The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 214

Chapter 214: Gun in Hand, Follow Me!

As the scholars' gathering neared its conclusion, the door was abruptly pushed open. A middle-aged man, his deep gaze exuding intellect and his entire bearing steeped in scholarly aura, entered under the guidance of a servant.

The crowd turned to look, and a wave of excitement and surprise rippled through the room.

"Hilada Celebi! What brings you here?"

"Celebi, we were just poring over your masterpiece!"

"Your writing is truly remarkable! There are some sections we didn't quite grasp. Could you help us understand them?"

"Please, sit here..."

The scholar named Hilaria exchanged pleasantries, his weariness apparent, and seated himself on the carpet. Smiling faintly, he began discussing the relationship between the Tunisians and the Romans with those in the room.

This was already the third event he had rushed to today. For him, this was initially supposed to be a business transaction—he had been paid a handsome sum to publish An Analysis of Tunisian Origins under his name.

The fee was substantial, a hefty 1,000 Livres. Considering that the booklet lacked religious endorsement and harshly criticized the Janissaries, it was a venture fraught with risk.

However, after delving repeatedly into the booklet's arguments, Hilaria found himself increasingly convinced by its content. He began actively promoting its ideas throughout Tunisia.

"It is indisputable that we are descendants of the mighty Eastern Roman Empire," Hilaria declared as he quickly became the center of the discussion. Referencing the booklet's points, he continued, "The true obstacle standing between us and civilization, prosperity, is none other than the Ottomans!

"They massacred our ancestors and have brutally oppressed us Roman descendants for over a century!"

By "Ottomans," Hilaria was referring to the Tunisian Janissaries. In truth, the hatred toward the Janissaries required little stoking; the audience was already nodding in agreement. Over a century ago, when the Ottoman Janissaries invaded Tunisia, they had unleashed widespread plunder and slaughter.

A cautious voice questioned:
"But Çelebi, our Roman brethren—namely, the French—they are Christians. What if they compel us to convert to their faith?"

"Rest assured, that won't happen," Hilaria replied with conviction. "To be candid, I have engaged with France's upper echelons. They are civilized, tolerant people. They are here to help us achieve self-rule and have no intention of forcing any changes upon us."

"This is excellent news!"

...

While the Francophiles were animatedly discussing, Joseph was en route to northern Susa in his ship-like carriage.

Inside, Consul Joan was reporting on the progress of the "identity propaganda" campaign, though he also voiced some concerns:

"Your Highness, we've been at this for quite some time, yet it seems no Tunisians dare to resist the Janissaries. I mean, we still see frequent attacks on French personnel by the Janissaries. Should we perhaps deploy troops to intimidate them?"

According to the Crown Prince's plan, the first step was to make the Tunisian locals feel supported by their "Roman brethren." Next, they would be reminded of their hatred for the Janissary class, inciting rebellion against them.

Joseph shook his head.

"We mustn't get entangled in a policing war; it would exhaust us. The Janissaries have ruled Tunisia for so long that it's natural for ordinary people to fear them. What we need to do is provide them with 'incentives.'"

"Incentives?"

"People might not risk challenging the powerful for revenge, but they will for gold," Joseph said with a smile, gazing at the distant mosque. "That's why I'm meeting Elder Alayi."

Elder Alayi was a highly influential religious leader in Tunisia, commanding a significant following. Most importantly, he was a native Tunisian, not an Ottoman.

...

An hour and a half later, inside a villa near the mosque, Joseph patiently reasoned with Elder Alayi:
"This will benefit both you and your faction immensely. Right now, the Ottomans dominate the religious sphere. Once they are expelled, you will undoubtedly rise as the supreme leader of Tunisia's religious community."

The elder, whose kind visage exuded benevolence, hesitated but ultimately declined. After courteously taking his leave, he returned to the towering mosque with his entourage.

Although tempted by the prospect of rallying the Tunisian natives to oust the Ottomans, the elder ultimately deemed the endeavor too risky and refrained from accepting the young Frenchman's proposal.

