Chapter 1172
In the middle of this bay, there was an island called Eyna. More than a hundred years ago, it was still considered a powerful Greek state. Athens suffered a lot when it came to its navy. It was not until Themistocles suggested that Athens use most of its wealth to develop its navy that Athens gradually began to gain the upper hand in naval battles with Eyna. Finally, during the reign of Pericles, Athens entered a golden age. Without Sparta's intervention, Eyna was finally conquered and became the territory of Athens.
Eyna was annexed, and Salamis Island, which was not far from its northwest, also belonged to Athens. Therefore, the northern part of the bay was under Athens' control.
Although Sekerian made a shocking decision, he did not lose his rationality. He did not arrogantly let his fleet of warships break into the northern waters and provoke Athens. This was very likely to drag Athens, who was originally neutral, into the war at this time and add unnecessary trouble to the kingdom. Therefore, he let the fleet of warships sail through the southern part of Eyna Island.
Of course, this was also a risky decision. There were some small islands and reefs in the southern part of Eyna Island, and the route was relatively narrow. The warships of the 1st Flotilla, who were not familiar with the sea conditions here, could only form a long column and pass through at a slower speed. If a hostile Greek city-state fleet suddenly launched an attack at this time, the head and tail of the 1st Flotilla Fleet would not be able to coordinate with each other and would inevitably suffer greater losses.
In this sea area and the nearby waters, only Athens had a strong navy. According to the information provided by the Ministry of Military Affairs, Sekerian knew that there was a military port of Athens on Eyna Island, where some warships were docked. Therefore, Sekerian had long lost his previous ease and began to feel nervous.
The 1st Flotilla quickly divided into two columns and began to pass between Eyna Island and Meisana Island. Then, they carefully circled to the south of Agtistri Island. After that, they gradually increased their speed …
At this time, the southern coast of Eyna Island was full of the people of Athens. They stared at the three-oared warships sailing past them one after another. Their faces were full of astonishment.
"How … how many warships are there?!"
"I've been counting just now. 205 ships have passed by, and there's still a long way to go. I estimate that there are at least 400 ships!"
"This should be the fleet of Diónia. I heard that when they had a naval battle with the Carthage people, the total number of warships on both sides reached a thousand. At that time, I thought that the self-deprecating colonial kingdom was trying to intimidate the forces in the Western Mediterranean (Aristophanes' play" The Diónia "was popular in Athens, causing many people in Athens to think that the Greeks, the main body of Diónia, ignored their noble identity and took the initiative to integrate the indigenous people into their kingdom, giving them citizenship, and living together with them. This was a sign of self-deprecation) and deliberately exaggerated their strength. But now, it seems that it may be true!"
"400 warships is nothing. The total number of warships in Athens used to be more than this. Even if our warships are far fewer than theirs now, with our superb sailing skills, we can still defeat them in a naval battle!"
"Young man, it's good to have confidence, but don't blindly belittle the other party. We're all sailors. Take a closer look at their ships before you make an evaluation. The fleet of Diónia should not be familiar with the sea conditions here, but look at their speed. The distance between each row of warships and the row of warships behind them is always stable … In the narrower area in front, two warships of each row can easily make turns without slowing down, and there has never been a collision … This shows that the fleet of Diónia is well-trained, and their sailors are good at handling their ships. We must pay attention to them! "
"Hey! You guys, now that the fleet of Diónia has arrived at our doorstep, you still have the leisure to stand here and watch? Shouldn't you be dispatching our warships to prepare to protect our homeland?! "
"What do you know, a woman like you! Look at the direction of the Dionysian fleet, it doesn't look like they're coming for Athens. Besides, we haven't received the order to attack from the Executive Committee of the General. If we attack rashly and cause a war between Athens and Diónia, we may be condemned by the Assembly of Citizens! "
…
While the people of Athens were standing on Eyna Island and discussing, the vanguard of the 1st Flotilla had quickly arrived near the port of Cancoray, located in the eastern part of the isthmus of Corinth. The land here was concave inwards, forming a small bay. The warships of Diónia immediately blocked the mouth of the bay to prevent the ships from escaping.
The arrival of the 1st Flotilla was very coincidental. After the five troop carriers from Asia Minor entered the port of Cancoray, another two grain carriers from Asia Minor arrived near the port of Corinth. When they received the news that the Dionysian fleet had appeared in Sarons Bay, they panicked because of their guilty conscience. They swarmed into the port, causing panic and congestion at the entrance of the port. The port could not be closed for a while.
