I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 203: Cooperation and Exploitation

"Your Highness, the first two requests you mentioned are very reasonable, and I can promise them on behalf of my father," Rabia said. Then she hesitated and added, "However, the matter of Bizerte Port is beyond the authority my father has given me."

Before Joseph could respond, she quickly added, "But if you could provide some financial support, I'm confident I can persuade my father. Besides, your funding will also help us defeat Hamud Ali more quickly, wouldn't you agree?"

Joseph smiled and nodded, "Alright, I'll provide 2 million livres in military funding to Pasha Eunice. However, since this is military funding, I'll release the money only after I see his army."

"Two million?!" Rabia's eyes sparkled with a mix of greed and excitement. Although she had some reservations about the timing of the payment, she understood it might be due to the French Prince's lack of confidence in her father's influence. So she accepted it.

She immediately declared, "You will soon see an army that will satisfy you!"

After discussing some additional "cooperation" details, Joseph asked Joan to escort Rabia to a guest room nearby to rest, as she would return to Algiers early the next morning.

After settling Rabia in, Consul Joan hurried back to Joseph's office, anxiously bowing and saying, "Your Highness, I don't mean to question your decision, but my duty compels me to offer advice. I've interacted with Eunice before. He is undoubtedly ambitious and very cunning. You're giving him a lot of support, including weapons and millions in funds, but there's no guarantee he will keep his promises or refrain from colluding with other forces. Perhaps you should station some troops with him to ensure we get what we deserve."

Joseph looked at him with appreciation. "Thank you very much for your advice. Clearly, your concerns are valid. However, I've never truly trusted Eunice."

"Huh?" Joan was taken aback.

Joseph smiled and motioned for him to sit down. "You should know that Mr. Eunice once rebelled against his own father and only fled to Algiers after being defeated. If he could betray his father, what's to stop him from betraying others?"

Joan nodded repeatedly.

Joseph continued, "Moreover, do you know Eunice's other identity?"

"Are you referring to his role as the biggest smuggler in Algiers?"

Joseph shook his head. "Smuggling is just a front. In reality, he's a major shareholder behind the Algiers pirates."

Previously, when the American, Charles, obtained pirate intelligence from one of Eunice's smugglers, Joseph became suspicious of Eunice. How could a mere smuggler know so much about the pirates' routes? This was clearly unusual. So, Joseph ordered a more detailed investigation into Eunice, revealing that he was directly involved in the pirate trade. This connection to the pirates allowed him a degree of freedom in Algiers—by investing in the pirate factions, he could influence the Algiers council and secure a comfortable life in the Dahra region. For Eunice, this was merely a business arrangement with the Algiers navy.

Joan was astonished. "He's actually a pirate?"

"Exactly. Eunice's fleet usually smuggles goods from Britain back to Tunisia, but if they encounter a suitable target along the way, the smuggling ships instantly become pirate ships. In fact, it's not hard to find out about him in Dahra. Oh, and that Ms. Rabia? She's a fierce pirate leader herself. She has sold 'white slaves' in Algiers many times. I even suspect that the 'white slaves' she presented as gifts were captured by her along the European coast."

Joan suddenly remembered something and asked, "But, Your Highness, I heard that American obtained pirate intelligence from Eunice's men. If Eunice is involved with the pirates, why would he…"

"Power struggles among pirate factions," Joseph said with a smile. "Eunice is part of an outsider faction that has been openly and covertly fighting against the local factions in Algiers. He's using the allied fleet to weaken his rivals."

Joan nodded in silence. Knowing Eunice's character, it was entirely plausible he would do something like this.

Joseph smiled at him. "You see, I could never fully trust someone who is willing to betray even his own associates."

Joan asked, puzzled, "Then why do you support his return to Tunisia?"

He looked up to see the Prince smiling but saying nothing, and he quickly realized his mistake. He bowed deeply and said, "Oh, I'm very sorry, Your Highness. That's not my place to ask."

