The landing craft moored and steadied, Bertier and the others saw an exaggeratedly long gangplank extending from the ship, and shortly afterward, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince appeared before their eyes.
After a simple welcoming ceremony, Joseph walked straight along the more-than-30-meter gangplank to the carriage that had been unloaded from the ship.
Bertier, eyeing the strange carriage with a sealed bottom and pointed ends, pulled Kesode aside with a puzzled look and asked:
“What is this… for the Prince?”
The latter spread his hands helplessly and whispered:
“His Royal Highness promised the Queen that he would stay on the ship at all times. So, that is a ship. A ship mounted on a carriage.”
Bertier: “…”
Half an hour later, the procession arrived at the outskirts of Tunis City, where Joseph immediately saw a vast array of tents—thousands of them—arranged on open ground beside the main road.
Judging by the flags around the camp and the attire of the patrolling soldiers, it seemed to be the Tunisian Guard.
“What’s all this?”
Bertier, seated across from the “ship”, quickly explained:
“Your Highness, these are Koja’s Imperial Guard, more than twelve thousand strong. After the end of their conflict with Eunice, they have returned to Tunis City. I was worried they might cause trouble, so I had them stationed outside the city.”
It was well known that the French legion had breached the defenses of a hastily assembled 7000-strong Imperial Guard in just over an hour, so Koja did not dare to engage the French Army lightly and had obediently remained outside the city.
Bertier continued: “However, these Tunisian soldiers are accustomed to living in comfort and have been clamoring to return to their homes in the city. Ah, they usually train only once every three days and spend the rest of their time away from the military camp.”
Joseph immediately caught on to something and asked, “So, the most combat-effective units of the Tunisian Guard are mostly here, right?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Joseph smiled slightly and said, “Then let them go into the city and return home.”
Bertier hastily said, “Your Highness, last week Mr. Prosper and his men, disguised within the French merchant convoy, successfully repelled an attack on the convoy and captured several bandits.
“It turned out that these men were from the Tunisian Guard in the north of Kaf.
“Many pieces of evidence suggest the previous attacks on the French people were indeed the work of the Tunisian Guard.
“If we let thousands of Imperial Guards into Tunis City, they may very well…” Continue your story on empire
“It doesn’t matter,” said Joseph. “To prevent another assassination attempt on the Bey, they must deposit their weapons in the armory before entering the city.
“Additionally, we’ll increase the number of Berber police and strengthen patrols; there shouldn’t be a problem.”
Only then did Bertier nod hesitantly:
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The next morning, Joan, accompanied by two men, one tall and one short, came to Joseph’s temporary residence south of Tunis City.
The taller middle-aged man had a typical Arab face, yet his attire was quite European in style. The shorter, plump man was clearly French but wore a turban and an open long robe.
The three were led in by Eman, and upon entering, they immediately saw the wooden planks on the floor arranged in the shape of a ship.
Joan, no longer surprised by this, came forward and bowed, pressing his hand to his chest:
“Sir, Mr. Agadon and Mr. Morel have arrived.”
He then addressed the two men beside him:
“This is Mr. Joseph.”
After the introductions, Joseph, following the local customs, invited the two men to sit on the rug, ordered the servants to bring drinks and pastries, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then got straight to the point:
“I hope to utilize your channels to help me transport some special items to various locations in Tunisia.”
Agadon was the French-Tunisian Chamber of Commerce’s top member and French descendent clothing merchant who had previously assisted the Police Affairs Department in entering Ksar Hellal Palace. He had extensive connections and resources in Tunisia.
And the Mr. Morel beside him was his local partner, a native of Arab descent.
Agadon had only heard from Joan that this young man before him held a prestigious status and possessed extremely high authority over affairs in Tunisia.
Thus, he asked very politely:
“May I know what you would like me to transport?”
“Weapons, ammunition,” Joseph stated without any hesitation, “and some silver coins.”
Agadon and Morel exchanged a glance, their expressions immediately tensed:
“Sir, you must be aware, things have been very chaotic around Tunisia lately, and these items might get hijacked…”
“I will send men to protect you. The number won’t be large, but as long as it’s not a sizable Imperial Guard, it should be sufficient to handle it. Oh, and you can rest assured about the payment, it will definitely satisfy you.”
Seeing the hesitation in the other party, Joseph brought out a greater temptation:
“By the way, this matter is of interest to the Royal Family. If you handle it well, I can guarantee you a place in Parisian high society.”
Agadon’s eyes immediately lit up. To these French-descended businessmen striving in this “Barbaric land,” no matter how much money they made, Parisian nobility would only scornfully label them nouveaux riches.
And their greatest dream was to become true French upper-class gentlemen. Who would want to muddle through life in a godforsaken place like North Africa?
He nodded vigorously at once: “Please rest assured, no matter the quantity of weapons… Uh, I mean goods, I guarantee they will be delivered on time to the place you desire!”
“You can avoid the Imperial Guard’s inspections?”
“That’s the very basic, sir. I am perfectly clear on how to bribe those greedy fellows. Moreover, I can mobilize the power of the Chamber of Commerce; even if there’s an inspection, just a little money should sort it out.”
“Excellent, Mr. Agadon! Allow me to express my heartfelt thanks on behalf of His Majesty the King.”
…
On the outskirts of Tunis City.
In a typical Arab-style two-story building, several well-dressed individuals were excitedly passing around two pamphlets.
The title on the cover of the pamphlets read — “An Analysis of the Origins of Tunisia.”
A middle-aged man with a beard pointed vigorously at a page, saying excitedly:
“Ceilabi Xilada is absolutely right! We are Roman Descendants, with a glorious history and noble bloodlines!”
The term “Ceilabi” is a title of respect for a very well-known scholar. The Xilada he mentioned is indeed a scholar with a great influence in Tunisia.
Another immediately added:
“These historical evidences demonstrate that we share common ancestry with countries like France and Spain, and we can completely integrate into the advanced civilization of Europe!”
“Look, Ceilabi mentions that many people in France consider us as their long-lost kin!”
The bearded man flipped through a few pages and said in a grave tone:
“It’s all because of those accursed Ottoman People, severing our ties with the Roman motherland and leading Tunisia to ruin and decline!”
Joseph had truly not anticipated that there would be so many in Tunisia who were “pro-French”.
However, this was not surprising since there were many French people doing business in Tunisia, showcasing enviable fashion, wealth, confidence, and the strength of France itself in front of the locals. In an era where national and ethnic consciousness was extremely weak, it was easy for Tunisians to embrace pro-French sentiments.
Initially, Joseph had simply planned to identify as many common ancestors as possible between France and Tunisia, with little expectation that many Tunisians would believe it.
Even if he could influence 10% of the population, it would make his plans go much more smoothly.
Yet, his historical proof of common origins gained huge popularity among many Tunisians, especially the intellectual class. No one cared about the reliability of the evidence in the text and immediately accepted the conclusion.[Note 1]
Just like in the future, if an American scholar were to “prove” that Filipinos and Americans share common ancestry, the latter would happily agree as well.
[Note 1]: At this time, the main population of North Africa was Berbers, Arab descendants, and Ottoman descendants, with the latter two being standard Caucasians, not differing much in appearance from Europeans. Even among Berbers, who had slightly browner skin, their long history of interbreeding with Caucasians meant they looked like sun-tanned Caucasians.