Troubles in Tunisia
This chapter was going to be the Shores of Tripoli, but then getting to Tunis and finishing business there took longer than I thought.
I know I've been a little iffy on the dates recently, but now that we're back to warfare, where that sort of thing is important, I'll strive to keep you guys up to date.
September 30th, 1827 AD
The enemy was upwind, which was typically an advantage when it came to battles at sea- sailing against the wind was difficult, and the admiral who was upwind was the only one who could force a confrontation- but in Lelouch's case, he had steamships, which let him attack immediately and aggressively.
As they sailed, they got more information by flag signal: the enemy fleet had two dozen ships, all of them speedy frigates which were definitely armed for a fight. They also outnumbered Lelouch's fighting ships about two to one, as he only managed to get a dozen steamships into a state he was confident about (there were actually a few more back in Italy, but the turrets and steam engines were finicky on those crafts). Of course, Lelouch had exploding shell guns and the corsairs almost certainly did not, and it was possible they weren't even ready for a fight- the observation balloon let Lelouch get the jump on them.
Eventually, the enemy ships came into view- and what ships they were. Of course, Lelouch had seen some of the finest ships in the world while in London, but there was something different about seeing ships at sea, smelling the salt air and knowing that you were about to engage in battle. They certainly weren't the largest ships in the world- frigates like these weren't armed as heavily as a first rate ship of the line like the HMS Victory- but they towered above the steamships, their great sails billowing in the wind, complex rigging holding up a mix of triangular and square sails.
It was clear now that the ships were Tunisian, and Lelouch was sure that sailors all across the Mediterranean would recognize that dreaded flag: five horizontal stripes, two blue stripes on the edges, two red, and one green in the center, on an unusually cut flag that ended with semicircles instead of a straight edge.
The pirates certainly lived up to their reputation, bursting into a flurry of action as soon as they saw Lelouch's fleet sailing towards them. Through his telescope, Lelouch could seem them loading their cannons in a frenzy, and even preparing boarding parties. Of course, that wasn't going to dissuade Lelouch, and his fleet plunged forward against the wind, their turrets moving into position ponderously.
The extra time for preparation also meant that Lelouch's fleet could fire first, before the frigates could ready their broadsides. With a series of roars, the twelve ships of the Italian fleet fired their rounds, sending explosive shells flying into the enemy ships, lodging themselves into the hulls. Two of the enemy ships got hit by a couple of rounds, but even just one was enough to cause panic on board when it exploded. In naval battle, at least before exploding shells, ships rarely sunk- the hull may be shattered, the crew crippled or killed by splinters, the structure devastated by fire or burned all the way to the waterline, but it was surprisingly hard to sink a ship in battle. Nature could do it, purposeful sabotage with intent to sink could, but normal cannons usually couldn't- not that a captain would want to.
In the past, it was better to capture a ship then to send all of its worth to the bottom of sea, but Lelouch certainly wasn't taking prize ships today- they were antiquated, the first victims of a new age of naval warfare. Lelouch certainly wasn't going to cry over a few ship-fulls of pirates being sent to the bottom of the sea.
Of course, the pirates were still a threat, if they managed to board or if they managed to use their cannon- damaging the paddlewheels would leave the ships dead in the water, and sending a shot straight down the length of the ship, from bow to stern, could be devastating as well. Looking at the nearest frigate to his own ship, The Ligurian, he couldn't help but notice how high up the cannons seemed to be when compared to his position on the steamship. They were so high that if they got too closer, the cannons might not be able to go down far enough to hit…
Getting closer would mean running the risk of damage to his mast, which actually had some use on steam ships, mostly to rig a small sail for stabilization during rough weather. Lelouch knew that other nations including Britannia had steam ships to a limited extent, although they the engines weren't really fired up except during battle, and the ships depended on their sails a majority of the time. Of course, a part of this reason was less efficient engines- Lloyd helped with that, of course, so they were running almost entirely on steam.
However, the risk to his mast was negligible, and meant he could avoid a broadside and possibly even swing around and strike the enemy's stern. "Sail in close! Get so close their cannon fires over our heads!" Several of the men looked at him like he was crazy, but complied. They would run the risk of boarding parties if they got too close, so they would have to sail carefully to find the sweet spot where the enemy couldn't board but their cannon wouldn't be able to strike.
