Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 517 - 430: The Initial Settlement of North Africa (Two-in-One Chapter)

Southeast Tunisia.

The Tetouan Province, facing the sea on one side and abutting the desert on the other.

Standing on a highland, Ney looked through his binoculars at the Town of Remada and said in a deep voice:

"The scouts’ report was correct, the terrain is indeed very suitable for the corps to deploy."

"If we launch an attack tomorrow morning, we should be able to recapture this town by noon."

"You are always so full of courage and energy," Moro said with a smile beside him, "but my suggestion is that it’s best not to attack there for now."

Ney looked at him puzzled, "Why not? There are only 2,500 Ottoman People in the town, and we have 4,000 soldiers. The battle will be over quickly."

Moro nodded, "Yes, yes, an easy victory, taking back an insignificant small town. Perhaps we should also send someone to Tripoli City to politely inform the Ottoman People, ’Hey, your French friends have arrived’."

Upon hearing this, Ney paused. Moro was right, if they launched an attack on the enemy forces in Remada, it would inevitably alarm Tripoli. And there, nearly 10,000 Ottoman troops were still stationed.

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Ney’s mission this time was to completely eliminate Ben Guerir, and if they forcefully attacked the well-prepared defenses of Tripoli City, it would likely be an extremely tough battle.

Moro patted him, then tugged the reins to turn his mount around:

"We’ve seen the battlefield, let’s head back for now."

Ney shot the annoying noble a glance and followed him on horseback, but couldn’t help asking:

"Then what do you propose?"

Moro didn’t conceal his plans from his straightforward partner:

"You see, although we have 4,000 men, half of them are new soldiers who have never seen a battlefield. Some of your soldiers even lack the necessary training."

Their unexpected victory in the Town of Tamirai last time had earned them a fief. Subsequently, stimulated by this news, nobles rushed to Tunisia to "pursue glory". As for the commoners, the General Staff had set up a "fast training camp", which provided five months of basic training to those inexperienced but willing to join the army, after which they could perform service in less combative areas. For those who had participated in night patrols and village security teams, the training period could be reduced to two months.[Note 1]

These "fresh blood" arrived in Tunisia aboard naval transport ships. Joseph then directly handed them over to Moro and Ney’s command, making the two responsible for the battle in Tripoli. However, Bertier was not entirely at ease, so he sent an experienced staff officer to assist the two young commanders.

Moro continued, "Using such troops to forcefully attack Tripoli could lead to unpredictable situations."

Ney muttered softly, "Once our cannons arrive, everything won’t be a problem."

Indeed, Moro’s group had been joined by more than a dozen noble youths skilled in operating cannons — they had come directly from the military academy. Now, this young corps not only had artillery but also had up to 1,200 cavalry, an absurdly high ratio. Most of them were noble classmates Moro had brought with him from school, which was quite a burden on the local Tunisian government responsible for their logistics.

Moro nodded, "Cannons can solve some problems, but if we can make the main forces of Ben Guerir leave Tripoli City, things would be a lot easier."

A look of surprise flashed in Ney’s eyes, "You must have come up with a plan!"

Although he didn’t like the slick noble, he did acknowledge the man’s sharp intellect.

"I’m not entirely sure myself, but we can give it a try."

As Moro spoke, he looked eastward, "Ah, my beloved fief, I wonder how much it yields each year."

Ney glanced at him disdainfully and muttered under his breath, "Are all nobles this greedy?"

The next afternoon, Moro "requisitioned" a large amount of supplies from the nearest town of Mede. However, these items were unrelated to combat, including expensive clothing, jewelry, crafts, spices, and more. Under his orders, Mede was practically emptied.

If not for the soldiers he dispatched to block the municipal office, the officials of Mede would have run to the Governor to complain.

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The old staff officer sent by the General Staff urged Moro in fear to return everything immediately, otherwise, he would face a military tribunal. Ney had grown accustomed to his partner’s rule-breaking actions, but he repeatedly assured the local officials that he had nothing to do with this matter; it was all the doings of an officer named Moro.

Back at the "Guidance of the Lord" Cavalry Corps camp, Moro also called upon the noble soldiers to donate all their valuables, promising to return them after the battle in Tripoli was over, with an additional 40% interest.

After some preparations, a luxurious caravan consisting of seventeen or eighteen wagons left Mede and headed towards the Ghadames tribe in the southern oasis.

The caravan arrived nonchalantly near the Town of Remada in southern Tunisia and, as it was getting late, decided to camp right there.

As expected, the Ottoman cavalry occupying Remada soon discovered this "fat sheep" during their patrol and immediately returned to the town to report.

A few hours later, nearly a thousand Ottoman soldiers swarmed in, quickly overpowered the caravan’s guards, and took the wagons.

The officer in charge listened to his soldiers report the spoils of the raid and was immediately ecstatic — a rough estimate put the value of the goods at close to a hundred thousand rials!

Soon after, he learned from the captured merchants that this was only the first batch of goods from an Italian caravan, and behind it were shipments nearly seven times larger due to arrive at the Port of Tetouan in a fortnight.