The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 215

Chapter 215: Transforming Fate

With the decision made, Joseph immediately instructed Eymond to summon all the Crown Prince’s exclusive attendants.

In no time, a group of attendants, including painters, sculptors, pharmacists, and acrobats, stood in two neat rows before him. Looking at them, Joseph could not help but marvel again. Bringing them to Tunis, as suggested by his mother, was an incredibly wise move!

Without these people, his plan would have been quite difficult to implement. Even if masters of their caliber could be found in Tunis, maintaining secrecy would be a significant challenge.

As for how to execute the plan specifically, Joseph didn’t need to rack his brains. There were already well-established methods from predecessors—he merely had to copy them.

He gave simple instructions to the pharmacist and the ventriloquist and arranged for the Intelligence Bureau and the Franco-Tunisian merchant Agadon to cooperate with them. Then, he turned to the exclusive sculptor for this mission, Mr. Brigitte.

“Ten days from now is Ashura, an important Islamic traditional festival,” Joseph told the sculptor. “I need you to create a stone sculpture before then.

“Oh, considering the time needed for transport, you only have eight days.”

Brigitte, with a courteous bow, asked eagerly, “Your Highness, what kind of artwork do you require?”

“A stone figure in typical Arab attire,” Joseph replied, pointing to the ceiling. “It should be at least this tall—of course, the taller, the better.”

Brigitte was stunned. The luxurious hall they were in had a ceiling nearly four meters high!

He immediately displayed a troubled expression. “Your Highness, with all due respect, creating such a large sculpture... it will be challenging to complete in eight days.”

“It doesn’t need to be very detailed,” Joseph reassured. “Just refine the face a bit, and as long as the rest is recognizable as a person, it will suffice.”

“Even so, it may still be difficult…”

Joseph smiled faintly and wielded the power of money:

“If you finish one day early, you’ll receive a bonus of 1,000 livres. Two days early, 2,000 livres. Three days early, 4,000 livres. For each additional day, the reward doubles.”

Brigitte’s mind was instantly filled with the jingling sound of silver coins. Without hesitation, he placed his hand on his chest and nodded resolutely:

“Rest assured, Your Highness. You will see the stone figure within eight days!”

After a pause, he cautiously asked, “Your Highness, if I could borrow some engineering soldiers, it would ensure the timeline even more.”

“No problem. You can go to the army and choose the men you need,” Joseph agreed.

He added a few more specific instructions and concluded with a reminder:

“Oh, and make sure the figure has only one eye. Please don’t forget.”

Brigitte wasted no time. After leaving the Crown Prince, he immediately sought out Berthier to requisition several engineering soldiers skilled in explosives. He then headed straight to the area near the Majerda River, as instructed by Joseph for convenient transport.

Soon, he selected a massive limestone block, and the soldiers drilled holes, loaded it with gunpowder, and carried out a controlled explosion.

The soldiers, each receiving a labor fee of 30 livres from Brigitte, showcased their expertise. After spending most of the day, they precisely blasted the stone into a humanoid shape...

...

In the following days, a prophecy from Elder Alayi began circulating throughout Tunis: A divine oracle would soon descend upon the land, communicating to the people through water or forests.

At first, people paid little attention—until one day, a resident of Mejez el-Bab found a stone in the belly of a fish he had purchased. The stone bore white marks faintly resembling a line of writing.

The writing was not carved but appeared mysterious and otherworldly.

The man immediately brought the fish and the stone to the local mosque, asking the clerics to interpret it.

Soon, the entire town was in an uproar. The imam recognized the script as saying, “The descendants of Rome shall drive out the Ottoman Janissaries!”

In the following days, similar “oracle stones” were found in fish caught along cities by the Majerda River. Each bore the same mysterious inscription.

One fisherman even discovered a “sacred stone” in the belly of a fish freshly pulled from the water. Overwhelmed, he knelt and prayed on his boat.

In regions farther from the Majerda River, such as the northeastern mountains, locals claimed to hear foxes howling at night, with the cries eerily resembling the words, “Drive out the Ottomans.”

Clearly, Elder Alayi’s prophecy was coming true! Tunis was abuzz with excitement. People began gathering openly to discuss expelling the Janissaries.

It was divine will! With God’s support, what was there to fear from the brutal Janissaries?

