Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1001: An Old Trick Replayed

At dawn, two fast ships sailed out of Palermos Port; one headed for Tharros to notify the Third Fleet, and the other for Minoa to report to King Davos.

Alarmed by Leotychides' sudden lockdown order, the high-ranking officials of Palermos and the commanding general of the Solus reinforcements anxiously sought him out for an explanation.

This was especially true for the Solus general, who had just agreed the night before to cooperate with the Theonians and persuade Solus to surrender. Now that the Theonians had abruptly locked down the entire city, he and his men worried their new allies meant to break the agreement after getting what they wanted.

Instead, Leotychides patiently explained the reasons behind the order and requested their full cooperation.

...

Ever since the fleet departed from Lilybaeum Port the previous night, not a single cargo ship belonging to Lilybaeum had returned, nor had any news of the reinforcements arrived. Imisere, the city lord of Lilybaeum, had been constantly worrying about their safety.

His subordinate officials repeatedly reassured him. It was completely normal to hear nothing, they argued, because the Theonians had completely besieged Panormus. Furthermore, by the time the fleet transported the reinforcements to Palermos Port and the soldiers finished disembarking, dawn would have likely broken. Those cargo ships wouldn't dare risk leaving the port in daylight; they would certainly wait until nightfall to slip back quietly...

Hearing his subordinates, Imisere found some comfort. Coupled with the day's heavy workload—he had to organize laborers to transport supplies to the Carthaginian Camp, draft citizens to help build siege equipment there, and move heavily wounded soldiers from the camp back to Lilybaeum for treatment so they wouldn't damage morale by lingering in the tents—Imisere was kept so busy that he temporarily put the matter out of his mind.

As the sun set and night fell, just as the citizens of Lilybaeum were drifting off to sleep, a fleet approached Lilybaeum Port from the west.

Upon receiving the signal, the port immediately dispatched a patrol boat.

The patrol boat exited the port and held its position outside the water gate. After a short wait, the fleet drew close to the port; it appeared quite large, consisting of about sixty large cargo ships.

The patrol boat immediately approached the leading cargo ship, which flew the Carthage City-State Flag from its mast.

Holding a burning torch high, the patrol boat captain clearly took in the situation on the cargo ship by its light: thirty oarsmen, a helmsman, and a captain, all possessing Carthaginian or Phoenician features. In the center of the ship, a large amount of supplies was piled high above the gunwales and tightly covered by several thick layers of linen.

The sight was no different from previous arrivals. The only exception was the lead captain, whom he did not recognize.

Before he could even ask a question, the captain of the cargo ship beat him to it: "Hey! The fleet led by Phebrica delivered military rations to you last night, but we haven't seen them return. Their families are worried sick. Tell me, did something happen to them?"

"They have a special mission!" Hearing this, the patrol boat captain felt that the speculations about why the Lilybaeum cargo ships hadn't returned yet might be correct, since the Carthaginian Convoy hadn't returned either. But he didn't relax his vigilance. Instead, he shouted back, "Who are you?! Why aren't Tasolas, Oneyis, or Sasis leading the fleet?!"

"Do you think I want to be here?!" the cargo ship's captain complained loudly. "If the Theonians hadn't attacked Africa again and burned down the City of Ogilgili, infuriating the Senate into ordering the old general Morbal to reinforce the defenses of the African Coast—and if the Senate hadn't then taken Morbal's advice to conscript experienced old captains like Tasolas and Oneyis to serve as captains and helmsmen for the newly built warships—it wouldn't be my turn to deliver supplies to you! Sailing such a long distance in the dead of night is incredibly dangerous! We set out over an hour early, hoping to cover more distance while there was still some daylight to reduce the risks. But we encountered a sudden squall halfway. The fleet fell into chaos in the dark, and several ships sank after crashing into each other..." At this point, the captain's expression filled with grief and indignation.

Hearing this, the patrol boat captain didn't know what to say. He now understood why this fleet had arrived earlier than the previous ones: the usual crews had been replaced by a batch of inexperienced rookies. No wonder some of the sailors looked so unnerved; they clearly hadn't recovered from their earlier scare.

The patrol boat captain quickly changed the subject, feigning surprise. "The Daonian Fleet burned down the City of Ogilgili?!"

"Not just burned it down! This time, they also captured many citizens of Ogilgili. It terrified us all! Everyone gathered at the Senate to protest. We even shoved the Suffet, Tepanco, to the ground when he came out to placate us... Hahaha, those damn senators! They only know how to collect our taxes, but they have no idea how to win a victory or protect Carthage... Sigh! I heard that when the Senate held a meeting later, that old man Adrusbal—who used to firmly support the war against Daionia—actually proposed negotiating for peace..."

