African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1710 Choice
Najjar's tone clearly carried some personal grudges against the local forces in Tripoli, which was also related to his work. In the Cyrenaica Revolutionary Army, his main responsibility was to work in Tripoli.

Therefore, he had a lot of dealings with local forces, which, to put it bluntly, meant that he represented the Restoration Army in "begging for alms" from the locals.

It's easy to imagine how unpopular he was with the various local powers. Every time he met those arrogant guys, he had to force a smile and be humble.

But he had no choice but to do this job. There were already few Cyrenaica restoration soldiers, and there were not many Cyrenaica survivors left. Moreover, many people who had escaped from Cyrenaica might not be willing to risk their lives for this dangerous cause.

Therefore, all the resistance organizations in Cyrenaica combined numbered less than four thousand, and even then, they were divided into multiple factions.

The Restoration Army was already the most powerful force among them, but it only had a little over a thousand members.

Let alone recapture Cyrenaica, with such a small number of people, even if all the resistance organizations were combined, they would only be able to "scratch an itch" for the Italians.

Samir said, "Mr. Najjar, right now the only way we can go is to cooperate with the local forces in Tripoli."

"From now on, when facing Italians, we'll truly be in the same boat, so it's best to let go of past prejudices."

Najjar picked up the coffee from the ground, took a big gulp, and frowned, saying, "I know what to do, and I won't let my emotions control me."

He then added, "We also have to thank the Italians; if they hadn't come to Tripoli, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to cooperate so closely with the local forces."

"I just hope that the gentlemen in Tripoli won't be ungrateful this time. I'm afraid they don't fully understand the danger Italy poses and won't be able to change their mindset."

Samir shook his head, dismissing his conjecture.

"I don't think so. Italians are infamous in North Africa now, including the Italian-controlled Red Sea colonies and our original homeland, which are all bloody examples."

"Italians, like East Africans, are among the most cruel of the pagans."

The Arab religious forces and countries in North Africa most frequently interact with are Britain, France, East Africa, and Italy.

Compared to Britain and France, the colonial methods of East Africa and Italy were undoubtedly the most feared by the Arabs in North Africa.

Admittedly, the British and French colonial powers were extremely ruthless in their oppression and exploitation of North Africa, but this at least shows that they had value in the eyes of the British and French colonizers.

But if they fell into the hands of East Africa and Italy, they would basically be treated the same as the Native Americans of North America.

Italy originally only had two colonies, so it is not very representative. East Africa, on the African continent, was an absolute nightmare for Arabs and Black people.

East Africa, by its own efforts, has directly overturned the racial structure of the entire African continent, making the name "Black Africa" ​​a misnomer.

For Arab religion, East Africa is also an executioner-like entity. Not to mention the more distant Darfur region in North Africa, which is relatively easy to understand, East Africa has completely changed the ethnic composition of the people.

The Darfur region is adjacent to Cyrenaica, so Samir was deeply aware of East Africa's infamous reputation.

In addition, another reason Samir put East Africa and Italy together is that East Africa and Italy have a very good relationship.

As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and conversely, the friend of my enemy is also my enemy.

Leaving aside the historical relationship between East Africa and Italy, at present, the two countries are clearly "colluding" in North Africa.

The most representative example is the construction and operation of the North African Railway, which has become a model in the positive publicity of East Africa-Italy relations and a paradigm of cooperation between the two countries.

After all, the North African railway would not have been possible without Italy's cooperation.

Najjar also had grievances against East Africa, saying with a sneer, "East Africa and Italy are completely cut from the same cloth. They are not only enemies of Cyrenaica, but also enemies of all the Arab countries in North Africa."

"When Italy invaded Cyrenaica, East Africa, even if it did not participate directly, played a role in fueling the conflict."

“When we were at war with Italy, some of our compatriots tried to seek refuge in Fezan, but they were not only refused by East Africa, but they also cooperated with the Italians to encircle and annihilate us.”