Of course, all these “oracles” were the handiwork of Joseph’s exclusive attendants.

The writing on the stones was etched using strong acid and then stuffed into live fish. For speed, some were sent directly to marketplaces; for authenticity, others were strategically placed in fishermen’s nets.

Mass-produced “oracle stones” ensured that nearly every major town received at least one.

Meanwhile, the ventriloquist had the harder task, traveling between locations to mimic fox calls nightly. This nocturnal work left him six or seven pounds lighter after two weeks.

The event that finally ignited the Tunisian natives’ uprising came on Ashura itself.

Ashura is a day recorded in scripture as when God forgave Adam and Eve for eating the forbidden fruit. Yes, both Islamic and Christian accounts of humanity’s ancestors agree on this point.

On that day, over ten thousand people gathered in Utica to celebrate the festival. A massive ferry had just arrived when its oar struck something in the river’s center.

The captain, puzzled, ordered his crew to dive into the Majerda River. They discovered a colossal stone figure below!

Of course, the captain had been planted there by the Intelligence Bureau.

Utica quickly organized boats and manpower to haul the stone figure ashore using ropes.

Upon seeing the one-eyed stone giant, the crowd immediately recalled the mysterious prophecy left by a wandering ascetic: “A one-eyed stone giant will purify the corrupted Ottomans.”

The prophecy had come true, and the divine oracle was clear once again!

Utica’s clerics announced plans to build a mosque atop the statue, enabling people to worship this sacred sign. Outside the city, nearly ten thousand people prostrated around the one-eyed stone giant, praising the power of God and swearing to follow the oracle’s instructions.

Brigitte completed the enormous sculpture in five days, earning himself a 4,000-livre bonus while also delivering the Ottoman Janissaries their final blow.

...

As the astonishing divine oracle spread from Utica across Tunis, the people finally overcame their inner fears and launched the first attack on the Janissaries.

Jamil led members of the “Sword of Vengeance” along with the Fawaz tribe, a force totaling nearly 600 warriors, into the Andalusian town. This small town had no proper defenses, and they quickly drove 200 Janissaries into the town mosque.

Before launching the assault, Jamil and his fighters knelt before the “oracle stone” they had brought, offering their prayers. Rising to his feet, Jamil unsheathed his scimitar, pointed toward the enemy’s last stronghold, and shouted:
“No more Ottoman oppression! Follow the oracle! Warriors, attack!”

The 600-strong force was well-equipped, boasting 100 flintlock muskets and nearly universal distribution of scimitars and spears. With a thunderous war cry, they charged toward the Janissaries barricaded in the mosque.

The Janissaries, though initially terrified by the sight of the advancing forces, were still professional soldiers. Under the bellowing orders of their officer, they raised their muskets and began firing.

The ragged volley of gunfire echoed through the town, and several of the leading members of the “Sword of Vengeance” fell, their bodies torn apart by bullets. The sight of their comrades’ mutilated forms and pools of blackened blood froze the attackers in their tracks.

The Janissary officer seized the moment, roaring:
“You filthy rebels! You dare defy us? You and your families will be hanged outside the town gates! None of you will escape!”

Hearing this familiar threat, the courage of Jamil’s forces dissipated rapidly. In panic, they retreated out of the Janissaries’ musket range.

Infuriated, Jamil personally led another charge, but after losing several more men to gunfire, his forces retreated once again.

With no other choice, Jamil ordered his troops to engage in a musket exchange with the Janissaries. The two sides traded sporadic gunfire throughout the day, resulting in about a dozen casualties on both sides as night fell.

Watching from a distance, Ishak, an agent of the Intelligence Bureau, felt an overwhelming urge to curse aloud. Even a few hundred sheep armed with muskets might show more courage than this group, he thought bitterly.

He knew this was the Tunisian natives’ first attempt to attack the Janissaries. All the natives of Tunis were watching, and a swift victory was essential. Otherwise, the fragile morale that had just begun to build would soon crumble.

Worse, if reinforcements arrived for the Janissaries, the situation would become catastrophic.

With this in mind, Ishak rode through the night to return to Tunis City.

...

The next day, the battle in Andalusian resumed. The Janissaries even attempted a breakout, but Jamil and his top fighters held them off with great effort, narrowly avoiding disaster.

