Chapter 494
This was also the first time the Dionysian fleet had left the waters around Turií and headed for the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, it was not just Secorian who was excited. All the sailors in the fleet were excited. Even the normal speed of the oars was faster than usual.
The entire fleet consisted of 150 raven warships and 30 50-oared clippers that were modified from ordinary cargo ships. They were arranged in six columns and sailed south. As there was only a westerly breeze when they set off, the Dionysian fleet did not bring any sails.
Secorian only had one mission today: completely defeat the Syracuse navy!
Therefore, when they sailed past Crimissa, Secorian ordered the fleet to slow down and install the raven suspension bridge.
He also ordered that if there were enemy clippers approaching, they should not be in a hurry to drive them away. They could be allowed to come closer and observe.
When the winter sun rose to the middle of the sky, the Dionysian fleet had sailed close to the waters of Crotone. At this time, a yellow flag was raised on the mast of the three oars at the forefront. Secorian, who was in the middle of the fleet, was greatly inspired when he heard the news. The Syracuse navy that had suffered a crushing defeat was so easily lured out. That was great!
No matter how many ships the enemy had, no matter whether they would adopt the "circumnavigation" strategy or the "double column" strategy, the Raven Fleet of Diónia only had one strategy — stars in the sky.
"Raise the black flag and the red flag. Sound the bugle call to attack!" Secorian gave the order without hesitation.
The sailors began to gulp down the rations they had prepared. In the upcoming battle, they had to give it their all. However, compared to the anxiety and nervousness of the first time, they were more excited now. It was not only because the previous great victory had given them confidence, but also because the new law that the King of Devers had issued before the expedition gave the sailors, who were mostly free citizens, more motivation. "If we win the war, we will become preparatory citizens of the Alliance!" This became their common wish.
The heavy infantry on the warships were much calmer when they heard the bugle call. They picked up the long shields that covered their heads and blocked the sun. They stood up from the deck unhurriedly and began to stretch their limbs …
… …
On the lighthouse of Crotone Port, Dionysius, along with a few of his men and Phoebidas, gazed at the azure sea in the distance. Countless warships were rapidly approaching, and a naval battle was about to begin. The outcome of the battle would affect Dionysius's next plan, so Dionysius was nervously clasping his hands together …
The Diónia warships at the frontline did not increase their speed to the maximum, because after the last naval battle, the Diónia Navy generals summed up their experience and concluded that if the warships were too fast, it would be detrimental to the release of the Crow Suspension Bridge.
However, the Diónia captains felt that the incoming enemy ships were not as fast as before. Why was that?
They didn't have much time to think. Amidst the splashing waves, the warships of both sides were already very close.
"Boom! Boom! … "The suspension bridges came crashing down and nailed the deck of the Syracuse warships.
"Hades!!" The soldiers of the First Legion of Diónia shouted the name of Pluto as they rushed across the suspension bridge.
At that moment, a similar cry of "Apollo!!" rang out from the enemy's warship. More than 40 Syracuse heavy infantry charged out from the bottom of the warship, filling up the deck that was initially empty.
The Diónia captains were stunned. No wonder the Syracuse warships slowed down. There were also many heavy infantry hidden in the bottom of the warship!
It turned out that Leptinus had adopted Dionysius's suggestion in order to allow his fleet to contend against the enemy.
Syracuse soon received the news from the clippers. Although he was surprised, he still believed that the Legion of Dionysia would emerge victorious in this "naval battle"!
As for the legionnaires, apart from the initial shock, what followed was excitement. The last time they killed the sailors was too easy and did not give them much of a sense of accomplishment. This time, however, it was a real battle!
"Split up and head over there. The rest, follow me!" Melisande, the captain of the platoon, quickly gave the order and rushed to the front.
As the deck of the three-tiered oar warship was not completely covered with wooden planks, there was a gap in the middle that connected to the bottom of the ship. Hence, the soldiers from both sides split into two teams and fought on both sides of the deck. The widest part of the warship was only six to seven meters, and one side of the deck could at most accommodate two to three people side by side.
The warship rocked up and down with the waves, making it impossible for the soldiers to push and shove. Hence, the battle between the heavy infantry on the warship was more of a one-on-one fight or cooperation between two to three people.
Melisande held the long shield in his left hand and faced the enemy's thrusting spear. He pressed his whole body against the shield and slammed it with all his might. The Syracuse soldier's spear broke and he staggered back, only to be supported by his comrades behind him.
Melisande was like a maggot attached to a bone. He quickly stuck close to the enemy's body and took advantage of the fact that the enemy's body had not stabilized to hit him with his shield again. The enemy could not stand steadily and a gap appeared in the round shield that was protecting him.