Looking out at the rest of the ships, Lelouch could see most of them were doing fairly well, skirting out of the way of enemy broadsides and landing shell after shell in the enemy's hulls. The corsairs were suffering from disorder and one particularly unfortunate ship had a hole blown open in both sides so he could see straight through. However, he could see two of his ships were suffering: one of them, The Lombard, had its paddlewheel caught by some of the enemy's shot, and were dead in the water, even as they defended themselves valiantly from the enemy with shells. Some of the other ships had rallied to it, keeping the enemy at bay and preventing them from attacking the crippled craft.
Unfortunately, The Neapolitan was not managing as well as The Lombard, and Lelouch could the men clashing with Barbary boarding parties in a wild melee of musket, bayonet, and more traditional weapons like swords and axes. If the enemy succeeded in seizing the ship, Lelouch might have to sink it to keep them from exploiting the shell gun, so he hoped the Italians would remain firm. At the very least,The Neapolitanhad managed to extricate itself from the ship the boarding party came from.
The Ligurian managed to sail past the enemy frigate without issue other than an exchange of musket fire from the decks, and Lelouch more than paid back their casualties by sending a shell directly through the ship's exposed stern. As the gun crew reloaded, Lelouch directed them to sail and relieve The Neapolitan.
They sailed as close to the ship as they could manage before using hooks to keep the two ships together. Fortunately, the fact that the ships were made in the same shipyard, based on the same design, meant their deck were very close to level, and Lelouch's guards rushed to fight off the boarders, even as their cannon roared, firing shots at the other Barbary ships (they weren't foolish enough to fire exploding shells at boarders).
Lelouch pulled out a pistol to defend himself as Cornelia and Jeremiah both drew their swords- despite Jeremiah's insistence that he pick up fencing, Lelouch's constitution meant that he never managed to get very good at it, and Jeremiah begrudgingly dropped the subject as Lelouch's strategic talents were revealed (although he did force Lelouch to learn how to operate guns). Jeremiah and Cornelia leapt into the fight with surprising zeal- sabers flashing as the decks were splattered with blood.
Boarding actions were chaotic, a mess of screaming and the clashing of metal, all the mayhem of battle condensed onto the decks of a few ships. One of the enemy pirates rushed him, a vicious looking short cutlass in his hand, and Lelouch shot him dead with practiced motions- leaving him with an empty gun as another followed close behind, a short axe in his hands. Lelouch stepped back, and realized that both Jeremiah and Cornelia were too far away to relieve him, and he had no chance of reloading his pistol even as he gripped at his powder horn.
Lelouch had contemplated his own death before: he knew full well that if he failed in his campaign of unification death was on the line. He was confident then, confident that he wouldn't be leaving Nunnally alone. He supposed that if anyone was to succeed him as Viceroy of Italy, Nunnally would, just to keep the Italians pacified by an Italian vicereine. Before he could start contemplating what his death might imply for the Barbary campaign, his would be killer was blindsided by a vicious attack that fractured his skull, sending him to the deck like a bag of rocks.
Looking up, Lelouch met eyes with Collins. "Your highness." The Irishman did cut a rather striking figure, blood dripping down the carved blackthorn wood of- was that a shillelagh? They were a sort of club carried around by some of the Irishmen in his ranks, and judging by the bleeding wound left in the corsair's skull, it was effective.
"Thank you, Collins." While nearly getting killed wasn't something Lelouch planned for, there was no reason not to exploit it: a knighting, or at least an accolade of some kind, to encourage the common soldiers. He would probably have to find some Italian soldier who displayed valor during this campaign too, if he didn't want to appear biased towards men from the British isles.
After that incident, they repelled the boarding parties with no real issue, and the two ships returned to the fray, not that there was much fighting left to do. The steamships had handled themselves admirably, breaking down a fleet twice their size on their very first engagement, although The Lombard had sustained severe damage to the paddlewheel. Not impossible to repair given enough time and lumber, but considering the fact they were in the middle of the Mediterranean they didn't have nearly enough of either.
