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 in his heart, he said hesitantly, "I heard from my subordinates that the experienced sailors in the port judged according to the weather in the past few days, tomorrow There will not only be continuous rains in the southwestern waters of Sicily in the past two days, but also strong winds and waves, and there will be certain risks for ships sailing at sea."

Annobas responded calmly and said, "It is precisely because of the risk that the Dionysian fleet is likely to hide in the port and dare not go out to sea, so that our fleet can successfully enter the port of Serinus."

"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 will win this naval battle! And the ships controlled by our Carthaginian sailors will undoubtedly have an advantage!

………………………………

In the early morning of the next day, the Carthaginian squadrons that received the order 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 are carrying food to the cargo ships docked at the dock, and teams of soldiers are also boarding passenger ships in an orderly manner...

Countless ships were crowded in the port, and countless laborers were busy in it... Such a busy scene caught Pomirka's eyes, but a bit of tension inevitably appeared on his face. "Annobas, next this fleet Your safety is entirely up to you!" he said expectantly to the naval commander beside him.

Anrobas said calmly, "Don't worry! As long as we work together, even if the Dionysian fleet appears, we will have the confidence to send them to the sea to feed the fish! Are you right, Admika?"

"Yes, General Annobas, the Iberian Fleet is very happy to defeat the Dionysian Fleet under your command and create convenience for Lord Margo's land attack." Admika replied respectfully.

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

At this time, Anrobas said, "The wind is rising."

"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 rejoice 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, which is a popular main warship of the Mediterranean powers. 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 difficult to steer, 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 jump gang operations, 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 formed by splicing two four-tiered oars. 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 jump in 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 put 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, and the warships widened the distance and lowered their sails, but they had 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 land distance was more than 90 miles, and the sea route was farther. Moreover, due to 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 takes time to run in. Moreover, they 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 double-headed dragon came in and reported, "General, the fleet has begun to enter the port!"

"Have you found anything to the east?" Annobas asked.

"I haven't received a report yet."

"I hope the fleet can unload the cargo sooner, and we should return earlier, the weather is a bit worrying now!" The adjutant said worriedly, "Even if Dionia's fleet found us, I'm afraid they wouldn't dare to come out. "

Annobas did not speak, and looked out the window silently. The clouds almost completely blocked the sun. It was noon, but it seemed to be dusk. The sky was dark and the sea was dark. 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 battleship in the forefront of the Carthaginian fleet, Wang Wang clung to the wooden post with both hands, and looked forward with difficulty. The dark clouds hanging over his head made him a little scared, and he complained in his heart that the captain was so 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. In case of heavy rain and thunder, it is no joke! "