Probing Attack

Before long, the France fleet appeared outside the ports of Algiers, Tripoli, and Tunisia.

This wasn't the first time the France fleet had appeared here; they had previously been present to "ensure the safety of the Olympic torch." However, this time, the France was putting significantly more pressure on the Barbary Pirates. The France consulate had just been evacuated, practically a declaration of war.

However, the France were quite honest and gave the Barbary Pirates three days, as promised. They did not launch an attack immediately but remained outside the harbor to monitor it from outside the range of the harbor forts.

The Barbary Pashas all knew that war was inevitable. No matter how many days they were given, they couldn't hand over the France crew members the France demanded. Those men were long gone, buried in the belly of some fish. They also knew their pirate ships were no match for the French Navy's steam-powered warships. In fact, even the old battleships the French Navy used to maintain its strength were no match for the Barbary Pirates' ships. So, naval warfare was out of the question—unless, of course, the France were foolish enough to run aground while chasing pirates.

Over the years, the Barbary Pirates had purchased a considerable number of cannons from the France. These were mostly muzzle-loading rifled steel cannons (forget about muzzle-loading bronze cannons; they were all converted into electric arc guns. Even the older bronze cannons in the Barbary Pirates' possession were replaced with electric arc guns by the France in a trade-in program). Previously, the Barbary Pirates mounted these cannons on their pirate ships for plundering or collecting tolls. But now, keeping these cannons on board was truly pointless. Therefore, these three days gave the Barbary Pirates the opportunity to unload these cannons from the ships and transport them to the gun emplacements beside the harbor.

These cannons were placed on gun emplacements, posing a greater threat to the attackers at this time than if they were on the ships. However, the France didn't care much. This was not only because the France cannons were technologically superior to those of the Barbary Pirates, but also because it was the Turkey, not the France, who were charging forward under fire.

Another theory suggests that the Barbary Pirates obtained some mines from the Britain and may have planted them near the port. Although this information is not very reliable, the France felt it was better to be safe than sorry, so maintaining a safer distance was preferable.

Time flew by, and two days of the three days had passed in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, a massive fleet appeared at sea. It was a fleet consisting of hundreds of ships of all sizes. On the masts of these warships, green crescent and star banners fluttered in the wind, reminiscent of the era of Suleiman the Magnificent.

Yes, it evokes memories of that era. This is the Turkey fleet, a fleet imbued with a heavy sense of history. This fleet still retains almost the same majestic appearance it had when it swept across the Eastern Mediterranean Sea hundreds of years ago, only—my lord, times have changed, the Tyrannosaurus Rex is outdated.

Although the Pashas in Barbary had not yet received official declarations of war from Turkey, they already had a good idea of what was going on, given their recent inexplicable conflicts with Turkey.

"Damn Turkey, they've colluded with infidels!" Yusuf of Tripoli roared, slamming his fist on the table. "They have the nerve to call themselves believers in the true God!"

However, cursing does not solve the problem.

As soon as the Turkey fleet arrived, the commander of the Turkey expeditionary force, Tayyip, made contact with the France. He met with France French Navy commander Admiral Treville aboard the French flagship, the Imperator. The two sides discussed joint operations.

"According to our previous agreement, our forces are responsible for suppressing the pirates' firepower on the forts, while your army will be responsible for the amphibious landing operation," Admiral Treville said. "Although our ultimatum to them doesn't expire until tomorrow, it won't constrain your army. So your army can begin operations now. However, because we are bound by the promised timeframe, we cannot provide direct fire support to your country today. Therefore, I don't recommend that you launch a large-scale operation immediately. However, conducting some small-scale reconnaissance attacks to let us understand the enemy's artillery situation is acceptable."

This statement essentially means that the lives of Turkey should be used as a price to conduct a reconnaissance mission, so that everyone can understand the capabilities of the Barbary Pirates.

Tayyip was well aware of this, but he did not object to it. After all, Turkey had plenty of manpower. Just as the France did not care much about Turkey casualties, the Turkey generals themselves did not care much about it either.

Tayyip replied, "Alright, I'll arrange a probing attack, hoping to expose as much of their firepower as possible."

Tayyip was a decisive man. Once he made the decision, he immediately took action. He returned to his warship and ordered more than ten warships to approach the port of Tripoli, making it appear as if he intended to bombard Tripoli port.

"Boom!" The Barbary Pirates on the gun emplacements began firing at the Turkey warships. Admiral Treville watched the pirates' bombardment through binoculars from the bridge of the Imperator.

"General, they fired too early, and their artillery skills are really..." a young officer said from the side.

"Ah, Kohler, isn't that natural? The pirates lack sufficient artillery training. Gunpowder is too expensive, and maintaining a high level of training is too costly. The Barbary Pirates may have the money to buy cannons, but they certainly don't have enough to maintain a high level of training," Admiral Treville replied.

Indeed, as Admiral Treville pointed out, the pirates were firing from too far away, which made their accuracy rather low. But as the Turkey fleet continued to close in, their fire gradually became more accurate.

"Boom!" A cannonball struck the hull of a Turkey warship, making the ship seem to shake. However, the pirates' cannonballs were solid, and a single hit was not enough to render the warship combat ineffective.

However, this hit threw the Turkey into a panic, and they even started releasing smoke to cover themselves.

"Damn it! These Turkey idiots!" Major Kohler cursed as he recorded and assessed the Barbary Pirates' artillery fire. The smoke also obscured his vision, making it impossible for him to see anything from the other side of the gun emplacements.

Admiral Treville shook his head, about to say something, when suddenly an explosion occurred. A huge column of water shot into the sky, almost exceeding the mast of the Turkey warship. When the water fell, the unfortunate Turkey warship had already turned into fragments floating on the sea.

"Damn it, there really are mines!" Admiral Treville said, his face ashen.