Watching Alayi's retreating figure, Joan murmured to the Crown Prince:
"Your Highness, shall we... try threatening him?"

Joseph immediately shook his head. "No need. We'll try again tomorrow."

Though Joan doubted the elder's attitude would change, he held his tongue, respecting the Crown Prince's decision.

...

The next day, Joseph brought a larger entourage to meet Elder Alayi once more, presenting the same proposal: rallying the faithful to attack the Tunisian Janissaries. During these attacks, all wealth seized from the Janissaries—except land—would belong to the attackers.

It was well known that the Janissaries, as Tunisia's ruling class, controlled a vast majority of the nation's wealth. Looting even a single Janissary high official's estate would be enough to sustain several Berber tribes for years! Such lucrative incentives, coupled with a religious leader's rallying cry, would undoubtedly drive the Tunisians to fight the Janissaries.

Of course, since the Janissaries still controlled most of Tunisia's weapons, the locals would have to rely on their "Roman brethren" for arms and funds. This dependency would further strengthen their bond of shared interests.

This was Joseph's "sacrificial offering" strategy.

However, the ever-cautious Elder Alayi once again declined, politely hinting that the young Frenchman should stop visiting. As a Berber who had survived in the Ottoman-dominated religious sphere, his survival depended on prudence and avoiding risk.

Watching the elder leave, Joan despondently looked at the Crown Prince, ready to ask what to do next, but Joseph turned to the two "guards" behind him and asked:
"Well? Confident?"

The two men nodded briefly, then immediately returned to the carriage to retrieve charcoal pencils and sketch pads.

Ten minutes later, Joan found himself staring at lifelike sketches of Elder Alayi on their drawing paper.

"Your Highness, what are you planning?" he asked in astonishment.

"If Elder Alayi won't agree, we'll help him agree," Joseph replied with a sly smile before directing the convoy to a prepared residence a few streets away.

Inside, the two artists set up a full array of oil painting tools and began their work in earnest.

As Joseph observed their busy efforts, he couldn't help but marvel:
"Her Majesty the Queen was indeed prescient in insisting I bring the royal painters along."

...

Days later, a striking oil painting of Elder Alayi, depicted solemnly raising his hand to call upon his followers to drive out the Janissary marauders, spread like wildfire across Tunisia.

"Drive out the Ottomans! All wealth taken from them, except land, belongs to the brave warriors who heed the call."

The sharp point of the oval frame directed at Elder Alayi's mouth made it unmistakably clear that these words were attributed to him.

In every province, a large number of these oil paintings circulated, accompanied by monochrome lithographs depicting Elder Alayi in simpler colors. Over 10,000 copies of these lithographs were distributed, making it impossible for anyone in Tunisia to remain unaware of Elder Alayi's "declaration of war" against the Ottomans within ten days.

Joseph drew inspiration for this method from The Last Supper. If even the highly educated French firmly believed the narratives conveyed in oil paintings, then the less-educated Tunisians would likely hold them as absolute truths.

Fortunately, from the 18th century onward, the influence of Europe had eroded resistance to imagery within the Ottoman and North African religious spheres, allowing Joseph's plan to proceed without a hitch.

As for Elder Alayi denying it?

Between the fact that the police forces had cordoned off his residence, making him nearly inaccessible to the public, and the people's innate preference for vivid images over mere hearsay, the outcome was clear.

Unless Elder Alayi could teleport to Tunis and publicly declare, "That oil painting is false!" his "declaration of war" was as good as solidified.

...

Before long, Tunisia began to stir under the religious leader's call to arms.

...

Southern Bizerte, Andalusian District

In a dimly lit room, more than a dozen middle-aged men, all members of the "Sword of Vengeance," gathered. This Berber anti-Janissary organization, with a history spanning over a century, had long since lost hope of driving out the Ottomans. With no young recruits willing to join, the group was on the verge of collapse.

Then came the religious leader's "declaration of war."

Within three days, the oil painting had recruited over 60 new members, all in their prime years. Their excitement was palpable.

