I am the Crown Prince of France

Said looked over the map and instructed Agord, "Order the vanguard to reach Tamiré by this afternoon. Rest there for a day, and the day after, the entire army will attack Cape Serrat."

Cape Serrat was the only town on the western side of Bizerte. According to intelligence, there should be three to four thousand Tunisian soldiers stationed there. Once Cape Serrat was captured, the road to Bizerte would be wide open.

The black officer bowed and swiftly conveyed the Moroccan guard commander's orders.

...

Ney hummed a rural tune from Sarle along with the soldiers—these soldiers had only been training for less than four months and knew just these few songs—as he calculated how long it would take to reach Tamiré.

At that moment, his captain galloped towards him, shouting, "We've spotted the Moroccans! They're less than four kilometers from Tamiré!"

They were severely lacking in cavalry, so the captains, who could ride horses, had to double as mounted scouts.

Ney's heart tightened at the news. It seemed they would arrive at Tamiré later than the enemy.

This would mean a tough battle.

He quickly asked the captain, "How many of them?"

"At least two thousand, maybe three thousand."

Ney frowned even more deeply. He had fewer than a thousand soldiers under his command. Defending Tamiré might be feasible, but attacking would be challenging.

Should they retreat to Cape Serrat?

He glanced back. Doing so would certainly earn them the nobles' mockery.

Gritting his teeth, he shouted to the soldiers, "Pick up the pace! Let's show those nobles who the real warriors are!"

The soldiers immediately cheered:

"Let the nobles see!"

"Victory will be ours!"

"Long live His Majesty the King!"

Most of these men were farmers who had bought land. When they heard the Prince calling for commoners to join the army, those with extra manpower at home eagerly signed up.

They originally wanted to repay His Majesty the King for helping them achieve their dream of owning land. After learning about the current military policies, they realized they could be promoted to officers through military merit. With honors, they could secure a life free from worries.

So, although this "rookie" army's training was limited, their morale was exceptionally high.

This was why Joseph pushed through the land distribution policy despite significant opposition—only by increasing the majority of the French lower class's sense of belonging to the nation could the country's true power be unleashed.

During the Napoleonic era, France's population wasn't much larger than it is now, yet Napoleon could easily mobilize an army of 600,000. Currently, France couldn't even muster 160,000 troops because the French Revolution greatly ignited the public's enthusiasm and awakened national consciousness. National affairs were no longer just the nobles' duty but something every French citizen cared about.

If France could now mobilize 600,000 troops and ensure supply lines, it could sweep across Europe.

Keep in mind that the combined forces of Britain, Austria, Prussia, and Russia could only muster around 400,000 troops—not nearly enough.

Of course, land policy alone wasn't enough to foster absolute national identity, but it was a significant step forward.

Ney, noticing the soldiers' quickened pace, loudly encouraged them while reminding officers to watch out for stragglers.

Two kilometers away, Victor Moreau also received a report that the Moroccans were approaching Tamiré.

He turned to the messenger Ney had sent. "How far are your men from Tamiré?"

"More than six kilometers, Lieutenant."

Victor Moreau frowned in thought for a moment before asking, "I remember there are 300 Tunisian soldiers in Tamiré?"

"Yes, Lieutenant."

Moreau nodded. "Good. Order them to move to the western side of the town and set up a defensive line. Delay the Moroccans as much as possible."

"Yes, sir!" The messenger instinctively responded, but then hesitated, "But, sir, you don't have the authority to command them..."

"Tell them it's under General Schérer's orders. We'll provide the paperwork after the battle."

"But..."

"Don't delay, or we'll lose Tamiré!"

The messenger, startled, straightened up and replied, "Yes, Lieutenant!"

As the messenger rode off, Victor Moreau's aide whispered, "Lieutenant, you could face a court-martial for this."

"If we hold Tamiré, we'll get medals," Victor Moreau smiled. "And even if things go wrong, it'll be Lieutenant Ney who faces the court-martial. His men will be the ones who claimed to have the general's orders."

"..."

Ney sneezed loudly, rubbing his nose, when he suddenly heard gunfire from the west. His heart sank.

He looked at the formation that had become disorganized from the quick march and ordered them to regroup and continue advancing in four columns.

They were less than half a kilometer from Tamiré now, and the gunfire was likely from Moroccans looting the town.

"We'll teach those infidels a harsh lesson..."

He hadn't even finished speaking when a captain who had gone to scout reported:

"Lieutenant, the Tunisian border guards are engaging the Moroccans. But it looks like they're struggling."

Ney's eyes widened in surprise. He had expected the few hundred Tunisian soldiers to have fled by now. He had heard rumors back home that the Tunisian army couldn't even form proper ranks and was almost useless.

What he didn't know was that Tunisian soldiers had been used as elite forces in India by Lafayette...

"Hurry! Go reinforce them!" Ney shouted, leading the already regrouped first and second companies towards Tamiré.

One-third of the men in these two companies were soldiers he had brought from Sarle, far more capable than the others. He had initially planned to take them to enroll in military school—commoners attending military school had all tuition, lodging, and meals covered—but Sarle had no military schools, and those elsewhere that accepted commoners had already closed enrollment.

In the end, on the advice of a relative who had joined the Guards, he decided to come to North Africa. Along the way, many commoners planning to fight in North Africa joined him upon learning he was an officer, and the group had grown to eight companies...

The Moroccan Guard's vanguard hadn't expected resistance. Their scouting cavalry had reported that Tamiré's garrison had completely withdrawn.

So when the Tunisian soldiers hiding outside Tamiré suddenly opened fire on them, it threw them into temporary chaos.

The all-black Moroccan Guard quickly regained their composure and launched a counterattack. But just as they were pushing the 300 Tunisian soldiers back, nearly causing them to collapse, a thin line of soldiers in white uniforms appeared on the horizon.

(End of Chapter)

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