Life of Being a Crown Prince in France - Chapter 1561 - 1467

Pello added: “Defterdar, besides the aforementioned interests, there is one more crucial point.

“That is, should the Ottoman Sultan face simultaneous threats to Gaza and the Holy City, there is a high possibility that he would choose to compromise with the Persians and recall the troops from Transcaucasia to deal with you.”

Muhammad Ali was a very astute person, and he nodded thoughtfully at once.

Transcaucasia was only an additional benefit for the Ottomans, while Gaza was connected to the affluent northern Levant; not to mention the Holy City, which Salem III would never give up.

So, even if I move fast enough and can occupy Gaza in a short time, I will soon face an Ottoman army of nearly 200,000.

Egypt currently has only fifty to sixty thousand troops, of which the absolutely loyal Albanian Army numbers fewer than 13,000.

Even if I am lucky enough to hold Gaza, I will surely suffer significant losses.

How could the Mamluks and Governor Husru miss such a golden opportunity to incite an uprising within Egypt?

And if, according to the Regent of France’s suggestion, I send troops to retake Mecca, although Mecca belongs to the Sultan, the tribes nearby could be recruited into my army.

Without hesitation, Muhammad Ali said to the French envoy: “Please convey my most sincere gratitude to His Highness the Regent; he has saved my life more than once.

“I will immediately send someone to Constantinople to request an expedition to Mecca to quell the unrest.”

“I will do so.”

Pello, accompanied by the King of Egypt, headed to the banquet hall and reminded along the way: “Oh, Defterdar, His Highness the Regent also wanted me to tell you that before going to Mecca, it would be best to thoroughly resolve the internal issues in Egypt first.”

Meanwhile, in the Topkapi Palace, two thousand kilometers away in Constantinople, the Ottoman Sultan was full of surprise and gratitude as he said to the French envoy Gu Feiye: “I truly don’t know how to thank His Highness the Regent; he has helped me avoid the worst situation!”

As he spoke, he gave a look to the Chief Eunuch beside him. Having served the Sultan for many years, the latter immediately understood it meant “100,000 kurush” and quietly exited the hall to prepare the gift for the French Regent.

A gift worth over 300,000 francs was not much, but for the Ottomans, who were at war, it was already the utmost capability.

No wonder Salem III would offer such a generous gift.

Just yesterday afternoon, he was discussing with several ministers whether to recall the Armenian troops to deal with the Saudi rebels occupying the Holy City.

One must know that pilgrimages to Mecca are a necessity for all Ottoman nobles, and the Sultan is no exception. Losing the Holy City would be a catastrophic event. [Note 1]

Then, just half an hour ago, the French envoy suddenly visited, informing him that His Highness the Regent had already managed to persuade that Egyptian warlord to dispatch troops to Mecca.

Traveling from Cairo to Constantinople by steam paddle ship is very convenient.

On February 17, the decree of Salem III was transmitted back to Egypt.

It officially appointed Muhammad Ali as the Governor of Egypt, allocated a military budget of 1,200,000 kurush, equivalent to over 3,600,000 francs, to the Egyptian garrison, and ordered the Governor of Egypt to immediately lead his army to the Hijaz to reclaim the Holy City of Mecca.

Without waiting for the Sultan’s envoy to leave, Muhammad Ali dispatched troops to expel all the people of former Governor Husru from Cairo.

Ten days later, the Egyptian army was already assembling in earnest in the eastern part of Cairo, while Muhammad Ali was preparing an opulent banquet to celebrate his inauguration as Governor, inviting all prestigious officials and nobility in Egypt to attend, including over 260 Mamluk mid- and high-ranking officers.

The following day, from noon, in the famous Saladin Castle of Cairo, accompanied by cheerful music, the grand banquet began.

Nobody noticed that the Albanian soldiers, previously resting in the suburbs of Cairo, had returned to the city in formation.

Over a thousand Egyptian elites reveled here until twilight, and the banquet gradually approached its end.

According to the arrangement by the Ceremonial Officer, those Mamluk officers, together with their entourage, nearly 500 people in total, went to the city to receive blessings from the citizens of Cairo.

When these officers and their retinues reached the barbican of Saladin Castle, the gates on both sides suddenly closed simultaneously.

Immediately, countless torches lit up on the walls, and thousands of Albanian soldiers, holding caplock guns, aimed at the terrified Mamluk officers.

With a command from Muhammad Ali’s confidant, Tahir, stars of fire flashed in the night sky.

Wearing ceremonial clothes and unarmed, the Mamluk officers had no power to resist and fell to the ground amid wails.

An hour later, Tahir sent someone to report to the Governor: all 480 Mamluk attendees had been killed.

Early the next morning, countless Albanian soldiers began house-to-house arrests of the families of senior Mamluks in Cairo, announcing the Mamluks’ “conspiracy to revolt has been quelled by the Governor.”

As over a thousand Mamluk “rebellions remnants” were executed, Muhammad Ali personally issued a decree—

In the future, all Mamluk soldiers and junior officers are to be incorporated into the new Egyptian army, and their fiefs will be retained.

[Note 1] According to Ottoman custom, the Sultan must perform the pilgrimage, but due to political reasons (mainly fear of uprising), only one Sultan during the entire existence of the Ottoman Empire performed the pilgrimage personally, while others sent a “substitute” to the Holy City.

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Mamluk (Arabic: مملوك), also known as Mamluke, origin meaning “slave”, originated during the Abbasid Dynasty under the Turkic ghulam system, initially serving the Ayyubid dynasty of Egypt, and gradually forming a military group in the medieval Middle East. Its members were mainly Turkic people, Greeks, and Egyptians, among other non-Muslim youths sold to the Middle East, who became feudal military nobility after military training, possessing the nature of mercenaries rather than strict slavery [1]. This group took cavalry as its core fighting force, employing a Sultan-led feudal hierarchical structure.

During the Crusades in the 11th century, the Mamluks rose as an independent military group under Saladin’s command, establishing a dynasty that ruled Egypt for nearly three hundred years (1250—1517), during which they defeated the Mongol army in the Battle of Ain Jalut. Even after the Ottoman Empire conquered Egypt in 1517, this group retained military and political influence until Muhammad Ali Pasha’s purge in 1811. Archaeological findings show its historical relics crossing the Umayyad, Abbasid, and Mamluk eras [2]. The group still maintained significant military activities during the Mongol invasion and Napoleon’s expedition to Egypt.

The Mamluks were originally all slaves, first appearing in the Abbasid period under the “Turkic ghulam” system. Although most were Turkic, they also included Greeks, Egyptians [1], Caucasians, Slavs, etc.