Fezan, formerly southwestern Libya, is now the northern part of Darfur in East Africa.

When Italy carried out genocide against Cyrenaica, the Libyans who originally lived in Cyrenaica basically had only three options to flee in.

They either went east into British-controlled Egypt, or west into the French colony of Libya, and only a very small number would choose to flee south into the sphere of influence of East Africa.

Without a doubt, before the opening of the North African railway, the northern Darfur region, which was under East African control and was also known as the Fezan region by Najjar, had the worst and most difficult conditions. Generally, unless there was no other way out, no one would be willing to plunge into the barren desert of southwestern Libya.

Getting in is easy, but getting out is difficult.

However, despite Italy's efforts to suppress them, some former Cyrenaica people still risked venturing south into East Africa's sphere of influence.

East Africa has indeed eliminated some Cyrenaica armed groups.

However, Najjar's words were clearly unfounded, or rather, the situation was completely the opposite of what he said.

East Africa has never actively targeted and suppressed Cyrenaic people who had infiltrated its sphere of influence; in fact, East Africa had previously engaged in good trade with Cyrenaic merchants.

Of course, East Africa's attitude towards the Cyrenaica resistance forces is obviously different from its attitude towards the Cyrenaica civilians.

However, East Africa generally chooses to expel armed groups that have entered its sphere of influence in East Africa. Only those that refuse to leave are driven away by force.

Even so, East Africa did not launch a fatal attack. So under what circumstances would East Africa launch a fatal attack on the Cyrenaica armed groups? The answer is when these armed groups dare to act recklessly against East Africa.

There was an incident in Darfur, East Africa, near the border, where Cyrenaica bandits attempted to seize border outposts and supplies, but were ultimately wiped out by the East African army.

However, judging from this incident, it's clear that the Cyrenaica armed forces were not wronged; they were definitely not victims in East Africa. That being said, and indeed they were, Najjar, as a Cyrenaica, would obviously side with his compatriots, even if they were indeed a group of vicious criminals.

Najjar's thinking wasn't entirely wrong. In the current state of the Cyrenaica resistance, which was barely alive, those who had been wiped out in East Africa were also extremely valuable forces to them.

Anyone who can break through the blockade and enter the sphere of influence in East Africa from the Italian-controlled area must be quite capable.

If it weren't for the fact that they provoked East Africa, regardless of their character, these people were clearly adept at dealing with Italians, especially for the Cyrenaica resistance.

Samir said, "Forget it, Italy alone is enough to give us a headache right now."

"If we provoke East Africa again, there will be no way out. East Africa is a country that is far more terrifying than Italy."

Compared to the behemoth that is East Africa, Italy can only be considered a third-rate country, and Samir obviously does not want them to provoke this powerful enemy.

If it weren't for the sake of his compatriots, he would have even cursed them in his heart, those guys who died at the hands of East Africa were completely daring to mess with the powerful and didn't know their own mortality.

Najjar, with a bitter expression, downed his coffee in one gulp.

"That's all for today! Continue gathering intelligence on the Italians, especially keeping an eye on the Governor's Palace. I'm going to meet with the local forces in Tripoli next."

"If we can just drag them down with us, our situation will be much better than it is now."

Samir nodded, then got up and saw Najjar out of his café, all the while thinking about how to get information about the Italians.

……

The Karamanli family was one of the most prominent families in Tripoli. They once established the Karamanli dynasty in Tripoli, but the arrival of the French in the 19th century led to the decline of the Karamanli family.

However, as a former royal family, the Karamanli family still has deep connections and influence in Tripoli.

At this time, Hussein, the chieftain of Karamanli, was worried about the future of his family. He summoned the main members of the family to discuss the current situation in Tripoli.

"Gentlemen, we have received news from the French, with whom we have a family partnership, that Tripoli has now been confirmed as an Italian colony, and the French are to withdraw entirely from Tripoli."

"This sudden change of events caught us completely off guard. After all, unlike the French, we had absolutely no idea about the Italians' attitude."

