Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1015: Ships at the Gates

That day, although the Carthaginian army had occupied the outer walls of Selinus, they failed to conquer the city and instead suffered heavy casualties. The new inner wall meant they still faced a grueling siege, leaving the soldiers' morale low.

The Numidian slaves in particular, serving as the main assault force, consistently suffered the heaviest casualties. Naturally, their resentment burned the fiercest, and rumors began to spread among them.

Ginomus was far from the only routed soldier to infiltrate the Sicanian Territory. Although Mago had assigned his trusted officers to the Numidian forces, they were mostly mid-to-high-ranking commanders. After all, if he transferred too many of them, his own Iberian Forces would struggle to maintain their combat effectiveness. As a result, the lowest-ranking squad leaders were mostly the original East Numidians. This gave the Numidian captives—who had been persuaded by the Theonians—the opportunity to pose as routed soldiers and slip into the Carthaginian Camp.

Whether attacking Palagonia or Selinus, the Numidian slaves had always been the main vanguard in this war. Consequently, they bore the brunt of the casualties, and their dissatisfaction with the Carthaginians had accumulated into deep resentment. So, when these spies quietly informed their compatriots about the true state of the war—and Daionia's willingness to support Numidia in rising against Carthage for independence—it naturally provoked a massive reaction.

Some rumors even spread to the other armies: whispers that the Carthaginian Fleet had suffered a disastrous defeat, that the waters of Western Sicily were completely blockaded by the Daunian Navy... and that the Daunian Navy had repeatedly raided the African Coast, burning Hadrumetum and Ogilgili to the ground.

This severely impacted the morale of both the Carthaginians and the Phoenician Soldiers. Many even gathered to demand the truth from their officers.

Mago was shocked when he received the report. He had to immediately halt his plans for the next assault on Selinunte and shift his focus to disciplining the army and boosting morale; otherwise, the entire force was in danger of collapsing.

...

Early in the morning, a Carthaginian Convoy consisting of thirty merchant ships set sail from Gadir, heading for the City of Carthage. Every ship was fully loaded with silver bullion.

Due to the recent dominance of the Daonian Fleet, this convoy was extremely cautious. They hugged the African Coast as they sailed east, ready to immediately duck into the ports of nearby city-states for shelter if they spotted any enemy forces. This method had proven highly effective; since the war began, not a single precious-metal ship from Iberia had been hijacked by the Daonian Fleet.

After spending two consecutive nights in coastal town ports, the convoy entered the core waters controlled by Carthage on the morning of the third day. Only then did the ships gradually steer away from the coast. Since the City of Carthage sat on a peninsula jutting northward, sailing straight toward it was the shortest route. Moreover, the Daonian Fleet had never dared to intrude into these waters.

By mid-morning, the convoy had approached the waters near Carthage. Suddenly, the crews spotted a fleet composed of countless black Warships emerging from the north, speeding directly toward them.

"That's the Theonians' fleet!" the sailors screamed in panic. They desperately steered their merchant ships, trying to flee toward the Port of Carthage. However, the cargo ships were heavily burdened, sailing against the wind, and short on oarsmen. As a result, the Daonian Warships outpaced them, cutting off their route to the port.

"General, our Warships have successfully intercepted the Carthaginian Convoy!" the lookout on the Flagship shouted excitedly.

Midorades didn't show much joy. He had planned this operation for a long time. To intercept the Carthaginian Convoy from Iberia, he had stationed several Daonian Fast Ships in Tharros on Sardinia. Their daily mission was to disguise themselves as Phoenician merchant ships, slip into the southern waters, and monitor the route from Iberia to Carthage. This specific convoy was spotted just one day after leaving Gadir, and had been under the surveillance of the Daonian Fast Ships ever since. Relying on their constant stream of intelligence, Midorades was able to perfectly time the interception right outside the Port of Carthage.

The first step had succeeded, but the crucial part was what would happen next. Midorades said in a deep voice, "Keep a close watch!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Daonian Warships intercepted the Carthaginian Convoy but didn't annihilate them in one fell swoop. Instead, they played a game of cat and mouse. Refraining from using their bronze rams, they used the hulls of their ships to snap the oars of the merchant vessels. The crews on deck had even prepared grappling hooks, intending to snag the cargo ships when they drew close.

