Chapter 761
"Thank you, Merlekat, for your protection!" Annobus repeatedly expressed his gratitude to the supreme god of the Phoenicians, his heart filled with joy. The reason why he did not express his gratitude to Carthage's guardian, Baal Hamm, was because Baal Hamm was the Lord of Lava. Fire and water never intersected, so naval battles were not Baal Hamm's domain.
Annobus happily believed that Diónia's Crow Battleships were light in the bow and heavy in the bottom, so they would easily capsize in strong winds and waves. Those fast three-oared battleships were also smaller and lighter in size, so they were difficult to steer in strong winds and waves. Also, Carthage's battleships were in an advantageous position, so this was a great opportunity for Carthage's fleet to counterattack!
"Woo!" The bugle of the double-headed dragon warship sounded again. The originally high-pitched bugle sounded low and hoarse in the dark sea that was shrouded in clouds.
Annobus held the railing with both hands and stood on the high roof of the ship, letting the strong sea breeze blow against his body. He kept looking around at the sea around him as the battleships of both sides moved forward in the wind and waves …
He did not know if his subordinates could hear the bugle, but he firmly believed that Carthage's men, who had rich experience in sailing, would seize this favorable opportunity and turn back the tide bit by bit!
"General, the wind and waves are getting stronger and stronger. Should we retreat first?!" The adjutant held his helmet with one hand, fearing that he would be blown into the sea by the strong wind. He walked to Annobus's side and asked loudly with unease.
"Retreat?!" Annobus seemed to have heard a joke. He pointed ahead, braved the sea breeze, and said loudly, "Look!"
Not far ahead of them, a Raven Warship with a drawbridge on its foremast clumsily passed through a wave. Immediately after, another wave came crashing down on it … By the time the wave passed, the Raven Warship was already toppled on the surface of the sea.
"Hahaha …" Annobus laughed heartily. "Did you see that? What a great opportunity this is! Even if we want to retreat, we have to wait until we defeat the people of Diónia! "
… …
The same advice was given to Diónia's flagship, but Therian was not as spirited as before. He had expected the weather to be bad, but he did not expect the wind and waves to be so strong, causing great difficulties for the fleet to control the warships. He was no longer in the mood to complain about why Poseidon had accepted their devout prayers and generous offerings before the battle, but helped the aliens when the fleet was about to win.
At this moment, what gave him the biggest headache was that even if he gave the order to retreat, the entire fleet was scattered so widely that they even penetrated deep into the port of Selinus. In such bad weather, he couldn't just give the order to retreat as he wished.
Just as he was deep in thought, "Boom! Boom! Boom! The continuous rumbling in the sky was like thousands of drums being beaten above the clouds, causing everyone to be startled.
Then, bolts of silver-white lightning flashed above the sea, traversing between heaven and earth. The dark clouds grew darker and lower, pressing down on the sea. The waves became more and more active, rising higher and higher, like the huge mouth of a beast, about to devour the lightning.
The heavy downpour, accompanied by strong winds, plunged the world into darkness.
Neither Carthage's men nor Diónia's men were in the mood to row the ships and fight at this moment. They did not even dare to look out at the sea, because the sea had become a boundless abyss. The endless darkness seemed to be able to devour people's souls … The only thing the crew could do, including the generals, could do was huddle in the cabin and pray to the sea god with trembling voices for their safety.
"Crack!" With a loud bang, a bolt of lightning appeared in front of the Double-Headed Dragon Ship. Sitting in the watchtower, Arnobus happened to glance out. His originally pale face instantly turned even paler. With the help of the silver light from the lightning, he saw a huge wall rising from the sea not far away. It was more than ten meters tall, and it came crashing down on them with the force of a mountain …
Arnobus was scared out of his wits. His previous calm and confident image of a commander full of confidence in Carthage's sailing skills had disappeared without a trace. He only muttered with a dull face, "How is this possible? How is this possible?! It's not winter now. How can there be a storm in the sea southwest of Sicily?! … "
… …
The unpredictable changes of nature were not something humans could predict.
In the face of the mighty power of heaven and earth, even the largest warship seemed extremely insignificant. Under the strong wind and huge waves, these ships were either smashed by the huge waves and sank to the bottom of the sea, or thrown into the air and smashed to pieces …
The storm lasted until dusk, and finally subsided. The heavy rain disappeared without a trace, and the strong wind turned into a gentle breeze. The sky was so clean that not a single cloud could be seen. It was dyed golden red by the setting sun … The sea showed its gentle and beautiful side.
