"Of course, France's control over Tunisia had already become a fait accompli, but recognition from the Ottoman Empire was tantamount to eliminating the last hint of potential trouble.
Henceforth, Tunisia would truly become an undisputed inherent territory of France.
Talleyrand haggled for a while longer and finally managed to increase the priority purchasing share to 70%, also settling on a series of trade privileges.
At this point, the full-scale orientation of the Ottoman Empire towards England was officially reversed.
Selim III then invited Talleyrand to a banquet.
As the two, surrounded by a host of officials, passed the colossal swimming pool in the Royal Palace, Talleyrand suddenly voiced his concern, "Your Majesty, I am a bit worried whether Egypt will be able to fully implement your commands."
After an extensive setup, this was the crux of his visit.
Selim frowned slightly, showing a hint of insecurity but still dismissed the concern with a wave, "Rest assured, they dare not defy my will, otherwise they shall face God's punishment."
"That puts my mind at ease," Talleyrand exaggerated a sigh of relief, and, as if a thought struck him, he leaned closer to the Sultan and whispered, "Actually, Your Majesty, now is an excellent opportunity to subdue those rebels."
"I do not understand your meaning."
"Murad, Ibrahim, and the local Beys of Egypt are increasingly at odds, and even within the 'Beik Alliance', there is mutual enmity. Even the people of Paris are saying that now would be the perfect time to dispatch a large force to eradicate the disloyal, which will surely reproduce the glory of Hasan Pasha's era!"
In name, Egypt was still a province of the Ottoman Empire, with the Sultan sending a Governor, or "Pasha," there, but for hundreds of years, the Mamluk military group had been the actual rulers of Egypt.
Especially in recent years, following the death of the feared Ottoman general Hasan—who once won a battle against the Mamluks and recovered taxes owed to the Empire—the Mamluks had taken complete control over Egypt, declaring themselves as Pashas. The Ottoman-appointed Pashas sent to Egypt, however, were confined to their residences, with Mamluk Guards ostentatiously offering "protection."
The Mamluk Group, having reached the zenith of power, was now declining with internal strife looming; military heads at the center and the periphery were undermining each other, and the Priesthood was in constant conflict with the Mamluks. Historically, Napoleon took advantage of the Mamluk civil discord to defeat them in one fell swoop and gained control over Egypt.
Selim III glanced at the Frenchman with a meaningful look, "The northern beast is eyeing the Empire hungrily. Should our armies head to Egypt, they will instantly howl and descend southward to tear a piece from the Empire's flesh."
What he left unspoken was that Austria, too, was coveting Ottoman territories ranging from Wallachia to Bulgaria.
This was also why the Ottoman Empire had always hesitated to resolve the Egyptian problem.
Historically, it wasn't until Napoleon had crushed the Mamluks and retreated to France under pressure from the British Navy that the Ottoman Empire took the chance to reclaim the empty Egypt.
Joseph naturally wouldn't make the same mistake Napoleon did, working for others to benefit; instead, he instigated the Ottoman Empire to first wear down the Mamluks, then he would opportunistically pick the fruit when the time was ripe.
Talleyrand purposely quickened his pace to distance himself from the Ottoman officials nearby and whispered to the Sultan, "I have an important piece of intelligence for you. For quite a long time, at least a year, Russia would be too preoccupied to care about the south."
A flicker of surprise passed through Selim III's eyes, but it quickly faded to calmness, "How do you know what Russia will do?"
Talleyrand did not know how the Intelligence Department managed to obtain such crucial information, but the Crown Prince was absolutely certain that if Russia were to attack Poland, there would be no mistake.
He said confidently to the Sultan, "Your Majesty, this is reliable information obtained by our intelligence operatives from the Winter Palace.
"Within half a year to a year, Russia intends to launch a full-scale invasion of Poland."
"But I can assure you, they will be embroiled in a tough battle."
Salem III immediately turned his head and stared intently at Talleyrand.
The latter continued, "If Your Majesty does not believe it, you may send someone to investigate the Russian military movements around Poland, as well as their materiel reserves."
Salem III turned around; a pale-skinned, middle-aged eunuch hurried over and whispered a few words to him.
The Sultan looked back at Talleyrand, nodded to confirm his intelligence, yet still said indifferently, "Even if your prophecy comes true, it is still too risky for the Empire to rashly attack Egypt."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Talleyrand nodded. "With the current state of the Empire's armies, it indeed carries risks to campaign against the Mamluks, but what if you add 2,000 Topis new troops?"
Salem III's feet involuntarily paused.
Talleyrand added, "With a full set of French Army equipment."
A flash of barely concealed excitement passed through Salem III's eyes as he said solemnly, "What if Poland is defeated by the Russians before the Empire regains Egypt?"
Talleyrand was secretly pleased within; the Sultan had said the words he himself had intended to say.
He immediately replied seriously, "Your Majesty, that is why you must provide as much aid as possible to Poland to resist the Russian invasion."
"That's impossible," Salem III said without hesitation. "I cannot declare war on Russia just for the sake of Poland."
Well, Russia not thrashing the Ottoman Empire was a sign of respect; where did the Ottomans dare to provoke intentionally?
Talleyrand smiled and shook his head. "Your Majesty, you misunderstand. You know Poland is a poor country; by providing them with some logistical supplies, you would greatly enhance their combat capability."
Aidan frowned, speaking with some difficulty, "The Empire no longer shares a border with Poland. How will we get the supplies to them?"
Ao and Poland used to border each other, but after the Treaty of Jassy, Crimea was ceded to Russia, and since then, Ochakov has separated the two countries.
Talleyrand said, "You dispatch someone to transport the supplies through the Black Sea to the mouth of the Dnieper River, and from there, people from the Crimean resistance will carry them up the Dnieper River into Poland."
To be honest, he himself found the plan somewhat odd, but the Crown Prince had instructed him to convince the Sultan by all means.
After a while, Salem III finally said, "After the banquet, please explain the details to me in depth."
On the southern bank of the Seine River.
A peculiar ship, painted white all over, with only two slender masts installed at the bow and stern, towered a stout chimney in the middle of the deck, was quietly floating on the water.
On a wooden platform beside the dock, Joseph, under the watchful eyes of hundreds of nobles and reporters, hurled a bottle of wine tied to a long rope towards the steamship behind him.
With a "pop," the wine scattered, and immediately, cheerful music and warm applause sounded all around.
Joseph turned back and declared loudly, "The 'Boloskafi' officially sets sail! May its coal always be plentiful!"