"Ha, thank you for saving Great Britain up to 40,000 British Pounds in expenditures!"
As the opposition party's "strongest firepower," Charles James Fox snorted, stood up, and sarcastically said, "But this little 'contribution' can hardly make up for the huge losses we have suffered in North Africa due to the strategic errors of you and the Prime Minister."
Speaking, he gestured to the hundreds of members of Congress behind him: "I think the Tory Party must give Congress an explanation for this!"
The Tory Party was currently the ruling party of England.
However, they did not have much of an advantage over the Whig Party in terms of support, largely because King George III had a special preference for young William Pitt and used the influence of the Royal Family to strongly promote him to the position of Prime Minister.
The Whig Party had always been unhappy with this, so since young William Pitt took office, they seized every opportunity to attack the Tory Party.
The Duke of Leeds took a deep breath and told himself that what was expected had come at last, and luckily, he had discussed countermeasures with the Prime Minister yesterday. Now it was time for his performance.
He glanced subtly at the head of the Intelligence Department next to him and then raised his hand to interrupt Fox:
"Respected Member Fox, before you rush to accuse me, please clarify the actual situation first."
"The actual situation?"
"Yes." The Duke of Leeds confidently nodded, "The current situation in North Africa is completely under the control of the Prime Minister and myself. We have long received reports and are aware of the French movements in Tunisia. Right, Mr. Butler?"
The head of intelligence immediately stood up:
"That's right. We discovered the French's actions months ago."
The members of Congress, upon hearing this, began to murmur amongst themselves.
Of course, in reality, the Duke of Leeds knew nothing of France's Tunisian strategy and had only learned of the dramatic changes there from recent French newspapers. However, as politicians, lying was a basic skill.
"Control?" Fox sneered disdainfully, "Do you mean watching the French gain enormous benefits in Tunisia?"
The Duke of Leeds immediately responded loudly:
"No, why would you think the French are profiting? On the contrary, the current situation in Tunisia is the opportunity I have been waiting for!"
Fox gave him a dismissive look:
"Did you drink before you came here? Look at the nonsense you're spouting!"
Unperturbed, the Duke of Leeds raised his fists and spoke passionately: "Right now, we have the opportunity to repay the French in North Africa for all that they've done to us in North America!
"No one knows the serious dangers of colonial uprisings better than we do. Tunisia is like a dangerous swamp crawling with countless crocodiles, and the French are like inexperienced hunters who have stepped into it.
"They only have a force of 3,000 men there. We just need to startle those beasts, and we could take their lives!"
A member of Congress named James asked subconsciously, "What are you going to do?"
The Duke of Leeds spread his hands: "The details of the operation cannot be disclosed for the time being. You may apply to the Prime Minister for permission to learn about them."
This was a common practice. The British could get insider information from French Cabinet meetings attended by only a few ministers, and France could easily gather intelligence from among the hundreds of British members of Congress. So precise plans were not spoken of during Congressional inquiries.
Fox shouted, "I'm not interested in the contents of the plan. I just want to know how much time your grand Tunisian plan will require and what kind of result it will produce."
"One year, no, even just a few months, and the French will be rolling out of Tunisia," the Duke of Leeds declared confidently, "Or alternatively, the French Government would have to invest huge funds there, eventually completely dragging down their finances."
The British members of Congress all roughly understood—the management of colonies was costly, especially when mired in security wars, yielding no profit while continuously draining money. When the Americans revolted for independence, Britain was in such a predicament, and now, it was time for the French to taste something similar.
The Whigs finally paused their attacks, with Fox ending with a threat:
"I look forward to your success. But if the Tunisian issue is still unresolved, I think you should take responsibility and resign."
The Duke of Leeds smiled easily, "Of course, but that will depend on Mr. Hollis' performance."
George Hollis was the British Consul in Tunisia and also a member of the Whig Party.
Without waiting for Fox to say anything more, the Duke of Leeds immediately added, "Oh, and to better deal with the French in Tunisia, we will need some funding. Perhaps about 300,000 British Pounds..."
...
To the southwest of Tunisia, Gafsa.
