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Chapter 204: Driving Wolves to Swallow Tigers
🕑 Added 2025-01-27 16:00:14 +0000 UTCChapter 204: Driving Wolves to Swallow Tigers
Russia.
St. Petersburg.
Crown Prince Paul Petrovich reluctantly glanced back twice as he left Catherine's chambers before striding down the corridor. It wasn't that he wanted to be close to his mother—on the contrary, he felt nothing but disgust for Catherine, just as she did for him.
What he couldn't bear to leave behind was his beloved little angel, Alexandra. Ever since Catherine realized how much Alexandra resembled her, she had kept the child close by her side, completely disregarding Paul's feelings. He barely got to see his daughter once a month.
Previously, he had taken Alexandra to celebrate the King of France's birthday, which allowed him to reunite with her for two full months. But now that they were back in St. Petersburg, they were separated once again.
As Paul descended the stairs, lost in thought, a figure suddenly appeared and grabbed his shoulder. A familiar voice called out:
"When did you return? My dear brother, how are the ladies of Paris? Did they make you want to stay forever?"
Paul's face lit up with a smile as he pushed his younger brother away playfully, then put on a stern expression and said:
"Unlike you, I don't have the money to spend on women, especially French women."
His brother Alexei laughed, "What else is money for, if not for that?" He leaned in closer. "Are you heading to drill the troops today? Or would you prefer to go fishing? I've got the gear and the wine all ready."
Paul kept his head high and walked forward, saying, "Spare me, I don't want to end up drunk and washed away by the river."
He was referring to an incident a few years ago when Alexei insisted on betting who could finish a bottle of vodka first while they were fishing in winter. Alexei ended up so drunk that he fell into the freezing river, and if not for the guards' desperate rescue, he might have been swept away.
"Don't worry, I'm going sailing tomorrow, so I won't drink too much today."
Paul glanced at his now more mature brother and slapped him on the back, "Alright, let's go fishing!"
Inside the Winter Palace,
Catherine looked lovingly at her granddaughter, her formidable presence as a ruler completely softened. "Did you enjoy Paris, my little one?" she asked gently.
Alexandra sat up straight and smiled happily. "Yes, it was so much fun! Everyone wore such beautiful clothes, and I even rode a carousel. Did you know, those wooden horses actually move?"
"Good, good," Catherine nodded with a smile. "And did you complete the task I gave you?"
"Yes, Grandma."
"Tell me, what kind of person is the French Prince?"
The little girl tilted her head, thinking. "Well, he has very beautiful blue eyes, and he's very handsome, especially when he wears that dark blue coat. But he always seemed very busy. I only saw him two or three times. Oh, and he's very popular! You can hear his name everywhere in Versailles. They say he's done some amazing things… but I didn't really understand it, something about building a bank…"
Catherine gently stroked the girl's hair, listening as she rambled on for a while before suddenly asking, "So, you have a good impression of him?"
Alexandra nodded seriously.
Catherine nodded too and then asked, "My dear, would you like to live in Paris? For a long time, I mean."
The little girl's eyes widened with excitement at the thought of riding the carousel every day. "Can I really? That would be wonderful!" Then she thought of something and looked down at the Empress. "Would you come too? I'd miss you if you didn't."
North Africa.
Port of Sfax, Southeast Tunisia.
In a tall, beige building, Eunice, dressed in a bright red robe with a white turban adorned with a dark gray feather and a curved sword at his waist, stood confidently before a sand table, discussing plans with his officers. He wore gray European-style breeches, completing his striking appearance.
At some point, something was said that made the group laugh. Eunice glanced out through the arched window and noticed a large group of laborers unloading bags from a ship docked in the distance. He knew the ship carried flintlock muskets, along with gunpowder and lead bullets, just arrived from France.
The guards outside the door were already equipped with these Charleville muskets, looking quite formidable.
