The French fleet set out from the port of Toulon and headed due south and west, and after several days of sailing, finally reached the waters near the Egyptian port of Alexandria.

Since the reason for Jérôme Bonaparte's trip was to visit Egypt and Syria (or the Ottoman Empire), he had to separate from the fleet near Egypt.

The ironclad ship "Napoleon", which carried foreign military attachés, continued to set off for the scheduled exercise site, while Jérôme Bonaparte and Friedrich Bonaparte, father and son, were alone in an ironclad ship called "Marseille".

Standing on the deck and looking out at the fleet, Jérôme Bonaparte turned to the captain of the ironclad "Marseille" to apologize.

"I'm sorry that I can't get you and your ship to participate in the military exercise due to my personal reasons!!"

In the face of Jérôme Bonaparte's apology, the captain hurriedly said to Jérôme Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, the Marseille is an honor for me and all the crew on board to be your escort on your visit to Egypt!

As far as I know, many captains have cast jealous glances at me when they hear that the Marseille has become the Emperor's imperial ship!

If they could, I think they would be more than willing to trade with me!"

Jérôme Bonaparte smiled when he heard the captain's flattering reply.

Subsequently, under the command of the captain, the ironclad "Marseille" set off again for Alexandria.

Since the ship was still a few nautical miles away from Alexandria, the ship finally arrived near Alexandria after another 20 minutes at sea.

Looking through the telescope towards Alexandria, the whole of Alexandria looks like a crescent-shaped arc sunken inward, where many ships sailing to and from the Mediterranean choose to trim themselves and set off again.

Before the opening of the Suez Canal, the port of Alexandria was still slightly less than the port of Marseille.

But that doesn't mean Alexandria is a little-known port.

If you were to rank the ports of the entire Mediterranean, the Port of Alexandria would not be too low.

More than 10,000 ships dock in Alexandria every year, and Egypt can make a lot of money just by berthing the cost of berthing to and from the ships.

Not to mention, the crew anchored in the port will also experience the "customs" of Egypt during their stay, so that not only Egypt's service industry is prosperous.

Alexandria can be said to be one of the few "cornucopias" in the whole of Egypt.

Of course, Alexandria really surpassed Marseille and Constantinople to become the richest port in the entire Mediterranean after the opening of the Suez Canal.

When the Suez Canal is fully opened, it only takes a hint from the Egyptian government that ships traveling to and from Europe and Asia will voluntarily dock at Alexandria.

By that time, the port of Alexandria will have more than ten times more calls than it does now.

"Tut-tut! This port is like a natural cornucopia!"

Jérôme Bonaparte, who was well aware of Alexandria's "glorious future", put down his binoculars and casually sighed to the captain beside him.

"Your Majesty, the ports of Alexandria are nowhere near as large as Marseille, but they are a necessary route between the Ottoman Empire and Europa!

Therefore, it can also be called a high-quality port." The captain did not know what Jérôme Bonaparte was thinking, and explained to Jérôme Bonaparte in a decent manner.

While Jérôme Bonaparte was talking to the captain, a wooden sail warship with more than a dozen guns slowly approached the ironclad on which Jérôme Bonaparte was riding.

Immediately afterwards, the lookout on the wooden sail warship waved two flags in his hand and sent a flag to the lookout on the sail of the ironclad ship. (The ironclad still has sails and lookouts.)

The lookout on the lookout used a telescope to observe the flag and reported the meaning of the flag to the deck

。

"Your Majesty, the other party asked us which country's fleet we are!

Why do you want to be close to Alexandria?" The captain translated the flag and reported to Jérôme Bonaparte.

Jérôme Bonaparte immediately ordered the French tricolor to be hoisted, and at the same time used the flag to inform them that they were visiting Egypt.

When the lookout on the Egyptian wooden warship looked at the raised French flag and also saw the flag signal from the other side's lookout, he also reported to the deck.

"It's a French warship, and they said they came here to visit Egypt!"

After hearing that the other party was visiting Egypt, Major General Say, who was on the deck, immediately thought of a message from Cairo.

It is reported that the Emperor of the French Empire will pay a state visit to Egypt in the near future.

"The Emperor of France won't be in this ship!" Sei muttered quietly.

