Chapter 760
But such a risky method also put them in a dangerous situation, because the enemy ship did not capsize, and order was quickly restored.
Ilias could see many infantrymen with long spears surging out from the deck of the enemy ship.
The enemy was going to jump ship and fight! Ilias' heart tightened, and the words that the commander of the Sicilian fleet, Sekerian, often said to them during training suddenly surfaced in his mind, "The army often says that we, the navy, only know how to fight alone, and don't know what teamwork is … They don't understand it at all! If a warship does not have the captain, helmsman, sailors, lookouts … the close cooperation and skillful control of the warship, can it defeat the enemy?
And for a fleet, the crow warship is a bear, it bravely advances, rampages, and sweeps away all obstacles; the fast three-tiered warship is a wolf, fast and agile, looking for an opportunity to ram the enemy ship fiercely; the fast ships are our horses, passing on all kinds of orders and messages in time … All warships must work closely together to kill the enemy, only then can we ensure the victory of a naval battle!
And in my fleet, I would like to make an even higher request. On the battlefield, all warships must help each other and make up for each other's weaknesses. If anyone sees their own warship in trouble and does not go to help, and I find out later, I, the Sekerian, can guarantee to the captain of this warship that he will not even be able to be a citizen of Diónia! … "
"Full speed ahead! Target — the four-tiered hull of the enemy ship ahead on the right! Prepare to ram! "Ilias roared, gritting his teeth.
"Charge speed!" The boatswain immediately shouted.
The flutist puffed out his chest again, puffed out his cheeks, and played without stopping.
Even though they were a little tired, the sailors' faces showed a mixture of nervousness and excitement. We are going to ram that huge warship and sink it!
Once again, they pushed the oars with all their might with their somewhat numb hands.
The speed of the warship increased rapidly.
Ilias looked at the enemy ship in front of him rapidly enlarging in his eyes. He shouted, "Ram!" and quickly hugged the mast with both arms.
The sailors in the cabin heard the warning, and immediately tightened the oars. They lowered their bodies, their hands tightly gripping the copper rings on both sides of their seats.
Amidst the cries of alarm from the enemy on the four-tiered oar warship, the warship viciously rammed into the enemy's hull.
With a loud bang, the ship shook violently. The Carthage infantrymen who were standing on the deck and preparing to jump to the Diónia battleship on the other side were pushed by a huge force. Many of them fell directly into the sea.
The bronze ram of the fast warship broke through the planks of the side of the enemy ship, but it could not further enlarge the gap, because there was still a layer of planks inside. Although it was cracked, it did not break. The seawater could only seep in little by little, but it prevented the fast warship from moving forward.
Seeing this, Ilias immediately shouted, "Retreat! Retreat quickly! … "
He had to break away from the enemy ship while the enemy was still in a panic, and then crash into it. Otherwise, he would be in trouble like his teammate on the other side.
However, Carthage's men reacted quickly. Just as the Diónia sailors began to row backwards, the arrows flew down.
The distance was too close, and Ilias could not dodge in time. He was hit by three arrows in a row, and with a muffled groan, he fell into the cabin and was caught by the boatswain in time.
There were also people in the cabin with arrows in their hands. The screams of pain caused the sailors to become a little chaotic.
"Don't panic! Row back together! Piper! " The boatswain shouted loudly.
Beep! Beep! Beep! The high-pitched sound of the double-barreled flute sounded, covering the screams of pain, and calming the sailors.
Just as they began to row, they heard another loud scream from the enemy ship in front of them, followed by another loud bang. The enemy ship shook violently again, and the force transmitted to the Diónia battleship that was connected to it. The sailors swayed left and right, and it was a mess.
Ilias woke up from the shaking. It turned out that as the captain of the warship, he was wearing leather armor according to the rules. The two arrows in his chest were blocked by the armor, and he only suffered some superficial wounds. However, his arm was pierced by an arrow, and he fainted from the pain.
"What … happened?" he asked, enduring the pain.
"It's the Raven Battleship! It hit the head of the enemy ship! "the lookout slid down from the mast and reported to him.
"Captain! The enemy ship is broken! It's flooded! "the lookout at the front mast also ran over and said excitedly.
It turned out that both sides of the Carthage's four-oared battleship had been hit by the fast battleship, and it was clamped in place, unable to move. Immediately after, the Raven Battleship slammed into its bow, and the strong reaction force forced the already somewhat cracked hull to come into close contact with Ilias's battleship again. With a muffled creaking sound, the bronze ram pierced into the bottom of the ship …
The Carthage sailors fled in panic.
"Quick! Quick! Retreat! " Ilias shouted anxiously.
As the sailors rowed, a few Carthage soldiers had already jumped onto the deck in panic.
After pulling away from the enemy ship, Ilias ordered the sailors to pick up the wooden oars, and with the advantage in numbers, they chased the few Carthage soldiers into the sea.
