Chapter 1647 - 1553: Three Ways to Prepare Fish · 3

Chapter 1647: Chapter 1553: Three Ways to Prepare Fish · 3

Mustafa suddenly widened his eyes: "Your Highness, have you received reliable intelligence?"

Joseph was noncommittal: "In this situation, even a one percent probability is fatal for Ali Pasha."

The Egyptian envoy nodded solemnly.

If Ali’s army were to pass through the Dehna Desert, and the Sultan’s men blocked Medina, they wouldn’t even need to engage in combat. The Egyptian soldiers would soon die of thirst.

He looked at Joseph with probing eyes: "Your Highness, what should we do next?"

"It is certain that Saudi will not be content with failure." Joseph casually picked up a hunting rifle and began to clean it, "Then the war in Hijaz will continue for a long time, maybe 3 years, maybe 5."

Historically, Ali sent his eldest son Ibrahim to fight for seven years before completely wiping out the Saudi army.

"And during this period, Ali Pasha will be unable to gain any benefits from Hijaz."

Fighting on the Arab Peninsula, seven or eight hundred kilometers away from Egypt, the military expenses will be extremely high. Not to mention profit, most likely he will have to contribute money.

Joseph continued: "So, for Ali Pasha, the best strategy should be to temporarily withdraw from Hijaz."

Mustafa instinctively shook his head: "But..."

Joseph signaled him not to rush: "The Sultan’s war in the Caucasus has not ended, it’s impossible to send too many troops to Medina.

"Moreover, given the combat power of the Yeniceri Guard, they will likely be defeated by the Saudis.

"By then, the Sultan will probably have to again let Ali Pasha solve the Hijaz issue.

"In that case, why not let the Sultan’s army first consume the Diriyah rebels?"

Mustafa nodded thoughtfully but soon unwillingly said: "But wouldn’t this mean Pasha’s expedition to Hijaz was in vain?"

Joseph smiled and said: "His Majesty the Sultan wants Hijaz, he must offer equivalent interests. Oh, how much military expense did Ali Pasha spend on this expedition?"

"Nearly 1.6 million Kurush, Your Highness."

Joseph nodded: "Then the Sultan must reward him with 2 million Kurush."

Yes, this is exactly the number Jalal promised Talleyrand. Joseph didn’t really care about such a small amount, so he gave it all to Ali.

Mustafa’s expression began to waver.

Although nearly a year of expedition only got 400,000 Kurush, it certainly wasn’t profitable, but as the Regent of France said, if the Egyptian army continues to deplete against the rebels in Hijaz, it will only let the Sultan benefit.

Joseph glanced at him: "This is only compensation for military expenses. The Sultan should also reward Ali Pasha for actively giving up the governance of Hijaz."

Mustafa’s eyes flashed with joy: "You are truly the most just person in the world, Your Highness. So, what do you think Pasha can gain?"

Joseph thought for a moment, put down the hunting rifle in his hand, and said: "I will try to persuade His Majesty the Sultan to grant the monopoly on foreign trade of Syria."

"Truly, really?!" Mustafa was so excited he nearly knelt on the spot, "If not for the etiquette of your country limiting me, I would have to kneel before you to express my most sincere gratitude!"

You know, Syria’s silk, cotton products, leather, wool, and fruits are popular across the Ottoman Empire, with many sold along the West Mediterranean coast. The annual export value alone exceeds 10 million Kurush.

As for the import value, it is even higher. Goods from all over Europe converge in the Levant region, then are redistributed through trade routes across the Ottoman Empire. No one has specifically calculated the detailed amount, but it is estimated to be at least 14 million Kurush.

If Ali could monopolize such a large trade volume, by taking just a bit of profit, the yearly income would easily surpass 2 million Kurush!

Moreover, Egypt’s current annual fiscal revenue is only 8.7 million Kurush. This is the result achieved after Ali’s diligent governance.

Joseph calmly picked up another hunting rifle and began discussing matters of expanding cotton production with the Egyptian envoy.

Actually, fighting for Ali to get Syria’s trade monopoly is also a part of his Suez strategy.

Let Egypt get involved in this most prosperous region of the Ottoman Empire’s south, the huge interests would soon ignite the contradictions between Egypt and the Ottoman Empire.

Historically, they erupted into the Egypt-Ottoman War over the struggle for Syria. After that, the outwardly strong yet inwardly weak Ottoman Empire was exposed, and had to urgently seek intervention from countries like England and France to barely suppress Ali.

...

Paris outskirts.

Saudi’s envoy Marwan didn’t expect to be able to meet the representative sent by the Regent of France.

He originally came to Paris with the expectation of being arrested by the French Government, which would then hand him over to the Sultan or Egyptians. Otherwise, it would have been more appropriate for Prince Abdul to undertake this task.

Diriyah’s situation is at a critical juncture, the Egyptian army seems to be preparing to cross the desert, and currently only Paris can influence the Governor of Egypt, so he must take this risk.

The carriage entered the manor, and off the carriage came Otval, the assistant to the French Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Marwan hurried forward to greet him, but the Frenchman simply coldly showed him the authorization letter signed by the Regent.

The envoy from Diriyah immediately began to read out the long-prepared script in clumsy French: "... Pray to the great and powerful France, arbitrator of European affairs, to bestow a glance upon the humble Eastern little nation, letting his just and merciful light shine on that land...

"If Egyptian forces no longer advance on Diriyah, our army will never set foot west of the Dehna Desert..."

Otval frowned and interrupted him: "His Highness the Regent does not care whether you continue to compete for Hijaz, but if you can play a role in curbing Oman, His Highness can consider mediating between you and Egypt."

Marwan was overjoyed and quickly said every French phrase of gratitude he could think of, then expressed that Diriyah and Oman, heretics, are mortal enemies and would definitely drive them completely out of the Arabian Peninsula.

Yes, Oman is currently the most powerful country in the Arabian Peninsula, without exception.

Their fleet roams the Arabian Sea, forcing even the Ottoman Empire to avoid their sharp edge. By controlling maritime trade between the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa, India, and even the Far East, they earn substantial profits and use Gold Coins to build more warships.

People often think of European countries like England when talking about the slave trade, but in fact, Oman captures tens of thousands of African slaves annually from East Africa.

Most importantly, Oman allied with England over a decade ago.

It means the two strongest fleets in the Arabian Sea joined forces, consistently harvesting interests here.

However, just half a year ago, Oman suddenly sent troops to occupy Bahrain, exiling all twenty tribes there.

Historically, Saudi soon allied with the largest Khalifa family in Bahrain and drove Oman out of Bahrain’s land. The two countries subsequently engaged in a protracted tug of war, and although Oman dominated the Arabian Sea, its army was relatively weaker, being continually driven back to their homeland by Diriyah’s army.