Chapter 467
At this moment, the sailors rushed into their respective docks. Those at the front pulled the mooring ropes, while those at the back pushed with all their might. Amidst the orderly chants, the 50-meter-long triple-decker warships smoothly slid into the Crati River like dragons entering the water, creating large splashes.
In the blink of an eye, the wide Crati River near the estuary was filled with warships, almost cutting off the river's flow. Originally, the river flowed very slowly here, but now it was even slower.
The sailors tied the mooring ropes to the wooden stakes on the shore to secure the warships. Then, they put up wooden ladders and quickly boarded the warships. They began to skillfully install the Raven Suspension Bridge. After confirming that it was operating normally, the sailors entered the cabins through the entrance of the deck. They found their seats, took out wooden oars from the wooden troughs, extended them out of the oars, and installed them on the oars.
The cabins of the triple-decker warships had three levels. There were 54 oarsmen at the bottom, 54 oarsmen at the middle, and 62 oarsmen at the top. As the oarsmen at the top were close to the oars, they could see the movement of the oars in the water. Thus, they were the most important. They were the leaders of the oars, leading the middle and lower oarsmen to row together.
After the 170 oarsmen were in position, the boatswain paced back and forth in the cabin. He was responsible for supervising the oarsmen, maintaining the order of the oars, and boosting their morale.
The helmsman walked to the stern. He was the core of the ship, controlling the rudder and the direction of the warship. Only the most experienced sailors could destroy the enemy ship in a fierce battle and protect themselves.
The piper sat in the middle of the aisle near the entrance of the deck. He was responsible for receiving the captain's commands and controlling the rhythm of the oars.
The captain was the commander of the entire ship and was responsible for directing the battle.
In addition, there were three lookouts at the bow, stern, and mast. They were responsible for reporting the enemy's movements and the fleet's orders to the captain at any time.
Considering that they were about to engage in a coastal battle with Syracuse, they did not hang up the sails or even bring them along. They left them in the dock to lighten the warship's load. Thus, the ten deck sailors in charge of raising and lowering the sails and controlling the ship had one less important task. Other than picking up bows and arrows to deal with enemies approaching the ship, their more important task was to control the Raven Suspension Bridge to nail the approaching enemy ships.
At this moment, the army led by the Devers had also entered the military port. Sequerian, Midolades, and the other naval officers hurried over to welcome them.
"Your Majesty, the fleet is ready. We can depart at any time!" Secorian said excitedly after saluting the Devers.
"Have you discovered the Syracuse fleet?" asked the Devers calmly.
"Found it!" "Our clippers have reported that dozens of Syracuse warships have appeared near the coast of Castellón. It seems like they are preparing to land there. Their fleet must be nearby!"
Devers looked at the naval officers led by Secorian, whose eyes were burning with passion. He smiled and said, "It seems like you can't wait any longer. What are you waiting for? Let the soldiers board the ships!"
"Yes!" Antonios and Amyntas replied in unison. Then, they immediately ordered the officers behind them, "Get on the ships!"
Soon, all the soldiers of the First Legion and a few soldiers of the Second Legion ran to the riverbank in an orderly manner under the command of the branch captains. According to the training area yesterday, they found the three-decker oar warship that their branch was in charge of and boarded the deck in an orderly manner. At this point, the three-decker oar warship of Diónia had almost 240 people.
Devers stood on the embankment and looked down at the densely packed soldiers on the riverbank. They split into thin streams of metal and surged towards the warships, dyeing the yellowish-brown river (the color of the warships) black...
Devers, who had never experienced a naval battle, could not help but feel a sense of pride. He temporarily dispelled the nervousness in his heart and turned to Amyntas. "After we depart, lead the remaining soldiers of the Second Legion to the port. Marigi has already prepared a cargo ship for you. Once you receive news of our victory, depart immediately! "
"Understood, Your Majesty!" Amyntas said with a nod. Then, he looked at Saterian and gave him a solemn military salute.
Just as Saterian was wondering why Amyntas, who had just quarreled with him yesterday, would make such a move, he heard Amyntas say in a deep voice, "Saterian, His Majesty's safety is in your hands!"
Saterian understood and immediately returned the same solemn military salute. "I will use my life to protect His Majesty's safety!"
"Victory in the naval battle!"
"Victory in the land battle!"
The two soldiers stared at each other. The previous conflict had vanished at this moment, and what was left was the desire to fight against a common enemy.
