Chapter 316 The Madness of the Carthaginian Fleet

, the fastest update to the latest chapter of the Mediterranean Overlord of Ancient Greece!

"After a while, the wind will be stronger." The old helmsman also expressed his judgment.

The old captain nodded: "Fortunately, there is this southeast wind, otherwise I would never dare to do such a risky thing today."

He sighed softly, then said to the young sailor, "Put the sails down."

Just as the sailor put the sails down, the old helmsman had already swung the rudder, turning the originally eastward bow to the northeast.

The sails dropped, felt the wind, and began to sway.

The old captain held the sail control rope in his hands, smiled, and said confidently: "Everyone, pay attention, the ship is going north, and the Dionysian warship will chase after it, but don't worry, we will go home safely. of."

The crowd responded solemnly.

This merchant ship, which is 13 meters long and 4.5 meters wide, has only ten sailors except the captain and helmsman, totaling 12 people. It is the exact opposite of a warship. It is light in the front and heavy in the back. The bow is narrowed and upturned. The stern is wider. , high uplift of the goods.

As soon as the old captain pulled and released, the sails quickly turned to a suitable position, the sails swelled quickly, and the speed of the whole ship suddenly increased.

The merchant ships behind also followed the ship and accelerated to the northeast.

……………………………………

"Lord Commander, the Carthaginian fleet fled north, and Stefankas is leading the fleet to catch up."

Hearing the news, Sekelian turned to look at the waves and frowned slightly: "Flee north... It seems that the Carthaginians want to take advantage of the south wind."

"Do we need to catch up?" the captain asked.

Sekelian made a decision without hesitation: "To transport food for Carthage's 100,000 army, only 300 merchant ships are far from enough... Since Carthage wants to lure us out of here, no! We will stay here. , they will never let their next fleet enter the port of Lillibee easily! However, don't be careless, let the Clippers strengthen the connection with Stewarkas, and I want to know the movements of the 1st Squadron at any time!"

"Yes!"

Secrian's order sent 200 warships cruising in the sea near Lilibe,

And 80 warships led by Stefankas chased the Carthaginian fleet and were already approaching Motia.

Motia, once the military center of Carthage in Sicily, was destroyed by Dionysius with 100,000 troops. The Carthaginians did not rebuild it, but near it. A new military town, Liliba, was built, so more than 20 years later, the city of Motia was still the same as when it was destroyed. The causeway of Motia, because of the existence of this causeway, the shallow sea between Motia and the coast became a pocket bay, and Stefankas concluded that the Carthaginian fleet did not dare to enter, otherwise it would be You can catch turtles in the urn.

Stefankas judged the correct direction of the Carthaginian fleet. Because he led the fleet to prepare in advance, he took a little advantage and shortened the distance with the Carthaginian fleet, especially when the fast warships collided and sank. Several merchant ships fell behind, causing some confusion in the Carthaginian fleet, and even collisions and capsized ships.

This is because the current position of the Carthaginian fleet is exactly on the west side of Mortia Island, and on the west side of Mortia Island is another small island, Aegusa, only separated by two islands. Less than ten miles away, it was relatively narrow, and the merchant ships at the back felt dangerous and rushed to speed up, which immediately crowded the entire Carthaginian fleet.

But this situation was soon improved, because after passing this sea area, another small island, pharbantia, appeared diagonally ahead, and the Carthaginian fleet immediately divided into two teams, and the first team continued Moving forward, a group turned westward, and the Carthaginian crew members who fell into the water swam to these small islands without haste.

After learning the enemy's movements from the lookout, Stefankas frowned. He roughly knew what the Carthaginians wanted to do: there are many small islands in the sea ahead, and some are exposed to the sea. , It cannot be called the reef of the island. During this period of time, Sekelian led the fleet to cruise the western waters of Sicily. On the one hand, it was to cut off the sea transportation of Carthage, and on the other hand, it was to let the newly built fleet familiar with the sea conditions here. And all the crew regard the sea area in front as a dangerous area, especially when the tide is high, some reefs are submerged by the rising sea water. Ships unfamiliar with the sea conditions can easily collide, causing damage or even sinking. The new Sicilian fleet has Such a lesson, so Seikelian deliberately asked people to draw this sea area as a map, so that every captain would remember. But even so, they are definitely not as familiar as these Carthaginians who have been sailing here all the year round. These cunning Carthaginians must want to use this sea area to get rid of their pursuit, and at the same time create some trouble for them.