The warships of the 1st Flotilla seized the opportunity to rush into the port, trying their best to hit all the ships flying the flags of the city-states of Asia Minor that they could see, even though they had already docked at the port. In the process, in order to clear the route, they inevitably knocked over other ships …
The port of Cancoray was in chaos. The people on the shore were panicking and screaming … But for a while, the officials of Corinth at the port could not find any effective measures to stop the Diónia warships from wreaking havoc in the port.
The strength of the Corinth navy was considered good among the Greek city-states, but the Sarons Bay in the eastern part of the isthmus had always been the domain of the Athens, so all the warships were docked at the main port in the western part of the isthmus — Lekaeum. And even if the fleet was in the eastern port this time, they could not compare to the number of Diónia warships that were constantly pouring into the port.
In addition, more than a dozen raven warships docked at the port one after another, and the fleet's infantry immediately went ashore. But they did not go after the people of the port, nor did they try to seize the port. Instead, they lined up in a neat phalanx of nearly 500 people, holding shields and swords in their hands, and shouted in unison, "We only attack the cargo ships that transport troops and food for Sparta. We mean no harm to Corinth! We only attack — "
The shouting of the fleet's infantry was a little ridiculous, but it worked in the current chaotic situation: the Corinth fleet hesitated, and because of the deterrence of the Diónia soldiers who landed on the shore, they neither fired rockets from the sentry tower, nor did they find a way to close the water gates …
Not long after, the bugle sounded on the flagship of the First Fleet, and all the Diónia warships in the port quickly evacuated.
The people of Corinth in the port calmed down a little, but the entire port was filled with broken boards and wreckage, and the cries for help of the sailors who fell into the water could be heard incessantly. It was a tragic scene …
The Diónia warships successfully evacuated the port of Corinth, and Sekerian breathed a sigh of relief. When he was about to give the order to "evacuate the Sarons Bay", the lookout at the top of the mainmast suddenly shouted, "A yellow flag has been raised by a fast ship in the northeast!"
Sekerian's heart skipped a beat. He knew that this meant that the number of warships less than the 1st Flotilla was approaching, and in this big bay, there was only one city-state that dared to make such a move — Athens.
Sekerian began to get excited. He shouted, "Raise the stars, the fleet is heading northeast!"
The captain of the flagship rushed to the stern and asked anxiously, "My lord, are you going to start a war with Athens?"
"Calm down, Acritus." Sekerian comforted him and said, "The intentions of the Athens people are unclear. I'm just making preparations. If they dare to attack, then we can fight back!"
The bugle sounded, and the black flag was raised. The 500 Diónia warships that were gathered outside the port of Corinth quickly spread out with their respective fleet as the center, and at the same time, moved northeast together in a formation.
Not long after, dozens of Athens warships appeared in the sight of the captain of the warships at the front of the 1st Flotilla. This did not affect the Diónia warships at all, and all the warships were still moving forward at a steady speed.
The same was true for the Athens warships.
Six miles … five miles … four miles … The distance between the two sides was getting closer and closer. At this time, the crew of Athens should be able to clearly feel that compared to the Delnia fleet, there was a clear gap in numbers. However, the many glorious victories that they had in the past had given them courage, especially when there was a victory monument erected on Salamis Island not far from them.
Decades ago, it was in this bay that the Greek Coalition Fleet, with the Athens warships as the main force, fought against the Persia fleet that had several times the number of warships. In the end, they won a glorious victory, creating a miracle of war and saving Greece … This legendary story inspired the people of Athens generation after generation. The crew of Athens who were ordered to leave the port today more or less had such a little bit of hope to offset the nervousness in their hearts.
As the distance between the two sides got closer and closer, even Sekerian could not help but feel nervous. He was not afraid of the dozens of Athens warships in front of him. As a high-ranking general of the kingdom like him, not only did he have to fight comfortably, but he also had to consider how the change in the situation in Greece after the defeat of the Athens fleet would affect the military plan that Diónia was implementing in Peloponnesus. But the situation in Greece was complicated, and he had no way to predict it.
Fortunately, when the distance between the two sides was close to two miles, Sekerian received news that the Athens fleet had stopped moving forward!
Sekerian hurriedly ordered the fleet to stop moving forward!
The warships of both sides were two miles apart, facing each other quietly.
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