"Let's get on the ships too. Don't let the soldiers wait too long," Devers said with a wave of his hand.
"Yes!" Martius waved the military flag. The guard captain, who had basically recovered, had found the Devers the previous afternoon and insisted on going to the battlefield to kill the enemy. Hence, Devers had no choice but to let him return.
"Your Majesty!" Cunogorata led the elders forward with solemn expressions. They bowed to the Devers in unison. They did not say much, but the solemnity of their bow showed that they had entrusted the safety of the entire alliance to the Devers. This battle would determine the rise and fall of Diónia.
Devers smiled again and said loudly, "Wait for the news of our victory!"
Then, he led the guards down to the riverbank. At this time, the legions had basically boarded the warships, so the riverbank did not feel crowded. Sailors and soldiers from the fleet waved to greet and salute the Devers from time to time. Devers smiled in response to all of them.
Finally, he arrived in front of his flagship. This was the largest three-tiered warship in the entire fleet. It was 60 meters long and 5 meters wide. It was equipped with 188 oarsmen. The bow of the ship was tilted into the water, and at the tip was a sturdy and sharp metal ram. The stern was tilted upwards like a scorpion's tail. Countless wooden oars extended from the front to the back of the hull, which looked more like the legs of a millipede. This was a luxurious warship from Liguim, and was originally designated as the flagship by Seckli.
After the Devers and 60 guards went up to the deck, a man wearing a leather helmet and a short shirt rushed to the doctor. After bowing, he said nervously, "Your Majesty, I am Miltias, the captain of this ship!"
Devers smiled and returned the greeting. "Miltias, it's a pleasure to fight alongside you!"
"Your Majesty, the sailors … would like to greet you, but due to their duties, they can't …" Miltias made a request in a low voice.
"I'm going to greet them," Devers said without hesitation. With that, he led the way to the entrance of the warship's cabin.
The deck of the triple-decker was not a single piece, but two, from bow to stern. There was a one-meter-wide gap in the middle, so the cabins were not completely sealed. The oarsmen in the cabins could see the azure sky through the gap when they turned their bodies sideways. Thus, even though there were close to 200 oarsmen in the cabin, the open structure did not make them feel suffocated.
When the Devers appeared in the cabin, the entire warship was in an uproar.
Dyvers did not disappoint the enthusiasm of the oarsmen. He did not care about the narrowness of the middle and upper oarsmen's aisles. He climbed up and down tirelessly, bending down to ask each oarsman's name and shake hands with them.
Although he didn't wear a helmet, he was already panting a little. But he still shouted excitedly as he stood in the middle aisle of the first floor, "Brothers, it's a pleasure to fight with you. Let's fight together and win this naval battle!"
"Long live the King of Devers!"
"Long live the King of Devers!"
The oarsmen cheered in unison, attracting the attention of the sailors on the nearby warships. They all looked at them with envy. To be able to fight on the same ship as the King of Devers, what a great honor, these lucky fellows!
At that moment, a unique naval bugle sounded from the nearby flagship of Diónia. The oarsmen stopped cheering and began to sing loudly, praising the gods. Of course, it was not for Hades, but for Poseidon, the Lord of the Sea. It was a prayer for a safe and successful voyage.
In order to integrate into the navy, Devers had spent half a day learning this ancient etiquette. At that moment, he sang loudly with the oarsmen.
Captain Miltias handed him a wooden cup filled with Portuguese wine, which, of course, was not meant to be drunk. Devers held the cup solemnly and walked to the bow of the warship. They chanted the name of Poseidon and poured the wine into the river.
Poseidon's song resounded along the banks of the Crati River, lifting the spirits of the uneasy senators. Then, standing on the embankment, they saw the warships at the forefront leaving the riverbank, one after another sailing out of the naval port …
"Let's go to the seaside," Cunogorata said to the other senators.
No one objected. In the upcoming battle of life and death, although they could not participate in the battle personally, they had to cheer for the warriors.
It was not just the senators who had this thought. Every citizen of the Diónia Alliance who could come had come. The elderly, women, children, citizens, prospective citizens, freedmen … Thousands of people gathered at the mouth of the Crati River. Every time they saw a warship sailing out, they would cheer like a tsunami, to cheer for their loved ones who were participating in the battle.
"This ship! My child is on this ship! "
"Do you see that? The one waving is my brother, he's the captain! "
"My husband is on this ship with the 'three' written on the bow. I can't see him because he's an oarsman."
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