Chapter 275: War and Response

When the Tunisian government received the French ultimatum, they were bewildered.

First of all, it was a conflict between two large indigenous tribes on the Tunisian border; even the Tunisian government had not yet received news of it, so how did the French government know?

Secondly, Europeans were firmly first-class citizens in Africa; even large indigenous nations like Morocco and Egypt dared not provoke Europeans, let alone the Tunisians.

In this day and age, wasn't it only Europeans who killed Africans? How were the French killed by Tunisians?

Although the Tunisian government had all sorts of questions, it was clear that the French government would not give them enough time to figure out the details.

The French government only gave them 24 hours. What could be done in 24 hours? They couldn't even notify the Ottoman Empire, Tunisia's nominal suzerain.

Yes, there was no cable connection between Tunisia and the Ottoman Empire, and even the Ottoman government did not use the telegraph extensively as a means of communication, let alone Tunisia, which was over 1, 00 kilometers away from the Ottoman capital.

There were only two ways to travel from Tunisia to Constantinople: either go by land through Libya and Egypt, head north along the Palestinian region into the Asia Minor peninsula, and then cross the entire Asia Minor peninsula and cross the straits to reach Constantinople.

The sea route was not that troublesome; starting from Tunis, the largest city in Tunisia, one could cross the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, and then traverse the entire strait to reach Constantinople.

Although the distance was not far, Tunisia's own naval power was effectively non-existent, which also made Tunisia relatively isolated compared to other lands controlled by the Ottoman Empire, a situation that was nearly unsolvable.

Of course, it is believed that even if the Tunisian government could contact the Ottoman government at this time, the Ottoman government would only righteously state that Tunisia no longer had any relationship with the Ottomans.

Although the Russian Empire gained very little in the Russo-Turkish War, this did not mean that the Ottoman Empire's losses were small.

In addition to the loss of territory in the Balkan Peninsula, the most important thing was the complete exposure of the Ottoman Empire's decline.

For the Ottoman Empire at this time, the most important thing was to recuperate and seek reform, rather than breaking out into conflict with European powers again over remote lands.

Furthermore, the Ottomans had no ability to wage war against European powers at this time.

France's comprehensive national strength was even more powerful than Russia's, so for the Ottoman Empire, it was natural to avoid them whenever possible.

The good news was that the Tunisian government didn't need to consider how to handle the French ultimatum. After only ten-plus hours, the French army, already poised in Algeria, marched eastward in a grand force, splitting into two routes to attack Tunisia from the north and south.

The Northern Army was composed of about 40, 00 French troops, including two temporarily formed infantry divisions, one cavalry division, and one artillery regiment.

The Southern Army had only one temporarily formed infantry division, with a total of about 10, 00 men.

The reason the Northern Army was larger in scale was that, besides the fact that Tunisia's important cities were almost all in the north, it was also because if the Italian army were to interfere in the war, they could only attack the northern part of Tunisia.

The more important role of the Southern Army was to occupy the important southern Tunisian city of Gabes from Redeyef, thereby completely cutting off the possibility of Tunisia fleeing southeast into Libya.

As long as the Southern Army could occupy Gabes, the Tunisian peninsula would fall into the French army's encirclement. Unless the Tunisians could all swim and swim across the Mediterranean to the Ottoman Empire themselves, there was absolutely no possibility of escape.

As the town in northern Tunisia closest to Algeria, Kef became the first Tunisian city to fall victim to the French army.

For a town with a population of less than 20, 00, having a full 40, 00-strong army press down on the border was definitely a first—like a young maiden's first time bowing at a wedding.

After all, it was a formal town; compared to scattered tribes, Kef possessed about 200 "regular troops," which were also an important force for maintaining town security.

But in front of the French army of 40, 00, what could these 200 soldiers do?

Let alone resisting the French army's attack, the moment they saw the French army pressing in, these so-called defenders scattered in all directions.

Yes, it was a scattering in the true sense of the word.

