I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 430 War Reparations
Lefebvre looked at the fleur-de-lis flag flying on the coastal fortress of Annaba Port not far away and shook the reins with joy.

He had never thought that the battle would go so smoothly, and it took only two and a half days to capture the entire Annaba. You know, at the marching speed of the Tunisian Legion, it would take almost two days to cover the entire Annaba.

In other words, he would be able to return to Europe in a few days, and would definitely be able to take part in the great battle in Silesia.

A captain of the company rode up on horseback, raised his hat and saluted Lefebvre.

"Commander, we have discovered a large number of heavy artillery in the Algiers' fortress!"

"Oh?" Lefebvre waved his hand carelessly. "The Algiers' cannons are worthless."

Given the casting level in North Africa, the power of the 32-pound coastal defense gun is not as good as the 18-pound gun in Europe.

The company commander immediately said:
"My Lord, those guns are of English manufacture. There are three 3-pounders, eight 32-pounders, and the lighter ones have not yet been counted."

Lefebvre's eyes immediately lit up - if they were British products, he would have made a profit with so many heavy artillery!

It was indeed a good deal - the Duke of Leeds spent tens of thousands of pounds to build the Annaba Coastal Fortress, but it ended up falling into the hands of the Guards without firing a single shot. Some of the guns even had their factory oil seals still on.

As they were talking, another cavalryman came to report that a large number of flintlock rifles were found in the warehouse at the port, including Prussian Potsdam 1740 and Dutch AI, as well as some British brown bess. The total number has not been counted yet, but it is estimated to be at least 7.

These guns were the second batch of British aid to the Algiers Guards, but because the Algiers were too slow, several months had passed and they had not yet been handed over to the army. At this time, they all fell into the hands of Lefebvre.

Lefebvre suddenly felt that it seemed acceptable not to go to Silesia - just for seizing so many supplies, he should be able to get a commendation from the General Staff.

He looked at the staff officer beside him and said:
"Try to get some of the fortress guns to Constantine (the city of Algiers, derived from the Romans, not the Ottoman Constantinople), and then we can go back."

Constantine is the city of Algiers south of Annaba. Holding it is equivalent to blocking the main road from Algiers to Tunisia. With the assistance of the 24-pound artillery, the Tunisian Corps will be able to complete the task of guarding Annaba.

……

Tunisia city.

Cahill Palace.

Chandar, the emissary of the Dey of Algiers, paced anxiously up and down the corridor.

He had been prepared to take a boat to Paris if he did not meet with the French negotiators before tomorrow.

Fortunately, the big shots from Paris came. He only hoped that General Kehler would hold on for a few more days, and he could stabilize the French army with his interests.

Soon, footsteps were heard in the corridor, and the French negotiating envoy, Count Ségur, walked over with several officers from the General Staff.

Chandar hurriedly walked up to him, touched his chest and saluted respectfully, and greeted him in Arabic.

Segur didn't seem to care at all what the translator said. He walked straight into the hall in front of him and sat down at the head of the long table. Currently, the French model is popular in Tunisia, and people of status are no longer willing to sit on the carpet to discuss things.

Chandar had no choice but to follow in awkwardly. It took him a long time to catch a break between the French people's idle chat and interrupt:
"Dear Special Envoy, I am the Aga of Difan in Algiers, and also the plenipotentiary negotiator appointed by Dai..."

Difan was the parliament of Algiers. He served as a speaker.

Segur glanced at him and said slowly:
"Well, what are you going to talk to me about?"

Chandarle immediately said: "Special Envoy, we should discuss the issue of ceasefire in the Annaba region..."

Segur listened to the translator's words, smiled and raised his hand to interrupt him:

"That's not necessary. The battle of Annaba ended the day before yesterday."

He turned his head to look at the officer beside him:

"Lieutenant Colonel Adrian, our legion should be on its way to Constantine, right?"

Of course, in the current international situation, France had no plan to attack Constantine, but this did not prevent him from using it to scare the Algiers. With the remaining troops in Algiers, the French army could even fight all the way to their capital, Mitiga. Chandarle's pupils shrank immediately. He knew that although he had not received any news, the French would not lie about the war situation.

He panicked and said: "In fact, there should be no war between Algiers and France. It will not benefit anyone..."

Ségur stopped him coldly:

"No, the war began the last time the Algiers Guards invaded Tunisia."

Chandar cursed the British thousands of times in his heart - they had clearly agreed to fully support Algiers' attack on Tunisia, but as soon as the French army appeared, they disappeared.

"Well, that was just some kind of obligation to the Tunisian Guards." He had no choice but to say, "We realize that this was a mistake and are willing to do something to save the peace between our two countries."

Segur said very straightforwardly: "Our country has invested more than 20 riyals in response to the invasion of Algiers. These losses must be borne by Algiers."

20 rials is about 440 million livres. It's not that Joseph was soft-hearted, but for Algiers, which has a population of only more than 200 million, this is their limit.

Segur continued: "In addition, Annaba, as the main route for invading Tunisia, will be managed by our country in the future. Constantine, which is adjacent to our country, will become a buffer zone and no troops can be stationed there."

"This..." Chandarle said anxiously, "I'm afraid these requests are too much..."

"This is the decision of His Majesty," Segur said, glancing at him. "You can refuse, and we will continue the discussion in Mitiga."

"No, no! These can all be discussed..." Chandal waved his hands hurriedly.

Tunisia.

Province of Susa.

Sphik was staring at the low hills behind the tribe in a daze, the rumbling sound of cannons still ringing in his mind from time to time.

Suddenly, a group of tribesmen, holding knives and spears, rushed towards the main road beside the tribe while cursing.

Someone grabbed him and said, "Sphek, let's go teach that sheriff a lesson!"

"That guy actually let go of 10 truckloads of olive oil. We didn't get a penny for the security fee."

"And last time, he allowed the fur traders in the city to enter the tribe..."

"How much money have we lost recently? I want to kill that bastard!"

"Yes, kill him!"

"Sheriff?" Sphyk was startled, and suddenly remembered the sheriff's white uniform - very similar to the uniform of the French army he had seen in Annaba - and shouted in horror, "Are you crazy? You must not attack the sheriff!"

Seeing that he couldn't stop the tribesmen, he hurried to the tribe leader's residence and broke into the house:
"Uncle, stop them! Hurting the sheriff will attract the army!"

"The army?" the chief said disdainfully, "What are you afraid of? The warriors of the tribe will drive them away."

"No, no..." Sphek's eyes were full of fear. "By the way, have you seen the Algiers Guards?"

"Huh? No."

"They are devils! Devils that can tear people apart in an instant!"

"What are you talking about?"

“And those troops…” Sphik swallowed, his face pale, “are war gods who can tear the devils apart! No one can stop them. If we don’t stop everyone, the tribe will be finished!”

On the main road next to the tribe, more than twenty people who had been to the Annaba battlefield were frantically driving away the troublemakers, fearing that they would hurt the sheriff.

(End of this chapter)