Chapter 471
13 knots!!
Under the control of the helmsman, the warship charged straight towards the enemy warship at a terrifying speed of 13 knots (24 km/h).
This forced the Syracuse warship to give up on attacking the Midolades warship and turn to face the incoming Diónia warship.
"Destroy that warship first! Then I'll finish you off! "The Syracuse captain looked at the Midolades warship behind him and thought confidently.
"Retract the oars!" He shouted and was satisfied to see the oars being retracted quickly. The warship was about to cross paths with the Diónia warship due to its powerful inertia.
At this moment, the 12-metre long strange device at the bow of the Diónia warship crashed down, the sharp spikes at the top piercing through the deck and splashing wood everywhere.
Amidst the screams of the Syracuse sailors, dozens of Diónia soldiers in black armor passed through the 'Crow Suspension Bridge' and charged onto the deck. Another massacre had begun …
… … …
The Syracuse navy that did not pay any attention to the Dionysian fleet charged forward, but the Dionysian fleet did not show any signs of weakness. On the few nautical miles long battle line, both sides clashed fiercely.
But most of the time, the 'Crow Suspension Bridge' hooked onto the Syracuse warship and turned the naval battle into a land battle, rendering the Syracuse's excellent ship handling skills useless. Instead, the Diónia warships were like tigers in a flock of sheep, easily capturing the enemy warships.
In just half an hour since the naval battle began, the Syracuse navy had captured almost 40 three-decker warships.
The wide sea made it impossible for the Syracuse captains to see their losses, but they could feel that something was wrong. Once their own warship was hooked by the strange device of the Diónia warship, many enemy soldiers would emerge from the cabin and charge onto the deck of their own warship through the device. Soon, they saw their own warship leaving the battlefield, while the Diónia warship continued to charge forward … …
The Syracuse captains at the rear realized that they could not engage the Diónia warship head-on. Instead, they had to rely on their excellent ship handling skills and better maneuverability to avoid the device at the bow of the enemy warship and attack the rear of the enemy warship instead … …
… … …
This large-scale naval battle between Turín and Castellón not only worried the people of Diónia, but also attracted the attention of the people of Castellón.
General Castellón and the members of the council, led by Armiklis, also gathered on the coast with the people to watch the naval battle. It was not only related to the rise and fall of the Diónia alliance, but also related to an important decision of Castellón.
The Syracuse emissary arrived in Castellón yesterday. The General Executive Committee and the council led by Armiklis did not receive him, but they did not drive him away either. Instead, they allowed him to board the ship and "rest" in the hotel, which explained the change in the mentality of the top brass of Castellón.
Although Castellón and Diónia had close relations in recent years, both sides regarded each other as the closest ally, and the people of Castellón even took pride in participating in various Turín celebrations as if they were family. But after all, an alliance was only an alliance, not an alliance. The Southern Alliance suffered a crushing defeat in the south, and the flames of war in Diónia. The political situation was unstable, and the people of Castellón, who were in the hinterland of Diónia, could directly feel the initial pride of the Turín people and the current panic of the people of Castellón. Syracuse's large army and navy, as well as the horror of the slaughter of the Xilitans, were all shaking the trust of the people of Castellón in the alliance of Diónia.
Syracuse was not Crotone after all. When the second Crotone War broke out, the army of Crotone, who had already been defeated once, did not make the people of Castellón lose their confidence in Diónia. But this time, the Syracuse army, which was even stronger, was led by the tyrannical tyrant Dionysius, who had defeated the powerful Carthage. His troops had already made the people of Castellón tremble. Looking at the destroyed farmlands, burned villages, and massacred people outside Castellón, the people of Castellón were angry and helpless.
When they knew that the Devers had returned to Turín, and had already led the Dionysian fleet to fight against the powerful Syracuse navy, all the people of Castellón excitedly went to the seaside. Out of respect for the Devers and anger towards Syracuse, they prayed that Diónia would win.
But to the higher-ups of Castellón, although they also placed their hopes on the invincible Consul of Diónia, the Syracuse navy was too strong …
"What if … No! As long as Diónia does not win this naval battle, this bay will completely belong to Syracuse. When that happens … we can only find a way out … "Amiclis looked at the numerous warships in the distance and thought bitterly in his heart …
… … …
On the Syracuse flagship at the rear of the fleet, Leptignes thought that he had misheard. The lookout on the main mast told him that the ships on his side were constantly retreating from the battlefield. Not only were the Diónia ships not sunk, but they were also continuing to advance.