They eventually decided to keep the craft- its gun and engine were too valuable to scuttle it- although it would be towed by one of the cargo ships, and would only fulfill the purpose of a floating battery. A portion of the crew was moved to The Neapolitan, who found itself short on hands after fending off the pirates. The fleet didn't come out of the battle completely untouched, but it was a magnificent success, and they managed to catch every one of the enemy's ships, meaning that their exploding shell guns would stay secret for a little while longer.
However, the battle exposed the measure issue with their paddlewheel steamboats: the paddles themselves were obvious targets, and while the best way to keep them safe would be to put them under the waterline, that would make them incredibly inefficient, if not worthless. If there was another way to move water…
Of course! There was a very simple way to move water around, and even better it was propelled by the sort of rotational motion a steam engine could provide: the water screw, or the Archimedes screw. Lelouch had even visited the city of Syracuse, where Archimedes lived and died! Of course, a few modifications to the design would need to be made, but a sort of screw-propeller could drive a ship forward while pushing water back. He should probably talk to Lloyd about this, once he got back home.
Afterwards, they met up with the remainder of their fleet, their transport and cargo ships churning the water with their paddles as the bomb ships valiantly struggled against the wind. They sailed on, and could probably reach Tunis within a day.
The lords (or more properly, Beys) of the Barbary Coast were nominally dependencies of the Ottoman Sultan, but already had considerable autonomy before the Sultanate collapsed into civil war.
The Pasha had already taken Acre and marched into Anatolia, and a decisive victory there could allow him to march all the way to Constantinople, if the European powers allowed it. Lelouch couldn't say with certainty what the Pasha aimed for: if the Pasha just settled for the Levant and didn't demand independence, then he might be able to get away with it. However, if he started to fancy himself a kingmaker or desired independence, the European powers might be provoked to intervene.
The kingmaker (sultanmaker?) theory was the most interesting to Lelouch- Sultan Mahmud had an infant son, who could serve as a puppet for the Pasha if he could manage to depose the Sultan. If not him, there was always the Kafes, where the Ottoman Sultans put possible successors to the throne like their younger brothers, cousins, and nephews. However maddening being trapped in one portion of the palace for the majority of your life had to be, it did sound better than getting strangled with a bowstring for the crime of being born male with royal blood.
Succession in Britannia often proved itself as messy as succession used to be in the house of Osman, and Lelouch knew full well all the blood that was spilled to secure his father's place on the throne. Lelouch knew his chances of becoming Emperor were low, as he had practically given his claim away by converting, and he was fairly confident that he was, to some extent, irreplaceable as Viceroy of Italy- he couldn't be replaced by any of his siblings without causing unrest, except possibly Nunnally, due to them being Britannian. He wasn't a priority target for any of his more ambitious siblings, who composed the vast majority of his family; however, Lelouch knew that Charles killed practically every sibling he had to press his claim with one exception: V.V., Charles' twin.
Lelouch believed his nickname was short for Venceslav or something to that effect, but he wasn't familiar enough with his enigmatic uncle to be certain. He only remembered meeting the man once: he was exploring the royal library in London along with Schneizel, and his older brother was searching for a book: an original print of Leviathan by Hobbes, but when the two finally tracked it down, they found V.V. reading it. He gave the book to them without complaint, but there was something terribly cold about his countenance, which sent shivers down Lelouch's spine.
He was Charles' twin, but as Charles towered over the Imperial Court, the political and physical focus of any room, V.V. was short and unassuming, like a boy hiding in his brother's shadow, and he reminded Lelouch of Schneizel in his capacity to plot and scheme, although he lacked the charisma and charm that let Schneizel operate in the court without unnerving people. When V.V. looked Lelouch in the eyes in that library, Lelouch had the distinct impression that his uncle didn't care at all for his well being- he might have given the same look to a corpse.
Whatever function he fulfilled in his father's court, V.V. was clearly a close confidant of the Emperor, but any attempts to sway Charles through him failed disastrously.
"I've never had food quite like this, Nunnally. Do you Italians eat like this every day?" Euphemia smiled at Nunnally as they ate lunch in the Doge's Palace.
