Chapter 997
But when Carthage's army was about to reach the end of the mountain path, the soldiers were surprised to see that the exit of the mountain path had been blocked by a well-fortified wooden stronghold, and the wooden walls were filled with enemies with drawn bows.
The Carthaginian army marched quickly and did not bring any siege equipment. In addition, the mountain road was narrow, so they could not make full use of their advantage in numbers. It would undoubtedly be very difficult to break through the stronghold and break into the territory of Palemos.
Unwilling to give up, Hasdrubal ordered his army to launch a tentative attack, but they were quickly repelled by a rain of arrows fired from the wooden walls, leaving only a few dozen corpses in front of the trench.
Hasdrubal had to lead his army to retreat.
At this time, Leotychides was commanding some of the soldiers to start building a camp. He planned to start the camp from the wooden stronghold at the entrance of the mountain path, then head north all the way to the sea, thus cutting off Palemos' contact with the outside world on land.
The supply camps of the Seventh and Eighth Legions were busy on the beach, laboriously moving supplies from the cargo ships to the coast.
The Third Fleet was guarding the ships transporting soldiers and supplies near Palemos. Although the Diónia Navy had a clear advantage in the western waters of Sicily, this was enemy territory after all. All the crew members of the Third Fleet were on high alert, because when they first arrived in Sicily, they had heard that the Sicilian fleet had been tricked and ambushed by Carthage's fleet.
"Enemy spotted in the southwest, two yellow flags!" The lookout on the flagship's mainmast suddenly shouted.
Hearing that the incoming fleet was the Carthage fleet, which had about the same number as his own fleet, Midolades looked calm and immediately ordered, "Blow the bugle and raise the starry sky flag! At the same time, inform the fleet behind to immediately approach the beach! "
The incoming fleet was the Carthage fleet led by Morbar. Ever since the city of Hadrumentum was burned down, he had hired dozens of small cargo ships manned by experienced Phoenician captains to scout the coast of the western sea to better understand the Dionysian fleet's movements. Therefore, when the huge Diónia fleet docked on the coast near Palemos, Morbar, who was training the fleet between the Carthage Sea and the Western Sea and waiting for the opportunity to attack, received the news. He knew that the Diónia fleet was still cruising on the sea near Lilibe, and it was impossible for them to suddenly appear near Palemos. This must be another Dionysian fleet.
Another Dionysian fleet was added to the waters near Sicily Island! This news doubled the pressure on Morbale, but he still decided to lead his team to Palemos to meet this new Dionysian fleet. Perhaps it was because they were new that they were not as difficult to deal with as the previous fleet, so it was easier for them to take the bait.
When the Carthage fleet arrived, the Third Fleet of Diónia was already waiting on the surface of the sea.
Morbar was not prepared to fight head-on with the Dionysian fleet. He moved forward at a normal speed in a loose formation. When he was about a mile away from the enemy, the Carthage warships that had already learned of Morbar's plan in advance turned back one after another, luring the enemy ships to chase after them.
The warships of the Third Fleet were indeed trying their best to chase after them at first, but when the Carthage fleet wanted to lead them to the open sea, the Midolades immediately became vigilant. Although the Third Fleet had won the final victory in the previous battle of Sardinia, the risks they experienced were still fresh in his memory. He was a person who was good at learning from his mistakes and did not want to make the same mistake again. Therefore, he gave the order to "stop chasing", quickly gathered the warships, and returned to their original defensive position.
After that, the Carthage fleet went forward a few more times to lure the enemy ships. The Third Fleet no longer acted rashly, but waited to see what would happen.
Morbar then split up some of the warships in an attempt to bypass the Third Fleet and attack the Diónia's transport fleet. However, most of the ships had already docked at the beach after receiving the warning from the Third Fleet. There was not much to be gained. Moreover, Midolades had ordered the sub-fleets at the rear to follow and monitor them, but they always kept a close distance from the main fleet.
The Third Fleet's cautiousness and the unity of the entire fleet made it impossible for Morbar to find any opportunities to exploit. Instead, it consumed a lot of the strength of the Carthage's crew.
Such a well-trained Dionysian fleet would definitely not be weak in combat! Morbar didn't dare to launch an attack from the front because he wasn't confident that he could defeat his opponent. Moreover, he was very clear that even if he won, the Carthaginian fleet would definitely suffer great losses. To the Carthaginian navy that was at a complete disadvantage, the gains would not make up for the losses. The Carthaginian navy, which was in a difficult situation, needed the existence of such a complete fleet to deter the Dionian navy so that they wouldn't dare to be too arrogant.
