France's New Province

Tunisia City.

A group of Berbers soldiers, dressed in white short robes over dark gray studded vests and with white turbans on their heads, escorted hundreds of Algiers Guard Corps prisoners, carrying Scimitar, slowly passing between the Yellowish Beige, square houses on both sides of the street.

A large number of Tunisia followed behind them, loudly cursing the Algiers invaders and occasionally throwing various kinds of garbage at the prisoners' heads.

The ambush at Annaba was a great success. Under the two-pronged attack of the French Army, the Algiers Guard Corps surrendered in less than an hour.

Joseph specifically selected some prisoners and handed them over to the local Tunisia for "exhibition" in major cities such as Tunisia City and Susa.

The official propaganda, however, was that "Tunisia's closest France friend, with the help of the insurgents, dealt a heavy blow to the Algiers invaders."

Yes, Zhemile led the rebels to transport logistical supplies for the Royal Guard Legion and the Moulins Legion, and also helped with the escort of prisoners, so he did provide some assistance.

Since Saddam Hussein became the Tunisian Bey, Algiers has frequently intervened militarily in Tunisia's internal affairs, and killings and looting along the way are inevitable. In addition, Tunisia has to pay a large amount of tribute to Algiers, which has increased the burden on the Tunisian lower classes. Therefore, Tunisians hate Algiers very much.

Algiers' offer to send troops to suppress the Tunisia Rebel Army and help their Ottoman compatriots restore their rule has enraged the Tunisia people.

What they didn't expect was that before the Algiers Army even entered Tunisia, their France allies wiped them out and captured many prisoners.

When the news reached Tunisia, the whole country was in an uproar!

Having just overthrown the oppression of the Guard Corps, the people now defeated a foreign invasion, and a sense of pride and self-esteem surged within them, with every household celebrating their victory.

Both victories were made possible by the help of our dear "France brothers".

Joseph seized this opportunity to have Elder Alayi assist in propaganda. At present, in the mouths of the Tunisia people, the French Army has become the closest relatives and protectors of Tunisia.

After a week-long "exhibition," more than 200 prisoners of the Algiers Guard Corps were finally brought to the square in front of the Great Mosque in the city center.

The newly appointed Grand Justice of Tunisia City, who had just taken office a month earlier, and several other Judiciary officials sat casually behind a wooden table. They gestured for the prisoners to kneel in neat rows, then opened their "work guides" and began to learn on the spot how to handle the current situation.

Yes, Tunisia's administrative and Judiciary systems have been established in accordance with the France model after two nationwide civil service examinations—from management structure to the way desks and chairs are used, they have been basically copied wholesale.

Joanne brought over a hundred France administrative officials to provide hands-on guidance to these Tunisia natives who had no political experience in managing the country.

Fortunately, the rural tribes of Tunisia have their own traditional management models and do not require much intervention. Only the large, commercially developed cities truly need officials. So, after a month, at least the administration in central and northern Tunisia has been barely started.

Joanne had "governance manuals" prepared for officials in various positions, which are the documents that the Grand Justice just reviewed.

It took the judge more than 20 minutes to figure out what to do first. Nearly a thousand Tunisia people waited patiently for him under the scorching Liège for those 20 minutes.

Finally, the judge began to awkwardly go through the trial process.

An hour or so later, no one understood what he had done, but they all heard his pronouncement—"All invaders are sentenced to death by hanging!"

In this era, there's no such thing as human rights, especially in North Africa. Faced with public anger, the idea of defense or appeals is out of the question.

Immediately, cheers erupted in the square. People chanted the judge's name wildly, praised their France brothers, and celebrated the great victory, before crowding the prisoners toward the execution ground.

The next morning, while Haji Bey was having breakfast, he heard shouts coming from the Kashir Palace.

He turned to look at his newlywed wife in confusion:

Are there more Algiers prisoners to be tried today?

Hafsa shook her head:

"That doesn't sound like it. Besides, prisoners shouldn't be transported through the Kashir Palace..."

As the two were talking, the male servant hurried over and bowed to Haji at the door, saying:

"Great Bey, there are thousands of people petitioning outside the palace."

"A petition?" Haji asked nervously. "A petition for what?"

"Well, I don't know either," the servant said, bowing his head. "But the one leading them seems to be the municipal commissioner, Hirada Pasha."

