"After a while, the wind will get stronger." The old helmsman also expressed his judgment.
The old captain nodded. "Fortunately, there's this southeast wind. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to do such a risky thing today."
He sighed softly, then said to the young sailor, "Lower the sails."
Just as the sailor lowered the sails, the old helmsman had already moved the rudder and turned the bow of the ship, which was originally facing east, to the northeast.
The sails were lowered. Feeling the wind, they began to swell.
The old captain held the sails in his hands, smiled, and said confidently, "Attention, everyone. The ship is sailing north. The Diónia warships will chase after us. But don't worry, we'll get home safely."
Everyone responded with solemn expressions.
This merchant ship was 13 meters long and 4.5 meters wide. Apart from the captain and helmsman, there were only 10 sailors on board, a total of 12 people. It was the opposite of a warship. It was lighter at the front and heavier at the back. The bow was narrower and raised, and the stern was wider. The sails and rudder were at the stern. The 10 sailors were on both sides of the hull. The center of the hull was covered with linen and bulged with cargo.
The old captain pulled and released, and the sails quickly rotated to a suitable position. The sails quickly inflated, and the speed of the entire ship suddenly increased.
The merchant ship behind it followed closely behind, speeding towards the northeast.
… …
"Sir Commander, Carthage's fleet is fleeing north. Stefakas is leading his fleet to chase after them."
Hearing this news, Secorian turned to look at the waves and frowned slightly. "Fleeing north … It seems that Carthage's people want to take advantage of this south wind."
"Should we follow them?" the captain asked.
Secorian made a decision without hesitation. "Just 300 merchant ships are far from enough to transport food for Carthage's army of 100,000 … Since Carthage wants to lure us away from here, no! We'll stay here and not let their next fleet easily enter the port of Lili! However, we can't be careless. Have the clippers strengthen their communication with Stefakas. I want to know the movements of the 1st B Squadron at all times! "
"Yes!"
Secorian ordered 200 warships to cruise around the sea near Lili. The 80 warships led by Stefakas were chasing after Carthage's fleet and were approaching Motia.
Motia used to be an important military town for Carthage in Sicily. Dionysius led an army of 100,000 and painstakingly destroyed it. Instead of rebuilding it, Carthage's people built a new military town, Lili, nearby. Therefore, after more than 20 years, the city of Motia was still the same as when it was first destroyed. It had not been cleaned up, including the causeway that Dionysius mobilized to build from the coast to Motia. Due to the existence of this causeway, the shallow sea between Motia and the coast became a pocket-like bay. Stefakas concluded that Carthage's fleet did not dare to enter. Otherwise, they would be caught like turtles in a jar.
Stefakas had correctly judged the course of the Carthaginian fleet. Since he had led the fleet to make preparations in advance, he had the upper hand and was able to close the distance with the Carthaginian fleet. In particular, the fast warships had sunk several merchant ships that had fallen behind, causing some confusion in the Carthaginian fleet. There were even collisions and capsizing.
This was because Carthage's fleet was now located on the west side of Motia, and on the west side of Motia was another small island, Aegusa. The distance between the two islands was less than 10 miles and was relatively narrow. The merchant ships at the back felt the danger and scrambled to speed up, immediately making the entire Carthage fleet crowded.
But soon, the situation improved because after passing this section of the sea, another small island, Pharbantia, appeared diagonally ahead. The Carthage fleet immediately divided into two teams. One team continued to move forward, and the other turned west. The Carthage's crew who had fallen into the water swam up to these small islands unhurriedly.
After learning the enemy's movements from the lookout, Stefakas frowned. He roughly knew what Carthage's people wanted to do: there were many small islands in the sea ahead, as well as some reefs that could not be called islands. During this period of time, Sequerian had led the fleet to cruise the western waters of Sicily. On the one hand, it was to cut off Carthage's sea transportation, and on the other hand, it was to familiarize the new fleet with the sea conditions here. All the crew members regarded the sea ahead as a dangerous area, especially when the tide was high. Some of the reefs would be submerged by the rising water, and ships that were not familiar with the sea could easily collide with them, causing damage or even sinking. The new Sicilian fleet had learned their lesson, so Secorian specially asked someone to draw a separate map of the sea for every captain to remember. But even so, they were certainly not as familiar as the Carthage's people who had sailed here all year round. These cunning Carthage's people must have wanted to use this sea area to get rid of their pursuit and at the same time create some trouble for them.
