Ali had to deal with Shaojie's problem in silence because he could not give any rebuttal. If his army could not even carry out a massacre, then he would have no power.

After a while, Ali said, "My friend, you are not here to investigate the next phase of aid, right? Your country is going to give up on me, right?"

Shaojie laughed, pulled out a revolver he carried with him, and then found a dagger from his boots and threw it away. He said, "Look, I'm not threatened."

"What do you mean?" Ali asked.

Shaojie said: "Ali, you and I have known each other for so many years, and cooperated for so many years. Do you think I don't understand you? If you want you to be sure that the empire abandons you, you will kill me directly, or capture me in exchange for some benefits. Cruelty and ruthlessness are your character. Just so, what the empire needs is a cruel Ali."

Ali picked up the wine glass and drank it all. Then the silver wine glass hit a door in the corner. Ali said, "Get out, I don't need you anymore."

There was a burst of rapid footsteps behind the small door, which was the sound of military boots stepping on the marble floor, and some sounds of gold and iron squeezing with knives and sheaths. It was obviously the sword and axe driver who was ambushing there. Shaojie smiled, lit a cigarette, and continued, "Ali, if the Empire abandoned you, I will now agree to your request in exchange for you to lose your guard against me and leave."

"Forget it, let's not mention those, let's talk about your country's attitude." Ali said.

Shaojie shook his head, pulled the map from the wall, and said, "My attitude is directly linked to the local situation. I have received some news. Now I say, "You come and make sure, don't have too many luck, because I am sure about some news. If you give different answers, I will only think that you are not telling the truth."

Alibaba has long experienced Shaojie's wisdom, so naturally he will not play with those useless means.

A few years ago, Ali's cavalry set out from Egypt, crossed the Sahara Desert, and appeared in Tunisia, turning it into a sea of ​​fire. At that time, Ali was still hard-working and enduring. He led the Bedouin cavalry to attack various targets of the colonists and gave the colonists countless fears with violence.

Neither Britain, France, the Netherlands nor the Three Kingdoms could take Ali's actions at that time, because their army could defeat Ali's army head-on. Even if it was only half of Ali, or even one-third of its military strength, it could make Ali's army helpless.

But the problem is that Ali rarely fights head-on, but if something goes wrong, he flees into the depths of the Sahara Desert. From Algeria to Cyrangani (Libya), thousands of miles of coastal areas of North Africa are all beacons. The colonists' strongholds in the coastal areas are in a state of high tension. It seems that a Bedouin army will emerge from the desert at any time, killing all the colonists and burning everything about them.

Until the British found a way to coexist with Ali, and after experimentation, the French also agreed. It is now a common strategy for European colonists.

At the beginning, the British would provide Ali with some information, addresses, material storage points, etc. for the resistance organization for free. Ali knew that it was the conspiracy of the British to provoke the relationship between the resistance organization and the fisherman who fought against the snipe and the clam to gain profit. Shaojie also knew, so he hoped that Ali would not fall into the trap.

But Ali still couldn't stand the temptation because he also needed to expand and needed more territory and manpower, so he would annex those rebel organizations.

During that time, Ali fought everywhere, and Shaojie could not stop him at all. He could only comfort himself. Ali became stronger and could cause more losses to the European colonists, but the facts exceeded Shaojie and Ali's expectations.

In just over a year, Ali became the only resistance organization in Tunisia. As his strength became stronger and his team expanded, he could no longer support this army by guerrilla warfare or desert thieves.

It is necessary to have a fixed territory and rely on the sea to obtain dual support from the Ottomans and the empire.

So Ali chose Tunisia City. He originally thought it would be difficult. After all, the city had been occupied by colonists for many years, but what Ali didn't expect was that he occupied Tunisia City after just a simple battle and quickly swept across the surrounding area.

Of course, when it was publicizing and reporting to the two financial backers of the Empire and Ottoman, Ali described it as a great achievement, and it was the city of Tunisia that was only recovered after blood and fire.

Therefore, at that time, Ali became a popular commodity. Shaojie applied for more financial aid and supplies for him. The Ottoman Empire not only directly gave him an army, but also directly authorized him to be the title of Pasha of Tunisia. Ali became the king of Tunisia.

But this was precisely the British conspiracy. With Ali having territory, he did not dare to raid the colonists' territory at will. Although he lost Tunisia, most parts from Cyrangani to Algeria became quiet.

With territory, Alibaba has more enjoyment. Entering the city and becoming rulers' army gradually becomes corrupt. Letting them travel through the desert and engage in bloody battles with the colonists is a kind of delusion.

Ali's territory is always under double attacks and ocean blockade, but it actually does not provide many resources for it. Tunisia is not so much a throne of the desert fox Ali, but rather a cage.

After only a short period of good life, Ali's territory continued to shrink, and in order to maintain his territory, the private peace with the colonists also occurred.

Therefore, the Tunisian place owned by Ali Pasha is not as meaningful as publicity.

"Okay, you are honest, Ali." Shaojie finished asking, compared with the information he had, and it was basically confirmed that Ali did not lie. Finally, he asked again: "Ali, have you reached a written armistice agreement with the colonists?"

Ali narrowed his eyes, Shaojie laughed and said, "You use scare me, if I show off to you today, I will have the awareness of dying here."

"Why, I don't understand. You know that the questions you asked are very dangerous, and I may kill you for my own benefit. Why are you so determined? Shaojie, you are not a person who is not afraid of death. After I have contacted you for too much, I found that one of the few things you have in common with His Royal Highness Yu is that you all cherish your lives very much." Ali said.

Shaojie smiled coldly, took a deep breath of cigarette, and said, "Guilty, the future and hope."