At this moment, Ilias heaved a sigh of relief, and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his arm.
The boatswain hurried over and used a dagger to cut off the shaft of the arrow on his left arm. As for the arrowhead, it could only wait until the end of the battle and be dug up by the medical camp on shore.
At this moment, the enemy ship in front of them had already tilted to the left, and the crew jumped into the sea like dumplings into a pot …
Seeing this, Ilias sighed and said, "This is indeed a good ship! But it's not very suitable for battle … "
"Captain, look!" the boatswain reminded.
Ilias turned his head and looked, only to see a fast three-oared battleship coming out from behind the enemy ship, heading straight for him.
Ilias quickly saw the number painted on the other side of the ship, as well as the person who was saluting him on the deck.
Ilias immediately laughed and said, "I was wondering who would be so bold. So it's him!"
Ilias endured the pain, raised his right hand, and returned a military salute.
At this moment, the Raven Battleship also turned around, and its captain stood on the deck, also saluting …
Behind the three Diónia battleships, half of the Carthage four-oared battleship had already sunk into the sea, and there were many struggling crew members floating on the surface of the sea …
Although the three captains did not shout, excitement rippled in their hearts. They had not discussed it beforehand, but they had worked together to sink this behemoth. This was a great honor!
The three ships had only met once, and soon each looked for the next target to attack …
… …
The battleships of the First Fleet of Diónia advanced like a hurricane, fiercely attacking the Carthage fleet. The two sides fought fiercely, and the First Fleet had the upper hand. In just over ten minutes, they broke through the front row of the Carthage fleet, forcing the Iberian fleet to join the battle. But this fleet, which had previously lost the battle, was even more unbearable in the face of the attacks of the Diónia battleships.
Half an hour later, the frontmost battleships of the First Fleet of Diónia had already rushed out of the Carthage fleet and directly rushed towards the fleet not far behind it.
This fleet was fully loaded with food and soldiers. There were a total of 300 ships, so the port of Serinus could not accommodate all of them in a short time, so the fleet had to queue up outside the port.
Although the laborers in the port were also speeding up due to the weather, they did not expect the Diónia battleships to rush over so quickly. This immediately frightened the ship owners in the fleet. They panicked and ordered the sailors to immediately sail their ships into the port to avoid the enemy's attack.
As a result, the entire fleet was in chaos. All the ships rushed into the port, resulting in congestion outside the port. Some ships even capsized during the collision …
When Annobus, who was at the rear of the fleet, received the urgent report from the clippers, he was shocked. He had already left enough warships at the front of the fleet and thought that there would be enough time to deal with the Dionysian fleet. He did not expect that in less than an hour, they would be completely at a disadvantage.
He did not scold the incompetence of the fleet at the front and the Iberian fleet, because on the flank, the fleet in the middle was also feeling the pressure from the attacks of the Diónia battleships, even though the number of warships he led on this side seemed to be slightly more than the other side.
Although the Second Fleet of Diónia was ordered to defend the flank, Fralios still adopted offensive tactics.
The gigantic body of the Double-headed Dragon's flagship forced the Dionian warships to avoid it. Due to its slow speed and clumsy steering, it could not catch up to the enemy ships. Hence, it simply chose not to participate in the battle. Instead, it gradually became a safe zone in the fleet.
Annobus stood on the top of the ship and looked down at the battle around him. He suddenly discovered that the Diónia's crow battleship and an even smaller but faster three-tiered warship cooperated well, causing the Carthage battleship to suffer a lot.
Therefore, he did not dare to send warships to rescue the fleet at the port at this time. On the contrary, after a painful choice, he thought that he might as well let the fleet send the Dionysian fleet over. Not only would it reduce the pressure on the battlefield, but it would also be more beneficial for the Carthage fleet's counterattack. As for worrying about the complaints that the owners of the Carthage fleet would have against him, he had to ensure that he won this naval battle first. Otherwise, with the Senate's punishment for his defeat, it would not make much difference.
He simply ignored the fleet's request for help.
"General, a warship has been hit and sunk over there!" the lookout at the top of the mast shouted loudly.
Annobus frowned and did not reply. He did not intend to let the flagship sail there. The double-headed dragon had already rescued many sailors. Now that the flagship was full of people, it had basically become a shelter.
The situation of the battle was worrying! He sighed and felt a little cold.
Cold? He was stunned for a moment. Then, he looked at the surface of the sea. The sea was rippling slightly.
The wind was rising! And it was the west wind! He was instantly ecstatic.
The wind should be stronger! It would be even better if it was stronger! Annobus thought expectantly in his heart.
As if in response to his words, the ripples in the sea quickly turned into waves, and each wave was higher than the one before. Not long after, the entire huge double-headed dragon flagship began to rise and fall with the sea …
。 m.
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