the significance of this measure at all. It might increase financial expenditure in the short term, but within six months at most, our fiscal surplus will significantly increase."

"Why is that?"

"It stems from a healthy trade environment," Joanne simply stated. He believed his assistant would understand the connection: a large number of investments from mainland France were currently flowing into Tunisia. Tribal violations of the law, such as privately levying trade taxes or transit fees, or even extorting immigrants, severely hindered commerce and land reclamation. If Public Security Officers could be used to curb the tribes, Tunisia's development speed would double. And prosperity would inevitably lead to more fiscal revenue. Compared to that, the Public Security Officers' salaries were negligible.

The Governor's assistant immediately understood but then grew somewhat anxious:

"Governor, you know that if those tribes' interests are affected, they will not hesitate to kill the Public Security Officers who 'interfere' with their illicit gains."

"You are absolutely right," Joanne nodded. "That is why His Highness, the Crown Prince, arranged for influential tribal members to go to Annaba. They will witness the power of destruction there."