ancient greece mediterranean ruler

Chapter 755 Serinus Sea Battle ([-])

Now that the problem has been solved, Annobas still stands still. Of course Pomirka will send someone to question him.

In this regard, Annobas's answer was: The Iberian fleet has just been integrated, and it will take some time to train and strengthen understanding and cooperation.

A few days later, Annobas finally arrived at the city of Lilibi and told Bomirka: "I have gathered all the warships, and I will be able to escort your troop transport fleet and reinforce Selinus tomorrow. I hope You are ready now."

"Tomorrow?" Pomirka looked out the window at the sky covered with thick clouds, feeling a little uneasy. He said hesitantly: "I heard from my subordinates that the experienced sailors at the port judged tomorrow based on the weather in the past few days. In the next two days, there will not only be continuous rainfall in the southwestern waters of Sicily, but also strong winds and waves, making it risky for ships to sail on the sea."

Anobas responded calmly: "Because of the risks, the Dionysian fleet is likely to hide in the port and dare not go out to sea, so our fleet can enter the port of Serinus smoothly."

"But what if the Dionia fleet is dispatched?" Bomirka asked cautiously.

"That's the great opportunity I've been waiting for to defeat the Dionysian fleet!" Annobas's eyes flashed and he said confidently: "Who is more adaptable to the sea conditions here, who has better boating skills, and who is more interested in this area?" Whoever is more familiar with the sea area will win this naval battle! And the warships controlled by our Carthaginian sailors will undoubtedly have the advantage!
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Early the next morning, the Carthaginian squadrons that received the order set off from their respective ports of call and rushed to the sea near the port of Lippi to assemble.And in the port, hundreds of laborers and slaves are moving food to the cargo ships docked at the pier, and teams of soldiers are also boarding the passenger ships in an orderly manner...

Countless ships were crowded in the port, and countless workers were busy among them... Such a busy scene reflected Bomilka's eyes, but a bit of nervousness inevitably appeared on his face: "Annobasi, the next ship The safety of the team depends entirely on you!" He said expectantly to the navy commander beside him.

Anrobas said calmly: "Don't worry! As long as we work together, even if the Dionia fleet appears, we are confident in sending them to the sea to feed the fish! Are you right, Admika?"

"Yes, General Annobas, the Iberian fleet is happy to defeat the Dionia fleet under your command and create convenience for Lord Mago's land attack." Admika replied seemingly respectfully.

Bomirka turned to look at these two important figures in the Carthage fleet, frowned, and hesitated to speak.

At this time, Anrobas said: "The wind is rising."

"It's northwest wind." Admika said immediately.

Pomilka saw waves on the sea surface in the port, and then he felt a chill on his face and hurriedly stretched out his hand to touch: It's raining!
In the blink of an eye, the beach under his feet was hit by raindrops and made dense pits. He couldn't help but secretly feel lucky that he had prepared the fleet to prevent rain in advance.

The rain also accelerated preparations across the fleet.Not long after, the lord of Lilibi City, Semimre, came to inform Pomilka that the fleet was ready.

"Let's get on the ship and get ready to set off!" After Annobas finished speaking, he walked to the military port not far away. Admika followed closely behind. The Iberian fleet was docked in the military port, and there was another ship. The special warship is Annobas's ship. It has its own name - the two-headed dragon.

Before the rise of Syracuse, Carthage was already a maritime power in the Western Mediterranean. A hundred years ago, all the city-states in the Western Mediterranean knew that Carthage was the maritime overlord of the Western Mediterranean. Even if it happened with Syracuse in the past few decades, There were victories and defeats in each war, but in real sea battles, Carthage never suffered a defeat (Carthage's two naval defeats were caused by being trapped in the harbor and unable to use its advantages).The Carthaginian navy relied not only on its large population reserve with rich navigation experience, but also on its technological advantages accumulated over hundreds of years. The Carthaginians have always been at the forefront of innovation in navigation technology in the Mediterranean.

Especially in the past ten years, Dionia replaced Syracuse and became the overlord of the Greek city-states in the Western Mediterranean. Its naval strength actually made Carthage feel threatened, although Carthage's focus has shifted Developing inland in Africa, but maritime trade is the foundation of Carthage. It is the advantage of the sea that has led to Carthage's strength and prosperity. How could they easily give it to others, so the Carthage shipwrights Developed a four-layer paddle warship.