"General, according to the report from the fast ships, the Diónia people have installed a wooden bridge in front of the warships, and they have deployed many heavy infantry in the cabins. Once the wooden bridge is connected, the heavy infantry will rush over, and our sailors will not be able to stop them. Now, Cliandas and the others are no longer facing Diónia's warships head-on. Instead, they are using our excellent piloting skills and rich naval battle experience to deal with Diónia. This way, Diónia's warships will not be as fast and agile as us due to the wooden bridge and the fact that they are loaded with too many soldiers. I believe that the situation will change soon! "The captain of the flagship comforted him.
Leptignes' gloomy mood improved slightly, and he scolded indignantly, "Those damn Diónia people only know how to play petty tricks. What do they think a sacred naval battle is? Poseidon will definitely punish them! … … "
While he was venting his anger, the lookout on the top of his head suddenly shouted, "General, the warship with the statue on the mast is rushing over! It is rushing over! It is rushing to the front of the enemy's formation! I can see a general wearing dazzling armor at the bow of the warship! "
Leptignes was stunned for a moment, and then his spirits were lifted. He shouted loudly, "That is the Archon Devers of Diónia! He is really on the ship! Quick! Order the column of warships to press forward! Sink him! You must sink him! As long as we can kill or capture that Devers, Syracuse will win even if we lose more warships! "
As Syracuse had adopted a two-column strategy, each column had ten warships. The bugle sounded, and the flagship led the charge. More than twenty warships followed closely behind, and soon they overtook the flagship.
… … …
Diónia's Starry Sky strategy was like a wave blown by the breeze. As soon as one wave was extinguished, another wave would rise, layer by layer, and continue to move forward.
The warship of the Devers continued to charge past their own warships that were entangled with the enemy's warships. Finally, they reached the front of the battle line.
"Charge faster!" Miltignes saw the enemy's warship in front of him and did not hesitate to give the order.
The warship suddenly accelerated and flew forward like a sharp arrow.
The two warships were 100 meters apart! 90 meters! 80 meters! … … …
The Devers swallowed their saliva and pulled out the short sword at their waist.
However, the enemy's warship suddenly tilted to the right.
"Turn left! Turn left! "Miltignes hurriedly ordered.
However, the warship was too fast, and the angle of the turn was too big. Before the warship could complete the turn, the enemy's warship had already nimbly drawn an arc and directly hit the middle of the warship.
Miltignes did not panic this time. He just ordered, "Continue to turn left!"
The captain of the enemy warship saw that the bronze ram was getting closer and closer to the larger warship, and a proud smile appeared on his face.
But soon, his smile froze.
The heavy hull of Diónia's warship only tilted slightly to the left, and the long plank-like device at the bow of the warship actually rotated more than 100 degrees and directly fell backward. The more than 10 meters long suspension bridge smashed into the deck of the warship. With a loud bang, the two warships were connected. Even though the forward momentum of his warship caused the enemy's warship to sway backwards and the drawbridge to creak, it did not cause any damage to the enemy's warship. Instead, it was the enemy's soldiers who charged across the drawbridge.
It's over! He saw that the situation was not good, and he did not care about the warship and the sailors. He made up his mind and directly jumped into the sea.
"Your Majesty, please stay. Let me lead my brothers to kill them!" Martius pulled the Devers who were about to cross the bridge and firmly requested.
The Devers did not insist. He knew that with his current status, everyone would be at ease if he stayed here.
"Then I'll leave it to you." He nodded and said.
"Brothers, let's charge over!" Martius pulled out his short sword and led the guards to charge over the bridge. He wanted to seek revenge from Syracuse for almost losing his life previously.
"There's an enemy warship coming towards us from the right!" The lookout on the mast shouted.
Miltignes and the Devers immediately felt nervous. At this moment, the warship was connected to the enemy's warship, and there was no way to avoid it.
However, Syracuse's flagship behind the warship quickly went forward and quickly locked the warship with 'crows'.
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