Chapter 426: The Great Development of Tunisia
While Camellia was feeling overwhelmed and unsure of herself, Perna, who had been nervously spying from the end of the hallway, finally let out a long sigh of relief. She had been keeping an eye on the beautiful girl who made her heart race, ever since she saw her run out of the Prince's room and back to her own. Perna didn't know why she felt this way, but ever since Camellia appeared, a sense of unease had taken hold of her.
As the Prince's personal physician, it had been a long time since Perna had shared a carriage with him—Emond had said it would distract the Prince, who often worked during the journey. Yet on this trip from Vienna, Camellia had been with the Prince in his carriage the entire time.
Perna turned around and leaned her back against the wall, shaking her head silently. No, she shouldn't have any inappropriate thoughts. But then, the Prince's handsome face filled her mind.
"Maybe I should be braver," she muttered to herself, "otherwise, the Prince will be…"
She was suddenly startled by her own words, and quickly, with her head down, she fled back to her room, silently praying, God, please guide me!
From the next day onward, Joseph noticed that Dr. Perna seemed to be finding excuses to be around him more often. After he coughed a few times, she insisted on checking whether his pneumonia had returned, and so she stayed in his carriage.
The carriage became somewhat crowded, and in the end, Emond had no choice but to dismount and ride alongside the Prince's carriage. Inside, Joseph busied himself with organizing reports on Tunisian immigration policies, while the two girls exchanged polite greetings before lapsing into silence.
In this awkward atmosphere, Perna was so uncomfortable she could have used her toes to dig a palace out of Versailles, but she stubbornly remained in the carriage, occasionally stealing glances at the Prince's charming figure as he worked on government affairs.
And so, with the two girls by his side, Joseph finally arrived in Paris without any "incidents," despite the bumpy ride. Perna ultimately did not muster the courage to speak up, and Camellia still hadn't found her "approach."
Joseph, however, was well taken care of and felt energized as he took Camellia to the Petit Trianon to report to his mother.
Queen Marie embraced Madame Delvaux's granddaughter, tears streaming down her face like a river. She then wanted to appoint Camellia as her third lady-in-waiting. But Countess Debrignac cautiously reminded her that with Miss Delvaux's background, it would be inappropriate for her to serve as a lady-in-waiting to the Queen.
In the end, Queen Marie had to follow court protocol and appointed Camellia as her maid instead, allowing her to stay close by[Note 1].
When Joseph left his mother's chambers and arrived at his quarters, he found Brienne waiting for him. The latter approached from a distance, bowing as he greeted him.
"Your Highness, congratulations on the important diplomatic achievements you secured in Vienna. Our alliance with Austria has grown even stronger."
"It's all by the grace of God," Joseph said, skillfully making the sign of the cross, before inviting the Chief Minister inside. "Do you have urgent matters to discuss? Please, take a seat."
Brienne nodded quickly and said, "Yes, Your Highness. It's about Tunisia. The 'Tunisian Trade and Development Plan' that you previously outlined has already begun to be implemented, but we're encountering some difficulties due to the actions of certain tribes."
Joseph frowned slightly upon hearing this. After Moreau and Ney had successfully defended Tamire, Schérer's army had driven the Moroccan forces back into Algiers, greatly improving the security situation in Tunisia.
Following this, under government promotion, France had initiated a second wave of large-scale development in Tunisia, with tens of thousands of commercial and agricultural settlers flocking to the region, creating signs of an economic boom.
In preparation for this, Joseph had enacted laws that eliminated local tariffs and tolls within Tunisia, lowered commercial taxes, and initiated infrastructure projects like road widening and the laying of wooden tracks.
However, in Tunisia's political landscape, tribal powers dominated villages and towns. There had previously been instances where tribes refused to pay taxes, which Joseph had resolved using the "Versailles method." But now there were new issues arising?
Joseph looked at Brienne and said, "Please, explain the situation in more detail."
"Yes, Your Highness," Brienne nodded. "The main problem is that the larger tribes are not allowing certain foreign goods into their villages and towns.
"Additionally, almost all the tribes are continuing to charge exorbitant 'safety fees' on the roads they control.
"Moreover, they frequently extort merchants and settlers who are there to cultivate the land."
Brienne's expression turned troubled. "As you know, the Tunisian army is small and can only be stationed near the major cities. We have no control over these more distant tribes, and even when we send troops to intimidate them, they promise to follow the laws while the soldiers are present, but as soon as they leave, the tribes return to their old ways."
Joseph's expression also grew serious.
In the 18th century, and even in the 21st century, many governments found it difficult to effectively manage local powers. Tribes, in particular, were bound by kinship, making it especially challenging for external forces to intervene.
While these Tunisian tribes could accept taxes—something that had been around since the Phoenician era—they began to resist when asked to stop charging fees or to allow the free flow of goods.
Joseph had initially planned to use Tunisia as a test case for local tax reform, which could then be expanded to France. But now, even here, he was encountering significant resistance.
Brienne cautiously suggested, "Your Highness, perhaps we should start by enforcing the laws in the major cities, allowing the Tunisians to get accustomed to them before expanding to a broader area."
Joseph immediately shook his head. He was counting on the revenue from Tunisia to bolster France's finances. If they proceeded so slowly, it could take ten years or more to implement fully.
This would also alert the Tunisian tribes to the fact that the government couldn't control them, leading to continued obstruction of any new laws in the future.
He began to think deeply. Fundamentally, the reason local powers resisted government authority was due to poor transportation and communication.
When roads were impassable and tribes had little contact with the outside world, they inevitably formed their own isolated "small worlds." Increased interaction with the outside world, forming connections of interest, was necessary to integrate them into the larger nation.
This required building roads as quickly as possible, but nationwide infrastructure development in Tunisia would take a long time.
Another solution was to greatly increase the number of troops or police, using force to monitor and intimidate the tribes, preventing them from defying the law.
But this would require an enormous expenditure. Maintaining an army of over 100,000 in Tunisia might solve the problem, but the tax revenue would be almost entirely consumed by military expenses.
Joseph suddenly had a thought: If military force was needed to intimidate the tribes, it wasn't necessary to station troops near the tribes…
Note 1: A lady-in-waiting to the Queen was considered a court position, typically held by a noble of high status who was close to the Queen, and would accompany her in activities such as walks or games. A maid, on the other hand, was simply a servant, often standing by the door.
(End of Chapter)
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