After completing a prayer, Jamil, the leader of the "Sword of Vengeance," turned to a bearded member and asked:
"What did the Fawaz tribe say?"

"Chief Hassani agreed to join us in attacking the Janissaries in the town. The spoils will be split sixty-forty in their favor."

Jamil nodded. The Fawaz tribe had a large population, capable of fielding over 400 warriors, compared to his group’s 150. Giving them the larger share was acceptable. After all, the 'Sword of Vengeance' fought to avenge the Janissaries' evil deeds, not for mere gold!

The bearded man continued,
"But Chief Hassani mentioned they only have a few curved sabers; the rest are butcher’s knives. He fears they won’t stand a chance against the Janissaries."

By "butcher’s knives," he referred to farm tools typically used for slaughtering livestock and chopping brushwood.

The town's Janissary force numbered only around 200 men, but they possessed several dozen muskets, making the outcome of any battle uncertain.

Jamil frowned. The "Sword of Vengeance," despite its history of assassinations and kidnappings, only had fewer than 12 old matchlock muskets, leaving them ill-equipped to support their allies.

Another leader clenched his fists and gritted his teeth:
"What are we afraid of? I’ll lead our warriors and drown those wicked enemies in blood!"

Jamil decisively shook his head, but the bearded man interjected:
"I’ve heard there’s a gentleman from Tunis willing to aid warriors fighting to expel the Ottomans."

Leaning forward and lowering his voice, he added:
"They say he has plenty of muskets—even cannons. Perhaps we should go see him."

Everyone in the room suddenly lit up with hope.

...

Bizerte Harbor

From afar, Jamil scrutinized an unremarkable building across the street. After ensuring his men had checked for ambushes multiple times, he cautiously led his group inside.

This was the residence of the gentleman who could supposedly provide them with weapons—a tip he had gleaned from a French merchant.

Ishak, an agent of the Royal Intelligence Bureau operating under the alias "Zaganos," received them.

Within an hour, Jamil emerged from the dilapidated house, utterly ecstatic. Zaganos had only required them to pledge their acceptance of the "Roman origins" narrative—Jamil had no objections after reading the pamphlet earlier. Once he agreed, Zaganos promised to supply him with a full shipment of 100 flintlock muskets.

What’s more, the weapons would be delivered straight to Andalusian District.

Jamil pinched his arm thrice to ensure he wasn’t dreaming. With these weapons, he was confident he could crush the Janissaries in the town and loot every Ottoman mansion nearby!

After Jamil and his men left, Ishak immediately dispatched agents to verify their identities.

The "Sword of Vengeance" was a well-known anti-Janissary group in Tunisia, so Ishak allocated extra weapons to them. The firearms had been seized from pirates and Janissaries, numbering in the thousands, making their distribution painless.

Meanwhile, Jamil returned to his base and quickly coordinated with Zaganos’ agents. Five days later, a shipment of muskets arrived concealed on a caravan of "olive merchants."

To Jamil’s dismay, however, the Fawaz tribe, despite receiving the weapons, suddenly hesitated, claiming they needed more preparation before launching an attack on the Janissaries.

Similar incidents unfolded across Tunisia.

Although the locals eyed the Janissaries with hostility and had received large quantities of weapons through the Agadon Trading Company and allied networks, their deep-seated fear of the Janissaries kept them from taking action.

...

Tunis

Joseph frowned as he listened to Ishak’s report, recalling the scene from Let the Bullets Fly where Zhang Mazi’s rallying cries failed to stir Goose Town’s fearful citizens into action. Despite arming themselves, they dared not storm the stronghold of their oppressor, Huang Silang.

He hadn’t expected the Tunisians to be this timid.

Frustrated, Joseph began pacing the room. Even with the endorsement of a religious leader, how could they still lack the courage to rise up?

Did they need their god to appear in person before they dared act?

Wait—hold on!

Joseph stopped abruptly, an idea striking him.

"Yes," he muttered to himself. "That’s exactly what we’ll do."

Table of content - Next Chapter >>>