Chapter 899
After hearing this, the captain was stunned. After a moment, he suddenly puffed out his chest and said in a deep voice, "General, for the past ten years, you've been the commander of the Fourth Fleet. You've taken care of us like a father. How can we abandon you and run for our lives today? Please allow me to follow you and fight bravely like before! "
"My lord, please allow me to follow you and fight the enemy!"
"Me too!"
"Don't forget me!"
…
The crew members expressed their stance one after another. Their determined expressions showed that they were not just saying it for show.
Miltias was finally moved. He looked around at the crew and finally revealed a relieved smile. "Very well, then let us head to Elysium together!"
As he said that, he raised the dagger that was chipped after cutting down many Phoenician sailors and shouted, "Increase the speed of the oars and charge forward. Our target is the Carthage Cavalry!"
"Yes!" More than a hundred crew members shouted in unison and lined up in a row. With Miltias at the head, they strode forward and sang the song of Hades. "I sing your praises, O great Hades. You are the master of the night, the master of law, the protector of the Kingdom of Diónia …"
… …
While Carthage's army was massacring the sailors and friendly soldiers of the Diónia Sicilian fleet along the coast from Germe to Minoa, the East Phoenician fleet did not return victorious as Miltias had expected. They received the news that the Diónia fleet had attacked from the east and defeated some of the Phoenician warships. They hurriedly gathered their scattered warships and sailed east in preparation for battle.
Tyre, Sidon, and the other Phoenician city-states had provided the Persians with their navy for many years. The sailors of the Phoenician region, which had a strong commercial atmosphere, did not have a strong will to fight. Therefore, in the decades of war between the Persian navy and the Greek navy (mainly the Athenian navy), the Phoenicians did not achieve any brilliant results. Judging from the results of the battle today, the East Phoenician fleet had easily obtained a brilliant victory. They were skilled in calculation and sophistication, so they could stop now and boast about this achievement to Carthage.
However, this fleet was jointly formed by Tyre, Sidon, and the other Phoenician city-states. Once they were forced to retreat from the sea by the Dionysian fleet, it meant that they could not clean up the battlefield, take away the damaged warships, and rescue the Phoenician sailors who had fallen into the sea or been killed by the soldiers on the Raven warships. Abandoning their own compatriots in a foreign land thousands of miles away and becoming prisoners of another race was unacceptable to many in the fleet. When they returned to the Phoenician region, they would also be accused by the citizens of the city-states. This was why they decided to continue fighting.
Of course, there was another reason. The East Phoenicians believed that they had far more three-tiered warships than their opponents, and could completely defeat them.
In the end, the Phoenician fleet gathered 97 warships and met with the fleet led by Sykerian on the sea between Germe and Minoa. At this time, the Diónia Sub Fleet was advancing, and the fleeing Diónia warships joined in. The number of warships had already reached 51.
At this time, the Phoenician warships were almost twice the number of Diónia warships, and half of the Diónia Sub Fleet's warships were more or less damaged. However, the Dionysian fleet was not afraid at all. The flagship of the First Fleet and Second Fleet, located in the center of the fleet, raised three long blood-red streamers on the top of the mast under Stefakas's command. This meant, "Fight to the end, never retreat!"
The Raven warship that Sykerian was on was still in the lead, charging ahead. All the sailors on the warships, regardless of fatigue, rowed with all their might and steered the warships forward. They wanted to wash away their previous embarrassment and humiliation, and bring pain and death to the enemy!
The original plan of the East Phoenician fleet was to use the advantage of having more ships, increase the width of the fleet, and not engage the Diónia warships when they attacked from the front. Instead, they would take the initiative to retreat and lure them deeper. Then, the two warships on the flanks would launch an attack. This was a variant circumnavigation tactic.
However, when the two fleets met, usually both sides would first get into formation before launching an attack. Who knew that the Diónia warships would charge directly at them in a mess (the East Phoenicians were not familiar with the Diónia's starship formation and thought that they had not gotten into formation). The East Phoenician fleet could only respond hastily, and the previous battle plan was not fully implemented.
At first, the East Phoenicians still had the mentality of dealing with the Dionysian fleet first, and slowly spread out their formation to carry out the original battle plan. Who knew that the Dionysian fleet's attack was fast, fierce, and efficient? As soon as the warships of both sides came into contact, the two Phoenician warships at the front were in danger. One was hooked by the Raven warship, and the other was destroyed by the fast warship.
