Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece - Chapter 755

[Chapter 101 The Battle of Serinus (1)]

Now that the problem is solved, Annobas is still standing still, and of course Pomirka will send someone to question him.

In this regard, Annobas replied that the Iberian fleet had just been merged, and it would take some time for training to strengthen understanding and cooperation.

A few days later, Annobas finally came to the city of Lilibe and told Pomirka, “I have assembled all the warships, and I will be able to escort your troop convoy tomorrow and reinforce Serinus. I hope you Get ready now.”

“Tomorrow?” Pomirka looked at the sky covered by thick clouds outside the window, feeling a little uneasy, he said hesitantly, “I heard from my subordinates that the experienced old sailors in the port based on these Judging from the weather of the day, there will not only be continuous rainfall in the southwestern waters of Sicily in the next two days, but also strong winds and waves, and there will be certain risks for ships sailing at sea.”

Annobas replied calmly. ” It is precisely because of the risk that the Dionia fleet is likely to hide in the port and dare not go out to sea, so that our fleet can enter the port of Serinus smoothly.”

“But what if the Dionia fleet is dispatched? ?” Pomirka asked cautiously.

“That’s the great opportunity I’ve been waiting for to defeat the Dionysian fleet!” Annobas’ eyes shone brightly, and he said confidently, “Who is better suited to the sea conditions here, who has better ship handling skills, and who has a better understanding of this sea area? Whoever is more familiar with it will win this naval battle! And the ships controlled by our Carthaginian sailors will undoubtedly have an advantage!

………………………………………

The next morning, I received the order The various Carthaginian squadrons set off from their respective ports of call and rushed to the sea near the port of Lillibe to gather. In the port, hundreds of laborers and slaves were being transported to the cargo ships docked at the dock. food, and groups of soldiers are boarding passenger ships in an orderly manner…

Countless ships are crowded in the port, and countless laborers are busy in it… Such a busy scene is reflected in Pomirka’s eyes, but his face is full of disapproval. It was a bit nervous to avoid “Annobas, the safety of this fleet is entirely up to you!

“He said expectantly to the admiral next to him.

Anrobas said calmly, “Don’t worry! As long as we work together, even if the Dionysian fleet appears, we are confident to send them to the sea to feed the fish! Are you right, Admika?”

“Yes. , General Annobas, the Iberian fleet will be happy to defeat the Dionysian fleet under your command and create convenience for Lord Margo’s land attack.” Admika replied with a seemingly respectful answer.

Pomirka turned to look at the two important figures in the Carthaginian fleet, frowned, and hesitated.

At this time, Anrobas said, “The wind is blowing.”

“It’s the northwest wind.” Admika said immediately.

Pomirka saw waves in the sea at the port, and then he felt a chill on his face, and hurriedly reached out to touch the rain!

In a blink of an eye, the beach under his feet was hit by raindrops, creating dense pits. He couldn’t help but secretly thanked that he had prepared the fleet for rain in advance.

The rain also led to accelerated preparations across the fleet.

It didn’t take long for the lord of Lilibe to come to inform Pomirka that the fleet was ready.

“We are also on board, ready to go!” Annobas said, and walked to the military port not far away, Admika followed closely, and the Iberian fleet was docked in the military port, in addition to another one A special warship, that is, the ship of Annobas, it has its own name – two-headed dragon.

Before the rise of Syracuse, Carthage was already a maritime power in the Western Mediterranean. A hundred years ago, all the city-states in the Western Mediterranean knew that Carthage was the maritime hegemon of the Western Mediterranean, even if it happened with Syracuse in the past few decades. In wars, there are winners and losers, but in real sea battles, Carthage has never suffered defeat (Carthage’s two naval fiascoes were both trapped in the harbor and unable to exert its advantages).

The Carthaginian navy not only relies on its huge population reserve with rich sailing experience, but also has its technological advantages accumulated over hundreds of years.

Especially in the past ten years, Dionia replaced Syracuse and became the overlord of the Greek city-states in the Western Mediterranean. The strength of its navy actually made Carthage feel threatened, although Carthage’s center of gravity has turned. To develop inland Africa, but maritime trade is the foundation of Carthage, it is the advantage of the sea that led to the strength and prosperity of Carthage, how could they easily hand it over to others, so the shipbuilders of Carthage Developed a four-layer slurry warship.