"I suppose there would be a little less meat and fish, but I believe so, Euphemia." She smiled at her sister as Sayoko waited on them both. Nunnally was remarkably adept at eating, as long as Sayoko set up the table for her- if all the utensils were exactly where Nunnally expected them to be, she really didn't need to see them.
Euphemia turned from her sister to talk to Sayoko. "If it isn't rude, may I ask where you came from, Miss Sayoko? Nunnally mentioned you were foreign, but what country?"
"I come from an island nation to the east of China- Nihon, the land of the rising sun. You may know it as Japan, your highness?"
"I've seen it on maps, but I don't think I've met a Japanese person. Of course, I haven't met many people outside of the staffs of various palaces, but still. And please, call me Euphemia."
"That's not surprising, Miss Euphemia. The Shogunate closed the country off more than a hundred years ago, and it limited Japanese trade greatly. There was only one port for European traders, in Nagasaki, and that was where I was hired by the Ashfords."
"The… shogun?"
"It's a Japanese title, something to the effect of a… military regent? Nominally, the country is ruled by the Emperor, but the Shogun is really in charge."
"And the Shogun really just closed off the entire country?"
"Yes. Very few people get in or get out. My family was of the opinion that Japan was getting left behind in a changing world. They were fascinated with Dutch learning- books brought by the Dutch traders in Dejima. When a chance came for one of us to see the world outside of Japan, we couldn't pass up."
Euphemia was silent for a few moments before responding. "Well, did the rest of the world live up to your expectations?"
Sayoko smiled. "In serving the Ashfords and eventually Lelouch and Nunnally, I've seen places I could have never dreamt of at home. I miss my family, of course, but I do not regret leaving Japan."
"You've adapted well, Miss Sayoko. You speak English like a native."
Sayoko gave Euphemia a small smile. "Picking up languages is one of my talents, it seems. I learned Dutch first, picked up English while serving with the Ashfords, and learned Italian soon after moving to Sicily. It's difficult to fulfill the duties of a maid without being able to speak to a majority of the people around you, after all."
Early in the morning of October 1st, they spotted Cape Bon using their hot air balloon, and they sailed north of the peninsula into the Gulf of Tunis proper. It was a sheltered body of water, a little less than 40 miles across, and the southern portion held the city of Tunis.
A more conservative strategy might have been to blockade the city, stopping ships coming in or out of Tunis to make their point to the Bey, and it would be fairly easy to maintain: resupply in Marsala, one of the westernmost cities on the island, would be a short trip away, and Palermo was still very close. However, Lelouch didn't want to maintain a blockade, knowing full well that he had limited time on campaign if he wanted to stay on budget. Every trip back to Sicily to grab more coal was money wasted, so he decided for a more… direct approach.
The city started as a smear on the horizon, but eventually grew bigger and bigger, until they could see the outskirts of the city, where Carthage once stood. From what Lelouch had read, the majority of the city, including the Bey's palace, was on the other side of the lake of Tunis- a shallow lagoon which connected the city proper with the sea. In fact, the lagoon was so shallow Lelouch probably couldn't sail in without running his ships aground.
If the lake was deep enough to sail into, Lelouch might have gone for something as bombastic as just parking his entire fleet in the lake and seizing the small fortress in the middle, called Chikly; however, he had an option that was nearly as good: seizing La Goulette, the port of Tunis, which would conveniently giving him access to Chikly if he wanted to start rattling his saber from the fort. The Spanish used to control La Goulette until the Turks took it over, and if the Spanish could hold it for a few decades he could certainly take it over to negotiate with the Bey.
Sadly, there wasn't a fort to capture in what once was Carthage, thanks to the Eighth Crusade. Due to the crusaders using the fort as a base of operations to pester the Tunisian sultans. The Crusade petered out after the death of Louis IX, but Lelouch certainly didn't plan on dying of sickness before accomplishing anything of note. At least the French king had paved the way for Lelouch to practically walk straight into Carthage before menacing Tunis proper, if things broke out into violence.
The true defenses of the city were inland, in the hinterlands past the lake, and as such Lelouch could observe the situation from the mouth of La Goulette, where the ocean met the lake of Tunis.