...

Tunisia, Kasbah Palace.

A young woman in her twenties, with a slim figure and distinctly Greek features, was standing in front of a mirror, turning from side to side as she admired herself in a French-style dress—though it was tailored in an Arabic style. She was Hafsa, the favorite concubine of the Tunisian Bey, Hamud Ali.

"Inam, isn't this color a bit too dark?" she asked one of her maids. "I remember I ordered a lighter one as well."

"Yes, my lady," a young assistant from the tailor's shop eagerly responded before the maid could speak. "You mean this one, right?"

"Yes, help me change into it."

As the maid Inam took the dress and turned around, the assistant slipped a note into Hafsa's hand. Hafsa frowned slightly, glanced at the other maids who were busy with the cumbersome dress, then quickly unfolded the note. When she saw the unique crossed arc symbol on the note, she quickly crumpled it into a tiny ball, popped it into her mouth, and swallowed it. She then whispered to the assistant, "Who gave this to you?"

The assistant replied quietly, "Your dressmaker. He's waiting outside the hall."

Hafsa nodded, casually tried on the new dress, and hurried outside. There, she saw a young man respectfully bowing to her.

"Mr. Zaganos, is it? I'm quite pleased with the dress," Hafsa said haughtily as she deliberately walked away from the guards. "I'd like to order a few more dresses for formal occasions."

"Ah! It would be my honor!" Zaganos quickly followed, keeping his head down. If Joan were present, he would immediately recognize him as Isaac, an agent of the intelligence service.

Hafsa whispered, "What's the news?"

Isaac glanced back at the guards and, in a voice barely audible, said, "There's going to be a rebellion soon."

"What? Is he involved?!"

"Don't worry, he's safe," Isaac replied. "But he asked me to tell you to find the right moment to inform the Bey."

"What? Why?"

"You'll understand the details later. For now, just make sure the Bey learns about the rebellion within seven days. There are some clues you can use..."

"Yes, the style will definitely be close to the latest fashion," Isaac said loudly as he passed by the guards, then quickly whispered again, "Lady, this is the most important part. After the fighting begins, you must persuade the Bey as quickly as possible to…"

Hafsa kept her expression calm, though her mind was in turmoil. She made an effort to memorize every word Isaac said. When he finished, she quickly replied, "Tell him I'll get it done. He should also be careful."

"Understood, my lady."

...

Algiers, northwest coast of Dahra.

The sky was dark as a squad of guards in orange robes arrived at the gilded arch door of a three-story palace with tall columns and onion-shaped domes, all painted white. The officer leading the group knocked politely on the door.

"Master Eunice, do you have any orders?"

Though he said "orders," it was really just a routine check. Such checks were conducted three times daily—morning, noon, and night. Despite Eunice's close ties with the Algiers navy, he was also a "cash cow" for the Algiers guards.

More than twenty years ago, the brothers Mohammed Ibn Hussein and Hamud Ali had borrowed troops from the Algiers guards to seize the Bey position in Tunisia. According to their agreement, Tunisia would pay an annual tribute of 50,000 riyals to the Algiers guards. As leverage to ensure timely payment, Eunice was "protected" by the Algiers guards. However, Eunice managed to establish connections with the navy, which allowed him some freedom in Dahra, though he was strictly forbidden from leaving the area.

Receiving no response from inside, the officer knocked harder. "Master Eunice, are you asleep?"

After asking three times, the officer exchanged a strange look with another officer and ordered the soldiers to break down the gilded door. The room inside was empty.

The officer was shocked. He quickly blew a wooden whistle, and within moments, fifty or sixty guards poured in from all directions.

"He's gone! Search for him!"

In less than ten minutes, the soldiers reported back that not only was Eunice missing, but so were his son, two daughters, and his personal servants. The bodies of four guards responsible for patrolling had also been found.

