Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece - Chapter 995

[Chapter 333 The Communication Between Two Admirals]

But when the Carthaginian army approached the end of the mountain road, the soldiers were surprised to see that the exit of the mountain road had been blocked by a wooden village with relatively complete defense facilities, and the wooden walls were covered with enemies pulling bows and strings.

The Carthaginian army came in a hurry, without any siege equipment at all, and the narrow mountain road made it impossible to take advantage of the many soldiers. It would undoubtedly be very difficult to break through this stockade and break into the territory of Palermos.

The unwilling Hasdrubal led the army to launch a tentative attack, which was quickly repelled by a rain of arrows shot from the wooden wall, leaving behind only a few dozen corpses in front of the trench.

Hasdrubal had to lead his troops back.

At this time, Leotizides was instructing some soldiers to start building a camp. He planned to start the camp from the wooden village at the mountain pass, and go north to the sea, so as to cut off Palermos on land and the outside world. contact.

The cargo battalions of the 7th and 8th Corps were busy on the beach, laboriously transporting the goods from the cargo ships to the coast.

The Third Fleet escorts the fleet of transporting soldiers and supplies on the offshore surface of Palermos. Although the Dionysian Navy has a clear advantage in the western waters of Sicily, it is an enemy territory after all, and all the crew of the Third Fleet maintain They were on high alert, because when they first arrived in Sicily, they had heard of the Sicilian fleet being teased and raided by the Carthaginian fleet.

“Enemies found in the southwest, two yellow flags!” The watchman on the flagship’s main mast suddenly shouted.

Hearing that it was the Carthaginian fleet that was similar in number to his own fleet, Midorades looked calm and immediately issued an order: “Blow the bugle and raise the starry flag! At the same time, notify the fleet behind, let the They get to the beach immediately!”

It was the Carthaginian fleet led by Morbal who was attacking.

Since the city of Hadrummentum was burned down, in order to more accurately grasp the movements of the Dionysian fleet, he hired dozens of small cargo ships driven by experienced old Phoenician captains, scattered in the western seas. Near the coast, check the enemy.

So Morbar, who was training his fleet and waiting for fighter planes between the seas of Carthage and the west, received the news when the vast Dionysian fleet docked on the coast near Palermus, for he knew that Dionia’s fleet is still cruising the sea near Lilibe, it is impossible to suddenly appear near Palermos, this must be another Dionia fleet.

Another Dionian fleet has been added to the waters near Sicily!

… This news made Morbar feel more stressed, but he still decided to lead his team to Palermos and meet this new Dionian fleet for a while, perhaps because it was new and not like It turned out that the fleet was so difficult to deal with, and it was easier to take the bait.

When the Carthaginian fleet arrived, the Dionysian Third Fleet was already lined up on the sea.

Morbar was not ready to engage in a head-on fight with the Dionysian fleet. When he was about a mile away from the other side with a loose ship formation and at a normal speed, he had already learned of Morbar’s plan of Goga. The Taiji warships turned around and returned one after another, luring the enemy ships to chase.

The battleships of the Third Fleet were indeed chasing at first, but when the Carthaginian fleet wanted to lead it to the sea, Midorades immediately became vigilant. In the previous naval battle of Sardinia, although the Third Fleet He won the final victory, but the risks he experienced were still fresh in his memory. He was a good learner and didn’t want to make the same mistakes again, so he issued an order to “stop the pursuit” and quickly gathered the warships , return to the original defensive position.

After that, the Carthaginian fleet stepped forward to lure it several times, and the Third Fleet no longer moved lightly, but waited and watched.

Morbar separated some warships in an attempt to bypass the Third Fleet and attack Dionia’s transport fleet, but most of the ships had already docked on the beach under the warning of the Third Fleet, and there was not much oil and water to catch, and Midorades ordered the squadron in the rear to follow and monitor, but always kept a not too far distance from the main force.

The prudence of the Third Fleet and the unity and consistency of the entire fleet made Morbal unable to find any opportunities to take advantage of, but it took a lot of physical strength of the Carthaginian crew.

The combat effectiveness of such a well-trained Dionian fleet is certainly not weak!

… Morbal didn’t dare to attack from the front, because he had no confidence that he could defeat his opponent, and he knew very well in his heart: even if he won, the Carthaginian fleet would definitely lose a lot. It’s more than worth the loss. Carthage, which is in distress, needs such a complete fleet now, which can deter the Dionysian Navy and prevent it from being too arrogant.

The Carthaginian fleet eventually retreated.