"The Spanish took this port, once. Before falling to the Turks, the sultans of Tunis knelt to the Habsburgs." Lelouch had done quite a lot of research about previous attempts to subdue Tunis, and knew full well that he wasn't the first to try, and if he succeeded he wouldn't even be the first.
"Speaking of, what exactly do you plan on demanding from the Bey your highness?" Lelouch could sense the unrest in Collin's voice, which was understandable considering how opposed to colonial conquest he and his fellows seemed to be.
"No annexation, of course. I don't want to risk aggravating the Ottoman Sultan. Instead, I plan on demanding free trade rights and an end to piracy against all Britannian ships."
Cornelia gave an approving smile, apparently satisfied with her brother's love of country, although Lelouch's reasons were entirely selfish, or at least focused on Italy over Britannia. If he could have managed to stop the corsairs from attacking only Italian ships, he would have been happy, but asking for something as specific as a halt on piracy against Italian ships would raise uncomfortable questions. Looking like a patriot was just a happy side benefit.
Collins sighed. "And if they don't agree?"
"We shell them until they do."
Eventually, the menacing collection of ships at the city's port eventually caught the attention of the Bey and his guards, who rode out to near the Goulette, but were obviously hesitant to sail out and parley with Lelouch on his ship, not that Lelouch blamed them. He certainly didn't want to walk straight into Tunis. After some time spent exchanging messages by rowboat, they decided to meet on Chikly, in the middle of the Lake of Tunis. The island was inaccessible by large boats, so they had to take smaller dinghies to get to the island, a fair number of guards in tow.
There was a certain romance to the island- or perhaps it was uppercase Romance, considering how the only structure on the island was an ex-Roman fortress that was restored by the Spanish. It was very beautiful- the lake gleamed brilliantly as the men rowed across its surface, and Lelouch could see hints of the city's sprawling Medina quarter, and Lelouch could practically imagine the narrow streets, incredibly thin and maze-like.
The Bey, Al-Husayn, was a fairly normal looking man, dressed in fine robes covered in embroidery, although his guard's clothes were much plainer. Despite the supposedly peaceful nature of their negotiations, both parties were armed to the teeth- just about the only person without a weapon was Lelouch, who had been reminded just a day ago about his inadequacies in combat.
The fortress was unmanned, but there was some old furniture they managed to drag together for their discussion. It was certainly a far cry from the splendid hall of mirrors at Versailles, but the Bey was willing to talk, which was a good sign. Fortunately, one of Cornelia's officers had picked up enough Arabic to manage translation- without him, they wouldn't have been capable of deciding on a place to meet, not to mention actually talking.
"You are Lelouch… vi Britannia, correct? Your naming system is peculiar."
"Yes, I am Lelouch vi Britannia, and my sister is Cornelia li Britannia." The bey and his retinue seemed to recognize both of them, given their hushed whispers, and Lelouch was impressed by how his sister's reputation spread. Of course, that could turn out to be a bad thing, but it still proved just how famous her campaigns were.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, vi Britannia. However, I must assume, given your fleet, that you have come to my country with the expectation of a fight. I hope that, God willing, we do not come to blows in the future."
"I beg your pardon, Al-Husayn. I sailed here with the intent of stopping piracy against my beloved country. I hope that we can come to a peaceful resolution, of course, but I cannot tolerate to see Italy's coasts ravaged and her sailors taken captive."
The bey's coterie began to mutter among themselves with that, and Lelouch knew full well that they had a good reason to refuse- a fair amount of their state's revenue came from ransoms. "And if we refuse?"
"I think you know what will happen then." Al-Husayn's expression turned stormy, and he turned to talk with his men for a few moments. "Is that a threat, vi Britannia?"
Lelouch smiled, and decided to push his luck. "Not a threat. A promise."
The bey stared at him for a few moments… before bursting into laughter. "You're a bold one, aren't you, vi Britannia! You're awfully confident that your little fleet can defeat us. A few steamships and a balloon won't win you a city."
"By any chance, did a fleet of pirates depart from Tunis recently? Some two dozen, perhaps?"
His eyes widened. "Did you…"
Lelouch grinned. "Sunk to the last."
