The Navy Minister took a moment before he understood that the naval base the Crown Prince referred to was in places like Algiers and Tunisia, where Barbary pirates were entrenched.
"However, in the Barbary Coast region, the impact on the Ottoman Empire would be limited. The Gulf of Sidra might be more..."
Seeing him persist, Joseph subtly gave Brian a look. The latter immediately cleared his throat and said, "Marquis of Castries, you know that our finances are extremely tight, so there is no additional allocation for this operation."
No funding? Hearing this, the Navy Minister's enthusiasm deflated, muttering, "But even showing force near the Barbary Coast requires funds."
Joseph smiled, "That's why we need to bring in the United States and Spain for a joint operation."
Queen Mary looked with interest at her son, "Joseph, why involve Americans and Spaniards?"