“If a wrong decision is made, the family may really be doomed. When we were in French-colonized Tripoli, we were suppressed, but at least we were able to survive. But the Italians, as far as I know, are much more difficult to deal with than the French.”

"Therefore, now is the time for everyone to pool their wisdom and efforts. We must find a new way to ensure the inheritance and continuation of our family."

As the former rulers of Tripoli, the Karamanli family inevitably became the "chicken" used by the French as a warning to others after the French colonized the area, and completely lost their former power.

Fortunately, the French did not exterminate them, so although the Caramelli family had some difficulties during the French rule, their foundations were not truly damaged.

Ali, one of Hussein's nephews and a collateral patriarch of the Karamanli family, said at this moment, "Uncle Hussein, I think the arrival of the Italians may not be a bad thing for us. It may be an opportunity for our family."

"Previously, the French mostly adopted a policy of surveillance and suppression towards us because they were wary of our influence in Tripoli."

“We don’t have any such conflict with Italy. Perhaps we can restore some of our family’s power by cooperating with the Italians.”

From his family's perspective, Ali clearly didn't care which country colonized Tripoli. As long as he could maintain the Karamanli family's wealth and status by cooperating with the colonizers, he didn't mind acting as an accomplice to the colonizers.

Immediately, someone jumped out to object to Ali's idea: "Chief Ali's idea is too rash. If things were really that simple, I don't think Chief Hussein would have summoned us all here to discuss this matter."

In addition to the main branch, the Karamanli family now has many collateral branches, so Ali is also called the patriarch, but only the patriarch of a collateral branch.

Hussein nodded at this point: "That's right. Our biggest concern right now is that we can't be sure of the Italians' attitude, and we can't gamble with the fate of our family."

“Italians and French are completely different. Under French rule, we can at least survive, but Italy, look at Cyrenaica next door. If they copy Cyrenaica’s system, I think that will definitely not be good news for us.”

"At that time, not only our Karamanli family, but the entire city of Tripoli will likely become extremely dangerous. Therefore, we must be prepared to prevent any accidents from happening."

At this moment, a family elder spoke up: "Patriarch, I believe that we can never be too careful in everything we do. We must not gamble on the Italians' intentions, but should make a prudent choice."

“If things develop in the worst possible way, it is not impossible that we will even have to abandon Tripoli and escape this storm spot.”

Considering the tragedies that had occurred in neighboring Cyrenaica, this family elder was clearly pessimistic about the future, so he believed the family should find a way out immediately.

He continued, "What we should do now is send some of our family members out of this dangerous place, so that they can leave Tripoli with a portion of their wealth, whether to France or the Ottoman Empire. This will ensure that our family line is preserved and that we have a future."

During the French colonial period, the Caramelli family had the most dealings with the French, and naturally, they also cultivated some connections and acquired some assets in France. Therefore, if the Caramelli family were to flee, France would be an important option.

The Ottoman Empire was the most powerful country in the Arab world, and Tripoli was once part of the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, the Karamanli family, as the ruling family of Tripoli in the past, naturally had connections with the Ottoman Empire.

Hussein nodded and said, "I have the same idea. We should never put all our eggs in one basket. This is also the way of survival for our Karamanli family."

"However, I think it is safer to focus the family's main efforts on the Ottoman Empire, after all, the Ottoman Empire was also a member of the Axis powers and was in the same camp as Italy."

"Europe is currently dominated by the Axis powers, so aligning with the Ottoman Empire is the best option for us. Of course, France is a country we have been cultivating for quite some time, so if anyone is interested, they can also choose to go to France."

At this moment, Ali's eyes lit up, and he said, "Uncle Hussein, since our family has close ties with the Ottoman Empire, perhaps we can use the Ottoman Empire as an intermediary between us and the Italians. Considering that we are allies of the Ottoman Empire, perhaps Italy will not make things difficult for us. We might even be able to establish cooperation with Italy through this."

(End of this chapter)