Empire Rising: Spain

When the French officer produced the already prepared treaty, Muhammad III al-Sadiq merely glanced at it twice before his eyes widened.

The demands of the French were not complicated, but for Tunisia, it was tantamount to handing over everything to the French for management.

Firstly, to ensure that the killing of French people would not happen again, France demanded the stationing of troops in important areas of Tunisia to guarantee the safety of French citizens.

In total, the number of French troops was not large, only about twenty thousand. The problem, however, is that Tunisia itself is a country with a population of just over 700,000, with an original army of only more than ten thousand.

With the French invasion, the Tunisian army had long been scattered and collapsed, which meant that France could completely control the situation in Tunisia with merely these twenty thousand stationed troops.

Moreover, aside from the demand for military garrisons, France also proposed assisting Tunisia in managing its finances, taking over its diplomatic affairs, and helping Tunisia construct railways connected to Algeria, among other things.

If Muhammad III al-Sadiq agreed to this treaty, it would be equivalent to handing all power in Tunisia over to France.

However, there was good news for Muhammad III al-Sadiq; France did not intend to completely abolish the Tunisian Government.

This meant that Muhammad III al-Sadiq still had the chance to retain his position as Beiyi, serving as a powerless king under French control.

Knowing he really had no choice, Muhammad III al-Sadiq hesitated little and, after a brief struggle, signed his name on the treaty the French presented.

Once Muhammad III al-Sadiq signed his name, the attitude of the French officer towards him noticeably improved.

To show that the French were not brutal, the French officer ordered the withdrawal of the French Army from Tunis City, leaving only a small detachment to help the Tunisian Government maintain order in Tunis City, after Muhammad III al-Sadiq signed the treaty.

While Tunisia had already entered a state of peace, diplomatic skirmishes between France and Spain, as well as Italy, had just begun.

Just the next day, the French ambassador to Spain made an official announcement to the Spanish Government, stating that France had signed a treaty with the Tunisian Government, and the Tunisian war was over.

Upon hearing the news that the war was over, Prime Minister Canovas was first taken aback and then slightly astonished and angry.

What Prime Minister Canovas hadn’t anticipated was that the French would actually withstand the pressure from Spain and Italy to forcibly occupy Tunisia.

What with the treaty they mentioned being signed with the Tunisian Government, it was obvious even without much thought that this treaty must have been one that France forced the Tunisian Government to sign.

"Mr. Ambassador, are you certain that your words reflect the stance of the French Government?" Prime Minister Canovas first fell silent for a moment before asking with a darkened expression.

"Of course." The French ambassador nodded, not the least bit intimidated by Prime Minister Canovas’s darkening expression, and replied with a smile: "This is the latest information from back home, and since the war has ended, naturally there’s no need for further negotiations."

Prime Minister Canovas nodded, his expression returning to normal, although his voice remained exceptionally cold: "Since your government has made a decision, I naturally cannot stop it.

I hope the Italian Government can also accept your excuse; Spain will unwaveringly support Italy."

Although somewhat angered by the shameless actions of the French, Prime Minister Canovas would not actively damage relations with France.

The stance of Spain was clear, standing together with Italy and supporting Italy’s decisions.

If Italy wished to break ties with France, then Spain would choose to staunchly support Italy. But if Italy opted to back down, naturally, Spain would not start a war with France alone.

The question then arose, what exactly was the attitude of the Italian Government?

After the French ambassador conveyed the same statement to the Italian Government, the Italian Government also appeared extremely furious.

They hadn’t expected that the French would withstand the pressure from both countries to quickly occupy Tunisia and end the war.

This meant that Italy currently had two choices: either stand firm against the French, or pretend as if nothing had happened and behave like cowards.

If King Umberto I could remain composed, then Prime Minister Benedetto Caroli, who had actively stirred public discontent, was the least composed official in Italy at present.

It was unavoidable; the position of Prime Minister was always so awkward. Although the Prime Minister symbolized significant power, in unexpected events like this, it was easy to become the focal point of public criticism.

In Europe’s monarchies, the Prime Minister played a particularly special role, which was to take the blame for the King and the entire government.

When the decisions of the King and Government faced significant errors, the Prime Minister would generally resign to appease public anger.

After all, compared to replacing a king, changing a Prime Minister was simpler and less impactful on the country.

"Your Majesty, does His Majesty Carlo still wish to support us?" Prime Minister Benedetto Caroli actively sought out King Umberto I, inquiring about Spain’s stance on the matter.

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