The indigenous people of Africa did not build any city walls or fortresses; there were countless dirt roads connecting the town to the forests and rivers outside, and these indigenous soldiers also fled along these roads.

As for the residents within the town, that was not something these soldiers needed to consider.

Those who cared more about their families might rush home in a panic to take their families and flee together.

Those who cared more about their own lives simply ran toward the forest outside the town, ignoring everything else. The forest was the place where they had hunted for generations; as long as they could run into the forest, the French would likely not be able to find them.

If these defenders were able to flee at the first opportunity, then the indigenous people in the city of Kef could only cower and hide outside their own "houses," nervously observing the gradually approaching French army through the cracks in their wooden doors.

The good news was that the French did not stay in this small town for too long. After confirming that the entire town had no resistance left, the French army left about one battalion of troops to temporarily maintain order, waiting for officials and police to be sent from Algeria to maintain security.

The remaining main force continued to march eastward in a grand manner; about several dozen kilometers east of Kef, there was a small town named Bou Arada.

And the destination of the French army was less than 100 kilometers northeast of Bou Arada.

In order to occupy the entire Tunisia before the Italian government could react, the French army issued orders from the top down, requiring this operation to be fast and to save more time at all costs.

Precisely because the army department had issued a death order, the French general in charge of commanding this army did not dare to waste any time.

Along the way, except for the time spent occupying towns, the French army marched rapidly and grandly the rest of the time, appearing neat and orderly.

Starting from the small town of Kef, the 40, 00-strong French army chose to split into two routes.

One route set off to the north, and after occupying small towns like Beja, Mateur, and Bourguiba Camp, they would reach their destination, Bizerte.

They would build a defensive line in Bizerte to guard against a possible sneak attack by the Italians.

The remaining main force would continue to move east and surround Tunisia at a fast speed.

As long as the capital of the Tunisian region, the city of Tunis, was taken, this war could basically be declared a victory.

France did not encounter no resistance in the Tunisian region.

As a subordinate kingdom under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, Tunisia also had its own ruler and government.

Like the Ottoman Empire, the Bey of Tunisia, Muhammad III as-Sadiq, had also once attempted Westernization and pushed through a series of reforms, including improving infrastructure, building railways and roads, improving education, and focusing on economic development.

But since the Ottoman Empire's reforms were not successful, Tunisia could do even less.

Being a small country with a population of less than one million, coupled with the fact that Tunisia was filled with tribes and its political system was relatively corrupt, the tax revenue that could be turned over to the Tunisian government every year was pitifully small.

Most of the tax revenue was controlled by those tribal leaders, and only the cities controlled by Tunisia could collect taxes.

This led to almost no results from Tunisia's reforms; except for the fact that the Tunisian ruler established an army of just over 2, 00 people, the post-reform Tunisia was no different from the pre-reform Tunisia.

The only obstacle the French army encountered was this new army established by the Tunisian ruler.

Although there were only just over 2, 00 people, because it was an army built by Muhammad III as-Sadiq himself, and because this war was a war to protect their own country, this new army was not scared out of their wits when facing a French army dozens of times their size; instead, they heroically launched one attack after another.

But reality soon shattered their dreams.

In addition to having more numbers than them, the French army also possessed more cavalry and artillery, and rifles went without saying.

Under such circumstances, the Tunisian army of just over 2, 00 people had no way to resist at all.

The first charge caused the Tunisian army to lose more than one-third of its men, and after two consecutive charges, the Tunisian army had almost no combat effectiveness left.

By the time the French army finished off the new Tunisian army, several days had passed since France officially provoked the war.

Even if the various European countries were slow, they had long since received the relevant news by this time.

When the news that Tunisia had been invaded by France reached Italy, it immediately attracted the high attention of the Italian government.

Compared to France, Italy had invested more and larger colonial capital in Tunisia; if Tunisia were occupied by France, it would mean that Italy's colonial investment over these years would all be wasted.

