However, because the goods were highly valuable, there were also more escorts. According to that merchant, the Italian caravan had hired the French regular army for protection, with a force that might have been over one battalion, or nearly 2,000 men.
The officer immediately transported the plunder back to the town, and sent word back to Tripoli City.
In the white palace of Tripoli, Ben Guerir's eyes lit up when he heard that goods worth up to 700,000 Rials would be landing at Tetouan.
700,000 Rials, which amounted to over 15 million livres! That was an amount no warlord could resist.
Especially since the British had only paid a small portion of the "benefit" they had promised, 100,000 British Pounds, and then suddenly there was no follow-up, it was nearly a death sentence for him.
