I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 215: A Change of Fate

With his plan set, Joseph immediately had Emond gather all of the Prince's personal attendants.

In no time, a group of painters, sculptors, pharmacists, and acrobats stood in two rows before him. Joseph couldn't help but marvel once again at his mother's wisdom in insisting that he bring these people to Tunisia. Without them, his plan would have been much harder to execute—finding such master-level craftsmen in Tunisia would be difficult, and keeping the plan secret would be even more challenging.

As for the specifics of the operation, Joseph didn't have to come up with anything new; he just borrowed a tried-and-true method from history.

He began by giving simple instructions to the pharmacist and the ventriloquist, then had the Intelligence Bureau and the French merchant Agathon assist them. Afterward, he turned to his personal sculptor, Mr. Brigitt.

"The Islamic holiday of Ashura is in about ten days," Joseph said to the sculptor. "I need you to create a stone sculpture before then. Considering the time needed for transportation, you have about eight days to complete it."

Mr. Brigitt, eager to please, bowed respectfully and asked, "Your Highness, what kind of artwork do you need?"

"A common Arab figure made of stone," Joseph replied, pointing to the ceiling. "It needs to be at least as tall as this room, which is nearly four meters high. Of course, the taller, the better."

Brigitt hesitated. The hall they were in was nearly four meters tall!

He immediately looked troubled. "Your Highness, forgive me for saying this, but creating such a large sculpture… in just eight days… that might be difficult."

"It doesn't need to be too detailed," Joseph reassured him. "Just make sure the face is carefully sculpted. For the rest, as long as it's clear that it's a human figure, that will do."

"Even so, it's still nearly impossible…"

Joseph smiled slightly and brought out the ultimate motivator: money.

"For every day you finish early, you'll receive a 1,000 livre bonus. Two days early, 2,000 livres. Three days early, 4,000 livres. The reward doubles for each day saved."

Brigitt's mind was instantly filled with the sound of clinking coins. Without hesitation, he bowed deeply and promised, "Rest assured, Your Highness, you will see your stone figure within eight days!"

He paused and then cautiously asked, "Your Highness, if I could borrow some engineers, the timeline would be even more secure."

"No problem. You can go and select the engineers from the corps yourself."

After giving a few more detailed instructions, Joseph emphasized one last thing: "Oh, and make sure the statue has only one eye. Don't forget that detail."

Wasting no time, Brigitt hurriedly went to Belthier to request some engineers who specialized in demolition, then headed straight to the Majerda River, as requested by the Prince. The river was conveniently located for transportation.

He quickly chose a massive limestone block, had the engineers drill holes in it, pack it with explosives, and then detonated it.

Each of the engineers received a 30 livre bonus from the sculptor, which prompted them to give their best effort. After nearly a whole day of work, they managed to blow the massive stone into the rough shape of a human figure with precise demolition.

A few days later, a prophecy from Elder Arai began spreading throughout Tunisia: Soon, a divine message would descend upon Tunisia, conveyed through water or forests...

At first, people didn't pay much attention until one day, a resident of Majaz found a stone in the stomach of a fish he bought. The stone had white markings that faintly resembled writing.

The man quickly took the fish and the stone to the local mosque for the religious leaders to examine.

Soon, the entire town was in an uproar because the imam recognized the writing—it read, "The descendants of Rome will drive out the Ottoman Janissaries"!

In the following days, more people along the Majerda River found mysterious stones with similar inscriptions inside fish they had caught.

There were even fishermen who, after catching fish, found a "divine stone" in their catch and, overwhelmed with awe, knelt on their boats to pray.

In more remote areas, like the northeastern mountains, people reported hearing strange noises at night, similar to a fox's call, but it sounded eerily like the words "Drive out the Ottomans."

Clearly, Elder Arai's prophecy was coming true! Tunisia was once again ablaze with excitement. People began openly gathering to discuss plans to drive out the Janissaries.

This was divine will!

With God on their side, what did they have to fear from the ruthless Janissaries?

Of course, all these "divine messages" were the handiwork of the Prince's personal attendants.