But when he turned his gaze to the shore where the tide was ebbing, he saw a tragic scene. The beach was densely covered with bodies that had been soaked white by the seawater and the wreckage of countless warships. And in the ebbing tide, there were also countless bodies and broken planks of ships floating …
Such a horrible scene was not only everywhere on the coast of Serinus, but also extended to the coast of Mazara and Germe, and even further away …
Leotychides, who was stationed at the north of Serinus City, had been worried about the safety of the Sicilian fleet. So when the storm subsided, he immediately sent troops and the medical camp to seal off the coast near Serinus and began to rescue people.
When the doctors and nurses had spare energy, they would also treat Carthage's people, as long as he was still breathing.
The Carthage Colony City and its allies on the south coast, as well as the Greek city-states, also sent people to the coast for search and rescue …
Whether it was Carthage's sailors or those from Diónia, they were all at sea all year round and had experienced many storms. They might be able to escape with their lives in the storm that lasted for a few hours, but the warships they were driving could not be revived. In this large-scale naval battle, Diónia's Sicilian fleet invested about 600 warships, while Carthage's fleet had more than 500 warships. In the end, there was no winner on either side, and all the warships were probably destroyed by the storm.
For Carthage, what was worse was that nearly half of the passenger ships they were responsible for transporting soldiers and supplies did not enter the port in time, were attacked by Diónia's warships, or were ravaged by the storm, and eventually died in the stomachs of the fishes.
… …
The news of the "annihilation of Diónia's Sicilian fleet" had not yet reached Greece. The army led by the Devers, who knew nothing about it, had just arrived in Laos.
Today's Laos had changed a lot compared to more than a decade ago. Including the Campania Alliance, on the west coast of Italy, Greece was to the south, and Lucania and Campania were to the north. Laos was located at the midpoint of this long coastline. On land, it was the transportation hub between Lucania and Bruti. Due to its superior geographical location, and the painstaking management of several governors, coupled with the support of the Senate, Laos had become a prosperous port city in the kingdom.
Although its arable land area was relatively small, the population of the city had reached more than 50,000 people, and this did not include the free people and slaves at the port. It was precisely because its port was developed and there were many merchant ships, that they could send this huge army to Latin by sea with as few merchant ships as possible.
As the army entered the city, Cloto Catax curiously looked at the scene in the city. At the same time, he was also puzzled by Heniboris's strange attire. "Uncle Henny, this is not a battle. You're wearing a helmet, a cheek guard, and a mask on the outside. Don't you feel stuffy?"
Heniboris stifled his voice and said, "Don't talk to me!"
The Devers in front of him turned around and teased him. "Your Uncle Henny doesn't want the people here to know that he's back."
"Why? Uncle Henny used to be Laos's consul! "Cloto Catax was even more curious.
The Devers shrugged and did not answer.
In fact, ever since Heniboris became the Devers's secretary during the later stages of the Southern Italian War, he had not visited Laos even once. It was a sore point in his heart.
As a matter of fact, Arobuma's rebellion and the subsequent riots by the commoners had greatly reduced the population of Laos. More than half of the current Laos residents had moved in later. Among them were descendants of Sybaris, Greeks, Lucarians, Bruti, Campanians … It was truly a city of mixed races.
Now, the people of Laos were no longer the poor and powerless citizens of the city ten years ago. They were citizens of the Kingdom who owned land, operated maritime trade, held public office, participated in the elections of the city council, and made their own suggestions. Therefore, they were grateful to the Kingdom of Diónia and its King that changed their status completely. When they heard that the King of the Devers was coming to Laos with his army, the citizens had already prepared a spot by the roadside. They were waiting for the King's arrival so that they could be closer to him, see him more clearly, and let him hear their cheers.
Amidst the cries of "Long live the King of the Devers! Long live the Kingdom of Diónia! ", the citizens were excitedly discussing among themselves." Look! That man in the middle wearing a long feathered helmet and golden armor is His Majesty the Devers! Look at how majestic he is! More than ten years ago, when His Majesty led his army through Laos to the north to fight against the Samonians, I met him once. His appearance hasn't changed at all after more than ten years. He's still as young as ever. As expected of a descendant of Hades! "
"Who's the young general beside His Majesty? He looks like he's close to His Majesty! "
"I heard from the Turií merchants at the port that Prince Cloto Catax will be joining the war this time. This young man should be him."
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