It seemed they planned to capture the cargo ships and drag them back to their base. After all, thirty ships full of silver bullion were a massive fortune. However, this approach took significantly more time. Because the skirmish was happening just off the coast from the port, the sentries on the breakwater of the Port of Carthage had a clear view. Even the crews of other Carthaginian and Phoenician merchant ships entering the port witnessed the terrifying scene and frantically scrambled inside for safety. By the time the sentries rapidly reported the situation to the port officials, and those officials rushed to inform the Carthaginian Senate, news of the Daonian Fleet's attack had already spread like wildfire through the port and the city.

The Theonians' recent burnings of the Phoenician Allied States in Africa had already struck fear into the hearts of the Carthaginian people. Now that these terrifying enemies had pushed right to the doorstep of Carthage itself, the citizens grew even more panicked, and rumors that "the Theonians are going to attack the City of Carthage" caused a massive uproar.

When the senators of Carthage received the news from the port, they were completely shocked. They had never imagined the Daonian Fleet would be so audacious as to run rampant right outside the Port of Carthage. Such a thing had never happened since the founding of the City of Carthage!

Compounding this, they immediately received reports of riots breaking out in the city. At that moment, whether it was Hanno, Pretasdrubal, or Adrusbal, all disagreements vanished. They quickly reached a unanimous consensus: order Morbal to immediately lead the Carthaginian Fleet out to strike, repel the rampant Daonian Fleet, protect Carthage's wealth, and restore the people's confidence!

Ever since the Senate ordered the Carthaginian Fleet to strengthen the defense of the capital and its Phoenician Allied States along the African Coast, naval commander Morbal had abandoned leading his fleet to the waters of Western Sicily. Instead, he stayed behind at the Military Port in Carthage. He dispatched numerous fast ships to patrol the eastern and western coasts centered around Carthage—a patrol radius that had been expanded even further because Ogilgili had been burned. Once the enemy was spotted, he would lead his fleet out, arriving in time to intercept and defeat the Daonian Fleet even if they had already sent marines ashore to pillage.

Morbal's plan was sound, but the Daonian Fleet hadn't appeared on the African Coast since those initial two raids. Today, when he received the news that the Daonian Fleet was attacking the Iberian convoy right outside the Port of Carthage, he wasn't as furious as his subordinates. On the contrary, he sank into deep thought. Since taking over as naval commander, he had consistently avoided a head-on clash with the enemy due to the Daunian Navy's overwhelming advantage. Now that the Daonian Fleet had brought the fight directly to his doorstep, it was clearly an attempt to force the Carthaginian Fleet into a decisive battle.

Many of his subordinates begged for a fight, arguing, "The number of Daonian Warships out there is fewer than our Carthaginian Fleet. Furthermore, we are fighting on our own doorstep. It's entirely possible to thoroughly crush them and reverse our recent decline..."

But Morbal still had his reservations, and thus he delayed making a decision.

What he hadn't anticipated was that the Daonian Fleet's arrival had already caused a massive uproar among the Carthaginian populace. Over a hundred senators, led by Hanno, Pretasdrubal, and Adrusbal, personally arrived at the Military Port to hand him the Senate's newly passed resolution.

Morbal naturally couldn't refuse any longer. However, he had already prepared battle plans in advance. As he issued order after order, he soon led over a hundred fully equipped Warships—which had already slid from the dry docks into the Military Port—out into the open sea in sequential order.

The senators then climbed the walls of the breakwater, ready to watch this crucial naval battle that would determine Carthage's fate.

The moment the first Carthaginian Warship sailed out of the port, the Daonian Fast Ships tasked with monitoring the harbor immediately signaled with their flags. The Warships of the Daunian 3rd Fleet's 1st Squadron, which had been intercepting the Iberian convoy, stopped toying with their prey and unleashed deadly strikes. One after another, the merchant ships' hulls were smashed open. Gleaming silver bullion sank to the bottom of the sea alongside the shattered vessels. The senators watching from the walls felt their hearts ache at the loss, while the captains and crews on the decks of the Carthaginian Warships forming up outside the port burned with fury. Unable to wait for their formations to finish assembling, some of the Warships charged straight at the Daonian Fleet, desperate to save their besieged compatriots.

Seeing this as he exited the port, Morbal coughed repeatedly in a fit of rage. Ever since taking command, he had cracked down hard on the training and discipline of the newly formed fleet, hoping to eventually match the Theonians. But obviously, too little time had passed, and the results were far from ideal. Under these circumstances, he had no choice but to prematurely trigger another battle plan he had prepared in advance. "Notify Baricus and his men to sortie with us immediately!"