Midorades did not order the pursuit, he no longer had the impetuous mentality that was eager to prove himself at first, and the affirmation and praise of his achievements in the letters Davers wrote to him several times made him more confident and composed. It is also very clear in my heart: For the Third Fleet, which is new to the world and is not yet familiar with the surrounding waters, what is needed now is caution, not more military exploits.

At this time, the watchman on the main mast was shouting again: “There is news from the clipper in the east, and a fleet is coming ahead! Well…it’s our fleet!”

Midorades was shocked: stop Klian is here!

The Sicilian Fleet cruised to the waters near Palermos and met the Third Fleet. This was the first time in more than 10 years since the Southern Italian War that the Dionysian Navy had all merged together (the Sicilian Fleet had previously merged the First and Second Fleet). 2. Fourth Fleet).

Considering the existence of the elusive Carthaginian fleet, the warships of the two sides did not get close enough to prevent the congestion of the fleet and the inconvenience of movement. All the oars left the water and swayed back and forth in the air to express the joy of the crew.

In such a celebratory atmosphere, the flagships of both sides moved forward to the front of the fleet at the same time, the flagship of the Sicilian fleet stopped, while the flagship of the third fleet continued to move forward, and finally came to the side of the flagship of the Sicilian fleet.

Midorades, dressed in military uniform, stepped on the wooden board between the two ships and came to the flagship deck of the Sicilian Fleet. He solemnly gave a military salute to Sekerian: “Salute to you, Lord Sekerian!

” Klian also solemnly returned a military salute, and then said: “Long time no see, Midorades! I have heard good news from the Third Fleet many times during this time. Your performance surprised me, not only in naval battles. You won the navy and conquered two important cities of the Phoenicians one after another, and robbed the army of all the work that should have been done by the army. You have earned a great honor for our navy!”

“This is all due to your majesty. With full support, the Sicilian fleet led by you has attracted the main force of Carthage in front, and the Third Fleet has achieved these successes without conspicuousness.” Midorades said humbly, and then added He sighed with concern: “I was very worried about your safety when I heard the news that the Sicilian fleet was destroyed by the storm and you and Flarios are also missing in Latium! At the same time, I was also worried about the Dionysian Navy. It may take a long time to recover from this blow! Thanks to Hades’ blessing, you returned safely, the Sicilian fleet has also been reorganized, and everything is back to normal, which is great!”

Sekelian looked at each other .

With a sincere smile, he sighed after a moment: “It’s a pity that Flarios and Myrtias have all gone to the Elysee one after another! The Carthaginian navy is the formidable enemy we have encountered so far, which has caused inconvenience to our fleet. Small casualties… Before, His Majesty Davos reminded me again, ‘In this war with the Carthaginians, our navy is the most important force in defeating the enemy, and we must play the greatest role.’ Therefore, we The two fleets must join hands and strengthen cooperation in order to completely defeat the Carthaginian navy and win the war for the kingdom!”

Sekelian has been the elder of the kingdom for many years, and his political sensitivity is not low. When he learned that the third fleet After being transferred to Sicily, he was not affiliated with the Sicilian fleet, but was stationed on the north coast alone, and was responsible for the war at sea with the Sicilian fleet. He understood that King Davos and the Ministry of War were not too satisfied with the recent performance of the Sicilian fleet. , wanted to use the Third Fleet to stimulate the Sicilian Fleet, and at the same time he also realized that the successive victories of the Third Fleet made Midorades no longer the squadron commander who could be driven at will by him more than ten years ago.

Especially in his heart there was a knot: he always felt that the death of Myrtias had something to do with him. If it wasn’t for him, he would have taken the commander of the fleet of Myrtias away. Right, Myrtias will not refuse to follow his advice, and ultimately lead to defeat.

Since then, he has consciously restrained his temperament.

In addition, when we met today, Midorades took the initiative to come to the flagship to meet, and his posture was low, which made Sekelian satisfied, so his tone became gentle.

At this time, Midorades said with a smile: “Lord Cykrian is right! The Sicilian Fleet and the Third Fleet are the kingdom’s armies, and they should have fought in unity. As long as you have a good plan, Sir, I will I am

willing to lead the Third Fleet to cooperate fully!”

Sekelian frowned slightly, he heard Midorades’s words, but he immediately stretched out and said confidently: “I really have a good plan, I am preparing Discuss

with you.”

Midorades was stunned, then agreed.

So the two separated the surrounding crew and discussed it on the deck of the flagship.

About half an hour later, smiles appeared on the faces of both of them.