The Fox of France

Regarding Pasha Benharden's proposal, Victor shook his head.

"Respected Pasha, I believe it's best to leave the matter of identification to us. After all, we share a more consistent faith with them."

However, Pasha Benharden hesitated slightly at this proposal. Because slaves equated to wealth, more slaves meant more wealth. The captives were now the wealth of the Ottoman Empire, but he held the rights to their use. Therefore, every additional Christian slave meant a certain loss of his interests. Although he held some goodwill towards the French, it didn't mean he was willing to incur losses in terms of benefits.

So Victor believed that if this matter were left to Pasha Benharden, he would at most, for the sake of face, offer a few more Christian slaves, but not create a large number of them, as Victor hoped.

However, Victor desperately needed a sufficient number of Christian slaves. Even though, according to the agreement between the two countries, the land allocated to the original Christian slaves would not increase or decrease based on their numbers (because an increase in Christian slaves would mean a decrease in benefits for the Ottomans, leading to potential conflict). Yet, having more Christian slaves meant the quick formation of a community and a prepared force for various actions in the future.

But due to the interests involved, and Pasha Benharden's awareness that Victor was highly motivated to increase the number of Christian slaves, the situation was delicate. The more Christian slaves rescued, the more the French action appeared justifiable, enhancing Napoleon's title as the "Emperor of the Romans" and presenting him more as a European leader than a mere joke.

Therefore, Pasha Benharden believed that if left to the French themselves, Victor would use all means to induce, and even force those who were not Christians to become Christian slaves. It wouldn't even require much inducement or force; just tell them: "If you become a Christian, you can immediately become a self-sufficient farmer with your own land." Except for those genuinely devout believers, many would eagerly embrace Christianity.

So Pasha Benharden responded, "Mr. Consul, I feel that by doing this, you are clearly showing a lack of trust in us."

Victor immediately replied, "It's not that we don't trust you, but the list you gave us last time is simply too unreliable. According to the information we've obtained, even based on some pirate documents we captured and interrogations of captured pirates, there are far more Christian slaves in the plantations near Tripoli than the numbers you provided. Moreover, through inquiries with the Christian slaves you handed over to us, we learned that many Christian slaves weren't brought here with them. So, respected Pasha, in such a situation, how can we trust you?"

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"So, we can't leave all these matters to them anymore," Victor added.

"In that case," Pasha Benharden said, "at least we should also participate in the identification... I believe this is a fair and reasonable approach."

So the two continued to negotiate, and finally, both sides reached a temporary agreement on this matter. In the identification process, both the French and the Ottomans would participate. However, during the identification, for every five subjects, the French could spend some time alone with one. The slaves, after claiming to be Christians, had to answer a series of questions about Christianity. If there were too many mistakes, they couldn't be recognized as Christians. In addition, a slave recognized as a Christian also needed the approval of another Christian slave working on the same farm, or else they couldn't be acknowledged as a Christian.

Of course, this was only a preliminary verbal agreement. Pasha Benharden insisted that the specific execution had to wait until the representative of the Holy See arrived.

On the surface, it showed respect for the Holy See, but in reality, it was a tactic to delay and take measures to avoid a large number of slaves claiming to be Christians. As long as the time was available, they could resort to intimidation and coercion. Oh, there was no coercion; it was just intimidation, using the argument that non-believers were trying to deceive them, that non-believers would trick them into being used for human sacrifices, and so on, to scare and manipulate them.

Victor understood this, but he also knew that the representatives of the Holy See should arrive soon. It wasn't worth letting the Turks create a rift between France and the Holy See for the sake of a few days. Moreover, based on his understanding of the Turks, he didn't believe that they could brainwash others to believe everything they said in just a few days.

The representatives from the Holy See arrived quite promptly, given the limited availability of steamships. Since steamships weren't widespread yet, they had to resort to regular sailing ships. Among these, the only ones capable of higher speeds were the clipper ships. However, the comfort level of clipper ships was always an issue, even in the mostly calm Mediterranean. Bishop Torres, the representative of the Holy See, was already in his sixties, and considering his health, he should have chosen a normal passenger ship that averaged a little over four knots per hour. Nevertheless, at this crucial moment, Bishop Torres displayed a courageous commitment to God's work. He rented a clipper ship with his entourage and arrived in Tripoli at the fastest speed possible. So, on the second day of the verbal agreement between Victor and Pasha Benharden, Bishop Torres was already in Tripoli. Surprisingly, despite feeling seasick when disembarking, requiring two attendants to help him down from the ship, he rested for just over an hour in the temporary residence and immediately regained his spirits. He actively sought out Victor.

"Bishop Torres, why have you come? I thought you would take some rest," Victor couldn't help but comment upon seeing Bishop Torres.

"Ah, I do need to rest, but when I think about those poor lambs, I cannot rest," Bishop Torres said. "Consul Trevail, I've just arrived, and I'm not familiar with the situation here. Could you enlighten me?"

Victor then detailed the discussions with Pasha Benharden over the past two days and the verbal agreement they reached.

After listening, Bishop Torres thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Consul, your considerations are very thoughtful. Let's quickly go meet Pasha. Time is crucial now, and I suspect those cunning non-believers are using this time to intimidate our faithful. We cannot let their schemes succeed. The identification operation must start immediately, the sooner, the better."

"Bishop Torres, don't you really need to rest for a while?" Victor asked.

"The mission to save God's lambs motivates me; I cannot stop at this moment."

So Victor and Bishop Torres went to meet Pasha Benharden together.

It was already evening, and Pasha Benharden had finished bathing, planning to do some exercise before going to bed. Unexpectedly, a servant came to report that the French consul was seeking an audience.

If it were someone else, Pasha Benharden would surely drag them out and give them a good whipping. But since it was the French consul, well... he had to quickly put on some clothes and go meet him.

In the living room, Pasha Benharden saw two people already seated in the guest positions. One was the French consul he recognized, Trevail, and the other was a priest wearing a cross and bishop robes. He understood that the representative of the Catholic Church had arrived.

Bishop Torres arrived in Tripoli in the evening, and the Turkish guards at the port naturally knew about it. However, at that time, Pasha Benharden was having dinner, so no one dared to report. After dinner, he was watching a dance performance, and no one dared to disturb him. After the dance, Pasha Benharden was about to take a bath. Until now, he was still unaware that the representative of the Holy See had arrived.

But Pasha Benharden didn't think it was his problem. Regarding the lack of prior knowledge and preparation for this matter, he attributed it to the incompetence of his subordinates. They all deserved a good whipping. Overall, Pasha Benharden was a rather benevolent person. In his punishment measures, there were more whippings and fewer beheadings.

"Consul Trevail, I wonder why you've come to me so late. Is there something urgent? And who is this bishop?" Pasha Benharden asked with a smile.

"Respected Pasha, this is the representative of the Holy See, Bishop Torres. He just arrived today. I originally advised him to come and visit Your Excellency tomorrow, but the bishop felt that if he arrived at a place, not immediately paying respects to the host would be impolite. So, I accompanied him here," Victor explained.