Napoleon Pasha: AHC

Easiest solution is that for some reason he doesn't organise the defence of the Convention in 1795, say he's somewhere else and can't intervene or he isn't given complete autonomy but is put under Barras and so gets the hump. Without the massive boost of fame and patronage that he received from it he's sent on the French military mission to the Ottoman Empire a week later that he was scheduled to go with. After a number of years training the Sultan's troops he sees an opportunity for personal advancement and joins the army as an officer and rapidly climbs the greasy pole [insert plausable events here since I can't be bothered at the moment].
 
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