The officers looked at the luxurious conference table being moved away with perplexity, replaced by an ordinary small wooden table.
Joseph pointed to the room they were in, with its pillars and ceiling adorned with complex geometric patterns and tapestries hanging on the walls, and said to the crowd:
“I hope that from now on, our combat meetings will all be held in the army’s tents. Please remember, our task is to fight wars, and to win wars. Thus, every action we take and everything around us must be related to combat. Pleasure and display can wait until after the war is won, and we talk about it back in Paris.”
At present, the officers throughout the European army were full of aristocratic airs, such as hosting wine parties and banquets amidst the smoke of the battlefield, and there were even those who commanded battles with mistresses in tow.
The Crown Prince’s Guard Corps had been quite restrained in this aspect, but still retained some of the old habits. Joseph had to remind them in daily minutiae to eradicate this bad practice completely.
This was not just about focusing an officer’s mind more on combat, but also about eliminating as much as possible the barrier between soldiers and officers, so that they fully trust and admire their officers.
The officers from the Paris Police Academy were not at all surprised by the Crown Prince’s demands—they were used to training like this.
The ones least accustomed, of course, were from Murat’s Corps, but they still followed Bertier and the Police Academy officers, bowing and responding loudly, “Yes, Your Highness.”
Subsequently, over ten high-ranking officers brought over ordinary wooden chairs and sat around the sand table in the middle of the room.
The sand table was personally supervised by the top European cartographer Bertier, very detailed and precise.
Joseph nodded to Bertier and took the seat furthest to the side—he was well aware of his own level, having cram-studied military courses at the Paris Police Academy for less than a year.
When it came to specific command in combat, he still had to rely on real experts like Bertier—the main significance of his being here was to boost morale and to maintain unity among officers of different backgrounds.
Bertier took to the front, reiterated the situation in Algiers, and then said:
“According to intelligence, it’s clear that the British and Ottomans are behind this incident. So their goal is not merely to restore the rule of the Imperial Guard, but also to take advantage of our unstable foothold in Tunisia to drive us out from here.” He looked around at the officers with a serious expression, “Looking at the overall situation, it is very unfavorable to us.
First of all, the People of Algiers began preparing for war at least six days ago, and in this regard, we are significantly behind them.
“Furthermore, their combat forces have 23,000 men, while we only have over 7,000 soldiers here. Even if we include Zemir’s native corps, at most we can muster 12,000 men. We are still at a disadvantage in terms of manpower. And, as I believe everyone is aware, the combat effectiveness of native soldiers is not to be relied upon.”
All the officers nodded slightly upon hearing this. After the Rebel Army took Tunis City, many troops disbanded on the spot, especially the native tribal soldiers. They were, after all, just peasants who followed along to loot the Imperial Guard’s wealth, but once the fighting was over, they had to return home to tend their fields.
Currently, only about 15,500 remained, and many of these were needed to maintain law and order throughout various locations in Tunis.
“As for the combat capabilities of the enemy forces,” Bertier continued, “Albanian mercenaries are a core force highly regarded within the Ottoman army. Although those who came to Algiers might not compare with the Ottoman elite forces, and are mixed with some Bosnians, they are clearly not to be underestimated.”
He gestured towards the guards at the door: “Regarding the strength of the Algiers Guard, these men from the Tunisian Guard probably know it best. Please bring them in.”
The soldiers immediately escorted three Tunisian Guard officers into the meeting room.
Bertier looked at them and asked, “In your view, how does the combat effectiveness of the Algiers Guard compare with yours?”
An older Guard officer looked around nervously before cautiously answering, “Pasha, they are far stronger than us. They often recruit soldiers from Anatolia[Note 1] and maintain drills five days a week.”
Another Guard officer added, “Some of their weapons are even better than those of the Sultan’s army.”
The French officers seemed to grow more somber upon hearing this, it was clear that their opponent would not be as easy to defeat as the Tunisian Guard had been.
Joseph, however, was not surprised—Algiers was a much larger country than Tunisia and was contested by three different powers. If their Guard had not been progressive, they would have long been devoured by the other two forces.
“So, this could very well be a tough battle.”
Murat’s Corps Commander Andre motioned for the three Guard officers to be taken away, then pointed to the Oued Medjerda river on the map, northwest of Tunis City:
“In the face of inferior troop strength, it’s best that we rely on river defenses. The enemy’s target is definitely Tunis City, and as long as we hold this line, they can never claim victory.”
The Oued Medjerda river runs from northeast to southwest across the entirety of Tunisia. To the south lies the highest peak of the Atlas Mountains, Tunis Mountain. To take Tunis City, crossing this river is a necessity.
Setting up a defense along this river is indeed the most prudent strategy.
No sooner had Andre finished speaking than several officers nodded in agreement.