I am the Crown Prince of France Chapter 427: The Power of Destruction

Joseph pondered for a mont, then looked at Brienne and smiled, "Our military operation in Annaba should be almost ready, right?"

"Yes, Your Highness. The Duke of Broglie ntioned to yesterday that the additional regints have already arrived in Bizerte. Oh, that should have happened last week," Brienne replied.

According to the Anglo-French Non-Interference Treaty, France was set to retaliate against Algeria for its previous acts of aggression, with Annaba, in northeastern Algeria, designated as the battleground—and soon to be the spoils of war.

Since Annaba was a small area, as long as the British tacitly agreed, other European countries were unlikely to pay much attention. The "salami slicing" strategy—taking small, incrental actions that go largely unnoticed—was effective in any era.

Joseph nodded, "We'll fully utilize the impact of this war, so we need to make a strong statent. And, of course, combined with other asures, this should be enough to keep those tribes in line..."

Tunis.

Western Suburbs of Tunis City.

A Berber colonel dressed in a white uniform and black trousers looked at the disorderly crowd gathered on the parade ground outside the barracks. Frowning, he turned to Jemileh beside him and said, "General, why are we recruiting these people? They'll only drag down the army; they won't be of any use."

It had been over a year since Jemileh led the "Sword of Vengeance" in resisting the Tunisian Guard, and by now he had been promoted to the rank of Major General, in charge of commanding the Tunisian corps.

Jemileh's French was still not very good, so he responded in Arabic, "This is a direct order from Lord Isaac, conveyed from Paris. They must be sent to the frontlines."

The colonel looked shocked. "Even we are only handling logistics and clearing the battlefield, and they're sending these people to the frontlines?!" This update is available on noveⅼfire

Without a doubt, the main force in the battle would be the "Roman Brothers" from mainland France. As for the n in front of him, they were local tribal mbers who had been recruited over the past two weeks, and most of them held significant positions within their tribes.

According to the latest conscription rules, large tribes were allocated 20-40 slots, while smaller tribes received 10. Those who participated in the campaign against Algeria would receive extra points in the next civil service exam.

Yes, this was Tunisia's version of "civil service exams." Only by passing these exams could one hold official positions in Tunisia. As a result, tribes were competing fiercely for these conscription spots.

"Who knows what the high command is thinking?" Jemileh said, casting a glance at his subordinate. "Instead of worrying about that, you should focus on training these useless n."

Although the Tunisian corps was no match for the French regular army, after over a year of training—especially with so officers attending military academies in France—their combat capabilities were now among the best in North Africa. So they certainly felt superior to these "useless" n who had only received traditional combat training within their tribes.

"Yes, General, I'll make sure they're properly trained!" The colonel snapped to attention.

anwhile, in the Sousse province in eastern Tunisia, the Waqurma tribe was holding a send-off ceremony for four of its warriors who were going to serve as sheriffs and police officers in the Yubari tribe, responsible for maintaining law and order there.

This was an incredibly prestigious role—not only did it co with a high salary from the governnt, but it also granted significant power, including the authority to arrest, fine, or even briefly imprison any mber of the Yubari tribe who violated the law.

The Yubari tribe had over 2,700 mbers, and according to their size, the sheriff could recruit 12 patroln locally, each of whom would receive a monthly stipend of 8 livres from the governnt. The patroln would carry on with their own duties but were required to train twice a week and remain on call to the sheriff.

Oh, and if they recruited European patroln, the number of positions would increase to 20.

As more European settlers continued to arrive in Tunisia, finding suitable candidates among them was not difficult.

The tribe's chief personally led his people to escort the four warriors several kiloters out of the village. It was understood that these sheriffs would bring significant benefits to the tribe—every ti they identified a violation of the law in the Yubari tribe, the Waqurma tribe would gain sothing called "public security contribution points," which could be used to offset their tax obligations.

The chief had calculated that if the four n could find enough violations, the tribe could save thousands of livres in taxes each year!

Three days after sending off the warriors, the Waqurma tribe received a decree from the provincial governnt stating that, in order to reduce conflicts between tribes, they were no longer allowed to maintain any form of tribal militia.

The chief panicked and asked the official delivering the decree how they were supposed to defend themselves against bandits without their militia.

The official smiled and inford him that these responsibilities would now fall to the newly appointed sheriff. As it happened, the Waqurma tribe's sheriff was from the Aboto tribe, and he would be recruiting so patroln here...

In the governor's mansion in Sousse, the official in charge of public security was reporting on the assignnt of sheriffs to the various tribes.

Governor Joan nodded repeatedly and finally signed and stamped the thick stack of docunts.

After the official left with the paperwork, the governor's assistant hesitantly said, "Governor, according to this model, our province will have to pay substantial salaries to the sheriffs and their subordinates every year. This will put a significant strain on our finances."

His implication was clear—previously, tribes had handled their own security, so this was an entirely new expense.

Joan smiled, "First, this is a direct order signed by His Highness the Prince. Second, you're missing the bigger picture. In the short term, this might increase our expenses, but within six months, our fiscal surplus will increase dramatically."

"Why is that?"

"It's all thanks to a better trading environnt," Joan explained briefly. He trusted that his assistant would understand the connection—large amounts of investnt from mainland France were flowing into Tunisia. But tribal violations, unauthorized trade taxes, tolls, and even extortion were severely hindering comrce and settlent. If sheriffs could be used to control the tribes, Tunisia's developnt would accelerate significantly.

And prosperity would naturally lead to increased revenue. In comparison, the sheriffs' salaries were a small price to pay.

The assistant quickly understood but then expressed concern, "Governor, you realize that if those tribes see their interests threatened, they won't hesitate to kill the sheriffs who 'interfere' with their profits."

"You're absolutely right," Joan nodded. "Which is why His Highness the Prince sent the influential mbers of those tribes to Annaba. There, they will witness the power of destruction."

(End of Chapter)

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