At the same time, Brunais, the naval advisor who was tasked with assisting *** Say, was also aware that there might be a French emperor on board the ironclad ship.

If the guests on the ship were really His Majesty the Emperor himself, then wouldn't I be developed!

Brunay couldn't help but feel ecstatic.

As a mid-level military officer who had little chance of meeting the Emperor in his life, Brunet knew how much a face in front of the Emperor would help him in the future.

If Brunay can really leave a good impression in the emperor's heart, then Brunet's life may usher in a huge turnaround.

Adhering to the choice of "I'd rather kill by mistake than let go", Brunay immediately suggested that *** Sai get closer to this ironclad ship.

"Your Excellency Colonel! If the guest on this ship is really His Majesty the Emperor, then I think it is necessary for us to meet him!!

It's good for both of us in the future!"

Brunay suggested to *** Say.

Sae also realized that this could be an opportunity to improve.

So, under the order of *** Sai, the flag-whisperers on the lookout sent a request to the ironclad to get closer.

The captain of the ship, who was holding a scope in one hand, saw the salute of the opposing ship clearly, and quickly reported to Jérôme Bonaparte.

Jérôme Bonaparte thought for a moment, then nodded, "Tell them that we will allow them to come closer!"

The flag-whisperers on the lookout also signaled, and the wooden sail battleship began to move closer to the ironclad.

Soon, the two ships were moving side by side.

At this moment, Brunay also held a sight glass in his hand.

Through the mirror, Brunet saw the French Emperor standing on deck.

Immediately, Brunay hurriedly put down the scope in his hand and said excitedly to *** Sai beside him, "Prepare a dinghy quickly, I will go to meet Your Majesty!"

"His Majesty the Emperor is really on this ship?!!

"It's true!" Brunay said in a firm tone.

A dinghy was lowered from the wooden battleship, and the dinghy was carried by Brunais and *** Say.

As the dinghy approached the ironclad, the ironclad also lowered a wooden platform powered by steam, and Brunay and *** Say stood on the platform to board the ironclad.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness!"

"Your Majesty, Your Highness!"

As soon as Brunay and *** Sai boarded the ironclad, they hurriedly bowed to the two most honorable people on the entire ironclad.

Jérôme Bonaparte glanced at Brunais with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Subsequently, Brunet took the initiative to introduce himself to Jérôme Bonaparte.

He was originally a lieutenant commander in the French Imperial Navy, and was invited by Governor Said to arrive in Egypt as a naval military adviser.

After Brunay introduced himself, he also did not forget to introduce *** Sai next to him.

"Your Majesty, this is Rear Admiral *** Say, currently serving as the commander of the First Fleet in Alexandria!"

"Thank you!" Jérôme Bonaparte bowed slightly, and then asked curiously, "How many fleets are there in Alexandria?"

Sei lowered his head and said in shame, "Your Majesty, there is only one fleet in Alexandria at the moment!"

Jérôme Bonaparte was silent for a moment, then continued to ask, "How many warships do you have?"

"There are only three!"

Sey felt even more ashamed that his so-called fleet commander was nothing more than an empty shelf.

However, this is not to blame *** Said.

Since Ali's death, his son is reluctant to challenge the international order, so he is not only not interested in Ali's military policy, but also tries to weaken the power of the Egyptian army and navy.

This made the already dilapidated Egyptian navy even more dilapidated in the hands of Abbas and Said, and the entire Egypt had less than 10 fleets, equivalent to one-third of the number of *** Ali.

When Jérôme Bonaparte heard the figures, he immediately realized that he had come to the right place.

As long as Jérôme Bonaparte can prove to Said that Egypt needs a navy capable of guarding the coastal waters, Said will not skimp on his wallet.

Even if Said had no money in his hands, the zealous French consortium would have contributed generously to Egypt.

Of course, the price is the Egyptian part ***.

"General Say, I think Egypt must have a navy strong enough to defend itself in order to truly protect Alexandria!!" Jérôme Bonaparte said to *** Said, "When I arrive in Cairo to meet with Governor Said, who declares his kingdom internally and only Egypt externally, I will make a proposal to your governor!"

I think he'll agree with me!"

(After reading it, remember to bookmark it for next time!)