This was something Italy could absolutely not accept, so on the day they received the news, Italian Prime Minister Benedetto Cairoli convened an emergency cabinet meeting and invited the current King of Italy, Umberto I, to attend.

At the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benedetto Cairoli introduced the reason for convening the emergency cabinet meeting to Umberto I and stated that the current French army was not far from the city of Tunis.

"Your Majesty, gentlemen. It is time to make a final decision. If Tunisia gives up resistance, our efforts in Tunisia over these decades will be completely in vain," Prime Minister Benedetto Cairoli said with a solemn face.

As powers, Italy and Germany were relatively special. Neither country had colonies, and their comprehensive strength relied entirely on domestic accumulation.

Germany was a bit better off because of the proud record of the previous Franco-Prussian War, and because Germany was also actively participating in colonizing Africa and other regions, the results achieved were more than Italy's.

Italy had not yet obtained any colonies, and the Tunisia and Libya regions that Italy had its eyes on were also in the French colonial plan.

If they gave up Tunisia just like that, it would not only mean that Italy's previous colonial investment in Tunisia would be completely in vain, but it would also mean that Italy's colonization would completely lose its target, and it would become the only country among the powers without colonies.

"Damn it, when did the French invade Tunisia?" At this time, Umberto I looked surprised and astonished; Italy, from top to bottom, had never expected that France would invade Tunisia so suddenly.

"They were clearly prepared, Your Majesty." Prime Minister Benedetto Cairoli shook his head helplessly and sighed: "If we don't respond in time, perhaps Tunisia will really drift away from us."

"What about the attitudes of Britain and Germany? Are the British and Germans willing to let France occupy Tunisia?" Umberto I continued to ask.

"Several days have passed since France provoked the war. Up to now, Britain and Germany have not expressed any attitude of opposition.

Perhaps we can speculate that even if Britain and Germany do not support France's war, they are very likely to remain neutral in this war and will not impose interference on France's war actions," Prime Minister Benedetto Cairoli continued to shake his head.

"Damn it, did they not consider Italy's opinion? We have invested so much in Tunisia; we absolutely will not allow France to occupy Tunisia just like that!" Umberto I stood up angrily. Having just become king not long ago, he had great ambitions; how could he accept the reality that his great power plan had not yet been implemented, and Italy was about to lose the only land it had hope of colonizing?

"Prime Minister, first express Italy's attitude to France. We absolutely cannot accept France occupying Tunisia just like that," Umberto I was silent for a few seconds, then instructed Prime Minister Benedetto Cairoli.

Seeing Prime Minister Benedetto Cairoli nod, Umberto I then turned his gaze to the Italian Minister of War and continued to instruct: "The army needs to be mobilized. Before this matter is completely resolved, the military needs to be prepared to go to war with France."

The Minister of War also nodded. Regardless of whether the Italian army could defeat the French army, this matter concerned honor and disgrace; if he dared to refuse, he would face the punishment of dismissal plus accountability.

"Your Majesty, perhaps we still have a certain amount of hope," Prime Minister Benedetto Cairoli stood up to encourage: "Although Britain and Germany are very likely to remain neutral, we still have hope of obtaining Spain's support.

After Spain exchanged colonies with Britain, they will engage in more intense colonial competition with France in the West Africa region.

I believe Spain is also absolutely unwilling to see France occupy Tunisia. After France occupies all of North Africa, the French will absolutely not be able to give up their covetousness for Morocco.

As long as we can obtain Spain's support, and our two countries unite, we won't have to worry about the French threat.

Even, if the situation becomes deadlocked, the Germans might change their attitude. Even if they remain neutral in this war due to some factors, I believe they would absolutely be willing to see France suffer in the war."

Umberto I nodded, looked at the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and instructed: "The task of contacting the Spanish government is left to the diplomatic department. I hope you can do your best to move the Spanish government.

I will contact Hu An in the name of the royal family to seek the support of the Spanish royal family. Tunisia is very important to Italy, and the cabinet must be fully prepared. If the French are not willing to back down, we will need more means to make the French retreat."

(End of chapter)