Hilarda is the same scholar who previously "authored" "An Analysis of the Origins of Tunisia." In this "civil service exam," he successfully passed the exam and obtained the position of Tunisian City Commissioner.

Currently, major matters such as national taxation, Finance, and personnel in Tunisia are still under military control. Officials at this level have not yet been selected, so the mayor of the capital is basically the highest-ranking official in Tunisia.

Haji arrived at the gates of the Kashir Palace with a heavy heart, only feeling slightly relieved when he saw the Police Intelligence Division who were supposed to be his "guards." Last time, it was his France brothers who stopped the insurgents who wanted to kill him, saving his position at Bey.

The France guards opened the palace gates, Haji immediately heard a deafening roar of shouts from the crowd:

"The glorious province of Tunisia..."

"To become a province of France..."

"Returning to the embrace of loved ones in Rome..."

"We must stay with our loved ones..."

When Hilada saw Bey appear, she quickly gestured for the petitioning crowd to quiet down. Then she went to Haji, bowed respectfully, and presented him with a large parchment.

"What, what is this?" Haji didn't dare to reach out—the scene of the rebels storming Kashir Palace to kill him last time had left him with a huge psychological trauma.

"It's a petition, dear Bey."

Hilada helped him unfold the parchment, and at the top, written in Arabic, were the words: "Tunisia petitions to join the Kingdom of France."

Below are countless handprints of petitioners, numbering at least several thousand.

"Join France?" Haji asked tremulously. "How do I join?"

An official standing beside Hilada, who was also a scholar who had previously discussed the "Analysis of the Origins" with him, stepped forward and loudly proclaimed:

"Tunisia used to be a province of the Ottoman, but now that we have broken away from the Ottoman, we can become a province of the great France!"

Another person chimed in, "Yes! Forever with our Roman Brothers!"

Only a strong France can bring prosperity and strength to Tunisia!

The petitioning crowd immediately joined in the shouting:

"Tunisia Province!"

"Join France!"

Haji took a few steps back in fear, Hafsa shouted behind him:

"What will happen to Bey if Tunisia becomes a province?"

Hilada immediately replied, "I have already asked Consul Joanne to consult with the Crown Prince of France on this matter."

"His Crown Prince says he will request that you be granted the title of ' Duke of Tunisia,' retain ownership of the Kashir Palace, and receive a generous annual pension, just like those esteemed Duke of France."

The scholar beside him added excitedly, "It would be far more glorious for you to become the Duke of the great France than the declining Pasha of the Ottoman!"

These Tunisia intellectuals were already highly skilled in law enforcement, and in this "civil service exam," they secured numerous positions based on their educational background.

Therefore, whether it was because of their "professionalism" or for the sake of their own job security, they were extremely willing to let Tunisia become a province of France.

After the Tunisia Rebel Army entered Tunisia City, Joanne only gave a slight nod to Hilada, who immediately led the intellectual class to vigorously promote the idea of "becoming France province."

The Tunisia grassroots are also very happy about this.

In the process of overthrowing the Guard Corps' rule, they confiscated a vast amount of wealth from the Guard Corps' homes. Now, Algiers' dispatch of 20,000 troops to Tunisia to "suppress the rebellion" and restore Guard Corps rule is something they absolutely cannot accept—how could they possibly spit out the fat they've already swallowed?

Therefore, they desperately needed a powerful France to protect their acquired wealth. It made no difference to them whose province they became; their dear "Roman Brothers" seemed far more benevolent than the Ottoman.

As for the Tunisia military, they needed someone to endorse their previous actions in eliminating the Guard Corps. Moreover, the supreme leader of the uprising was Ishaq of the Police Intelligence Division, who naturally strongly supported joining France.

As for religion, because the Ottoman consistently pursued a model of religious syncretism, Christianity and Islam had always coexisted peacefully within their sphere of influence. Even Haji's grandfather, Hussein, was a Catholicism before becoming Bey.

Tunisia have been influenced by this concept for over a century, so they naturally have no objection to joining a Catholicism country.

Haji carefully took the petition and turned to look at Hafsa behind him.

The latter glanced at the massive crowd of petitioners and whispered:

"If you accept the conditions offered by the Crown Prince of France, it won't be detrimental to you. Moreover, with the title of Duke of France, you'll no longer have to worry about mobs daring to harm you."

