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Chapter 188: The North African "Lion King"
🕑 Added 2025-01-11 20:58:07 +0000 UTCChapter 188: The North African "Lion King"
Charles curiously observed the grand and beautiful city, much like a child visiting a city for the first time. He had been to London before, which he remembered as a place dirtier and smellier than his hometown of Philadelphia. But Paris was different, filled with elegant beauty, with wide, clean streets and no trace of the foul odors he had encountered in London.
Although some people were still repairing buildings on either side of the street, the city had largely recovered. Aside from a few broken trees, there were no obvious signs of the recent devastating hailstorm. This was in stark contrast to what he had seen along the way from Marseille, where towns and villages looked as if they had been bombarded by pirates. He was amazed at how quickly Paris had been restored.
Suddenly, a loud shouting erupted from ahead:
"Hang those shameless rich men!"
"They are the ones whose banks stole our money!"
"France was swindled out of millions of livres by them. Hang them!"
"These swindlers are nothing but cold-blooded murderers..."
Charles stuck his head out of the carriage window and saw, about eighty yards away, a crowd of thousands surrounding several prison carts, moving slowly. From time to time, people threw dirt and garbage at the prisoners inside.
Across from him, the American ambassador to France, Silas Deane, who hadn't even bothered to look, explained:
"Those are some bankers who colluded with France's former finance minister for profit. They were caught, and one of them is being taken to the city square to be hanged."
Charles, overwhelmed by the noise, quickly shut the window.
"Mr. Deane, I've heard there's going to be a public trial of those pirates in a few days. Will it be like this? I mean, I might be attending as a witness."
"Probably even more 'exciting.'" Deane recalled the scene outside the high court during the trial of Vezinier earlier that year. "You need to get used to the French people's enthusiasm for such events. Oh, and they love gathering for protests too."
Charles nodded with a smile. "I've heard about that. In America, rioters are driven away by the National Guard with guns, but here, they chase the soldiers away."
Deane chuckled too. "They even chased the King out of Paris once."
They chatted for a while longer before Deane opened the window and looked out.
"We're almost there. Remember to be cautious when you speak; don't underestimate the French Prince just because of his age. From what I've heard, his influence in French politics is considerable."
"Of course, Mr. Deane. I'll be careful."
As they spoke, the carriage came to a stop. Eymond politely greeted them from a distance, and then led them into the Industrial Planning Bureau.
Charles looked around, a bit surprised, and whispered to the ambassador:
"Aren't we supposed to be going to the Palace of Versailles?"
Deane leaned closer and whispered back:
"The French Prince has something to discuss with you. This is his office in Paris."
Soon, they were introduced to Joseph. Deane quickly guided Charles forward, bowing respectfully with perfect posture:
"It's an honor to meet you, Your Highness!"
Joseph smiled and nodded. "I'm honored to meet you both, especially this hero who captured the pirates. Please, have a seat. Captain Charles, your commendation ceremony will take place later at the Palace of Versailles, but I have some important matters to discuss with you here first."
Charles, who didn't speak French, looked a bit confused. Deane had to step in and translate.
When Charles understood, he quickly replied to Joseph, "Please feel free to ask anything, Your Highness."
Noticing the language barrier, Joseph switched to English. "I've heard that the Algerian smuggler who provided you with the pirate information knows Yunus, the son of the former Pasha of Tunisia."
Charles nodded. "Yes, Your Highness. According to Ali, his boss can meet Yunus."
Joseph's eyes lit up with interest. "If necessary, could you arrange for my men to meet with Yunus through him?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but knowing Ali, it might take some money."
"That's certainly possible." Joseph nodded, then asked, "How much do you know about this Yunus?"
Charles thought for a moment before continuing, "While I was in the Algerian prison, I heard Ali talk about him a few times. Yunus is the son of the former Pasha of Tunisia, Ali. Oh, not the smuggler, but the Pasha from over forty years ago. As for this Ali Pasha… Your Highness, are you sure you want to hear all this?"
"Yes, please tell me everything you know, the more detailed the better."
Charles continued, "Over forty years ago, the Bey of Tunisia, Hussein, deposed his nephew Ali, who was originally the heir, and instead made his own son the heir. Ali, unwilling to lose power, claimed that Hussein's son was born of a Genoese slave and had no right to inherit, so he launched a coup and seized the title of Bey."
Joseph was a bit puzzled. "Bey?"
"Oh, the rulers of Tunisia call themselves Bey. But they also accepted the title of Pasha from the Ottoman Sultan, so they choose between using Bey or Pasha depending on the situation."
"Thank you for the explanation. Please continue."
Charles nodded. "After that, Hussein and his followers fled to southern Tunisia. Ali sent his son Yunus to lead an army against them. After five years of fighting, Yunus eventually won and captured Hussein, but Hussein's two sons escaped to Algiers. Yunus, holding considerable military power and supported by local Tunisian nobles, decided to rebel. Ali was fortunate to defeat Yunus with the help of the Algerians and kept his position as Bey. After his defeat, Yunus fled to Algiers. The Algerians imprisoned Yunus, oh, in the same prison where I was held. But Yunus escaped and started a smuggling business in Algiers."
Hearing this, Joseph became even more convinced of his earlier thoughts. Yunus had led armies and had support in Tunisia, making him a significant figure to consider.
Charles continued his recollection. "Later, as Ali grew older, Hussein's two sons took advantage of the situation and borrowed troops from the Algerians to return to Tunisia, driving Ali out. The older brother, Mohammed, became the new Bey. Over twenty years ago, Mohammed passed away, and his brother Ali succeeded him—another Ali. He's the current Bey of Tunisia."
Joseph thought to himself that this tale of nephews usurping uncles and sons seeking revenge sounded like a North African version of The Lion King.
The political situation in Tunisia was extremely chaotic, but despite its small size, over eighty percent of the land was fertile, with many good ports. It was much wealthier than the desert-covered Algiers. Tunisia seemed like the best strategic entry point in North Africa!
Joseph pondered the North African situation and suddenly realized something—Yunus was just a smuggler. Even if he had connections with pirates, he shouldn't have known their routes so well. It seemed necessary to have the Secret Police investigate Yunus's background thoroughly. After all, there might be some "cooperation" with him in the future...
(End of Chapter)
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