I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1148 The Smoke of Battle in Gibraltar

Izet opened the two petitions with surprise, his brows furrowing immediately. He turned to Selim III and said, “Your Majesty, they wish to appoint Muhammad Ali as the governor of Egypt.”

Yes, this was the condition for Joseph to release Ibrahim and retain the status of the other Mamluk nobles.

Given Mohammed Ali's current position, without the support of local Egyptian forces, he would never be able to become governor.

Historically, he also started as a mid-level military officer in Egypt, using his skills to win over various forces, and it took him nearly five years to gradually gain control of the Egyptian regime.

Joseph didn't want to wait five years, so he had to give him a push.

Selim III never imagined that a junior Albanian officer would have such prestige in Egypt.

More than half a month later, the officials he sent to Egypt to investigate the situation returned and told him that only Mohammed Ali could currently control both the Mamluk army and the lower-class Arabs.

At this point, Selim III had no choice but to accept the outcome of letting this Albanian govern Egypt.

1797 6 Month 22 Day.

Selim III's messenger arrived in Cairo and promulgated the Sultan's decree, appointing Muhammad Ali as Deftdal of Egypt.

This refers to an official in the Ottoman bureaucracy responsible for provincial finances, taxation, and land; he was the top administrative official.

Yes, on Izet's advice, Selim III did not directly appoint Ali as governor. This way, if the latter made even the slightest mistake, a new governor could be immediately appointed.

Of course, Muhammad Ali currently holds both military and political power, making him the de facto governor.

Upon assuming office, this "Acting Governor of Egypt" immediately raised tariffs on British textiles, albeit by only 3%, which was the limit of his current capabilities.

This was also part of the agreement he had reached with the French. Over the next year, he would gradually increase tariffs on British goods to over 30%.

As for Egyptian cotton and sugar, they would be sold to the Eastern Mediterranean Trading Company at very favorable prices.

In addition, he declared the French scientific and exploration personnel in Egypt as "most honored guests," and that no one should interfere with their work, and he specially assigned hundreds of soldiers to protect them.

……

West side of the Strait of Gibraltar.

Dozens of British battleships lay across the sea like behemoths, eyeing the distant horizon menacingly, intimidating the Franco-Spanish fleet in the direction of Almería Bay.

Behind these giant ships, dozens of transport ships of various sizes hurried past. Their waterlines were low, clearly indicating they were fully loaded with cargo.

More than 30 steam-powered warships belching black smoke provided close protection for the transport ships.

Although it was unlikely that French steam warships would risk attacking in the narrow strait, the supplies were too important for the British to afford any negligence.

In the operations room of HMS Victory, an officer is reporting the latest situation at the Gibraltar fortress to Commodore Pikes, Commander-in-Chief of the British Mediterranean Fleet:
"The French artillery fire was extremely fierce; nearly half of the towns surrounding the fortress had been destroyed, and more than 4 residents had to seek refuge inside the fortress..."

Pixar frowned and interrupted him, "You mean half a town? But they only started their full-scale siege a little over half a month ago, how could they have caused such extensive damage?"

The officer hurriedly replied, "General, it must be the result of the French hot air balloons' aiming. According to reports from the townspeople, a quarter of the shells landed accurately on the buildings that were not destroyed."

"Damn it! That thing that could kill someone at any moment is actually useful?" "..." The officer who delivered the message didn't dare to reply, and continued looking at the documents in his hand, "Currently, the food and water in the fortress can last for three months, and the ammunition is only enough for a little over a month."

"Of course, this is under the condition that food is not needed for civilians..."

"The French and Spanish troops surrounding the fortress numbered 15,000. They were estimated to have around 40 heavy artillery pieces weighing 24 pounds or more..."

"There are also four floating gun emplacements on the sea..."

After the messenger officer finished his report, Pixar dismissed him and immediately turned to Colonel Curtis beside him: "How are the Marines' preparations going?"

"You are ready to log in at any time, General."

Pix nodded, signaling several generals to gather around, and then repeated the supply operation plan.

Yes, this time the Franco-Spanish allied forces changed their tactics from 20 years ago. Instead of using giant floating gun emplacements to bombard the fortress, they focused most of their forces on land, using the Santa Barbara and Santa Philip fortresses as a base to wear down Gibraltar's defenses through accurate artillery fire.

Even when supply ships dock, they are threatened by ground artillery fire.

This is something that has never happened before.

Therefore, the British Navy had to coordinate with the forces in the fortress to launch a suppressive attack on the artillery of the Franco-Spanish forces during resupply operations in order to reduce the losses of transport ships.

All of this is because France has hot air balloons, something that can "expand one's horizons."

Not only could they see British transport ships docking, but they could also guide the army's heavy artillery to fire. Although the hit rate would certainly be very low—the army would have to use indirect fire howitzers to achieve such a long range, making it difficult to hit such a small target as a transport ship.

However, when shells land on the beach, they can easily crush soldiers carrying supplies.

Meanwhile, shells kept falling into the surrounding sea, creating waves tens of meters high, which would make anyone's heart pound.

Moreover, if the French artillery managed to hit their target even once, they would be in for a huge profit.

Two weeks ago, during a small replenishment operation, a 400-ton transport ship of the British fleet was hit on the starboard side by a shell, forcing it to dump all its cargo into the sea to reduce its weight and prevent it from sinking.

Just as Pixar could faintly hear the roar of cannons from the shore, a steam-powered frigate caught up with the HMS Victory.

An officer entered the operations room and handed Pix the classified information he was carrying.

The latter opened the mailbox with a puzzled look, unfolded the documents inside, and his expression instantly became serious.

This was an order from the Admiralty, instructing him to proceed to Egypt immediately after completing resupply operations in Gibraltar. Reliable intelligence indicated that French troops had landed in Alexandria nine days prior.

Pixar understands the importance of Egypt.

It was not only an important source of raw materials and a market, but also a front for France to control North Africa and expand into the Middle East.

Even more seriously, it was a land route for transshipment between the Red Sea and Egypt. The British East India Company often unloaded lighter goods in the Gulf of Suez, transported them overland to the Mediterranean, and then loaded them onto ships for shipment to Europe.

Furthermore, if France were to take control of Egypt and then construct a canal connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, it would be a devastating blow to Britain, a nation built on maritime trade.

(End of this chapter)