Chapter 87 The Battle of Cerro Diham (2)

At this time, the Iberian fleet also discovered the enemy in front, and Admika also quickly prepared the fleet to fight. He adopted a single-column formation, which mainly focused on one-on-one catching and fighting. The sailors of the warships have high requirements for the ability to operate the ship, so it can be seen that the Iberian fleet has a high self-esteem.

In fact, the three-tiered oars were originally invented by the Phoenicians, and even the collision tactics at sea were their first creations, but the centuries-old sailing tradition is both the glory of Carthage and their shackles. Even if the mighty Syracuse navy was defeated by the emerging Dionysian navy more than a decade ago, it did not have much impact on the Carthaginian fleet. On the contrary, the vast majority of Carthaginian admirals and sailors believed that the failure of the Syracuses was caused by poor ship-handling skills. If it were them, they would never have made the stupid mistakes of the Syracuses.

As for the Dionian Navy, their tactics have been improving, as can be seen from the current formation of the Third Fleet, its first half is a staggered three-tier paddle battle with a crow bridge. There are a hundred ships in total, the second half of which are 50 conventional three-deck oar warships arranged in columns without crow bridges, and 50 small and medium warships are loosely arranged on both sides of the star formation.

This is the summary of the Dionysian Military Department and several senior naval admirals after the naval battles with Syracuse, based on the defects exposed by the Raven warship and the problems found in training, and the continuous improvement. All the fleets have adopted a mix of crow warships and conventional three-layer oar warships. Basically, crow warships account for 2/3 of the number of three-layer oar warships, and conventional three-layer oar warships account for 1/3.

And the navy also modified the structure of two three-layer oar warships: the crow warship mainly relies on the drawbridge to lock the enemy ship, and relies on the infantry to fight to win, so its hull is longer and wider, which can first guarantee The bottom warehouse is spacious, and the infantrymen stay in it without feeling crowded or cramped. After all, with the expansion of the kingdom's territory, it is no longer possible for the fleet to fight the enemy as soon as they leave the port. It is often impossible to find the enemy after a day or two of patrolling. At this time, it ensures that the sailors and infantry on board have a relatively comfortable living environment, which is conducive to maintaining their combat effectiveness. At the same time, the crow warship also adds some weight to the stern, so that after the suspension bridge is installed, the front and rear can be kept balanced. Smoother sailing.

If the Raven Warship sacrificed speed, comfort and safety, the Dionia's conventional three-deck oar warship had to make up for the lack of speed of the Raven Warship, so its hull was narrow and the hull was relatively small. Short, shaped like a willow leaf, even the masts were low, and the number of sailors per warship was reduced to 150. The Ministry of Military Affairs has gathered many well-known shipbuilders in Dionia to modify and test this three-layer oar warship repeatedly, and finally set it up. Therefore, its maximum speed can reach 15 knots, and its flexibility is also high, so it is worn Onian sailors called it a fast three-deck oars.

Normally, these fast three-tiered oars were lined up behind the ships, and after the start of the naval battle, they shuttled between the gaps of the warships, protecting the raven warships that were boarding and fighting, and ramming those who tried to get around them. enemy ship. When the enemy fleet retreats, they will use their faster ship speed to pursue to expand the results.

It's an encounter,

No one on both sides avoided the battle. On the contrary, the sailors were very enthusiastic. They quickly adjusted the warships and arranged their formations on the ten-mile sea in accordance with the command of the commander. They listened to the piper. With the sound of the flute, the neat horns were shouted in the mouth, and the oars were pushed hard.

The front-line warships of the two sides are about to touch each other...

Admiral Admika, the commander of the Iberian navy who was in the rear, clenched his fists excitedly when he heard the shouts from the mast: the first naval battle between Carthage and Dionia was about to begin, and he I firmly believe that victory will belong to the Carthaginians with a long history of sailing!

"Boom!...Boom!..." Crow suspension bridges spun down and smashed through the deck of the enemy ship, connecting the two warships together.

"Hades!!!..." The 40 Dionysian Fleet infantrymen rushed out of the battleship's bilge and rushed across the drawbridge in high spirits, killing the enemy ship. These infantry dedicated to the fleet are very different from the legionnaires loaded on the warships at the beginning. Not only is the number reduced by ten, but they are all wearing leather helmets and leather armors, and the left hand is holding a completely wooden long shield , The leather sandals worn by the feet have criss-cross grooves... The changes in these weapons and equipment and the reduction in weight are more conducive to their flexibility to fight on the warship, and it is not easy to slip on the slippery deck.

