Chapter 157 The Battle of Crotone (2)

And this time is also the first time that the Dionysian Fleet has walked out of the sea near Turii since its establishment and really headed for the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, not only Seklian, but the sailors of the entire fleet were very excited, and even the normal speed of the paddle frequency was faster than usual.

The entire fleet consisted of 150 raven warships and 30 50-oars clippers converted from ordinary cargo ships. They sailed offshore in a six-column formation facing south. Since there was only a westward breeze at the time of departure, the Dionysian fleet all sailed southward. No sails.

Sekolian's mission today is only one: completely defeat the Syracuse Navy!

So, while sailing across the sea of ​​Crimea, Sekelian ordered the crew to slow down and put on the Raven drawbridge.

And he also ordered: If the enemy's clippers are approaching, don't rush to expel them, and allow them to come closer to observe.

When the winter sun had risen to the middle of the sky, the Dionian fleet had sailed close to the waters of Crotone, when the yellow flag was raised from the masts of the three-layer galley warships in the front, and the Cykrian in the center of the fleet , After learning this information, his spirits were lifted: the Syracuse Navy, which had suffered a fiasco, was lured out so easily, it was great!

Regardless of whether the enemy has more or less ships, whether they will adopt the "circle" or "two-column" tactics, Dionia's crow fleet has only one tactic - gypsophila.

"Raise the black and red flags, and sound the trumpet of the attack!" Sekelian gave the order without hesitation.

The sailors began gulping down their prepared rations, as they had to fight as hard as they could for the next battle. However, compared with the anxiety and nervousness of the first time, they are more excited now, not only because the last big victory gave them confidence, but also because the new law promulgated by King Davers before the expedition was the majority It was the sailors of the Freedmen who added more motivation, "Win the war and we will become Union reserve citizens!" This became their common wish.

And the heavy infantry on the warship, when they heard the bugle, they calmed down a lot. They picked up the long shields that covered their heads to block the sun, stood up from the deck unhurriedly, and began to move their hands and feet unhurriedly... …

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On the lighthouse in the port of Crotone, Dionysius, with several of his men and Phoebe Das, looked out at the blue sea in the distance. Countless warships were rapidly approaching, and a naval battle was about to begin. The outcome will affect Dionysius' next plan, so Dionysius is also holding each other nervously at the moment...

The Dionysian warships at the forefront did not increase their speed to the fastest, because after the last naval battle, the admirals of Dionia had summed up their experience that the speed of the warships was too fast, but it was not conducive to the Raven Suspension Bridge. release.

But to the captains of Dionia, the oncoming enemy ship is also not as fast as the last time, why is this?

They had no time to think about it, and in the splashing waves, the warships of both sides were already close at hand.

"Boom!...Boom!..." Suspension bridges slammed down, firmly nailed to the deck of the Syracuse warship.

"Hades!!" The soldiers of the Dionysian First Army shouted the name of Hades and rushed across the drawbridge.

At this moment, the shout of "Apollo!!" also sounded from the other ship, and more than 40 Syracuse heavy infantrymen rushed out of the bilge of the warship, filling the deck of the original few people at once.

The captains of Dionia were stunned: No wonder the speed of the Syracuse warship slowed down. It turned out that there were also many heavy infantry hidden in the bilge of their warship!

It turned out that Leptinius had adopted Dionysius' suggestion in order to allow the fleet to compete with the opponent.

Sekelian quickly got the news from the Clippers. Although he was surprised, he still believed that with the ability of the Dionian Legionnaires, he would win this "land battle at sea"!

And for the Legionnaires, in addition to being a little surprised at first, there was excitement: the last time it was too easy to kill a sailor, there was not much sense of accomplishment for them, and this time it was real fighting!

"Send a team to go over there, and the rest come with me!" The team leader Melisanda quickly gave an order, and then rushed to the front.

Since the deck surface of the three-layer oar warship was not completely covered with wooden planks, there was a gap connecting the bilge in the middle, so the soldiers on both sides were divided into two teams and fought on the decks on both sides. The widest point of the warship is only six or seven meters, and one deck can accommodate up to two or three people in parallel.

The warship swayed up and down with the waves, making it impossible for the soldiers to push each other, so the battle between the heavy infantry on the warship was more of a single fight and the cooperation of two or three people.

Melisanda held a long shield in his left hand and faced the stab spear stabbed by the enemy. He stuck his whole body against the shield and slammed into it violently. The Syracuse soldier's spear was broken, his body staggered back, and was supported by his comrades behind.

Like a maggot attached to a bone, Melisanda quickly climbed up against her body. Taking advantage of the opponent's unsteady figure, the long shield collided again.