As dusk approached, a deafening explosion suddenly erupted near a road corner in the distance. Bricks and stones flew from the Janissaries’ hiding place, and a half-man-sized hole appeared in the rear wall.

Moments later, a second blast followed...

Desperate for a solution, Ishak had enlisted the help of artillery cadets from the military academy. Using a four-pound cannon, they blasted a hole in the mosque wall for Jamil’s forces.

Jamil, quick-witted, immediately stood and shouted:
“Divine punishment! This is God’s judgment! The Janissaries are doomed!”

Hearing the words “divine punishment,” the Tunisian natives’ morale soared. With God on their side, what was there to fear? They roared and launched a fierce charge.

In the dim light of evening, they could hardly see how many comrades were being gunned down, driven by sheer momentum to flood through the breach in the mosque wall. Overwhelming the Janissaries with superior numbers, they hacked at the defenders indiscriminately.

Years of oppression by the Ottomans had filled them with pent-up rage, and they unleashed it without restraint.

When Jamil finally exhausted his strength and lowered his scimitar, he turned to find that nearly all the Janissaries were lying dead or dying.

...

The next morning, Jamil and his men looted every Janissary household in the town, amassing a fortune of 30,000 rials in a single day.

The news of the great victory at Andalusian spread rapidly across Tunis. The natives realized that the once-invincible Janissaries were not unbeatable after all.

The divine oracle was indeed correct: the corrupt Ottomans were destined to be purified!

Even more enticing was the rumor that the Andalusian rebels had seized 50,000 to 60,000 rials from the Janissaries in just three days.

Greed quickly overtook fear. Fueled by dreams of sudden wealth, the natives shed their timidity, and attacks on Janissaries erupted throughout the region, spreading like wildfire.

Remarkably, no attacks on French personnel occurred during this period. The natives were too busy looting the Janissaries, completely forgetting any prior collusion with the British.

Furthermore, since the natives now regarded themselves as “descendants of Rome,” they saw no reason to harm their French “brothers of the same lineage.” On the contrary, they relied on French support for weapons and supplies to continue their campaign against the Ottomans.

...

After completely eliminating the Janissaries in Andalusian, Jamil led his forces to support neighboring native uprisings.

Having achieved victory, his forces were highly motivated and had gained some battle experience. Within weeks, they helped rebels in five or six towns defeat Janissary defenses.

In just half a month, Jamil had gathered a native army nearly 4,000 strong.

This force was handpicked, composed of brave and capable warriors. Cowards were promptly sent home.

Under the guidance of military advisors brought by Ishak, this elite native force successfully repelled a Janissary detachment sent to suppress them and went on to capture Susa, the second-largest city in Tunis. Their reputation grew rapidly.

...

Another two weeks later, Jamil’s army, now 5,000 strong, reached the outskirts of Tunis City.

From other directions, various native rebel groups arrived, their numbers totaling around 20,000.

The rebels unanimously chose Zaganos, the secret benefactor of the entire uprising (and Ishak’s alias), as their leader, and Jamil as the general in charge of all rebel forces. They laid siege to Tunis City.

A week earlier, Joseph had ordered the Guard Corps to retreat to Bizerte, while the Moulin Corps secured the Kairouan fortress, staying out of the impending storm.

...

When the Ottoman Sultan’s envoy, Sayyid, arrived in Tunis, he was met with widespread chaos. Scores of Janissaries had been killed or driven out, and one fleeing group nearly robbed him.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Sayyid, a loyal Ottoman, dared not linger. He fled to his ship as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, the Tunisian navy had already been annihilated by European forces, so he didn’t have to worry about native rebels pursuing him at sea.

However, his mission to persuade the Bey of Tunis to seek the Sultan’s recognition as Pasha was now impossible.

Failure to complete his mission could mean execution by the Sultan.

Terrified of returning to the Ottoman court empty-handed, Sayyid hesitated for a long time before concluding that stabilizing Tunisian Janissary forces was his only chance of survival.

Determined, he turned his gaze toward Algiers, where the Janissaries, as an Ottoman faction, still held influence. The Janissaries there had a history of interfering in Tunisian affairs. Convincing them to intervene would be his only hope of saving his life.

Table of content - Next Chapter >>>