They used strong acid to etch the inscriptions onto stones before placing them inside live fish. To ensure efficiency, some were sold directly in markets, while others were slipped into fishermen's nets to make the discovery more authentic.

Mass-produced "divine stones" were distributed so that nearly every major town received one.

The ventriloquist had the hardest job, traveling from place to place, imitating fox calls at night. After half a month, he had lost nearly six or seven pounds from the effort.

But what finally spurred the Tunisian natives into action was the astonishing divine sign that appeared on the day of Ashura.

Ashura is a holy day commemorating the repentance of Adam and Eve for eating the forbidden fruit—a story shared by both Islam and Christianity.

On that day, over ten thousand people gathered in the city of Utica to celebrate the festival when the oars of a massive ferryboat struck something in the middle of the Majerda River.

The captain, puzzled, ordered the crew to dive into the river to investigate. They found a giant stone figure!

Of course, the captain was part of the Intelligence Bureau's plan.

Utica quickly organized a large group of boats and workers to tie ropes around the stone figure and haul it ashore.

When the people saw the one-eyed stone giant, they immediately recalled a mysterious prophecy left by an enigmatic ascetic: "A one-eyed stone giant will purify the fallen Ottomans."

The prophecy had come true! The divine message had appeared again!

The religious leaders in Utica immediately announced plans to build a mosque around the statue so people could come and worship the holy relic. Outside the city, nearly ten thousand people knelt around the one-eyed stone giant, loudly praising the power of God and swearing to obey the divine command.

Mr. Brigitt had completed the massive statue in just five days, earning a 4,000 livre bonus and helping to seal the fate of the Tunisian Janissaries.

...

As the astounding divine events spread from Utica throughout Tunisia, the people finally overcame their fear and launched their first attacks on the Janissaries.

Jamil, leading the members of the "Sword of Vengeance" and the Fawaz tribe, nearly 600 strong, stormed the town of Andalusian—this small town had no real defenses—and quickly drove the 200 Janissaries into the town's mosque.

Jamil and his warriors first knelt before the "divine stone" they had brought, then rose and drew their scimitars, pointing them toward the enemy's last stronghold. He shouted:

"No more oppression from the Ottomans! Obey the divine will! Warriors, attack!"

These 600 men were well-equipped, with 100 muskets and nearly everyone armed with scimitars and spears. With a mighty roar, they charged at the Janissaries inside the mosque.

The Janissaries, despite being terrified by the attack, were still trained soldiers. Under the officer's orders, they grabbed their muskets and began firing at the attackers.

As the chaotic gunfire rang out, several members of the "Sword of Vengeance" who were at the front fell, struck by bullets. Seeing their comrades' bodies torn apart and the dark blood pooling on the ground, the rest hesitated and faltered.

The Janissary officer seized the moment, shouting with authority, "You filthy traitors! How dare you rebel? You and your families will be hanged outside the city! None of you will escape!"

Hearing this familiar, terrifying threat, most of the attacking force lost their courage. In a panic, they retreated out of the Janissaries' firing range.

Jamil was furious and led another charge himself. But after a few more men were shot, the attackers quickly fell back once again.

Frustrated, Jamil had no choice but to order his men to exchange gunfire with the Janissaries. The two sides engaged in a sporadic firefight throughout the day, with only about a dozen casualties by nightfall.

Watching from a distance, Isaac, the Intelligence Bureau agent, was close to losing his temper. Even a flock of sheep might have shown more bravery with muskets than this group.

Isaac knew that this was the first time the Tunisians had attempted to attack the Janissaries, and all the natives of Tunisia were watching closely. Victory was crucial; if they failed, the fragile morale of the natives would quickly collapse.

If more Janissaries arrived as reinforcements, the situation would become even more dire.

Realizing this, Isaac hurried back to Tunis overnight.

The next day, the battle in Andalusia resumed. The Janissaries even attempted a breakout, but Jamil and his top men fought desperately to repel them, narrowly avoiding disaster.

As night approached, just when Jamil was feeling anxious and uncertain, a deafening explosion suddenly echoed from around a distant corner. Bricks and stones flew from the Janissaries' hideout, and a hole appeared in the back wall, large enough for a person to pass through.

