The Fox of France

Following their discussions, the Turks and the French reached formal agreements on specific issues. However, the crucial part remained an unwritten gentlemen's agreement.

The first implementation was the training of the Turkish army.

Sending the Turkish army to train in France was a grand move, impossible to keep secret. It risked unnecessary misunderstandings and incurred significant expenses to train in France. While the French weren't concerned about misunderstandings, the Turks worried about Russian misconceptions. Moreover, if Turkey were so affluent, why resort to such a plan?

Considering the need for secrecy, the training location was chosen to be an island in the Mediterranean. After thorough research, they settled on Rhodes, an island in the Mediterranean Sea.

Rhodes was once the forefront of Christian resistance against Turkey in the Mediterranean. The Knights Hospitaller had significant battles here, leaving behind their fortresses.

Although centuries had passed since the Battle of Rhodes, the defensive structures of the Barbary pirates' countries weren't vastly different from Rhodes' old-style fortresses. The Pashas of these pirate countries preferred spending money on pleasure and their ships.

However, the cannons mounted on their old-style fortresses weren't relics from the Battle of Rhodes anymore. According to interrogations of captured pirates, some vital positions had been equipped with modern French breech-loading cannons.

Typically, warships couldn't directly confront fortresses. Admiral Lord Nelson of England once remarked, "A fort with one cannon is enough to stand against a warship armed with a hundred."

This was because fortresses had certain advantages over warships:

Firstly, fortresses couldn't be sunk. To destroy a fortress's cannons, a warship needed its own cannons to accurately hit the fortress's cannons. However, warships were vulnerable, making hitting the enemy's cannons from a fortress enough.

Moreover, warships constantly moved, while fortresses remained steadfast unless faced with an earthquake. This resulted in far greater accuracy for cannons mounted on fortresses compared to ship cannons. Furthermore, the cannons on fortresses had extensively test-fired the nearby sea areas, making their accuracy terrifying. Generally, in a duel between warships and fortresses, unless there was a significant gap in cannons and personnel training, fortresses always held the advantage.

However, these weren't issues for the current French navy since the French-made breech-loading cannons in the hands of Barbary pirates couldn't pierce the armor of France's modern warships. There weren't yet any cannons in the world capable of penetrating the armor of the "White Rado" warship. Even the cannons on the "White Rado" itself couldn't achieve this.

But this didn't mean there were no weapons threatening the "White Rado" warship. At least, both the British and French possessed mines capable of sinking it. And nobody knew if the British had sold such things to the Barbary pirates. Thus, the French navy, on missions, needed brave minesweepers. Well, considering the mine-sweeping levels of that era, maybe calling them "daring minesweepers" would be more appropriate.

French military instructors arrived at Rhodes, guiding the Turks in transforming the old Hospitaller fortresses into something resembling the coastal artillery of the Barbary countries.

During this process, Turkey also dispatched envoys to these Barbary countries.

This was customary. Although these pirate nations were essentially independent, they maintained significant interactions with Turkey. There was considerable exchange between their emissaries. And at this time, these Barbary pirate nations hoped to learn France's true intentions via Turkey, trying to find ways to ease tensions with France. Little did they know that those sharing their faith were planning to sell them for profit.

However, the Ottoman's antiquated system led to poor confidentiality, and news of Sultan Selim III training a modern army on Rhodes quickly spread within Turkey. For some, strengthening the Sultan's power might not bode well.

These individuals lacked means to oppose the Sultan presently, as it was within his jurisdiction. They were merely surprised at where the Sultan acquired funds to train a new army. Understanding Turkey's internal economic state, they knew the Sultan couldn't possibly accumulate such wealth without raising suspicions. Considering French instructors and weaponry, they speculated that the Sultan must have borrowed substantial sums from the French. Of course, the French were never ones to miss a profit, so their willingness to lend to the Sultan definitely had reasons behind it.

This line of thought escalated quickly. Some even wondered if the Sultan intended a massive anti-corruption campaign internally (as there were sufficient economic issues to warrant executions), arresting and beheading those he disliked and using confiscated funds to repay loans, filling the treasury...

These individuals naturally raised their vigilance, preparing while also disclosing this information to others, like the Austrians and Russians.

Both Austria and Russia were Turkey's adversaries. They wouldn't want to see Turkey strengthen and would take measures to hinder Turkey's progress, thereby constraining Sultan Selim's power and buying themselves time to react.

In Paris, not far from the main stadium, lay the Royal hunting grounds. Louis XVI, with two main hobbies—crafting locks and hunting—had this as his favorite haunt. Even on the day when his fate was sealed, as the Parisian women rushed to Versailles, forcing his family's relocation to Paris, Louis XVI was out hunting here.

Post-revolution, especially after the fall of the monarchy, the Royal hunting grounds were abandoned. The animals in the hunting grounds became food for nearby villagers. Today, this area stood as government-managed public land, hosting equestrian and shooting events for the Olympics.

The cement roads leading here were long laid. The venues and stands for equestrian and shooting events were set up. Some French participants in these events received the privilege of early training here. This was one natural advantage of the hosts—they had more time to adapt to the venues.

Today, Pauline arrived with her thoroughbred horse, Bobby. A few days earlier, she had Bobby assessed for a few family members. To ensure Joseph saw Bobby fitting his criteria, she had Bobby wear a bit of stubble and a low-necked outfit—revealing Bobby's distinctive Adam's apple.

Overall, everything went smoothly. Both Joseph and Napoleon seemed relatively satisfied with Pauline bringing a male back. Moreover, Bobby was impressive: tall, no need for lifts, well-proportioned, and had a sunny disposition. Not to mention, their future children would likely be adorable. Add to that the absence of any familial hereditary diseases (Lucien had investigated this thoroughly), so none of her brothers had objections. As for Pauline's mother, she genuinely seemed to adore her potential son-in-law.

Having fulfilled her promise, Pauline's brothers naturally greenlit her participation. Consequently, Pauline officially became one of France's representatives at the Olympics.

Since they agreed to Pauline's participation, efforts were made to ensure she secured the championship. Otherwise, there'd be no point in participating. For this reason, Joseph also invested in purchasing an exceptional English thoroughbred horse for Pauline.

English thoroughbred horses were the fastest and most agile in the world, but raising them was costly—beyond the means of most. However, for the Bonapartes, this wasn't an issue.

With such a horse, Pauline had a foundation for winning the championship. Coupled with her relatively small stature, aiding faster runs and higher jumps for the horse.

Moreover, familiarity with the grounds was crucial. Starting now, Pauline could practice relentlessly on the official track.

This was the Bonapartes' preparation for the Olympics. They were determined to secure victory.

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