The captain babbled on and on. Hearing the names of familiar and unfamiliar Carthaginian senators, along with their embarrassing anecdotes, amused the patrol boat captain, and his wariness mostly vanished. However, this was still an unfamiliar fleet, and he had to perform his required inspections. So he asked, "Captain, what's your name?"

"Haca. Many people in the City of Carthage call me the most eloquent Haca—"

"Captain Haca," the patrol boat captain interrupted. "I need to inspect the cargo on your ship."

"What?!"

"It's standard procedure! Every time a fleet arrives, it must undergo this inspection!" the patrol boat captain said sternly. In reality, when those other three captains led the fleets, they had only been inspected on their very first run and never again.

"Fine!" Haca hesitated for a moment, then warned, "You'd better be quick. Don't delay us from hurrying back to Carthage!"

The patrol boat pulled alongside. Its captain boarded the cargo ship and pulled back the thick linen cover.

The linen was wet, corroborating Haca's claim about running into a squall. Neatly stacked sacks of flour appeared before his eyes, and nothing else. This was why it had to be covered—to prevent sea spray from soaking the flour. Even so, this batch was likely in bad shape; it would have to be transported to the camp immediately and baked into bread before it spoiled.

The patrol boat captain revealed a look of pity and replaced the linen.

Seeing this, Captain Haca awkwardly explained, "The wind and waves came so fast, we were caught off guard. But it's definitely still edible..."

The patrol boat captain didn't reply. He jumped back onto his own boat and sailed toward the second cargo ship.

"How many ships do you need to inspect?! We're running out of time!" Captain Haca yelled from behind.

The patrol boat captain ignored him. He quickly finished inspecting the second ship and hurried to the third... Every time, he heard Captain Haca shouting and urging him on from behind, but he didn't respond. It wasn't until he jumped onto the fifth cargo ship that he heard Captain Haca's furious roar: "Attention, all captains! Turn around immediately and return to Carthage!"

The cargo ships in the back that heard the shout actually began to turn around; only then did the patrol boat captain panic.

The administrators of Lilybaeum Port always treated these Carthaginian convoys with the utmost respect. After all, sailing through the dead of night over such a long distance to deliver supplies required taking immense risks, and the port always tried to offer them maximum convenience. He was only conducting such a thorough inspection this time out of caution, given the unfamiliar crews during wartime. If he truly offended these captains, they would spread the word back in Carthage, and other cargo ships might refuse to transport supplies to Lilybaeum. If that happened, City Lord Imisere would never let him off the hook.

The patrol boat captain hurriedly jumped back onto his boat, sailed back to the lead cargo ship, and signaled to Captain Haca. "The inspection is clear. You may enter the port."

Only then did Captain Haca, cursing and swearing, stop the cargo ships from turning back.

After the lighthouse keeper received the patrol boat captain's signal requesting entry, he notified the personnel on the lower levels of the lighthouse, and together they turned the capstan.

The water gate of Lilybaeum consisted of three layers of iron sea-blocking chains, spaced five meters apart. Each layer was further divided into top, middle, and bottom chains, each stretching over a hundred meters long. The total amount of iron required was staggering, but for Carthage—which flourished on mining and the metal trade—it was hardly worth mentioning. Against such heavy barricades, it was virtually impossible for an enemy ship to force its way into the port.

Captain Haca watched with a complex expression as the thick iron chains slowly rose before his eyes. The patrol boat sailed into the port first, and he directed his cargo ships to follow closely behind.

Lilybaeum's main port was somewhat similar to that of its mother state, Carthage. The area featured a long strip of land extending solitarily into the sea, resembling a slightly curved wooden stick. Its main section ran almost parallel to the opposite coast, acting as a perfect natural breakwater. On the outer edge of this "breakwater," the Lilybaeum people had built a five-meter-high city wall complete with watchtowers. Combined with the natural elevation of the land, the entire structure rose more than ten meters above sea level.

At the far end of this "breakwater" stood an even taller structure: the lighthouse. Fully fifteen meters tall and cylindrical in shape, its peak burned with a fire that illuminated the darkness and guided ships, while its lower levels featured multiple windows through which light infantry could shoot arrows. It also housed the special mechanical device used to raise and lower the water gate, making it a multi-functional fortress.

This lighthouse was nearly three hundred meters away from the opposite shore—a rather large gap. To close it, the Lilybaeum people had built an artificial breakwater extending from the opposite bank. It also bore a wall, ending in a watchtower that stood just over a hundred meters away from the lighthouse. The water gate spanned the gap between the two. Because the mechanism controlling the iron chains was located on the lighthouse side, ships could only pass through the side closer to the lighthouse when the gate was opened.