The short sword in Melisande's right hand pierced out like lightning. There was only an "Ah!" and the enemy covered his right rib and fell to the ground.
"Throw away the spear and use the saber! Use the saber!! " Melisande heard the enemies shouting anxiously at each other and thought to himself, "It's too late for you to understand now!"
He took advantage of the fact that the enemy in front of him had not come up to protect his front with the long shield and turned to stab the enemy diagonally in front of him. On such a narrow deck, the enemy could not dodge at all unless he jumped into the bottom of the ship. Hence, the enemy subconsciously dodged to the left and at the same time waved his saber and slashed at Melisande's wrist.
Unexpectedly, Melisande's teammate next to him took the opportunity to hit the enemy with his long shield. The enemy immediately lost his balance and leaned back.
Melisande seized the opportunity and turned his wrist to flick the short sword upwards. The sharp blade slashed across the enemy's arm that was holding the saber, leaving a deep wound that could see the bone. Blood flowed and the saber that was tightly held fell onto the deck …
On every two warships connected by the crow suspension bridge, the heavy infantry of both sides were fighting fiercely.
Overall, the people of Diónia had a clear upper hand. Although the people of Syracuse also sent elite soldiers, they were facing the First Legion of Diónia.
The First Legion, which was known as the "undefeatable", not only had the most number of veterans, but they also had the strictest requirements for the selection of new soldiers. The training was also the toughest, but there were still many young people who flocked to it. At the same time, in terms of combat experience at sea, the soldiers of the First Legion of Diónia were far more experienced than their opponents. Not only had they trained for more than a month, but they had also gone through actual combat three days ago.
The heavy infantry of Syracuse were hastily sent into battle and had not yet adapted to this kind of combat style. They even carried bayonets. It was important to note that long weapons were not trained for a long time on the bumpy warships, so it was impossible to accurately stab.
More importantly, there was a difference in weapons and equipment. Corinth's helmet, copper shield, and metal shod armor were too heavy. It was difficult for the Syracuse soldiers to maintain their balance on the swaying ships, so they could not fully utilize their power on land. They could not compare to the more agile and melee soldiers of the Legion of Diónia.
However, there was another difference between fighting on the warships and on land. Even if they were defeated, they could not escape. They could only be captured or jump into the sea. This forced the soldiers of Syracuse to do their best to resist the attacks of the Legion of Diónia. In the end, they fought with courage.
Some of the Syracuse soldiers used their round shields to withstand the attacks of the enemy, and at the risk of injury, they waited for an opportunity to drag the enemy into the sea. Melisande, who had stabbed and killed several Syracuse soldiers, was accidentally dragged into the sea by the enemy.
However, Melisande did not panic after falling into the water, because they had training in this area. He quickly took off his helmet and flipped the inner side of the long curved shield. The long shield was actually floating on the sea. Other than the bronze ram in the middle, the long shield was mainly made of wood, wrapped in a thin layer of cowhide.
Melisande stepped on the water with one hand on the long shield. Using the buoyancy, he pretended to be relaxed and waved at the soldiers on the ship who were watching him. "I'm fine. You guys continue fighting! Continue fighting! "
The Syracuse soldier who fell into the water with him felt the cold seawater pouring into his tightly sealed Corinth helmet. He immediately felt suffocated. He panicked and wanted to take off his helmet, but in his panic, he could not untie the buckle. The round shield on his right arm sank because it was wrapped in copper. Coupled with the heavy helmet and shod armor, he could not float to the surface no matter how hard he tried. In the end, he drowned in the sea.
The suspension bridge operator of the Diónia warship handed a wooden oar to Melisande, who was floating on the sea. Melisande finally climbed onto the warship.
As soon as he took a breath, he heard the watchman on the main mast shout, "Enemy ship attack! Enemy ship attack! "
Everyone was shocked.
Not far away, they saw a warship rushing towards them aggressively. However, the warship was now connected to the enemy ship and could not move at all.
"Quickly pull up the suspension bridge!" the captain shouted anxiously at the soldiers on the opposite ship.
Melisande followed suit and shouted.
The suspension bridge was pulled back, but the enemy ship was already less than 20 meters away. The bronze ram at the bow of the ship shone brightly under the reflection of the seawater and the sun.
"Forward right!" Following the captain's urgent shout, the helmsman quickly turned the stern rudder.
"Speed up!" The captain's voice had just faded.
The piper at the bottom of the ship had already started playing quickly and forcefully.
The oarsman at the top led the two oarsmen at the bottom to quickly row the wooden oars. However, the warship needed time to quickly move forward from a standstill, and that was what the warship lacked the most right now.
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