The officer turned pale with fear and personally jumped on his horse to report to his superiors. Soon, more guards arrived and sealed off all nearby roads. Cavalrymen were dispatched to the port—there was still hope as long as Eunice hadn't left the port.

In the dark of night, more than twenty horses raced madly toward the port of Dahra. With the low response efficiency of the Algiers guards, only this many cavalrymen could be mustered quickly, while more officers and soldiers were still at home, not even fully dressed.

After about twenty minutes, the cavalry finally saw faint lights from torches in the distance. The officer leading them whipped his horse and drew his saber, shouting, "Prepare to intercept! Remember, kill anyone who resists except Eunice!"

"Yes, sir!"

As they drew closer to the seven or eight horses ahead, a sudden row of bright flashes appeared in the darkness, followed by a series of loud "bangs." Three of the Algiers guards fell off their horses, and the rest, terrified, pulled their reins to the side.

"It's muskets! An ambush!"

"What do we do? There seem to be quite a few of them…"

"Eunice is getting away!"

"I know! Saikri, go back and get reinforcements! Piri, sneak closer and check the situation!"

"I… Yes, sir!"

Meanwhile, after firing a volley, the intelligence officer Pruspur quickly called his men to mount their horses and head for the port under the cover of darkness. There were only 14 of them—almost all the intelligence service personnel in Algiers. They had no idea how many more pursuers would come and could only hope that by having each man fire two guns simultaneously, they could scare the enemy away in the night.

By the time the Algiers guards realized the ambushers had left, it was already several minutes later. By then, Eunice had reached the port.

The Algiers pursuers split up, some heading directly to the port's artillery battery, while others rushed to notify the navy to send ships for interception.

Soon, a naval galley spotted a small boat moving. At this hour, no one should be out at sea. The galley immediately issued a warning, but the small boat sped up, heading towards deeper waters.

Onboard the galley, the Algiers naval officer ordered the cannons to be loaded and issued one final warning to the small boat. Meanwhile, the nearby battery also prepared to fire, ready to destroy the small boat.

At that moment, a massive shadow loomed in the night, like a prehistoric beast lying on the sea's surface. Before the Algiers crew could react, the enormous black figure unleashed a barrage of fire, followed by several towering water columns erupting in front of the galley, sending waves that rocked the vessel violently.

"It's a warship!" the galley commander cried out in shock and quickly ordered his men, "Retreat! Immediately retreat!"

He could tell that the cannonballs were at least 24-pounders. If one of those had hit, his light patrol boat would have been ripped in two. The massive "beast" on the sea was none other than the French Navy's fourth-rate warship, Avance!

Seeing the galley retreat at full speed, the Avance also turned slightly, aiming its portside cannons at the shore battery and unleashing a broadside.

In truth, ship cannons could hardly do much damage to a well-fortified shore battery, especially since the British had recently helped Algiers strengthen the battery and had added many large-caliber heavy cannons. In a direct exchange of fire, even a first-rate ship couldn't withstand the battery, let alone a fourth-rate one. However, the tremors from the cannonballs hitting the battery, combined with the blinding flashes and terrifying booms in the night, scared the Algerian gunners so much that they fired haphazardly, without proper aiming. Most of the British-made cannonballs fell half a nautical mile short of the Avance. By this time, Eunice's small boat had reached the side of a French frigate.

Ropes were thrown down from the frigate. Eunice immediately leaped up, grabbed a rope, and climbed aboard. The French sailors quickly hauled Eunice's family and the intelligence officers onto the ship, which then set sail for the open sea.

Behind them, the Algiers navy finally reacted. Seven or eight warships, with oarsmen rowing frantically and sails slowly rising, gave chase. However, the Avance's cannons soon scattered them. These light warships, with no more than 18 cannons each, were no match for the 60-gun Avance, not even for the frigate tasked with picking up the escapees.

The two French warships sailed straight north. Once they reached deep waters, they immediately doused their lights, disappearing into the darkness.

(End of this chapter)

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