The climate of the Indian subcontinent is favorable, with plenty of sunshine and rain, resulting in extremely high grain yields, along with an abundance of fruits and vegetables, so Indians generally don't have the habit of hoarding food.
However, Joseph knew that during the Third Mysore War, Sultan Tipu had twice suffered from not having reserve food supplies.
The British had besieged Seringapatam twice, and the city had quickly run out of ammunition and provisions.
The previous time, because the monsoon season had arrived early and flooded the British supply lines, Sultan Tipu had managed to escape the crisis by chance. However, the latter time, he was forced to take a risk and lead his troops out of the city to attempt a breakthrough, but British reinforcements continuously called in from Indian vassal states sealed off any escape, leaving him without success. Eventually, due to the depletion of food and fodder, he had no choice but to ask the British for peace, cede half of Mysore's territory, pay 3 million British Pounds in war reparations, and hand over two of his sons to the British as hostages in order to barely keep his position.
The East India Company used those 3 million British Pounds, which amounted to 75 million livres, to rapidly expand its military presence in the Far East, thereby laying the foundation to dominate the Indian subcontinent. Eight years later, Sultan Tipu was killed by the British Army, and the state of Mysore was extinguished.
In fact, at that time, a severe epidemic had broken out among the British forces, and if Sultan Tipu had held on for a few more months, they would likely have had to withdraw on their own.
Therefore, the first piece of advice Joseph gave to Sultan Tipu was to stockpile more grain.
With India's food production, it would suffice for the entire city of Seringapatam to eat for two or three years just by allocating some casually.
Yet Sultan Tipu was somewhat puzzled,
Lafayette said with a solemn expression,
"At the moment, Mysore may have achieved some victories, but don't underestimate the British because of this. They are powerful, and if they increase troop deployment, you could face a tough siege. "
Disdain flickered in the Sultan's eyes; both he and his father had defeated the British—that was during the first two wars of Mysore.
Nevertheless, he took Lafayette's words quite seriously, after all the latter had brought him a lot of advanced tactics, and the soldiers he trained were much stronger than those Sultan Tipu had trained himself.
Lafayette continued to explain the Crown Prince's battle plan,
"After that, you only need to wait for the rainy season.
"The British have come across tens of thousands of miles, and their supply lines are troubled. The monsoon will destroy their logistics, and that's when you can launch a counteroffensive. However, try not to engage directly with the British in combat; your primary target should always be their supply lines."
Britain's financial expenditure in waging war in distant India was enormous, and if their supplies continued to be destroyed, then financial pressure would force them to choose a ceasefire.
"Besides food, you should also be careful not to engage with British lackeys as much as possible.
"When it's absolutely necessary, you can directly offer them benefits in exchange for their withdrawal or neutrality. Especially for Hyderabad, even ceding some land to them is an option worth considering."
Britain's core strategy in India was to use Indians to exhaust each other, while they reaped the benefits.
While suppressing Mysore, the most powerful kingdom in the Indian subcontinent, they were also extremely vigilant about their own followers, especially Hyderabad, as it had once formed an alliance with Mysore and was not weak.
If attacking Mysore made Hyderabad stronger, wouldn't that mean their efforts were in vain?
Therefore, the British would certainly prevent Mysore from transferring benefits to Hyderabad, which would inevitably enrage Hyderabad.
As for how things would develop afterwards, Joseph couldn't be certain, but messing with the British would definitely be part of the plan.
As long as France didn't directly intervene in the war between Mysore and Britain—by then, all Frenchmen in Mysore, including craftsmen, had already evacuated—they would be abiding by the "non-intervention treaty," and the British would not be able to raise any objections.
However, Joseph could still offer Sultan Tipu some advice that would give the British an advantage, and that was enough to make the British furious.
Sultan Muhammad III looked at the French envoy, trying to appear as confident as possible,
"My Imperial Guard only went to help Algiers train soldiers, and although there were some misunderstandings with the French forces during that period, that was never my wish."
Count Saigul spoke with righteous indignation,
"You are right, it was just a misunderstanding. But His Majesty's soldiers did suffer casualties, and the Town of Tamire also sustained damage."
Muhammad III felt incredibly frustrated internally; his own Imperial Guard had suffered dozens of times more casualties than the French, and as for the Town of Tamire, his men had only glanced at it from a few miles away; how could that cause damage?!
However, the situation was stronger than people's wishes; not long ago, the British Ambassador suddenly stated that he "did not wish to see Morocco have friction with Tunisia" and cut off all aid.
While he did not fear the French, he also did not want to provoke this European power. In the end, it was because he had been swayed by the British to provoke the French actively.
"For these losses, I am willing to offer compensation."
Count Saigul, however, revealed a smile,
"Or you could also do me a favor that would offset the compensation."
In fact, the Moroccan Imperial Guard had barely engaged with the French forces before being frightened away by Moro's feint. The French losses were negligible.
Muhammad III asked with some caution, "How do you need my help?"