After a few moments of silence, the bey began a rapid discussion with his retinue that got very heated, their voices rising as they gesticulated wildly. Lelouch began to push his chair back, and he could see Cornelia reaching for the handle of her saber as she sent a glare his way…
Before the Arabic conversation came to a halt and the bey turned back around to look at Lelouch. "An agreement to end piracy against Britannian ships… would be possible. Several of my advisors have argued that it was only a matter of time until our piracy finally provoked a European power to war, and I suppose you are the first." The bey sighed. "I do not wish to be consigned to the dustbin of history, vi Britannia, one of the last rulers of a failing state. The times are changing. The Pasha of Egypt knows this, as does the Sultan."
Lelouch's face was calm and relaxed, but he was struggling not to grin. If the Bey was going where he seemed to be going, then he wouldn't have to fight- in Tunis, at least. The bey continued. "The world is modernizing, and Italy is working to keep up. If you can help us industrialize, shore up our economy so we no longer depend on piracy- we will bring them to heel."
Of course, it would take money and resources to support the Bey's industrialization, possibly more than what he might spend on ransoms. However, with free trade between Italy and Tunis… "That sounds agreeable, Al-Husayn. Of course, to help with this, we would need free trade between our states, or at least limited tarriffs…"
If the Bey was going to disagree, it was going to be here. Tarriffs would probably make up a fair portion of the Sultan's income, and his domestic production would get hit hard by Italian exports. In all honesty, in the short term it would probably be a disaster for Tunis- economic dominance by another state. However, if they managed to industrialize Tunis, even if to a much lesser extent than Italy… having a solid, non-Britannian ally in the world who held more land than Corsica was incredible.
"You know how that will damage our economy, vi Britannia."
"In the short term, yes, but you said yourself the times are changing. How long before some other European country decides the Tunisian people would serve them better as citizens, captive markets for all the goods of their factories?"
The bey was silent, contemplating his country's future, before nodding. "We will accept, vi Britannia. God willing, this agreement will make both our countries greater."
Now Lelouch smiled broadly. "If I may ask… what do you know of the other Beys? The Pashas of Tripoli and Algiers?"
"Algiers is ruled by a Hussein Dey, who I know little of, but he seems unhappy with Europe… unhappy with France. I doubt he will be willing to negotiate, and the Bey of Tripoli, Yusuf Karamanli, is a choleric man, quick to find a violent answer. He ordered the massacre of an entire tribe, some 10,000, after inviting them to his castle. I do not think you will get him to agree to a similar deal, although you might be able to depose him? He is not popular, and I have heard rumors of the Sultan stepping in to bring the region under the direct rule of the Sublime Porte."
Going from covering months in a chapter… to two entire days. Nice.
I was researching ships of the Mediterranean for this chapter, and I swear the names of polaccas/polacres are going to drive me insane. Why did they name a mainly Mediterranean ship… after Poland?
Speaking of names, V.V. I decided to go with Venceslav (aka Wenceslaus) to give a logical reason behind the two Vs. There's an interesting parallel between V.V. and good king Wenceslaus- both had some issues with their siblings, to put it mildly.
I wish it could make up as something as cool as literally driving up to a ship to avoid its broadsides. Sadly, that honor goes to Thomas Cochrane of the British navy, who sailed his much smaller ship up to a larger one so the Spanish couldn't hit him with their cannon. The confrontation between the Speedy and the El Gamo, if you're curious. It's positively insane. The battle is also an inspiration for Master and Commander, if you've ever heard of that.
I was thinking of maybe having a Euphemia centric interlude soon? It would explore her time in Venice, obviously, and would also look back at her memories of the Britannian colonies and stuff. I was thinking maybe posting that at the same time as the next chapter, but tell me what you think about it, or if you guys want me to post it alone sooner. It will probably be shorter than usual.
I love fanfiction writing and weird research. If anyone can give me hard numbers on the depth of the Lake of Tunis during the 1820s, I would appreciate it. I feel sorry for the poor Bey of Tunis. His Wikipedia article is two sentences long and the only image is the flag of all the Beys of Tunis. RIP. This does mean that I can adjust his character as I please though, which is neat. It's strange to think that my fictional version is one of the only ways he'll impact any one of us sitting here now. The version I've created is more real to me than a two sentence Wikipedia article will be.