Chapter 822: Chapter 730 France Trade Agreement

Constantinople was teeming with activity, as all the residents, as requested, took to the streets holding candles to participate in the celebration.

Just one week earlier, the Ottoman Army had defeated the Mamluk Eastern Legion at Egypt Tur, achieving a major victory.

The two highest rulers of the Mamluks, Murad and Ibrahim, hurriedly dispatched envoys to beg forgiveness from Selim III.

Selim III’s luxurious carriage emerged from Topkapi Palace, surrounded by over a dozen resplendently dressed Imperial Guard formations, heading to the Blue Mosque for a series of celebratory rituals.

Inside the carriage, Styler, the general manager of the French Eastern Mediterranean Trading Company, received a handful of dates delivered from Medina from the Sultan, and bowed while speaking in Arabic, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for the generous gift.”

These dates, products of the Holy Land, were considered a rare and distinguished honor.

The reason Styler received this honor was entirely due to the crucial role played by the Topiyesi New Army in the recent battle.

Previously, the training and transportation of this new army had been arranged by Styler.

Outside the carriage, cheerful drumbeats and flute melodies echoed, mixed with the occasional “boom-pop” sound of fireworks exploding.

Styler continued, “Your Majesty, may I ask when Mustafa Pasha will launch his next offensive? Oh, you know, I must prepare the necessary supplies for the army in advance.”

In this campaign, over one-third of the Ottoman Army’s logistics and supplies had been managed by the Eastern Mediterranean Trading Company, at prices thirty percent cheaper than those handled by the Imperial Guard itself.

“You have been very diligent, but the war is over,” Selim III replied calmly, shaking his head and casting a glance at the nearby Grand Vizier.

Mekka Mohammed quickly interjected, “Mr. Styler, Murad Bey has already handed over the rebellious Karmanle officers who initiated the conflict with the Sultan’s forces. They are being sent to Constantinople to stand trial. The benevolent Sultan has decided to forgive the Mamluks.

“Of course, Hassan Pasha’s authority in Egypt has been strengthened, and the Mamluk nobles will pay increased taxes to the Empire to demonstrate their loyalty.”

Hassan was the Governor dispatched by the Ottomans to Egypt.

Styler showed no surprise at the news, only sighing inwardly. The Crown Prince had indeed predicted correctly.

Yes, Joseph had told him early on, when Selim III mobilized his troops for Egypt, that the Ottomans could never completely defeat the Mamluks–they could only stop at an advantageous point.

It wasn’t merely foresight but rather a calculated judgment based on historical records of Mamluk battles with Napoleon, which showed the Mamluks’ formidable combat prowess.

This was precisely why Joseph dared to encourage Talleyrand to incite Selim III to resolve the Mamluk issue–because the Ottoman forces, with the Yeniceri Guard as their main strength, could not defeat the Mamluks. Meanwhile, the new army was too small to decisively alter the situation.

The actual outcomes borne this out.

In the Battle of Tur, Mustafa crushed 10,000 Egyptian infantry and 4,000 cavalry, but the Mamluks’ overall strength consisted of roughly 30,000 infantry and more than 20,000 cavalry, their core forces untouched.

The Ottoman Army also suffered significant losses–two and a half Yeniceri Guard regiments alongside vast numbers of cavalry and Balkan soldiers–amounting to around seven or eight thousand men.

If the Ottomans chose to continue the fight, with the Topiyesi New Army worn down extensively, they might even face a counterattack from the Mamluks.

And the current outcome was precisely what Joseph had intended.

In this era, Egypt–or more precisely, the unconstructed Suez Canal–would serve as a lever point to reshape the entirety of Europe!

Whoever controlled Suez would dominate trade between Europe and Asia.

That represented an annual trade volume of billions or even tens of billions of francs!

Historically, Napoleon, under the advice of Talleyrand, was also profoundly aware of the strategic significance of Suez, leading him to decide on the Egyptian campaign.

However, his strategic planning had been crude.

His direct occupation of Egypt alarmed both the Mamluks and the Ottomans, forcing these traditionally adversarial forces to immediately ally with one another.

Ultimately, although Napoleon achieved the brilliant victory of the Battle of the Pyramids, he was never able to fully control the Egyptian situation. Coupled with the French Mediterranean Fleet being ambushed by the British, Napoleon was left with no option but to abandon his army in Egypt and row himself back to Paris.

To prevent similar scenarios, Joseph had spared no effort to assist the Ottomans in training their new army, bolstering Selim III’s confidence, and preemptively igniting tensions between the Ottomans and Mamluks.

This ensured that, when needed, France could step in as a mediator in Egypt, navigating both sides to its advantage.

At the very least, after this war, the possibility of an Ottoman-Mamluk alliance had been drastically reduced.

Of course, the success of Joseph’s strategic vision regarding Egypt hinged on one fundamental premise: the French Navy must be capable of keeping the British fleet out of the Mediterranean Sea.

Otherwise, even if the Suez Canal were completed, it would merely become a gift to the British.

And with the advent of steam battleships, France was finally beginning to acquire this capability.

This meant that planning for Egypt had to move forward.

Mekka Mohammed glanced at the Sultan, who was tossing coins out the carriage window to the crowd, then addressed Styler: “Mr. Styler, the Topiyesi New Army performed exceptionally well in this campaign. Thus, His Majesty hopes your nation can train more of our soldiers.”

In the past, Spain, Austria, and even Russia had assisted the Ottomans in training new forces, but the methods had typically involved dispatching instructors to the Ottoman Empire to train select recruits.

This approach at best yielded an improved version of the Yeniceri.

This time, however, Joseph had directly moved the Topiyesi New Army to a French military camp in Tunisia, completely detaching it from the Ottoman environment, thereby producing a truly modernized army.

Evidently, Selim III was very pleased with the results of this training.

Based on the combat power demonstrated by the Topiyesi forces at Tur, Selim estimated that with a mere 5,000 new troops, he could effectively suppress the ten or more regiments of the Yeniceri Guards stationed in Constantinople.

The Imperial Guard was the foremost obstacle to his reforms within the Ottoman Empire.

The revival of the Empire’s former glory would commence from here!

Styler smiled and nodded, “I would be delighted to serve His Majesty. However, you know that training this many soldiers is an extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive task and may even impact the training of our own forces.”

Immediately, the Grand Vizier responded, “Please rest assured, His Majesty will provide sufficient compensation to your nation.”

“Ah, there is a misunderstanding,” Styler said. “The Crown Prince has stated that new troops can be trained for His Majesty free of charge.”

“Then what does His Highness want?”

“His Highness hopes to enhance trade relations between France and the Ottoman Empire. For instance, a new trade agreement.”

Seeing Selim III continue flinging coins toward the crowd outside, Styler added, “If the range of permissible goods can be expanded, your nation can set satisfactory tariff rates. At the same time, the French market will also open to your nation.”

Joseph understood that in the worst-case scenario, much of France’s sea-based trade might be blockaded by the British. In such circumstances, the Mediterranean Sea would serve as the lifeblood of France’s commerce.

Meanwhile, the Ottomans were the richest nation along the Mediterranean, aside from France itself. This regional market would be crucial to France.