This is a type of warship that is taller, longer, and wider than the three-tiered oar warship, a popular main warship of the various powers of the Mediterranean. It has a maximum of 250 sailors and has four rows of oars on each side. Therefore, its top speed is slightly slower than that of a three-deck oar, and its overweight hull makes it inflexible, but its large deck is large enough to accommodate a large number of soldiers for hand-to-hand combat, and because of its huge hull , the Carthaginians have reinforced it, so it has additional protection in the face of impact tactics, and it also makes it less likely to use impact tactics in combat, and more rely on grab hooks to hold itself Fixed with enemy ships for gang jumping, apparently designed for the Dionysian Navy.

Of course, the Carthaginians, who have had traditional naval tactics and traditional warships for hundreds of years, are wary of this new warship, and only 20 have been built so far, scattered among various squadrons, and even As the ship of all admirals.

The flagship that Annobas rides on is different. It is a huge warship composed of two four-layer oared warships. It took the shipmen of Carthage three years to solve a lot of problems. Technical difficulties, it was developed.

It lowered the height of the hull, from the bow to the stern, the two bottoms were tightly welded together with the strongest planks, and then a tall tower was built on the broad deck to become a real sea fortress.

With enough crew, soldiers, and archers stationed in the tower, it would be a disaster for any enemy ship that wanted to gang up and fight.

Of course, the slowness of her sailing speed is also beyond doubt.

The two-headed dragon is a monster in the sea in the legend of Carthage. It often sets off huge waves, sinks ships, and devours crew members. It is the nightmare of Carthaginian children when they are young.

The Carthaginians apparently had great expectations when they named the flagship of the Carthaginian fleet after the two-headed dragon.

The two-headed dragon left the military port. The entire sea outside the military port was already full of warships, rising and falling under the surging tide, as if it were a floating forest. The addition of the Iberian fleet expanded this area even more. “Forest” area.

Annobas divided the huge fleet into three parts: front, middle, and back. He sat in the middle, and placed the Iberian fleet in the back, which seemed to show his selflessness.

At the same time, in view of some wind and waves at sea, he ordered the entire fleet to stay away from the coast, widening the distance between the warships and lowering their sails, but to maintain a high degree of concentration to prevent them from leaving the team.

When more than a dozen bugles sounded on the two-headed dragon, this huge fleet with a frontal width of ten miles and a column of ten miles began to move along the coast towards Serinus, and they wanted to open up the fleet behind them. a safe sea passage.

Strange to say, when the fleet began to move, the wind and waves gradually subsided, and the rain stopped.

The crew members believed that it was the god of the sea who was blessing them, and they were very excited.

From Liliba to Serinus, the distance on land was more than 90 miles, and the sea route was farther, and because of the influence of wind and waves, the Carthaginian fleet did not reach the sea near Serinus until noon.

Annobas ordered the fleet to be displayed on the sea east of Serinus, on alert.

After giving the order, he sat in the spacious and comfortable tower, eating a steaming lunch while talking to his subordinates. There is absolutely no tense atmosphere where war may break out at any time, let alone the chilly sea breeze outside.

In fact, Annobas has some contradictions in his heart. The Iberian fleet has just been merged, and it still needs time to run in. Moreover, they have suffered defeats before, and they also need time to restore morale.

But at the same time, as a proud Carthaginian admiral, he is also eager to try the Dionysian navy, which has been strong in the Western Mediterranean these years, and let them try the Carthaginian navy. terrific.

He took two sips of the syrup, took the towel handed over by the servant, wiped his mouth, and stood up.

He is already in his 50s, and his digestive ability has deteriorated. He usually doesn’t eat much, but today he ate a lot more without realizing it. His stomach was a little uncomfortable. He paced back and forth to help digestion. .

At this time, the captain of the two-headed dragon came in and reported, “General, the fleet has begun to enter the port!”

“Did you find anything from the east?” Annobas asked.

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“I haven’t received a report yet.”

“I hope the fleet can unload the cargo sooner, and we should return sooner. The weather is a bit worrying now!” The adjutant said worriedly, “Even if Dio Nia’s fleet found us, so I’m afraid they wouldn’t dare to come out.”

Annobas didn’t say a word, and looked out the window silently. It was also pitch black, and the sea and sky in the distance were the same color, making it impossible to see far.

Although the rain stopped and the wind stopped at this time, the air was filled with thick water vapor.

“Go and urge the fleet and let them speed up the progress!” Finally, Annobas said.

……………………………………

On the mast of the four-tiered paddle warship at the forefront of the Carthaginian fleet, Zhang Wang’s hands clasped the wooden pillars with both hands, and looked forward with difficulty, hanging overhead. The dark clouds made him a little scared. He complained in his heart that the captain had such bad weather. How could the Dionysian fleet go to sea? There is absolutely no need for me to stay on the mast all the time. For play!

“