In the end, the Carthage fleet retreated.
Midolades did not order a pursuit. He no longer had the impetuous mentality of wanting to prove himself in the first place. The affirmation and praise of his achievements in the letters written to him by the Devers made him more confident and calm. He also knew very well that for the Third Fleet, which had just arrived and was not familiar with the surrounding waters, what they needed now was caution, not more military achievements.
At this time, the lookout on the main mast shouted again, "News from the clippers in the east. There's a fleet coming from the front! Hmm … it's our fleet! "
Midolades' heart skipped a beat. "Therian is here!"
The Sicilian fleet cruised to the sea near Palemos and met with the Third Fleet. This was the first time in more than 10 years since the war in Southern Italy that the entire Diónia navy had gathered together (the Sicilian fleet had previously merged with the First, Second, and Fourth Fleets).
Due to the presence of the elusive Carthaginian fleet, the warships of both parties did not get too close to each other to prevent congestion and inconvenience. However, the flagships of both parties blew their bugles at the same time. All the warships' oars left the water and swung back and forth in the air to express the joy of the crew.
In such a celebratory atmosphere, the flagships of both sides sailed to the front of the fleet at the same time. The flagship of the Sicilian fleet stopped moving forward, while the flagship of the Third Fleet continued forward and finally came to the side of the flagship of the Sicilian fleet.
Midolades, who was dressed in military uniform, stepped on the wooden plank between the two ships and came to the deck of the flagship of the Sicilian fleet. He solemnly saluted Therian, "Salute to you, Lord Therian!"
Therian solemnly returned the salute and said, "It's been a long time, Midolades! I've heard many reports of success from the Third Fleet recently. Your performance has surprised me. Not only did you win the naval battle, but you also conquered two important cities of the Phoenicians. You've taken away all the work that should have been done by the army. You've brought great honor to the navy! "
"This is all thanks to His Majesty's full support. With the Sicilian fleet you led in front to attract Carthage's main force, the Third Fleet achieved these successes without attracting attention." Midolades said humbly. He then sighed with concern, "When I heard the news that the Sicilian fleet was destroyed by the storm and that you and Flarios were missing, I was very worried about your safety! At the same time, I was also worried that the Diónia navy would not be able to recover for a long time after suffering such a blow! Fortunately, with the blessing of Hades, you've returned safely. The Sicilian fleet has also been reorganized and everything has returned to normal. That's great! "
Therian looked at the sincere smile on the other party's face. After a moment, he sighed softly, "It's a pity that Flarios and Miltias have gone to the Elysee! The Carthage navy is the strongest enemy we've encountered so far. They've caused many casualties to our fleet … Before this, His Majesty Devers reminded me once again, 'In this war against the Carthage, our navy is the most important force in defeating the enemy. We must play our greatest role.' That's why our two fleets must join forces and strengthen our coordination to completely defeat the Carthage navy and win this war for the kingdom! "
Therian had been an elder of the kingdom for many years, and his political sensibilities were not low. When he learned that the Third Fleet had been transferred to Sicily and was not part of the Sicilian fleet, but stationed alone on the north coast to take charge of the war alongside the Sicilian fleet, he understood that the King of Devers and the Ministry of Military Affairs were not too satisfied with the recent performance of the Sicilian fleet. They wanted to use the Third Fleet to provoke the Sicilian fleet. At the same time, he also realized that the consecutive victories of the Third Fleet had caused Midolades to no longer be the commander of the fleet that he could order around as he pleased.
In particular, there was a knot in his heart. He had always felt that Miltias' death had something to do with him. If he had not forcefully snatched away Miltias' command of the fleet the moment he appeared, Miltias would not have listened to his advice, which ultimately led to his defeat.
Since then, he had begun to consciously restrain his temper. Moreover, Midolades had taken the initiative to meet him on the flagship today, and his attitude was rather humble. This satisfied Therian, so his tone had also become gentler.
At this moment, Midolades smiled and said, "Lord Therian is right! The Sicilian fleet and the Third Fleet are both the kingdom's armies, and should fight together. As long as you have a good plan, I'm willing to lead the Third Fleet to cooperate fully! "
Therian frowned slightly. He could hear the meaning behind Midolades' words, but he quickly relaxed and said confidently, "I do have a good plan, and I was just about to discuss it with you."
Midolades was stunned for a moment, but he immediately agreed.
Hence, the two sent away the surrounding crew members and began discussing on the flagship's deck.
About half an hour later, both of them had smiles on their faces.
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