‘Nothing we do makes a difference,’ Napoleon complained bitterly to his staff at one of his weekly briefings. ‘Now they attack us almost every day.’
Berthier coughed. ‘With respect, sir, the peasants are not involved in the resistance. It’s mostly what’s left of the Mameluke forces and the Bedouin, raiding from the desert.’
‘But who is supporting them?’ Napoleon shot back. ‘Who is feeding them? Who is passing on intelligence about our movements and the strength of our patrols? The peasant scum, that’s who.’
‘They probably have no choice in the matter, sir. The fellahin are caught between us and the enemy.They’ll swear that they are loyal to us, and the moment we pass on and the enemy turn up they’ll swear loyalty to Murad Bey.You can hardly blame them.’
‘I’m not going to blame them, Berthier. I’m going to teach them a lesson. A very hard lesson, and if they are sensible they will profit from it. I want a declaration issued. I want a thousand copies of it printed off and sent to every town and village in Egypt. From now on, if any French soldiers are murdered, there will be reprisals. If it occurs in the cities or towns then ten natives will be executed for each French life taken. If our patrols are attacked in the country then the nearest village will be burned to the ground and all livestock slaughtered.The heads of those we execute will be prominently displayed as a warning to others.’ Napoleon paused to let his words sink in, then he continued. ‘We will establish order in Egypt, gentlemen. However many lives it costs. And then we shall have peace.’
Some of the staff officers shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, but no one raised any protest, and then Berthier nodded. ‘Very well, sir. I’ll see that to it that the declaration is drafted.’
‘Good.’ Napoleon felt some of the tension drain from him, and he crossed over to the window and gazed out over the rooftops of Cairo. ‘The sooner these people are on our side the better. Especially given the wider situation. Speaking of which . . . Junot, are you ready to make your report?’
‘Yes, sir.’ Junot rose to his feet and cleared his throat before he began. ‘According to our spies, the enemy still fighting us in lower Egypt amounts to some fifteen thousand mounted Arabs, and perhaps as many as fifty thousand infantry. Fortunately for us they have not evolved any effective tactics for engaging our columns. They cannot break our infantry squares and they cannot endure against our massed volleys. So they are limited to the raids that we have been dealing with. They are further weakened by internal disputes between various tribes and religious factions. Accordingly, they do not pose a significant danger to us.The real danger comes from outside.’Junot approached the large map of the region that had been painted on to the wall of the staff officers’ briefing room. He picked up a cane and raised it up to the eastern coast of the Mediterranean and lightly tapped the name of a coastal town. ‘I speak of Ahmad Pasha, the ruler of Acre and the Turkish province of Syria. Our latest report, from a merchant who called into Acre for supplies a month ago, is that Ahmad Pasha has amassed an army of fifty thousand men, together with a sizeable artillery train. He has also been feeding supplies and men across the Sinai to support the rebels opposing us in Egypt. That is why they have become more ambitious in their attacks on our forces recently. As a result the general sent a message to Ahmad Pasha demanding that this cease, and offering to agree a peace treaty.’ Junot paused. ‘The merchant reports that the officer sent to deliver the message has been executed.’
There was a ripple of angry muttering from the officers and Junot waited until they were silent again before continuing. ‘A formal protest has been sent to the Turkish Sultan in Constantinople, demanding that he censure Ahmad Pasha. That might not count for much, but if Ahmad Pasha can be made to think that he is threatened from Turkey if he leads his army against us, then at least he might think twice about throwing his lot in with Murad Bey.’ When Junot sat down, Napoleon was gazing into his courtyard. Pauline and a few of the other officers’ wives and mistresses were sitting by a fountain chatting happily. He felt tired, and in need of a break from his official duties. More than anything he desired to be in the arms of Pauline. Then at least he would be spared the weighty concerns of commanding his isolated army.
‘That is all for today, gentlemen.You are dismissed.’
Chapter 41
‘The Sultan’s declared war on France?’ Napoleon stared at Berthier as his chief of staff lowered the dispatch he had been reading to his general. ‘How can that be? Talleyrand is supposed to be in Constantinople concluding a treaty.’
Berthier indicated the report. ‘He never left Paris, sir.’
Napoleon breathed in sharply through his nostrils and then hissed. ‘The bastard . . . So now we’re at war with the Sultan as well as Ahmad Pasha.’
‘It’s more than just a war, sir.The Sultan has issued a firman to all Muslims declaring a holy war against France.’
‘A holy war, eh?’ Napoleon clasped his hands behind his back and turned to the map on the wall. ‘He can have his war, then. No doubt he will try to attack us on two fronts. From Syria in the east, together with a landing near Alexandria, a pincer movement. I’m sure our friends in the Royal Navy will be lending the Turks their full support, so we must deny the English the use of the harbours at Jaffa and Acre. If we move swiftly, Berthier, we can advance to Acre, deal with Ahmad Pasha and destroy the Sultan’s army at Damascus, then fall back to Egypt to counter the other pincer. In the longer term, of course, we will need to occupy Syria to act as a buffer between Turkey and Egypt. And from there we could even march east to India.’ Napoleon’s mind recalled a report he had read in a bundle of newspapers taken from a merchant ship by one of the frigates that had survived the slaughter in Aboukir Bay. ‘The sooner we can turn our attention towards India the better. The British have appointed a new Governor General, the Earl of Mornington. The man has ambitions to extend British power right across the subcontinent, if newspaper reports are to believed. France cannot permit that. But first we must take Syria.’
‘Yes, sir,’ Berthier replied evenly. ‘Provided we have the reinforcements we have requested from Paris.’
‘It’s always a question of reinforcements. If those fools in Paris could see any further than the ends of their noses, we would have received more men long ago. They seem to think we can achieve miracles, Berthier.’
‘You have before, sir.’
‘Yes, well, the magic will run out one day.’ Napoleon laughed. ‘But not for a while yet, eh?’
Ten thousand men were left behind in Egypt to keep order and guard against any attempt made by the Turks to land an army by sea. Napoleon gave orders for the four depleted divisions of Reynier, Bon, Kléber and the recently promoted Lannes to gather at the frontier depot of Katia, together with Murat’s cavalry and the engineering and artillery trains.The army was not ready to advance until early in February, when General Reynier and the advance guard started their march across the Sinai desert. Napoleon joined the main body a week later, and was greeted by Berthier as he wearily swung himself down from the saddle and beat the worst of the dust off his jacket.
‘Sir, it’s good to see you.’
‘And you, Berthier. What news have we had from Reynier? He must have reached Syria by now.’
‘No, sir. He hasn’t.’ Berthier looked agitated.
‘What’s happened?’
‘He’s been forced to stop at El Arish, about fifty miles from here. The enemy have built a strong fort, with a large garrison. Reynier is besieging it.’
Napoleon whacked his hat against his thigh and swore. ‘Very well, show me on the map.’