As for the other officers and soldiers who distinguished themselves in battle, Joseph was generous with rewards as well.
After handing the docunts to the official responsible for delivering confidential ssages, Joseph asked Émancourt to summon Denico, the general manager of Le Journal de Paris.
The recent victory at Tamiré, besides stabilizing the situation in northwest Tunisia and providing Joseph with two exceptionally capable officers, also had significant propaganda value.
It had only been a couple of months since Joseph had called on the nobles at Versailles to "fight like warriors for His Majesty the King, for France." Now, Moreau had led 1,000 young nobles to a brilliant victory and had been richly rewarded. This needed to be widely publicized to attract more nobles to join the military.
As for Ney, who ca from a commoner background as the son of a cooper, the fact that he had been granted land—and would receive a corresponding title upon acquiring that land—would greatly inspire the commoners as well.
It was foreseeable that France's ability to mobilize troops would soon far surpass that of other European powers, with morale reaching very high levels.
Of course, given France's current financial situation, the country could only support an army of about 150,000, many of whom were still part of the old military structure.
However, as the situation in India turned in favor of Mysore, the situation in Tunisia would soon break in France's favor.
Additionally, the coal and iron industries in the Southern Netherlands and Luxembourg would gradually begin production.
At that point, the benefits of Joseph's long-term strategy in Tunisia and the Low Countries would truly manifest, bringing significant revenue to the French treasury.
Furthermore, the troops stationed in North Africa and the Southern Netherlands could return ho, reducing the need for enormous military expenditures.
With increased revenue and decreased expenses, the financial difficulties would be significantly alleviated. In just a few years, France would reach a state where it could raise and sustain armies—truly "brimming with martial virtue!"
An hour later, the slightly plump Denico was led into the Tuileries Palace office by Émancourt. Upon seeing Joseph, he quickly bowed:
"Your Highness, it has been so long since I've had the honor of being summoned by you! I am truly excited! May God bless you."
Joseph smiled, returned the gesture, and invited him to sit down. He then recounted the great victory at Tamiré and concluded by saying:
"I need you to personally ensure that this event is widely publicized across the country."
"That won't be a problem at all, Your Highness," Denico quickly responded, leaning forward. "I suggest we first send a few reporters to North Africa to interview Commander Moreau and…"
"Ney, Michel Ney."
"Yes, of course, and Commander Ney, as well as their soldiers. We can dedicate the front page of the newspaper to this story for a week.
"We could also organize a 'My North African Hero' essay contest, encouraging citizens to write about the heroes of the battle, with prizes for the best entries.
"We should also commission so well-known writers to turn the battle at Tamiré into a serialized novel. By the way, Your Highness, do these commanders have wives or sweethearts? You know, people love to read about romance."
Joseph was a bit surprised at how well the newspaper manager had learned his thods of propaganda. There was hardly anything he needed to add.
"It seems they're not married yet…"
As he said this, he suddenly rembered the troubleso woman Moreau would marry in history—Mélanie Hulot.
This woman had great ambition and a strong thirst for power. After marrying Moreau, she used his influence to flirt with foreign powers and participated in the royalist coup.
When the coup failed, she fled to seek refuge with the Russian Tsar—who had already joined the anti-French coalition—and conspired with the infamous French traitor Bernadotte, eventually persuading Moreau to defect to Russia, becoming Napoleon's enemy.
Moreau's association with this woman caused him to lose Napoleon's trust, leading to his exile in Arica, where he missed many opportunities to achieve greatness on the battlefield.
As Joseph recalled Moreau's life, he realized that Moreau hadn't married until he was in his 30s, aning there was still plenty of ti to change his fate and prevent him from ending up with that disastrous woman. For instance, Joseph could arrange a good marriage for him early on…
After organizing the plans to promote the battle heroes and sending Denico on his way, Joseph prepared to go to Versailles to rehearse a play—he had promised his mother and needed to follow through…
Just as he was about to leave, Berthier hurried in, saluted, and handed over the docunt awarding Moreau, Ney, and others.
"Your Highness, regarding the honors you've granted to the North African corps, there are no issues with the promotions and decorations, but the land grant… It seems there might be a mistake?"
"A mistake?" Joseph picked up the docunt he had signed and looked it over. "No, it seems correct."
Berthier hesitated, then explained awkwardly, "Your Highness, but Tripoli isn't French territory…"
Joseph flipped open Schérer's report on the Tunisian situation and pushed it towards Berthier:
"Tripoli has repeatedly invaded the southeastern provinces of Tunisia, plundering six tribes and more than 20 villages.
"At the end of last month, 2,000 of Ben Juir's troops occupied the town of Remada in southern Tataouine, resulting in over 300 casualties! According to intelligence reports, he is gathering more troops for an even larger attack.
"Additionally, Tripoli pirates have begun raiding our rchant ships, forcing our combined fleet to escort them in the Gulf of Gabes."
He looked at Berthier, his tone icy:
"Faced with such provocations, we will declare war on Tripoli. As for Moreau's land grant, he will simply have to conquer it himself."
With the failure of the Moroccan Black Guard's raid, the situation in Tunisia had beco clear.
Schérer's main force would be responsible for defending northwest Tunisia.
Although this corps was part of the old army, with sufficient preparation, 15,000 n plus 5,000 Tunisian troops would be enough to defend against the Moroccan and Algerian forces of less than 30,000, especially given their low morale after their recent defeat.
anwhile, 5,000 soldiers from Schérer's corps, along with Moreau and Ney's newly promoted forces, would head southeast to deal with Tripoli.
Once the British withdrew their support for Algiers and other states, France could imdiately launch a counterattack against Tripoli.
After that, Joseph even planned to teach Algiers a lesson.
And the British, in their desperate attempt to relieve pressure in India, would be forced to watch as their North African "allies" were beaten.
(End of Chapter)
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