The dagger in Melisanda's right hand stabbed out like lightning, only to hear a scream of "ah", the other party clutched his right rib and fell to the ground.

"Throw away the lance, use the saber! Use the saber!!..." Melisanda heard the enemies shouting anxiously at each other, and thought: I only understand now, it's too late!

Before the enemy in front came up, he used a long shield to protect the front, but turned around and stabbed the enemy diagonally ahead. On such a small deck, the opponent could not dodge at all unless he jumped into the bottom cabin, so The enemy subconsciously evaded his body to the left, while swinging his saber, he slashed at Melisander's wrist.

Unexpectedly, the teammates next to Melisanda took the opportunity to slam the long shield violently, and the enemy immediately became unstable and leaned back.

Melisanda seized the opportunity, turned his wrist, and lifted the dagger up. The sharp blade slashed the enemy's arm with the saber, leaving deep scars that could be seen to the bone. superior……

Every two warships connected by the Raven Suspension Bridge, the heavy infantry of both sides are fighting fiercely.

Overall, the Dionians have the clear upper hand. Although the Syracuses also sent elite soldiers, they faced Dionia's First Legion.

The First Corps, which is known as "unbeaten and unbeaten", not only has the largest number of veterans, but also has the strictest requirements in selecting new recruits and has the most difficult training. However, there are still many young people who are flocking to it. At the same time, in terms of the experience of fighting at sea, the soldiers of the Dionysian First Army are far richer than the other party. They not only trained for more than a month before, but also conducted actual combat three days ago.

The Syracuse heavy infantry was hastily sent into battle, and they have not yet adapted to such a fighting method. They even carry stab guns. It must be known that long weapons have not been trained for a long time on the bumpy warship, and they cannot achieve accurate stabs at all. .

More important is the difference in weaponry. Corinthian helmets, bronze shields, and metal greaves were too heavy, and it was difficult for Syracuse soldiers to keep their balance on a swaying ship. compared to the Nia Legionnaires.

But the battle on a warship is different from that on land. Even if the battle is defeated, there is no way to escape, either to be captured or to jump into the sea. This forced the Syracuse soldiers to do their best to resist the attack of the Dionian Legionnaires, and in the end they also fought blood.

While some Syracuse soldiers used their round shields to carry the opponent's attack, at the risk of being injured, they seized the opportunity and pulled the opponent into the sea together. Melisanda, who stabbed and killed several Syracuse soldiers one after another, was accidentally pulled into the sea by the enemy.

But Melisander, who fell into the water, was not panicked because they had been trained in this area. He quickly took off his helmet and turned the inside of the arc-shaped long shield over. The long shield actually floated on the sea, because except for the bronze horn in the center, the long shield was mainly made of wood and covered with a thin layer of cowhide.

Melisanda stepped on the water with both feet, grabbed the long shield with one hand, and with the help of buoyancy, pretended to be relaxed and waved to the legionnaires who were watching him on the boat: "I'm fine, you guys keep fighting! Keep fighting!"

The Syracuse soldier who fell into the water with him was poured into the tightly sealed Corinthian helmet by the cold sea water, which immediately made him feel suffocated by his nose and mouth. He panicked and wanted to take off the helmet, but he panicked for a while. However, he couldn't untie the buckle, and the round shield on his right arm sank because it was wrapped in copper skin. In addition, the heavy helmet and greaves prevented him from stepping on the water and could not surface, and finally drowned. in sea water.

The drawbridge operator of the Dionian warship handed a wooden oar to Melisander, who was floating on the sea, and Melisander eventually climbed onto the warship.

He was just taking a breath when he heard the watchman on the main mast shout: "The enemy ship is attacking! The enemy ship is attacking!"

Everyone was shocked.

I saw a warship not far away rushing towards them aggressively, but now the warship was connected with the enemy ship and could not move at all.

"Pull up the drawbridge!" The captain shouted anxiously to the legionnaires on the opposite ship.

Melisanda also shouted.

The drawbridge was retracted, but the enemy ship was less than 20 meters away, and the bronze ramming angle of its bow was shining brightly under the reflection of the sea water and sunlight.

"Front right!" With the captain's urgent cry, the helmsman quickly turned the rudder.

"Sprint speed!" The captain's voice just fell.

The piper in the bilge was already playing hard and fast.

The top rower with the bottom two layers of rowers quickly rowed the wooden oars, but it took time for the warship to quickly transform from stationary to forward, but what the warship lacked most now was time.

The enemy ship that was smashing the waves was already close at hand, and the oarsmen on the top floor saw the angle of impact of the enemy ship sharply magnified in the field of vision through the paddle window. Run! You're about to hit!  …”