Glory to the French Navy: Admiral Napoleon, Conqueror of the World

Chapter 13 - Prelude to the British Maritime Empire's Ruin: Invasion of Egypt

By capturing the British fortress of Gibraltar and almost completely crushing Britain's stronghold in the Mediterranean, the maritime strategy of Great Britain, which would later rise to become the British Empire, should significantly regress.

Although the Suez Canal didn't exist in this era, once it was built, the route from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean will become even more crucial. However, for now, it would be difficult for Britain to regain control of the Mediterranean. Being inferior to France in shipbuilding capacity, they should fear the loss of ships.

Anyway, let's quickly proceed with the militarization of Ceuta. It would have been convenient if we could use Gibraltar as it is, but it's not wise to quarrel with Spain.

"Well then, let's fortify and industrialize the Gibraltar Strait as a monitoring and relay base."

My deputy, Marmont, responded. "Understood. I will inform the officers and sailors."

And so, I became fully engaged in the port development of Ceuta in Morocco, a Spanish colony, which is strategically located at the entrance to the Mediterranean.

"Good grief, it seems I won't be able to attend my wife's childbirth. This is the sad part of naval service."

"Well, that's true. But I don't think there's much difference compared to the Army."

While exchanging such remarks with Marmont, we continued with the port development.

By the time it was around 1798, the port development in Ceuta was finally completed, and it became fully available as a naval base. Therefore, we decided to return to Toulon, leaving behind a stationed fleet. Upon our return to Toulon, the French people welcomed us enthusiastically.

"Hero Napoleon!"

"The one who defeated Britain!"

Well, we didn't exactly defeat Britain, but France had been suffering from Britain's dominance for a long time, so it's not surprising that they were enthusiastic. Another reason might be that the performance of the Army is not particularly outstanding at the moment.

While conducting repairs and maintenance on the returned ships as usual, we began replacing frigates and corvettes with armored ships.

"We have more new armored ships now. That's good."

"Yes, with these, it'll be easier to annihilate those John Bulls."

"Well, they must be scrambling to produce them by now."

"So, Britain is going to be in dire straits."

"Hmm, that might be true."

And then, once the repairs and maintenance were completed as usual, we conducted patrol missions, exercises, and commerce raiding in the Mediterranean to prevent a decrease in readiness.

Of course, during this time, the soldiers were allowed to have shore leave, where those with families could visit them, while those without families or lovers could head to the brothels to lift their spirits. Of course, I'll also return to my beloved wife.

"Hey, Desirée, I'm back now."

I hugged her tightly and exchanged a kiss.

And I also saw the baby being fed by the nurse.

"I'm glad both you and the baby are safe."

Desirée smiled brightly. "Yes, I and the baby were both fine, but I felt lonely without you."

"I'm sorry about that. But for now, France and her people needed me."

Desirée smiled and said, "I know. But can you be my Napoleon for today?"

"Sure thing."

And so, in the evening, I enjoyed her homemade cooking after a long time.

Although I had been relaxing for a while, the next day I received an order: "As the Commander of the Eastern Expeditionary Force, lead the troops and establish French control over Egypt."

Hmm, it seemed that the Directory was annoyed with me. However, the plan to colonize Egypt had been in place since before.

Currently, Egypt is effectively in a state of anarchy, but its agricultural productivity is high thanks to the blessings of the Nile. Furthermore, if a canal is dug at Suez, maritime transport will change significantly. It would still take time to get there via the Cape of Good Hope.

It seemed that Talleyrand or someone else had decided that it was not wise to send us to attack Britain further, especially after we'd already successfully landed in Ireland. Talleyrand has just returned from exile, and his position is precarious, so he probably wouldn't mind if Egypt became a colony. Well, I also want to keep my distance from the Directory, which is no longer supported by the people. And completely cutting off communication with India, Britain's lifeline, will further pressure Britain.