Haji nodded, then turned to Hilada and said:

"Please draft this petition on my behalf, requesting His Majesty the Great His Majesty the King of France to accept Tunisia as a province of France."

While Kashir Palace was surrounded by petitioners, thousands of the Royal Guard Legion soldiers were lining up at the Janissary garrison in Bizerte to participate in the medal ceremony for those who had distinguished themselves in the Battle of Annaba.

To the solemn and stirring strains of "Glory and Victory," Joseph, dressed in a white Military Uniform with a sword at his waist, strode to the wooden platform at the very front of the ranks. He surveyed the dozen or so neatly arranged Phalanx before him and proclaimed in a loud voice:

"Today, we stand here to witness those warriors who, with unparalleled Courage, wisdom, and faith, have written admirable legends and earned unparalleled glory! They will receive medals commensurate with their honors! Let us pay tribute to them!"

With a "whoosh," the soldiers saluted in unison at the dozen or so people waiting on the platform to receive their medals.

Joseph then received the medal from the legion staff officer and first awarded it to the fallen soldiers who had been accepted by others.

Afterwards, he went to Lefebvre, who had received the Silver Iris Medal, pinned the finely crafted Silver Iris to his chest, and then solemnly raised his hat in salute.

The soldiers present immediately erupted in a cheer like a tidal wave.

It's important to know that Lefebvre came from a commoner background. In other France legions, someone like him could at most rise to the Second Lieutenant, and even that would require spending a considerable amount of money to bribe his way up.

Currently, he has not only received the Silver Iris Medal, but has also been rapidly promoted to the rank of Major, enabling him to command a battalion of soldiers.

All of this stemmed from the military achievements he earned through his brave Dreadnought battles.

Your background no longer matters!

Almost every soldier was filled with hope, because they knew that as long as they fought bravely on the battlefield, they could also gain the same honor, and even one day become a general!

This mere hope was enough to give them a morale that could crush all other Europe armies at that time.

Joseph then Davout, pinned the Copper Iris Medal to his breast, and bowed to him with his hat.

He looked at Davout Marshal, who stood at attention in response to him, then glanced at Berthier and Lefebvre beside him, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Napoleon, I've found three of your Marshal, but where have you gone?

In fact, Joseph had begun asking the Minister of War to find him a soldier named Napoleon Bonaparte several months earlier.

According to his memory, Napoleon should have already graduated from the Artillery academy and be serving in some unit.

However, the Marquis of Saint-Priest told him that there was no active-duty soldier with that name.

Joseph wasn't surprised at first. After all, information was extremely limited in this era, and the army was the private property of the Nobility. Just like checking someone else's bank statement, it was normal for them to keep it from you.

So he put Fouche in charge of the matter, but to this day, Napoleon's whereabouts have not been found.

He shook his head slightly, telling himself there was no need to rush. After Napoleon was only a 19-year-old young man. As long as he kept searching, he believed he would be able to find him sooner or later!

Versailles Palace.

Queen Mary glanced at the report on the situation in Tunisia, and burst into tears of joy. She embraced the Lord Chamberlain had delivered the message: "Excellent! Joseph is safe and sound!"

She took two steps back and made the sign of the cross on her chest. "Thank you, Almighty God, thank you for your protection of Joseph!"

She read the report again carefully, then excitedly paced back and forth in the room. Finally, she stopped in front of the maid and said to her, "Please arrange a welcoming ceremony for me. My Joseph will be back soon!"

"By the way, has His Majesty the King heard of this good news?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, the same document has also been sent to His Majesty the King."

"Alright! Then go get two strawberry Cake, and make sure they're covered in Cocoa sauce. I want to celebrate properly!"

Meanwhile, the Marquis of Saint-Viran, who had just marched to Toulon, also received news from Tunisia, but seemed somewhat disheartened.

Unexpectedly, those 6,000 soldiers actually defeated the Algiers Army. Now the Crown Prince is safe, and he no longer has the chance to siphon off funds.

He suddenly felt a pang of regret. Had he known this would happen, he shouldn't have lingered these past few days over such a small amount of funding. If he had, the credit for defeating the Algerians and protecting the Crown Prince might have been his.