I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1080 Roman Identity
"Romans?" Rahman paused for a moment, but immediately realized what he meant and nodded excitedly. "Yes! You're absolutely right! This place will always belong to us Romans!"

Currently, in North Africa, the definition of "Romans" all originates from the book "An Analysis of the Origins of Tunisia," which is a collective including the French, Berbers, and Arabs living in North Africa.

As a businessman who frequently did business with Tunisia, Rahman had naturally read the book long ago.

No wonder he was so excited; according to Lord Jemille, the Berbers of Algiers could also be accepted as "descendants of Rome."

Currently, the French army controls Mittigia. If they become "one of their own," then the Berber faction, which has been oppressed by the Imperial Guard and the Navy, will have a chance to turn the tide!

Jemille seemed to have read his thoughts and reached out to pat him on the shoulder: "I also lived in an era when I was enslaved by the Ottoman Janissaries. It was His Highness the Crown Prince who helped us drive away those devils."

"Now, you can use the same method to reclaim your rightful freedom and rights!"

Rahman's breathing quickened: "You mean, drive out the Imperial Guard?"

“Not just the Praetorian Guard, but the navy too. For the past hundred years, they’ve treated you like slaves; now it’s time to pay the price!” Jemille used a new term he’d learned from his Parisian instructors. “This is a revolution for the Romans!”

Rahman said nervously, "But this will cause a huge mess, and many people might even die..."

Jemiller continued to act out the Crown Prince's "script": "As you can see, Governor Uster does not like to be bothered by tedious political affairs. As long as you hand over the property of the Imperial Guard and the Navy to him, he will not care about anything."

"Once Lord Ney's army returns to Europe, my men will take over the defense here. And I will fully support you."

Rahman hesitated for only half a second before exclaiming loudly, "All the descendants of the Romans in Algiers will obey your command!"

He blinked, then immediately added, "And will forever be loyal to His Majesty the Great King!"

Jemiller immediately recalled the unique gift that the guild president had given to Governor Uster, and couldn't help but nod to himself. No wonder he was chosen to be in charge of the Roman uprising; he was indeed a clever man.

Well, while other Algiers nobles presented gifts of gold, silver, jewels, and beautiful women, Rahman sent a statue of the Crown Prince. Upon hearing the news of the French army's capture of Mittja, Rahman immediately ordered craftsmen to alter a statue commissioned by Elder Mzab to resemble the French Crown Prince. Due to the time constraints, only the face was altered. However, according to him, this depicted the Crown Prince's inspection tour of Algiers.

three days later.

The Algiers naval forces began to publicly denounce the various crimes committed by the Praetorian Guard in major cities such as Mittja and Constantine.

From election fraud to corruption and bribery, and then to the disregard for human life.

As political rivals of the Imperial Guard faction, the Navy faction was well aware of their messy affairs.

Subsequently, courts in various towns and cities began hearings for these cases.

Rahman, who was busy preparing for the Berber tribes' uprising, was also somewhat surprised, but he quickly realized what was happening and showed signs of joining forces with the naval faction.

Berbers and Arabs comprised 90% of Algiers' population. Now free from the threat of the Royal Guard, and incited by Berber nobles, they began marching in major cities, demanding severe punishment for the Royal Guard's crimes.

Of course, looting and vandalism were inevitable, and almost all the residences of the Imperial Guards were attacked.

Seeing that the Berber outcasts dared to "intercept" their loot, the naval forces quickly dispatched their own men to join the looting of the Imperial Guard. In an instant, almost the entire city of Algiers descended into chaos.

The Janissary forces initially attempted to resist, but were quickly overwhelmed by the enraged mob—the Janissary troops were largely wiped out by Kuroglu, and the Ottomans in the local guerrilla forces were expelled from the French army. The Janissary faction, stripped of its military strength, was no match for the other two groups.

Five days later, the Mittja court delivered its first verdict, finding the Algiers Guard guilty of numerous crimes, including treason, collusion with foreign enemies, and persecution of Berber tribes. All Ottomans and their relatives were also found guilty.

Yes, the Guards faction judges in the court have all been purged, so basically Rahman and Schefik can sentence however they want.

Following suit, courts in other cities also issued similar rulings.

The whole of Algiers descended into madness, with guards being arrested everywhere and their property confiscated.

It wasn't that Rahman had exceptional organizational and mobilization capabilities, but rather that the lower classes of Algiers had long harbored deep resentment towards the Guard. Now, freed from constraints, they would immediately unleash their most brutal retaliation without any prompting.

In just over two months, the Algiers Guard was completely wiped out, and more than 100,000 surviving Guards began to flee.

Yes, this was Joseph's plan to purge the power of the Algiers nobility.

Make the most of the existing conflicts among the three political forces here, starting with the Imperial Guard, who have the most enemies, and eliminate them one by one.

Ultimately, the identity of "descendants of Rome" was used to unite the largest Berber-Arab ethnic group, forming the base for governing Algiers.

This is at least ten times more efficient than the French government's historical practice of personally sending troops to suppress opponents by force.

Moreover, this will not create enmity between the Algiers and the French. Back then, starting with Charles X, tens of thousands of French troops fought against the Algiers resistance for more than a decade before barely suppressing the resistance forces there.

But this also sowed the seeds of hatred. Over the next century, Algiers saw a series of independence movements, eventually breaking away from France.

Although Joseph's method could not plunder a large amount of wealth in a short period of time, it was a long-term strategy that would allow him to consolidate his rule over the Algiers region over a decade or more.

The deserters of the Algiers Guard initially planned to head west to Morocco, but soon discovered that all routes had been blocked by the French army.

Then news spread that someone had successfully escaped to Mzab in the south.

Immediately, all the Ottoman guards flocked to Mzab. Within about three months, almost all the Ottoman guards in Algiers had disappeared.

Yes, Mzab was the "way out" that Joseph had reserved for them.

Whenever you want to completely eliminate a force, the best approach is to surround it from three sides and leave one side open.

If these 100,000-plus Algiers guards were driven to desperation and fought to the death, they could probably survive for at least two or three years, given the wealth they possessed.

(End of this chapter)