Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 492 - 405: The Passage to Egypt

Chapter 492: Chapter 405: The Passage to Egypt

As for the other major powers on the European Continent, they probably wouldn’t have much of a reaction to France sending troops to Tripoli.

Austria was beaten and battered in Silesia, begging France to send reinforcements.

Spain was practically family and had a secret pact with France to jointly retake Gibraltar and then unify the Iberian Peninsula. At most, a few benefits could be given, and they would stay out of it.

Russia, on the other hand, hoped that France would send troops to Tripoli. After all, the 12,000 soldiers stationed there were all Ottoman Imperial Guards. If Russia wanted to control the Black Sea, it had to completely crush the Ottoman Empire. The more Ottoman troops France could eliminate in North Africa, the fewer enemies they would face on the battlefield later.

Moreover, the Gemini Trading Company mostly ran the Mediterranean routes. France controlling another trade port in the Mediterranean would also bring more benefits to Russia.

Poland was caught up in a national awakening, with the elite class giving speeches on the streets and organizing massive demonstrations, leaving them no time to worry about other matters.

The only major power that might oppose France’s attack on Tripoli was Prussia. But the Prussian navy… well, they hardly had a navy at all, so what could they do even if they had an opinion? Anyway, the Prussian-French skirmish in the Southern Netherlands had already begun, and if worse came to worst, France could send more troops and see if Prussia dared to provoke again, risking their forces in Silesia.

Minor countries like Sardinia, Denmark, and Bavaria wouldn’t dare to interfere in France’s affairs.

So this time, Joseph was determined to secure Tripoli!

Speaking of which, he had to thank the British. If it weren’t for their meddling behind the scenes, prompting Ben Guerir to attack Tunisia, he wouldn’t have found such a solid reason to send out troops.

In fact, at this time, Tripoli appeared in the eyes of European nations as a desolate land with a population of less than 700,000. Though its territory was slightly smaller than Tunisia[Note 1], its output and port positions were average, with only the City of Tripoli, Zawiya, and a few habitable cities, and Tripoli Port having any real value.

However, Joseph was well aware that Tripoli would be an important gateway to Egypt. Without Tripoli, the idea of cutting the Suez Canal in Egypt would be an unrealistic fantasy—once the Suez Canal opened, it could halve the maritime trade route between the Far East and Europe. Whoever controlled the Suez Canal could control the economic lifeline of Europe.

In this situation, the British would surely fight desperately to prevent France from obtaining the canal. Without shaking the British maritime dominance, securing supplies through land-based routes in Tripoli was the only chance to gain a foothold in Egypt.

Joseph had to take advantage of the favorable international situation and quickly establish real control over Tripoli. By the time other countries reacted, it would be too late for them to intervene.

Bertier looked at the Crown Prince in surprise and, after a moment, finally spoke,

“Your Highness, our large forces are tied up in the Southern Netherlands and Silesia. If we rashly attack Tripoli and the Ottoman react violently—”

After all, Tripoli was still nominally a province of the Ottoman Empire, so his worry wasn’t without reason.

Joseph calmly replied, “Most of Salem III’s attention is focused on implementing domestic reforms and won’t expend energy for the distant Tripoli. If the Ottomans dispatch significant forces, the Russians would eagerly seize the opportunity to gobble up all their territory along the Black Sea.

“And even if the Ottoman do want to fight, we have plenty of forces.”

Bertier paused, hesitated, and said, “Your Highness, with all due respect, our forces might…”

Joseph smiled, “If I’m not wrong, the conflicts in the Southern Netherlands and Algiers will conclude by the year’s end, and we can reallocate over 60,000 troops to deploy to Tripoli.”

…

October 25, 1789.

Paris.

The rain poured heavily, with occasional flashes of lightning slicing through the sky, making it appear gloomy.

Several unremarkable black carriages stopped at the Versailles Palace Square. The door of the foremost carriage was opened, and a footman, hunched against the rain, got down, placing steps before the carriage door and quickly unfurled an umbrella.

The Marquess of Wellesley, England’s Foreign Minister, bent as he exited the carriage, gazing towards the entrance of the Palace of Versailles. He saw no one coming to greet him, just a few guards coldly watching from the gate.

Wellesley’s expression was darker than the storm clouds. Earlier that morning, he had received a secret letter from the Governor-General of India, Cornwallis.

The letter mentioned that the Maratha Confederacy demanded that England provide 250,000 British Pounds, along with 20 cannons and 15,000 flintlock guns, to continue their reinforcement of Carnatic.

Moreover, Hyderabad put forth even higher demands, asking for the return of the Kondaveedu area to England and, after repelling Mysore, acquisition of the Nizam’s House of Carnatic.

Cornwallis had, on behalf of the East India Company, agreed to the Maratha’s demands, while as for Hyderabad, he indicated that he would await the board’s decision to buy some time.

Wellesley took a deep breath of the cold air. It puzzled him greatly. Hyderabad had allied with Mysore decades ago, so their interference was somewhat understandable. But Maratha had long aligned with England, so why were they suddenly being difficult?

New novel 𝓬hapters are published on freёwebnoѵel.com.

Little did he know, France’s Consul at Mysore, Salah, had secretly contacted the Marathas months prior.

Salah remembered how the Crown Prince had said that Indians would feel disadvantaged if they didn’t gain any benefits. He and Mysore’s representative, Shah, made wild promises to the Marathas, offering even the North Karnataka region and 200,000 British Pounds as an incentive to gain their support for Mysore.

The Marathas then turned around and presented these as conditions to England.

As for Hyderabad, they further increased their demands to England, adding 30% more on top of what Salah offered.

Wellesley realized that the East India Company had no choice but to agree to their conditions—without the cooperation of the Indian Princely States, relying solely on British forces to trek thousands of miles to battle with Mysore would ultimately prove exhausting.

He gritted his teeth, stepped into the puddles on the ground, leading several diplomats towards the gates of the Palace of Versailles.

Whether it was due to the heavy rain or the footman improperly positioning the umbrella, by the time Wellesley finally glimpsed Talleyrand’s infuriating face, half of his clothing was soaked through by rain, water dripping from his cuffs with a “plop plop,” leaving him in an exceptionally disheveled state.

[Note 1]In the late 18th century, only the coastal strip of Tripoli was significantly populated, with the southern inland being practically barren. In addition, Benghazi and areas further east were not part of Tripoli at this time. So it was far from being as large as Libya in the 21st century.