The Diónia warships rushed forward and backward, breaking into the center of the East Phoenician fleet and disrupting the order of the entire fleet. Soon, both sides fell into a fierce melee.
The crew of the Dionysian fleet fought with the determination to die. During the battle, even if the hull of the ship was damaged and the seawater seeped in, they would still charge at the nearby enemy ships while blocking the attack of the enemy ships. When the soldiers of the Raven warship rushed onto the enemy ship and did not have time to return, the crew would not hesitate to pull up the drawbridge and smash it into another enemy ship that was preparing to attack them. Then, the sailors would pick up the weapons left by the soldiers who had jumped into the sea and board the ship to fight. Even when the warship was hit by the enemy, the first thing the crew thought of was not to plug the gap and escape, but to throw a number of hooks from the deck and hook the enemy ship. Then, the crew would jump to help …
It was precisely because the crew of the Diónia broke out with a strong fighting spirit that they were not afraid of death that they were able to fight evenly with the East Phoenician fleet despite the great disparity in the number of warships. Their terrible fighting spirit deterred the East Phoenicians, who had always been vassals of Persia and rarely fought independently. Therefore, after more than an hour of fierce battle, the East Phoenicians chose to retreat with fear.
Although the crew of the Diónia were very tired, they still had to complete an important task before they could return to Serinus, which was to clean up the battlefield and rescue their fallen comrades. This was also the reason why they fought with their lives on the line.
The first person to be rescued was Therian. The warship he was on was charging at the front, so naturally, he was besieged by the Phoenicians and eventually sank. However, because the battle was fierce at that time, the surrounding warships could not rescue him in time. Now, he was quickly rescued on Stefakas's warship.
After soaking in the sea for dozens of minutes, he was still full of energy. The moment he got on the ship, he asked, "Has the enemy really retreated?"
Stefakas, the commander of the B Squadron, immediately reported, "My lord, I've already sent many fast ships to follow the enemy. If there's anything unusual, they'll report back immediately. I've also ordered eight warships to maintain combat alert here, just in case. "
"Mm, the arrangements are very detailed and reasonable. Much better than that bastard Miltias!" At the mention of Miltias, Therian was furious. He immediately asked loudly, "Have you found that bastard Miltias?"
"There's no news of him yet."
"Looks like he's too ashamed to see me and has gone into hiding!" Therian's face was full of mockery. He then asked, "How many warships do we have left?"
"… Twenty-five. Among them, 18 are raven warships, 7 are fast warships, and 6 aren't too badly damaged. If we tow them back to the naval base, they should be able to be repaired …" Stefakas said in a heavy tone.
"This is all Miltias's fault! More than a hundred warships! It was his mistake that caused more than a hundred warships to be rammed and sunk by a bunch of cowardly enemies! Many of the crew did not even engage in a real battle before they watched their warships sink! This is … This is really … Sigh! " Therian was heartbroken, even shedding tears. Not only did he grieve for the losses in this naval battle, but he also remembered the great storm that he could not bear to recall …
Indeed, the navy of Diónia, which had once boasted of being the number one in the Western Mediterranean Sea, had four major fleets and more than 850 warships. However, in the few months after the war with Carthage, they had continuously suffered heavy losses. The First, Second, and Fourth Fleets had been reduced to the size of the navy when it was first established. How could he not cry in pain?
Although Stefakas felt the same, he still consoled him, "My lord, we've captured some enemy ships and brought them back to the base. After some minor modifications, they can be added to the fleet and augment our strength."
"How many?" Therian immediately asked.
"The exact number is not clear yet." Stefakas's answer was understandable because this was not the only battlefield. There were battlefields everywhere from Minoa to Germe.
Therefore, Therian did not criticize Stefakas. Instead, he looked up at the sky and said, "It's still afternoon. Let the brothers carefully search every corner of the sea. Try not to miss any of our brothers who have fallen into the water. Also, don't miss any warships. Then let them pilot the captured enemy ships and return to Serinus together."
"Yes, my lord."
In their conversation, the two did not mention the matter of sending reinforcements to Agrigento. In the current situation, it was impossible to rush to Agrigento, and they urgently needed to return to the port to rest.
The pursuit of Carthage's army on the coast caused many of the Diónia crew members who had already swum ashore to be forced to swim back into the sea. After soaking in the cold water for an hour or two, some of the crew members were already exhausted. Thanks to the mutual assistance of their comrades, they struggled to hold on until the arrival of the warships.
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