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"These damned bastards!" Hollis, wrapped in a white turban, wearing a pale yellow Arab-style robe, cursed under the scorching sun, "You fight for power in London, yet you've gambled my future away!"
"Your Excellency, the Consul, what did you say?" The tall middle-aged Englishman dressed similarly, sitting opposite in the open carriage, leaned forward and asked.
"Ah... I meant, fortunately, the Tunisians are very wary of Europeans, so we should not have a hard time convincing them to oppose the French," Hollis replied.
"True indeed," the tall middle-aged man nodded, "Besides, their Imperial Guard was just beaten up by the French; they are bound to be resentful."
"And the new Bey of Tunisia, who clearly lacks ruling power. This should all be good news for us."
The two engaged in casual conversation, jostling along the rugged path for another half hour until the carriage finally stopped in front of a domed mansion to the south of a town.
The Berber servant who came to greet them, upon receiving the silver coins from Hollis, immediately led them courteously into the villa.
Afterward, Hollis met with the highest Commander of the Tunisian Guard in this area, who was akin to the mayor—Uquz.
Sitting on an exquisite wool carpet in the living room, Hollis exchanged pleasantries with Uquz in fluent Arabic before diving straight into the heart of the matter: "Pasha, the French disarmed nearly ten thousand courageous warriors of the Tunisian Guard outside of Tunis City, this is a complete humiliation to the entire Tunisian Guard! We absolutely cannot tolerate this indignity!"
Uquz nodded indifferently, humoring him out of respect for the several thousand silver coins he had brought, "The navy provoked them, yet they targeted the Imperial Guard, this is truly outrageous!"
"Exactly! That's why we must take our revenge on those French people fiercely!"
However, Uquz immediately shook his head: "How could my few men possibly defeat them?"
Hollis hurriedly said, "Don't worry, you don't have to confront them directly. Just attack French merchant caravans every now and then and burn down French factories, houses, and the like under cover of darkness.
"If the French send troops, just claim complete ignorance and pretend to agree to help capture the bandits. They will soon leave. They have only 3000 men in Tunisia and can't handle these troubles."
He directly copied all the attack methods the British had experienced in America.
Still appearing uninterested, Uquz said, "But there is still a great risk..."
Seeing this, Hollis had no choice but to pull out his trump card: "To support the vengeance of the Guard, I can offer you 2000 riyals of funding."
A riyal is a gold coin slightly smaller than a British Pound, and 2000 riyals are worth about 44,000 livres.
Hollis saw that the imperial officer seemed somewhat moved and signaled to the Englishman who had come with him: "This is Mr. Robert. He will come to assess your rebellion regularly, leaving you with monthly expenses from 500 to 1000 riyals."
Uquz immediately showed a smile, clenching his fist and saying: "I've long had an eye on those French people! Rest assured, I will certainly make them pay!"
After leaving the Guard officer, Hollis immediately rushed to the villages outside the city, where he visited a large tribe of the Berbers.
"Respected Clan Leader, you cannot let the French deceive you." Hollis said earnestly, "They say they're buying land, but they definitely won't pay.
"Moreover, the French have a kind of sorcery that allows their cultivated land to take away the 'vitality' of nearby lands. If they plant here, in a few years, your neighboring lands will yield nothing!"
The Clan Leader with light brown skin frowned: "Are you speaking the truth?"
"Absolutely!" Hollis said, "For the future of your tribe, you must find every way possible to drive out those French settlers!
"I know it might bring you trouble, but a kindly Pasha is willing to offer you 200 riyals to compensate for the losses due to conflicts with the French."
"But I heard that the Bey has already ordered cooperation with the French..."
"Don't you worry, the Bey's Imperial Guard has already been crushed, there's no need to fear them."
Before long, the British Consul left the Berber tribe and continued to his next "stirring" duty in the next city.
...
Tunis City.
The French Consul in Tunisia, Baron Joann, straightened his hat and stepped into Ksar Hellal Palace.
Upon seeing him, the current Bey Haji greeted him cheerfully: "Mr. Joann, your prediction has come true! The Eunice rebels were utterly defeated a few days ago, Koja has already led the troops to chase the remaining hundred or so fugitives into the desert to the south."