A sedan chair arrived at the building's entrance, and a man in his fifties, with a lavishly decorated scimitar at his waist, stepped out. He signaled the guards and then quickly climbed the stairs, entering the room and enthusiastically bowing to Eunice. He announced loudly, "Pasha, I've persuaded that old fool Deolu to join us. He's brought 600 soldiers to our cause!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a bearded middle-aged man standing nearby frowned and said, "Imanzade, Deolu's men aren't guardsmen. Why would you bring them here?"
But Eunice raised his hand to stop him and smiled at Imanzade, nodding, "Anyone loyal to me will be rewarded with high positions, regardless of their background."
Imanzade was overjoyed and bowed again, saying, "Thank you, Pasha! I'm confident I can persuade several other factions in the Kaf region. They could provide at least 4,000 troops."
Eunice waved his hand grandly. "Go ahead, I'll remember your contributions."
"Yes, my most esteemed Pasha."
After Imanzade left, the bearded middle-aged man immediately bowed to Eunice and said, "Pasha, are you going to ignore the traditions of the guardsmen?"
Eunice chuckled. "Nizamuddin, there are too few guardsmen left who still uphold those glorious traditions. We must make use of anyone we can. If Imanzade can really bring back 4,000 men from Kaf, I'll have 12,000 troops."
He pointed to the endless stream of wagons carrying military supplies. "With these fine weapons, it won't take long to defeat Ali. Once I become Bey, I'll restore the guardsmen to their former glory."
Currently, Tunisia's population was less than 2 million. Ali could muster an army of about 25,000, but a large portion of these had already defected to Eunice. Due to the guardsmen's severe corruption, their combat effectiveness had declined significantly, and some local factions were actually better fighters.
Thanks to old subordinates like Imanzade rallying support throughout Tunisia, Eunice managed to gather thousands of troops in Sfax within just three or four days of his return.
Eunice turned back to the sand table. According to the battle plan he had discussed with his officers, once they had enough supplies, he would march north and capture the Kairouan fortress, creating a situation where he could stand toe-to-toe with Hamud Ali.
He knew Ali might be good at domestic affairs, but he was no match for him in war. In at most one or two years, he could surround Tunis and unify Tunisia!
Tunis, Kasbah Palace.
Hafsa's slender fingers gently plucked the strings of her instrument, and the soothing melody filled every corner of the hall. Leaning against a cushion, eyes half-closed, was a slightly plump middle-aged man dressed in a light shirt—Hamud Ali, the current ruler of Tunisia.
He idly toyed with a chess piece, looking impatiently at the official standing beside him, who had his head bowed. "Slow down, what's going on in Sfax?"
The official quickly replied, "Great Bey, we've just received word that some local forces have blocked the borders, preventing anyone from leaving Sfax."
Hamud Ali tossed the chess piece to a servant and frowned. "Is this another customs dispute with the neighboring province?"
Tunisia's various factions were often at odds, and it wasn't uncommon for local tribes to block access to their areas over tax or trade disputes.
"We're not sure yet," the official replied. "Even the guardsmen sent to investigate haven't returned."
"Oh? Are they trying to rebel?" Hamud Ali waved dismissively. "Send more men, take my orders, and tell them to stop causing trouble."
"Yes, Great Bey!"
As the official left, the music in the hall suddenly stopped. Hamud Ali turned to his favorite concubine and softly asked, "Hafsa, why did you stop playing?"
The young woman in a dark green dress stood up and walked to his side, her face full of concern. "Pasha, I think there's something I must tell you."
"Oh?" Ali smiled. "What's so serious?"
Hafsa gestured for the servants to leave before saying, "At a gathering I hosted two days ago, I overheard the wives of several guardsmen officers, including Rum and Ishaq Pasha, talking. They mentioned that their husbands were going south to meet an 'important person.'"
"And what's so unusual about that?"
"Do you remember that a few days ago, Lord Khalil reported that someone in the southern provinces was buying up large quantities of grain and oats?"
Ali nodded. "Yes, I recall."
Hafsa's expression grew more serious. "Pasha, I think a rebellion might be brewing in the southern provinces—perhaps even in Sfax."
"Rebellion?" Ali laughed dismissively. "What are you talking about?"
Hafsa continued, "Do you remember the rebellion in Gafsa seven years ago? The Berber tribes there also started by stockpiling grain and then blocking local access."
