Reincarnated as Napoleon II-Chapter 117: How to Properly Hold a Colony

Three days after the tricolor was raised above the Casbah, Algiers did not look like a conquered city.

It looked properly governed.

French sentries stood at the gates in pairs. Patrols moved through the main streets at steady intervals. The harbor remained under naval guns, but no ships fired now. Smoke from bombardment had long faded. What remained was tension.

Inside the former Palace of the Dey, Marshal Davout established his temporary headquarters. The throne chamber had been cleared of rugs and cushions. Long wooden tables replaced them. Maps of the city were laid flat and pinned at the corners. Local clerks stood on one side. French officers on the other.

"We will begin Phase one."

Colonel Valence nodded and began issuing written orders.

By mid-morning, detachments had sealed every major government building. The treasury. The tax office. The land registry. The religious court archives. Each entrance was marked with wax seals and guarded by two armed men.

Davout personally walked to the land registry building.

The interior smelled of dust and old ink. Shelves lined the walls, stacked with bound ledgers tied in cloth. Some were worn at the edges. Others are still stiff from recent use.

A French engineer stood beside a local scribe.

"These contain agricultural records," the engineer said. "Ownership, harvest tax, irrigation boundaries."

Davout ran a finger across one page.

"Copy them," he said.

"Immediately?"

"Yes. Start with coastal districts. Then the interior. Please don’t make any mistakes on copying it, it’s vital information we need to properly govern this place."

"Understood, Marshal."

Clerks were assigned to work in shifts. Translators were brought in from Marseille who spoke Arabic. Every critical record was to be copied. Every property boundary preserved. Why? That is because most empires failed in holding their colony.

In another chamber, waqf records were catalogued. Religious endowment properties—mosques, schools, hospitals—were listed carefully. Davout gave a clear order not to touch religious property.

Historically, France after the conquest of Algiers conducted the very opposite Marshal Davout was doing. That was burning, pillaging, looting, and a land reform that displaced thousands of locals. Not only that, administrative workers were replaced with French officials.

And in the process, they burned documents that were vital for running the colony. France may have won militarily but they don’t know how to rule Algiers, which led to a series of uprisings and revolts from the populace.

***

The message was repeated in Arabic and posted publicly.

By the end of the week, rumors of confiscation began to fade.

The second priority was leadership, not labor.

The Dey and the highest Ottoman officials had already departed under escort to Sicily. Their ships had sailed under French supervision. But the city still functioned because lower officials remained.

Local judges continued hearing disputes in shaded courtyards. Tax clerks reopened their counters under new oversight. Municipal record keepers reported to French administrators but were not dismissed.

Instead, French supervisors sat beside Algerian administrators. They observed. They took notes. They learned how the city functioned before they tried altering anything.

The third priority was security.

A proclamation was nailed to the gates of Bab Azoun, Bab el-Oued, and Bab el-Jedid.

Temporary martial law declared. Curfew after sunset. All firearms must be registered within seven days. Markets remain open. Religious institutions remain open. Private property protected.

On the first evening under curfew, patrols moved quietly through narrow streets. Lanterns hung above doorways. Families remained inside. There were no forced entries and random arrests.

At the harbor, French naval officers inspected the surrendered fleet. Algerian ships were inventoried, cannons were removed and catalogued, and powder stores were secured.

In the markets, trade resumed.

Spices returned to open trays. Cloth merchants unrolled bolts of fabric. Fishermen brought their morning catch to the docks again. French soldiers walked the lanes in pairs, rifles slung, but they did not interfere unless called.

Behind the scenes, engineers began measuring infrastructure.

Water supply channels were inspected. Wells were examined. Roadways leading inland were mapped properly for the first time by French surveyors. Bridges were marked for reinforcement.

Davout walked through the western quarter where bombardment damage had been heaviest.

Stone fragments still lay near collapsed walls. Local workers had already begun clearing debris. French engineers supervised but did not replace them.

Workers were paid from secured treasury funds for clearing main roads.

That decision traveled quickly through the city. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

In the religious quarter, imams continued leading prayer. French officers remained outside during services.

Agha Ibrahim had warned that sacred sites must not be disturbed. Davout had agreed.

If the Empire wanted to remain for generations, it could not begin with insult.

By the second week, weapons registration began.

Men lined outside designated checkpoints carrying muskets, pistols, blades. Each weapon was recorded. Some were stored temporarily. Others returned with stamped registration.

Resistance was limited. The show of force during the bombardment had settled arguments before they formed.

By the third week, administrative offices began operating under dual authority. French directives required written countersignature by both a French official and a local administrator.

A French financial officer took over oversight of tax flow. A local tax clerk remained in charge of collection logistics.

A French harbor master assumed authority over docking permissions. Local port workers continued managing daily operations.

At the palace, Davout reviewed reports each evening.

"Any disturbances?" he asked.

"Minor theft in the eastern quarter," Valence replied one night. "Handled by the local court."

"Casualties?"

"None."

"Public reaction?"

"None that would warrant your attention, Marshal."

Davout nodded. "Well, they are probably observing how we are running their state."

On the thirtieth day, a formal ceremony was held in the courtyard of the palace. Not elaborate. No parade.

A proclamation was read aloud in French and Arabic.

Algiers is now under the administration of the French Empire.

All property rights recognized. All religious institutions are protected. Taxes to be collected under new regulation. Public order to be maintained under Imperial authority.

From the balcony, Davout looked over the courtyard. Local officials stood beside French officers.

Beyond the walls, the city was alive as if nothing had happened.

Vendors shouted prices. Children ran through alleys. Ships unloaded goods at the harbor under new flags.

Valence stepped beside him.

"The first phase is complete," he said quietly.

Davout watched as clerks carried copied land ledgers into secured storage under French seal.

"I find it interesting that this would work without uprising," Davout said. "His Emperor, Napoleon II, was truly wise when it comes to administration."

"His Imperial Majesty was the one that instructed you to do this?"

Davout simply nodded in confirmation.