Stefakas thought for a while and issued an order for all the warships to slow down and be vigilant. At the same time, he also decided not to split up the fleet for the time being, but to chase the fleet that was heading straight north. They had to block the coast and prevent them from entering the port of Eriks not far ahead.
Unexpectedly, when the Carthage fleet that had turned west saw that the Diónia warships did not follow them, they immediately circled around Agusa Island and turned south. The fleet that was heading north was once again divided into two groups, separated by a reef, and turned west one after another.
Under such circumstances, Stefakas had no choice but to order the warships to disperse and weave between the various islands to intercept and attack the enemy ships. He could not allow the Carthage fleet, which had barely suffered any losses, to slip back to the south. Although there was definitely a main fleet in the south, it would be embarrassing for them to see that they had chased after them for a long time without any results. Moreover, Sequerian had specifically emphasized that "not a single Carthage ship should be let go."
Thus, a large-scale game of hide-and-seek at sea began.
… …
At this time, on the sea near Lilibo, the main Diónia fleet that was cruising received news from a clipper ship that had been sent to the southwest: another Carthage fleet, smaller in number than the Sicilian fleet, was sailing in the direction of Lilibo.
"Commander, your judgment is correct. The Carthage merchant ships are coming again!" The flagship captain praised.
Sequerian, however, seemed a little dissatisfied. "The number is a little small. Inform the fleet to spread out in the southwest direction. Before the Carthage have discovered them, quickly meet them and eat them up as soon as possible! Maybe another wave of merchant ships will arrive soon. "
Just as the Diónia warships received the order and began to line up, the lookout on the clipper ship widened his eyes in surprise. He saw that the Carthage fleet in front of him had begun to change from a column to a horizontal line, and the direction of the sails was adjusted. The merchant ships suddenly sped up. Are the Carthage people crazy? They should be able to see our warships at this distance. Why aren't they running away but rushing forward instead? Do they want to fight us with their merchant ships? "
The lookout did not know that in the middle of the Cataiji fleet, Captain Baricos was maneuvering the sails and shouting loudly to the nearby merchant ships, "It's time to test your courage! If you're afraid, you can still retreat now! "
"I've sailed for decades and have seen all kinds of storms. I've even followed Morbal, crossed the Pillars of Hercules, went to the distant coast, and seen the two-wheeled chariot of God (today's Mount Cameroon) … Isn't it just death? What's there to be afraid of?"
"That's right! We old fellows have lived until today for this moment! If we die, we can reunite with our former comrades in the temple of Baal Harmon! "
"Don't just talk about us. Compared to us, you're still young. You haven't enjoyed enough life, and you haven't seen enough war. When the Diónia warships come close to you, don't be so scared that you don't know how to maneuver the sails."
Baricos laughed loudly, "Don't worry, my ship will rush to the front, avoid the collision of all the Diónia warships, and enter safely. I want the people of Diónia to know that the people they have defeated before are not the real Carthage people. The real Carthage people are the heroes of the sea, and they can't defeat them! "
"That's right, Baricos. Show the ignorant people of Diónia what real sailing is!" The crew on the ship waved their arms and responded enthusiastically.
Baricos smiled, "Brothers, get ready, the adventure is about to begin!"
He maneuvered the sails, and the small merchant ship, which was less than 10 meters long and only three meters wide, with a total of eight crew members, rushed towards the Diónia warships like an arrow shot out by the wind.
Under his leadership, the 60 merchant ships, which were almost the same size as him, rushed into the arms of the hungry wolves, like sheep that had their heads broken.
The captains of the Dionian warships were astonished by the performance of the Carthaginian fleet. However, they would never be merciful because of the stupidity of their opponents. Under their orders, the Dionian warships retracted their sails. Relying on the oars of nearly 200 oarsmen who worked together to paddle with all their might, the gigantic warships dashed forward at an astonishing speed. The bow of the warships that flickered with a dark light sliced through the incoming waves, causing water to splash onto the deck.
The Carthage fleet was like a row of waves pushed by the southwest wind, surging towards the Dionysian fleet. The Dionysian fleet formed a double horizontal formation, and the warships in the front were charging almost one on one. It was like an Olympic boxing match, exciting.
However, when the two sides got close, the Carthage merchant ship was like a baby facing a giant. There was a huge difference in size, and the slightest collision would break all the bones in the ship.
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