Then came a second blast…

Isaac had run out of options and resorted to "cheating" by bringing in the artillery unit from the police academy. Using a four-pound cannon, they blasted open a breach for Jamil's forces.

Jamil, quick-witted, guessed that someone had helped with a cannon, but he stood up and shouted, "Divine punishment! This is the wrath of God! The Janissaries are doomed!"

Hearing the words "divine punishment," the Tunisian natives were reinvigorated. If God was on their side, what was there to fear? They roared and followed Jamil in a fierce charge.

In the dim light, they couldn't see how many of their comrades had been shot. Riding the wave of momentum, they surged through the breach in the mosque and, with superior numbers, began hacking away at the Janissaries inside.

Having been oppressed by the Ottomans for so long, the natives unleashed their pent-up rage, and there was no holding them back.

When Jamil finally exhausted himself and sheathed his scimitar, he looked around to find that almost no Janissaries were left standing.

The next morning, Jamil and his men looted the homes of all the Janissaries in the town, collecting a hefty 30,000 rials in just one day.

News of the victory in Andalusia quickly spread throughout Tunisia. The natives were astonished to discover that the once-invincible Janissaries were not unbeatable after all.

The prophecy was true: the corrupt Ottomans were destined to be purified!

More importantly, rumors spread that the rebels in Andalusia had found some 50,000 or 60,000 rials in just three days!

Greed took hold of everyone.

With dreams of quick riches, the natives no longer hesitated. Attacks on the Janissaries multiplied across the region, quickly becoming an unstoppable wave.

At the same time, there were no more attacks on the French anywhere in Tunisia—while the Janissaries were busy being plundered by the natives, they had no time to think about their secret dealings with the British.

As for the natives, they now saw themselves as "descendants of Rome," and naturally, they wouldn't harm their French "brothers." Besides, they still needed the French to provide weapons and equipment for their plundering.

Back in Andalusia, after clearing out the Janissaries, Jamil began leading his forces to support other native groups nearby.

With their high morale as a victorious army and some battle experience, Jamil's men quickly helped take down the Janissaries in five or six other towns.

Within just half a month, Jamil had gathered a force of nearly 4,000 native soldiers.

These were all carefully selected brave and capable fighters, while the cowards had been sent home.

Under the guidance of military advisors brought in by Isaac, this strong native army successfully repelled the Janissaries sent from Tunis to suppress them and even went on to capture Sousse, Tunisia's second-largest city, gaining widespread renown.

Another half month later, Jamil's 5,000-strong army reached the outskirts of Tunis.

Other native rebel groups also arrived from different directions, swelling their numbers to about 20,000.

The various native leaders chose Zaganos Bey—Isaac in disguise, who had supported all the rebel forces—as their chief, and Jamil as their general, to lead the native army in laying siege to Tunis.

A week earlier, Joseph had ordered the Imperial Guard to retreat to Bizerte, while the Moulins Regiment took control of the Kairouan fortress, staying out of the storm that was about to engulf the capital.

...

When the Ottoman Sultan's envoy, Saeed, arrived in Tunisia, he found a land engulfed in flames, with Janissaries being killed or driven out in large numbers. He was even nearly robbed by a group of fleeing Janissaries.

After assessing the situation in Tunisia, the pure-blooded Ottoman didn't dare stay long and quickly fled back to his ship.

Fortunately, the Tunisian navy had been wiped out by the Europeans, so he didn't have to worry about the natives sailing out to capture him.

However, with things as they were, the task given to him by the Sultan—convincing the Tunisian Bey to request the Ottoman title of Pasha—was now impossible.

Failing this mission could very well mean his death at the hands of the Sultan.

Unwilling to return to the Ottoman Empire, Saeed pondered for a long time before realizing that his only hope of survival was to somehow complete his mission.

And to do that, he first needed to help the Tunisian Janissaries regain control of the situation.

His gaze turned towards Algiers, the only place within the Ottoman Empire's reach. The Janissaries there were also an Ottoman faction and had a long tradition of interfering in Tunisian affairs. Convincing them to intervene was Saeed's only hope of saving his own life.

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