Ali's smile faded, and he began to take her words seriously.
Hafsa added, "Pasha, wasn't it Rum and Ishaq Pasha who took part in that rebellion, and didn't your brother pardon them?"
Ali's expression darkened. He knew all too well that these two men had been Eunice's subordinates. The rebellion Hafsa mentioned was the time, over twenty years ago, when Eunice led an army to besiege his father, Ibn Hussein. After his father's defeat and death, Eunice turned against his own father, Karamanli Ali, giving him and his brother the chance to retake Tunisia.
Now, with Eunice's old subordinates suddenly leaving Tunis for the south and a series of unusual events occurring in the southern provinces…
His eyes narrowed as he realized Hafsa might be right—someone could indeed be plotting a rebellion!
Given the slow spread of information at the time, news of Eunice's escape from Algiers had yet to reach Tunis. In fact, the Algiers council was still debating whether to inform the Bey of Tunis about the incident.
After a moment of thought, Hamud Ali ordered the chief of the guards, Aga Koja, to prepare the troops and head to Sfax to investigate whether there was a rebellion. At the same time, he instructed the guards to thoroughly investigate Rum, Ishaq Pasha, and other officers.
Soon, those investigating Rum and Ishaq Pasha returned to report that they had left Tunis the day before, taking their sons with them. Koja moved quickly, leading 2,000 elite guards south the next day while ordering his deputy to gather more troops.
His luck was remarkable. Three days after leaving Tunis, Koja's forces encountered an army heading from Kaf to Sfax. The latter seemed so nervous that they launched an attack on the guards before Koja could even question them.
But Koja's men were well-prepared and quickly wiped out the 800-strong Berber force. Under interrogation, the captives revealed that they had been incited by an officer named Imanzade to go to Sfax and join the "true Bey," Lord Eunice.
When news of this reached Tunis, Hamud Ali was shocked and immediately ordered the full mobilization of the guards. Within a week, over 10,000 troops had gathered at the border between Kairouan and Sfax.
Meanwhile, in Sfax,
"Pasha, the French have replied," a stern-faced officer entered Eunice's tent and bowed. "They said they encountered a storm in the Western Mediterranean, and the rest of the weapons won't arrive for another 10 days at the earliest."
"Oh, merciful Lord, why do you punish me like this?" Eunice spread his hands and sighed towards the heavens.
Since the arrival of the first batch of 2,000 flintlock muskets and three cannons at the port of Sfax, no other weapons had been delivered. The troops he had gathered were poorly equipped, as the best arms in Tunisia were held by the guards.
Worse still, Imanzade had earlier reported that several major tribes in Kaf had decided to support him, but for some unknown reason, Hamud Ali had suddenly dispatched troops south, blocking the tribes' forces on their way.
Now, he had less than 7,000 men at his command, while Koja had already led over 10,000 guards into Kairouan fortress, making any plan to sneak attack Kairouan impossible.
Eunice turned to look at the sand table, suddenly clenched his fist, and growled, "Rum, take 1,500 men to the Choukri Valley."
"Huh?" Rum clearly didn't understand. "Pasha, but Koja's outposts are already there."
"Didn't you hear me?"
"Yes, Pasha!"
Eunice then pointed at the bearded man. "Nizamuddin, place the cannons in the forest east of the valley."
"Yes, Pasha!" Nizamuddin hesitated before asking cautiously, "Pasha, who will cover me?"
Cannons may be the "king of the battlefield," but in the era of muzzle-loading artillery, they had limited range and slow movement. Without infantry cover, they could easily be overrun by cavalry with no chance to resist.
"Don't question me!"
Eunice snapped and then stabbed his finger into the middle of the sand table, gritting his teeth. "Ishaq Pasha will lead the cavalry with me. Rabia's forces will position themselves to the west of the valley…
Before dawn tomorrow, we must break through Koja's defenses! We'll bypass the fortress at Kairouan and capture Sousse!"
"Yes, Pasha!" everyone in the tent replied grimly in unison.
(End of this chapter)
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