Stepakas thought for a moment, and then sent an order to let all the warships slow down and be more vigilant. At the same time, he also decided not to disperse the fleet for the time being, but to first chase the fleet heading north, which must be stopped. Close to the coast, preventing it from entering the port of Eryx not far ahead.

Unexpectedly, the Carthaginian fleet, which turned westward, saw that the Dionysian warship was not following, and immediately circled the island of Agusa, turned around and headed south, and the northward fleet was divided into two again. Branches, separated by an island reef, turn westward one after another...

Under such circumstances, Stefankas had to order the ships to be dispersed, interspersed between the islands, to intercept and attack the enemy ships, because he could not allow the Carthaginian fleet, which had hardly suffered great losses. Slip back to the south again, although there must be a main fleet in the south, but let them see that they have been chasing for a long time and have not achieved any results. A Carthaginian Merchant Ship".

And so, the big game of hide-and-seek at sea began.

………………………………

At this time, in the sea near Lilibe, the cruising Dionysian main fleet received news from the clippers sent to the southwest: another Carthaginian fleet, which was less than the Sicilian fleet, was heading to Lili. Drive in the direction of Libby.

"Lord Commander, your judgment is correct, the Carthage merchant ship is here again!" The flagship captain praised.

However, Sekelian seemed a little dissatisfied: "The number is a little less, tell the fleet to expand to the southwest, and before the Carthaginians are discovered, quickly meet them and eat them as soon as possible! Maybe there will be another attack soon. A wave of merchant ships arrives."

Just when the various warships of Dionia received the order and began to line up, the lookout of the Clipper opened his eyes in amazement, and he saw the Carthaginian fleet in front of him began to change from a column to a horizontal one. , and adjusted the direction of the sails, the speed of the merchant ship suddenly increased: Are the Carthaginians crazy? ! We should be able to see our warship at this distance, so why not run away, but charge forward instead? ! Do you still want to fight us with merchant ships? ! "

The lookout did not know that in the middle of the opposite Jiataiji fleet, Captain Barricos was steering the sails and shouted loudly to the nearby merchant ships: "It's time to test your courage! If you are afraid, this It's time to get out!"

"I have been sailing for decades, and I have never seen any kind of wind and waves. I even followed Morbar, crossed the Pillar of Hercules, went to distant shores, and saw the two-wheeled chariot of the gods (now Mount Cameroon)... ...Isn't it just death, what's there to be afraid of!"

"That's right! We old fellows live to this day, just for this moment! We are dead, just in time to reunite with our former comrades in the temple of Baal Harmon!"

"Don't just talk about us, you are still young compared to us, you haven't enjoyed enough life yet, and you haven't seen enough wars. When Dionysian's warship is rushing towards you at close range, don't worry about it. Don't be so scared that you don't know how to steer the sails."

Barricos laughed loudly: "Don't worry, my ship will rush ahead, avoid all the collisions of the Dionian warships, and enter Lilibe safely. I want to let the Dionians know that before they None of them are the real Carthaginians, the real Carthaginians are the heroes of the sea, and they cannot defeat them!"

"That's right, Barikos, show the ignorant Dionians what true sailing is!" The crew on the ship waved their arms and responded frantically.

Barricos smiled: "Brothers get ready, the adventure is about to begin!"

He steered the sail, and the small merchant ship, less than 10 meters long and three meters wide, with a total of 8 crew members, took advantage of the wind, like an arrow shot out, facing the Dionysian warship on the opposite side. past.

Under his leadership, 60 merchant ships that were almost the same as it were like sheep with their heads broken, and rushed towards the arms of the hungry wolf.

The captains of the Dionysian ships were astonished to see the performance of the Carthaginian fleet, but they would never let themselves be merciful because of the stupidity of their opponents, and under their orders Dionysus Ya's warships all folded their sails, relying on the concerted efforts of nearly 200 oarsmen to paddle. The surging waves cut open one by one, and the water splashed continuously on the deck.

The Carthaginian fleet was like a row of waves driven by the southwesterly wind to the Dionysian fleet, and the Dionias fleet charged in a double-horizontal formation and the front row of battleships was almost 1-on-1. It's as exciting as a boxing match at the Olympics.

But when the two sides approached, the Carthaginian merchant ship was like a baby facing a giant when compared to the Diorian warship.