eastern european eagle

Chapter 491 The Battle of Cagliari
In the port of Palermo in Sicily, hundreds of workers are carrying food to the cargo ships docked at the dock, while groups of soldiers are also boarding passenger ships in an orderly manner...

Countless ships were crowded in the port, and countless workers were busy among them... Such a busy scene came into Leta's eyes, but a bit of nervousness inevitably appeared on his face: "The safety of this fleet depends entirely on it. General!" He said expectantly to Nikephorus, the Roman naval commander beside him.

Nikephorus said calmly: "Don't worry! As long as we work together, even if the Aragon fleet appears, we are confident in sending them to the sea to feed the fish!"

Before the re-emergence of Rome, Aragon and Castile were already maritime powers in the Western Mediterranean. After the decline and demise of maritime republics such as Venice and Genoa, the navies of the three Iberian countries were the most powerful fleets in the Western Mediterranean. .

After Rome rose again, the three countries realized the threat of the empire and continued to develop their navies. However, there was not much progress due to funding and various problems. However, Rome had already caught up with the power of the government, and with the craftsmen obtained from Venice, the Roman navy had become a decisive force in the Mediterranean.

The army slowly set off from Palermo. This time there was not only the Roman navy, but also the Naples navy. Laszlo approved that the Naples fleet was also under the command of Nicephorus. Hoping to completely defeat the Iberian Navy.

They headed west, and their main mission was to find the main force of the Iberian navy for a decisive battle. Other missions included destroying pirates, plundering merchant ships, and attacking Mallorca when conditions permitted, but in the end they wanted to destroy the opponent's navy.

Nikephoros divided the huge fleet into three parts: the front, middle and rear. He was stationed in the middle. At the same time, in view of some wind and waves on the sea, he ordered the entire fleet to stay away from the coast. The warships widened the distance between them and lowered the sails, but kept Be highly focused and avoid falling out of line.

After Nikephorus gave the order, he sat in the spacious and comfortable cabin, eating a steaming lunch and talking to his men. There was no tense atmosphere of war that might break out at any time, and he couldn't feel the tension outside. Chilling sea breeze.

At this time, the forward messenger came over and reported: "General, the fleet has begun to move towards Barcelona!"

"I haven't received a report yet."

Nikephorus did not speak and looked out the window silently: the clouds almost completely blocked the sun. It was obviously noon, but it seemed like dusk. The sky was filled with dark clouds and the sea was pitch black. The sea and sky were the same color in the distance, making it impossible to see far. . Although the rain stopped and the wind stopped at this time, the air was filled with thick water vapor.

"Have you discovered anything to the west?" asked Nikephorus.

"The current weather is really worrying!" the adjutant said worriedly: "Even if the Iberian fleet discovers us, I'm afraid they won't dare to come out."

"The storm is coming..." Nikephoros said.

----split line----

In order to fight against Rome, the three Iberian countries used all their navies. They gathered in Barcelona and harassed the coast of Rome. The Eastern Mediterranean cannot be entered, and the Western Mediterranean must be defended.

As the commander-in-chief of the three-nation joint navy, Garcia has rich naval experience. Although most of them came from pirates, he is still the most experienced commander. He has full confidence in this battle with the Roman Navy. Not only are they large in number, but the Roman Navy has only been in development for ten years, and their navy has been developed for hundreds of years. They will definitely be crushed in the battle.

The combined fleet was sailing in the Balearic Sea, preparing to transport soldiers to Cagliari again. The watchman of the vanguard ship was scouting the surroundings. Suddenly he blinked his eyes, hooked his right hand and right foot on the mast, stretched his whole body forward, and left his left hand. Put it on his forehead, his eyes widened: Under the dim sky in the distance, a few black spots appeared on the sea... After a while, the black spots doubled, and after a while...

The watchman was all excited and immediately shouted: "Enemy ship found!"

On July 1411, 7, just as Rome was launching an all-round counterattack on the European continent, the combined navies of Rome and Naples and the combined Iberian fleet met in the waters near Cagliari. The first collision between the Eastern and Western navies began.

The Roman navy had 200 galleys and carracks, 1100 large and small cannons, 50000 sailors and 150 soldiers. The Iberian coalition had 30000 galleys, 22000 sailors, 100 soldiers, and artillery pieces.

The focus of the Roman navy has always been on mass construction of Clark sailing ships. Shipyards in Constantinople, Constanta and other places are also producing vigorously. Unlike other countries' Clark sailing ships, Rome's ships are equipped with multi-layer decks. , in order to install a larger gun base and increase the power. The largest ship can carry 24 artillery pieces, which greatly increases its power.

As noon approached, the two armies were not far apart. Nikephorus's flagship, Belisarius, fired a cannon challenge, and Garcia's flagship, the King, fired a cannon response, and the two flagships raised their flags. The Roman right-wing fleet took the lead in firing on the opposite side, breaking the Iberian fleet's battle line and sinking many enemy warships.

Iberia also used artillery to counterattack, but was at a disadvantage both in quantity and quality. The two sides soon moved from artillery fire to hand-to-hand combat, and the soldiers on the ship began to fight.

Close combat can be said to be Iberia's last chance to counterattack. During this period, Iberia produced a large number of daggers to equip the sailors, because only such lightweight and compact weapons would not affect their paddling and at the same time allow them to Has some self-defense and counterattack capabilities.

However, it was impossible to take advantage of the large number of people on a long and narrow warship. Most of these civilians who served as sailors had not received formal infantry training and were completely unable to compete with the aggressive Roman fleet infantry.

The daily training intensity of these Roman fleet infantry is not weaker than that of the army. Not only do they need to be proficient in close combat and long-range attacks, they also invest more energy in two trainings: rapid landing operations and long-distance swimming. Therefore, the Roman fleet infantry was well-trained, and the Iberian sailors were equipped with daggers. Although it caused them a little trouble, it soon collapsed under their rapid attack.

In the afternoon, the middle fleets of the two armies also began to fight. The Iberian fleet waited for the enemy ships to approach before launching an artillery attack, causing great damage to the Turkish fleet. Belisarius rammed directly into the König, and a fierce battle ensued between the two flagships. The Romans briefly had the advantage, and a large number of soldiers swarmed the King, but other ships provided timely support and stabilized the Iberian front.

The Roman fleet gradually gained the advantage, and other ships supported the Belisarius, repelling the Iberian soldiers and launching a counterattack. All the crew of the King, including Garcia, were killed, and the ship was captured by Roman soldiers. The Roman flag was hoisted on the King's masthead, and the surrounding Iberian soldiers collapsed. After two hours of fighting, the Iberian fleet on the right and center had been defeated, although the battle would continue for another two hours.

The Roman fleet, which had completely established the victory, began to clear the battlefield, and sporadic fighting continued into the night. Many Iberian soldiers still resisted, and some who ran out of ammunition threw fruits at the enemy, triggering ridicule from the Roman soldiers.

Corpses of soldiers littered the sea. Rome captured 4500 galleys and sunk 57 enemy ships at a cost of 50 dead. Iberia lost 20000 soldiers and sailors and left behind a large number of prisoners.

(End of this chapter)