This is a warship that is taller, longer, and wider than the trireme, the main warship popular among the Mediterranean forces. It has a maximum of 250 sailors, and has four rows of oars on each side. Therefore, its maximum speed is slightly slower than that of a trireme, and its overweight hull makes its steering less flexible. However, its wide deck is enough to accommodate a large number of soldiers for hand-to-hand combat, and precisely because of its huge hull , the Carthaginians reinforced it, so it has additional protection capabilities when facing impact tactics. It also rarely uses impact tactics in combat, and relies more on grappling hooks to pull itself apart. Fixed together with the enemy ships and carried out gang-hopping operations. This was obviously a warship designed for the Dionian Navy.

Of course, the Carthaginians, whose traditional naval tactics and traditional warships have been popular for hundreds of years, are wary of this new warship. So far, they have only built 20 ships, scattered among various squadrons, and even As the ship of all naval admirals.

The flagship Annobas was riding was different. It was a huge warship made up of two four-layered oars. The Carthaginian shipwrights spent three years solving many problems. It was developed due to technical difficulties.It lowered the height of the ship, used the strongest wooden boards to tightly weld the two bottoms together from bow to stern, and then built tall towers on the wide deck to become a real sea fortress.There are enough sailors, soldiers, and archers stationed in the city tower, which will be a disaster for any enemy ship that wants to join forces to fight.Of course, there is no doubt about her slow sailing speed.

The two-headed dragon is a legendary sea monster in Carthage. It often raises huge waves, sinks ships, and devours crew members. It is the nightmare of Carthage children when they were young.The Carthaginians obviously had great expectations when they named the flagship of the Carthaginian fleet after a two-headed dragon.

The two-headed dragon left the military port. The entire sea outside the military port was already full of warships, rising and falling under the surging tide, like a floating forest. The addition of the Iberian fleet expanded the area. The area of ​​​​the "forest".

Annobas divided the huge fleet into three parts: front, middle and rear: he was in the middle and let the Iberian fleet be in the rear, which seemed to show his selflessness.

At the same time, in view of some rough waves on the sea, he ordered the entire fleet to stay away from the coast. The warships widened the distance and lowered the sails, but they must maintain a high degree of concentration to prevent falling out of the team.

When more than a dozen bugles on the two-headed dragon sounded, this huge fleet with a frontal width of ten miles and a column of ten miles began to move along the coast towards Selinus. They wanted to open up a way for the fleet behind them. Create a safe sea lane.

Strangely enough, when the fleet began to move forward, the wind and waves gradually subsided and the rain stopped.The crew all thought that this was the sea god protecting them, and they were all very excited.

The land distance from Lilibi to Selinus was more than 90 miles, and the sea route was even further. Moreover, due to wind and waves, the Carthaginian fleet did not reach the sea near Selinus until noon.

Annobus ordered the fleet to be placed on the sea east of Selinus and to remain vigilant.

After giving the order, he sat in the spacious and comfortable tower, and while eating a steaming lunch, he talked to his subordinates. There was no tense atmosphere where war might break out at any time, let alone the chilly sea breeze outside.

In fact, Annobas had some contradictions in his heart: the Iberian fleet had just been integrated and needed time to adjust, and they had suffered a defeat before and needed time to restore their morale.But at the same time, as a proud Carthaginian naval admiral, he was also eager to personally try the strength of the Dionian navy, which had remained strong in the Western Mediterranean for many years, to dampen its spirit and let them try the Carthaginian navy. Very powerful.

He drank two sips of syrup, took the cloth towel handed over by the servant, wiped his mouth, and then stood up.He is already in his 50s, and his digestive ability has deteriorated. He usually doesn't eat much, but today he unknowingly ate a lot. His stomach was bloated and felt a little uncomfortable. He was pacing back and forth to help digestion. .

At this time, Captain Two-Headed Dragon came in and reported: "General, the fleet has begun to enter the port!"

"Have you found anything to the east?" Annobus asked.

"I haven't received a report yet."

"I hope the fleet can unload the cargo sooner, so we can return sooner. The current weather is really worrying!" The adjutant said worriedly: "Even if Dionia's fleet finds us, I'm afraid they won't dare to come out." .”

Annobas did not speak and looked out the window silently: the clouds almost completely blocked the sunlight. 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.

"Go and urge the fleet to speed up the progress!" Finally, Annobas said.

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On the mast of the four-story oar warship at the forefront of the Carthage fleet, the watchman hugged the wooden pillar with both hands and looked forward with difficulty. The dark clouds hanging above his head made him a little frightened. He complained to the captain in his heart: How could the Dionia fleet go to sea in such bad weather? There is no need for me to stay on the mast all the time. In case of heavy rain or thunder, it is no joke! "

(End of this chapter)