"Congratulations, Bey." Joann was not at all surprised by this.
After cutting off Eunice's ammunition and funding supplies, the rebels' disadvantages in numbers and terrain became evident, and Koja wore them down within a month.
On the side, Hafsa was beaming with happiness as she directed the maids to set out fruit drinks. She had officially married Haji a few days prior, and the two were finally united.
Haji had finished delivering the good news and began to ask Baron Joann some questions about taxation and the appointment and dismissal of officials.
Mediocre in his personal abilities and completely lacking a political base, he had only thirty or so servants and now relied entirely on the French military to make an impression, even entrusting the policing of his palace to recruits from the Paris Police Academy. Therefore, for any matter, big or small, he would consult with Joann.
It was not until dusk fell that Baron Joann left the Ksar Hellal Palace, only to immediately see Ameti, the newly appointed immigration officer, approaching with an anxious expression.
"Do you have any issues?"
Ameti tipped his hat briefly as a gesture and said in haste, "Baron Joann, a newly built workshop southeast of Bizerte was set aflame, and three people have died."
Joann immediately frowned. Tunisia had recently seen dozens of incidents where French people were attacked. These were the more serious cases; sporadic attacks that hadn't been recorded were likely even more numerous.
"Have you found out who did it?"
"Not yet... You know, we are severely understaffed... Also, I've heard rumors that the Imperial Guards are planning to take revenge on us."
As the two talked, they walked towards the residence across the street. Upon arriving at the entrance, Ameti's assistant rushed over and handed him a letter without even remembering to salute: "Sir, it seems a merchant convoy was plundered in Sousse; seven French and three Sardinian people were killed..."
Joann's expression turned grave: "It seems we must report back to the homeland."
...
Paris.
In the corridors of the Palace of Versailles, Joseph listened with a gloomy face as Joann next to him reported the situation in Tunisia—for things had gotten somewhat out of control, and the latter had returned to Paris the day before.
"The Tunisian Guard is threatening to attack all French people?" Joseph frowned and looked at Joann, "Have they begun to assemble an army?"
"They have not."
"Who is calling them together?"
"There seems to be no clear leader."
"Oh?" Joseph was somewhat surprised, "With no one to rally them, why would the Tunisian Guard take such unified action? I heard you just now say the attacks are happening frequently all over Tunisia."
Joann said with a pained look, "Your Highness, it's not just the Imperial Guard, there also seem to be Berber tribes attacking French farmers who have gone there to cultivate the land."
"Didn't the newly appointed Bey issue a decree forbidding the attacks on French people?" Discover more stories at empire
"He... Your Highness, in truth, his edicts only carry weight within Tunis City, and that's only because Colonel Bertier's legion is stationed there."
"This situation is quite troublesome," Joseph shook his head privately. It sounded as if they were about to be embroiled in a full-scale security conflict.
But no, he thought rapidly, if the ruler of Tunisia had no appeal and the region was far from a national awakening, it was virtually impossible for there to be spontaneous resistance to foreign powers.
Therefore, it was very likely that someone was instigating this behind the scenes.
Who could it be? An influential officer in the Tunisian Guard? Someone from the Ottoman Empire? A British person? An individual from Algiers?
He rubbed his forehead. Regardless of the instigator, they had to find a way to stabilize the situation in Tunisia.
After asking Joann some detailed questions about Tunisia, the two had already arrived at the golden doors of the conference hall.
The guards on either side were busy opening the doors for him, then stood at attention to either side.
Inside the conference hall, several Cabinet Ministers had clearly already been informed of the situation in North Africa and were discussing it in low voices.
Soon, Queen Mary also arrived, and after everyone rose to salute, the Cabinet meeting centered on the Tunisian issue officially began.
Mirabeau, responsible for Tunisian immigration affairs, was the first to rise and speak, "Clearly, the news from Tunisia has spread domestically. In the last week, almost no one has applied to go to Tunisia, and even some people who have reached Marseille waiting to embark have begun to return home..."