When the infantry of the Dionian Fleet were slaughtering an enemy ship, Admika's excited emotions disappeared, and what was exchanged was a cold heart. In the end, he could only give the order to retreat with a bitter mouth.

The first battle between Dionia and the Carthaginian navy lasted just over half an hour. There were 18 deck oars and 4 rammed and sank, winning a big victory.

Hasdrubal, who had just breached the port, watched the entire process of the naval battle from the lighthouse in the port of Cerro Dium, and witnessed the unique tactics of the Dionysian fleet that led to the fiasco of the Iberian fleet, which made him greatly Shocked, and at the same time, his joy in occupying Cerro Diham City was annihilated.

For the people of Cerrodieum who were evacuating from the sea, the victory of the Dionysian naval battle also boosted their confidence in returning home.

The next day, Hasdrubal, who had not been cleaned up, received the news that "the main Carthaginian army was defeated on the south coast". Although he was a little gloating, he also felt the danger of his situation. The Onias are likely to transfer troops to deal with his lone army, which is deep into the enemy's territory, but it will take some time for the Dionysians to move from the south coast to the north coast.

In the afternoon, he received another messenger from Palermus, who had rushed over, and finally made up his mind, who was hesitant. It turned out that Dionysian's Third Fleet sailed westward early in the morning and landed on the coast near Paramus. After the thousands of infantry on the warship landed, they attacked the reserve camp of the Iberian army, although due to the The vigilance and tenacious defense of the remaining troops failed to allow them to capture the camp, but also caused some damage to the baggage.

Hasdrubal decided to lead his army back to Palermos, where he would stay for a while, waiting for a new decision from the Carthaginian Senate, as he realized that the defeat of the main force led by Monte Ardeno would likely lead to A new political storm.

While retreating, Hasdrubal ordered the soldiers to completely destroy Cerrodeham City, so that the next attack would not run into any trouble.

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Vinosa - a town in the northwest corner of the Pucherti region. It is said that Diomedes, one of Homer's heroes, lived here in seclusion after the Trojan War, seeking a peaceful life and building this town And the temple of Aphrodite, to quell the anger of the goddess of love for the destruction of the city of Troy, which she loved so much, so the town is also called the city of Aphrodite, and it can be seen from this that Puche The blood and cultural ties between the Ti and the Greeks.

However, at this time, this town favored by the god of love was once again ravaged by war. It was surrounded by the Samonais, and a small number of citizen soldiers were stubbornly resisting the enemy's strong attack from all sides.

"Go and urge the leaders of the various tribes to continue their attack, and be sure to capture this town before dusk!" Leskuk looked at the battle situation at the front of the city, and issued an order with some anxiety.

"Yes, Chief!" The guards led the way.

Contruk, the chief of Caracheni, who was on the side, glanced at him and said with relief: "It's useless for you to rush, don't worry, I think the enemy can't stand it anymore, and it will definitely be able to take this town before dark. ."

"I'm just... a little worried about the Dionysians, we must hurry up, loot more population and materials, and have more leverage to threaten the Dionysians!..." Leskuk hurriedly explained.

"The Dionysians have nothing to be afraid of!" Kontruk saw through the timidity of Leskuk at a glance, and he said loudly with some disdain: "The defeats you have faced in fighting them in the past are all defeats. Their tricks, know that we have never lost a head-on battle, and we have never lost a battle with the Greeks in the past! As the great chief of the Shilpinis, you can be cautious, but you can't lose Vosani The courage and ferocity that descendants should have!"

As a veteran leader, Contruk continued to teach Martyr Jake by virtue of his identity as an elder and years of combat experience: "What's more, you have used a strategy to transfer the main force of Dionia to the Downey area. It is very difficult for them to arrive here in two or three days. Even if reinforcements from the enemy arrive in the past two days, it is a temporary force formed by the Dionians in the Puchetti and Mesapi areas. , there will not be too many troops, and the fighting power will not be strong, we can just defeat them and boost our warriors...especially the courage and morale of the warriors of Shilpini, Kautini, and Pentene!" In this In the heart of an old Samonei leader, the warriors of the three tribes who have been defeated and defeated are not qualified Samonei warriors, only the Karacheni warriors are the best.

Leskuk stopped talking.

At this time, the spies came in a hurry: "Big Chief, we found Dionia's reinforcements in the south!"