Chapter 370: I Regard You as a Brother

Chapter 370: I Regard You as a Brother

Soon enough, the Ministry of War devised a plan. According to this plan, before the Olympics, the navy would dispatch two separate squadrons comprising twelve warships, including the steam-powered super cruisers like the "Free Trade," "Unified Market," the "Le Havre" steam-powered cruiser, the "Toulon" steam-powered cruiser, the "Fousses" steam-powered cruiser, and so on, towards the North African coastline to provide escort for merchant ships of various nations.

Simultaneously, the French government authorized these warships to inspect any vessels they deemed suspicious. If met with resistance, they were allowed to use force as they saw fit.

Furthermore, in coordination with these military actions, French consuls stationed in the Barbary countries were instructed to immediately demand negotiations, asking these nations to return the missing French sailors, ships, and cargo promptly, offering reasonable compensation to the French citizens.

These demands seemed entirely reasonable. However, for the Barbary nations, they were nearly impossible to meet. Firstly, they had no clue who was behind these incidents. Pirates involved in such activities wouldn't confess to attacking a French vessel; instead, they'd hoist Spanish or other Italian state flags on the captured ships.

Naturally, tracing this wouldn't be an insurmountable challenge, but any pirate nation wouldn't dare admit to it. Denial would shift the blame elsewhere; admission would bring about consequences they'd have to bear.

Yet, the most pressing issue was the French demand for the return of the missing sailors. The whereabouts of these vanished sailors were crystal clear to the Pashas. A gang of pirates, seizing ships from countries where pillaging was forbidden, couldn't demand ransom. For the sake of secrecy, the easiest solution would be to swiftly send these sailors to meet Neptune, ensuring silence. So, there was no need to ask—they were undoubtedly all eliminated.

However, revealing this to the French was impossible. Saying, "Hey, French folks, we raided your ship, killed your people, now deal with it," would undoubtedly result in the French fleet dismantling their homes.

So presently, admitting anything was out of the question. Even investigating wasn't viable. If one were investigated, wouldn't that imply they were involved? Currently, the only feasible course was to shift the blame to neighboring pirate nations.

It's like fish in the ocean. When sensing danger, they'd group together, forming a dense shoal to confront predators. This strategy was usually effective against typical predators. However, if the predator happened to be a trawler, the entire shoal would...

Accompanied by a retinue of bodyguards, Pauline roamed Naples, casually purchasing what might be authentic Roman artifacts and local newspapers, intending to pass the time during the journey.

However, as Pauline glanced casually at the newspaper, she immediately spotted a headline: "Barbary Pirates Rampage; French Navy Begins Escorting Merchant Ships."

Seeing this, Pauline's eyes lit up. She turned, her gaze flashing as she smiled at Belladonna, who stood nearby. "Belladonna, if you can convince the captain to take a detour and deal with those Barbary pirates, I'll reward you. What do you say?"

"What kind of reward?" Belladonna hurriedly asked.

"I haven't decided yet," Pauline chuckled. She leaned closer, draping an arm around Belladonna's shoulder, whispering near his ear, "But hey, since we're such good pals, I won't let you work for nothing, will I?"

The breath from Pauline's mouth tickled Belladonna's ear, coupled with an inadvertent soft part brushing against his arm, making him involuntarily flutter with a tinge of excitement.

"Miss Bonaparte," Belladonna tried hard to maintain composure, "I regard you as a brother, you shouldn't..."

....

Hello there! We've just hit the fantastic milestone of 370 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at Novelupdate.