Gu Shi

Ali shook his head, not understanding what Shaojie meant. Shaojie said: "I am a Manchu, and my surname is Aisin Gioro. Do you know the meaning of this?"

"It seems that the Tatars who were once enemies of your country were Jueluo." Ali didn't know much about the history of the empire.

Shaojie said: "That is my ancestor. As a Manchu, he established a country and killed so many people in the empire. According to our tradition, he would be exterminated. Even if the Manchu clan is not destroyed, the Aisin Gioro family should be destroyed. But the empire did not, and he also gave us Aisin Gioro power.

I enjoy power very much. To be honest, in Suez, I also built a luxurious residence for myself. But when I knew that the so-called restoration of Tunisia was a total scam, and out of laziness, timidity and too much trust in you, I helped you cheat too much financial support from the Empire's Overseas Affairs Department, I felt guilty.

I can’t contribute to this country, but I can’t stand my hurting him. Anyone can do it, but Aisin Gioro can’t do it. I was so guilty that I wanted to end my life, but His Highness Yu gave me a chance again.”

"What did he say, have you told him about the matter here?" Ali widened his eyes. He had little contact with Li Junwei, but he knew the power of the King Yu, and his temperament. If King Yu thought it was necessary, he would do everything he could to himself.

Shaojie nodded: "Yes, I told him. King Yu gave me two choices, one was to go home and the other was to come to Tunisia to solve this problem. And I chose the latter because I am an ambitious person. If I can achieve results here, I can also enter the center of the empire and become a truly powerful person.

Instead of becoming a silly snake in this country, you will not be drunk and dreaming of death.”

Ali nodded, and he guessed that Shaojie had a new plan. Because Shaojie understood and showed his current situation, either he would be able to break the ground or he would be able to ascend to heaven. Ali said: "This is the future you are talking about, what about hope?"

Shaojie said: "I hope that if you are not with me, you still have hope of returning to you. The empire may not necessarily abandon you. You and I have a chance to go further."

Ali pressed the cigarette's butt hard into the ashtray and said, "I am very moved by what you said. But you know me, and I know you. Do you think I will now express a repentance and fight the Europeans to the end? Even if I say that, will you believe it?"

"I don't believe it, because what you are best at is not leading troops to fight, but performing." Shaojie met Ali's eyes without fear and said.

Ali nodded: "I knew it was the result, so, let me tell you, what else can I do to regain your trust and His Highness Yu."

"Leave Tunisia, leave your gentleness." Shaojie said in a surprising way.

Ali was stunned for a while and asked, "You made me and my subordinates turn into foxes in the desert again and walk between the Sahara Desert? Do you think this is possible?" Ali spread out his hands that embellished various jewelry and said, "Do you think these hands can still wave the saber?"

Shaojie hugged his chest with his hands: "I am not as stupid as you. There is an old Chinese saying that from simple to extravagant is easy, from extravagant to simple. The body of the house that lives here cannot be placed in the tent no matter what. The only thing that can be carried is the coffin."

"Then where did you go to leave Tunisia?" Ali asked.

Shaojie said: "Go to Egypt."

"Egypt!" Ali exclaimed and asked, "Why is it Egypt."

Shaojie said: "Because of your stupidity, greed for enjoyment and deception, the European colonists have gained a foothold in North Africa. I have received some news that their next goal is Egypt. And our other friend, Amal Pasha, is leaving Egypt. Because he is going to Istanbul and become a Vizier, who will succeed his father, become prime minister, and take over the Ottoman Empire in the future."

Ali fell into deep thought, and Shaojie continued to persuade: "Unlike your enjoyment in the past few years, Amal has done a lot of work. He used the funds generated by Egypt and the Suez Canal, the assistance of the empire, and the officers of Prussians to train a strong enough army, but this army has no commander.

If you go to Egypt and become the commander of this army, it will only take ten years and Egypt will be yours. This is also the purpose of your cooperation with us at the beginning, right?"

Ali returned in a trance to the time when he first met King Yu. As Shaojie said, Ali was just an unknown soldier who lost power due to political struggles and emerged with the support of the empire. At that time, the big cake that King Yu Li Junwei painted for him was to become the master of Egypt. Even launching a holy war against the colonists was just a way. Originally, this war allowed him to accumulate reputation and build an army.

It’s just that the goal is too ambitious and Alibaba has almost forgotten it.

"Ali, Pasha in Egypt is also Pasha, and Pasha in Tunisia is also Pasha, but do you know the difference between the two?" Shaojie asked.

Ali sneered. Although they were all Pasha, they were different. Tunisia he had was only 300,000 to 400,000. Egypt, due to the opening of the Suez Canal and the promotion of cotton planting, as well as the Ottoman Empire's reform of Egypt and the refugees fled in the North African colonial war over the past 20 years, Egypt's population soared. According to imperial estimates, when the empire invested in digging the Suez Canal, Egypt's population was only about 4.5 million, but now, Egypt's population has reached 7 million.

With a population of seven million, this is a big country in Europe and is of the same size as the United Kingdom.

"Unless you can prove that I can really become Pasha in Egypt, I will never..." Ali said. But this was interrupted by Shaojie from the beginning. Shaojie said: "I am not a god, nor the empire is the master of the world. No one can guarantee that you will become Pasha in Egypt.

I can only tell you that if you enjoy the peace and prosperity of the present, the Empire will withdraw all assistance to you. Whether you kill me or not is the result. It is not difficult to find a new fox in the desert, and there are also many Ottoman generals who covet the position of Pasha in Egypt."

Ali asked: "Since that's the case, why did you choose me?"
Chapter completed!