Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1019: The Carthaginian Naval Battle (End)

Morbal's expression warped at the news. He immediately issued an order: all warships were to abandon their encirclement of the Daonian Fleet and retreat into the port at once!

Though Midorades and the Daonian captains could not understand what the enemy was shouting from the city walls, the chiming of the lighthouse bells and the sudden shift in the enemy's tactics made it clear: the tide of battle had changed.

What caused this shift? The Sicilian Fleet had finally arrived! This was the trap Secilian and Midorades had spent days plotting. The Third Fleet had acted as bait, given its location and its manageable number of warships—the sheer size of the Sicilian Fleet would have deterred the Carthaginian Fleet from sailing out. Once the engagement began, the Sicilian Fleet, lying in ambush between Western Sicily and Carthaginian waters, timed their arrival to close the net. Since the battlefield was largely fixed, they never had to worry about losing their bearings and missing the window to strike.

The Third Fleet maintained its defensive stance but widened the gaps between its warships to cover a broader stretch of sea, preventing the enemy from bypassing them to reach the port.

Ironically, Morbal had deliberately lured the Third Fleet to the port's entrance so he could launch a surprise attack on their rear. Now, as the Carthaginian Fleet scrambled to retreat inside, they found the Third Fleet deployed in a circular formation right across the mouth of the harbor, completely severing their escape route.

Should they flee elsewhere or force their way into the harbor? Morbal faced a critical choice. With time running out, the veteran commander lost his usual composure. Drenched in a cold sweat, he finally gave the order: "Attack! Break through the enemy lines and return to port!"

Taking the lead, he directed his Flagship to charge straight ahead.

Morbal abandoned the idea of fleeing elsewhere because he knew his Carthaginian crews were too exhausted from the prolonged battle to outrun the Daonian reinforcements. Furthermore, the Daonian Warships carried massive contingents of soldiers. If the Carthaginian ships tried to beach themselves along the nearby coast, they would easily fall into enemy hands. The City of Carthage had been drained of its garrison and could not possibly spare enough troops to guard stranded vessels. Just two days prior, secret reports had revealed that chieftains of the inland Numidian Tribe were holding secret assemblies to plot a rebellion against Carthaginian rule. The Senate had hastily dispatched seven thousand Citizen Soldiers to crush the uprising, leaving a mere three thousand defenders within the city walls.

With Morbal's Flagship setting the example, the rest of the Carthaginian vessels threw their former caution to the wind, launching desperate charges against the Third Fleet.

The crews of the Third Fleet had paid far too high a price in this engagement to watch their victory slip away at the final hurdle. Every man braced himself, fighting desperately to block the Carthaginian breakthrough.

The intermittent naval battle, which had already dragged on for four hours, instantly hit a fever pitch.

Unexpectedly, the very first casualty of this clash was the Carthaginian Flagship. As it plowed toward the circular formation, the opposing Corvus Warship swung its bow to meet it head-on. Morbal ordered his helmsman to hold the line and refuse to dodge. When the heavy corvus drawbridge smashed onto his deck, Morbal rallied his meager handful of soldiers and charged the bow, closely followed by nearly two hundred oarsmen. He intended to use his sheer numbers to block the boarding Daonian Fleet Infantry.

But the Daonian Fleet Infantry had been resting and conserving their strength, and their assault was utterly ferocious. Batting aside incoming spears with their leather shields, they relied on their armor as they barreled directly into the enemy ranks. Pressing in close, their right hands worked continuously, thrusting short swords into their foes.

Despite the pitching and rolling of the ship, the fleet infantry moved with fierce, swift precision. They fought as if their feet were planted on solid earth—the hard-won result of years of grueling drills. In moments, the few soldiers defending the Carthaginian deck were cut down.

Stripped of his guards, Morbal found himself face-to-face with the surging Daonian tide. The elderly naval commander did not flinch or retreat. His thin right hand drew his sword, and he lunged straight at the Theonians.

An instant later, a Daonian Fleet Infantry's leather shield batted his blade away, and a short sword drove deep into his chest.

As he collapsed, his face held no pain, only tranquility. He had been born during Carthage's most prosperous era. He had spent much of his long life at sea, making significant contributions to Carthage's prosperity. To meet his end in battle upon the waves—he died with no regrets.

"Lord Morbal!"

"Avenge Lord Morbal!"

...

The Carthaginian sailors pouring out from the lower decks saw their city's revered old hero in a pool of blood. Driven to absolute fury, they forgot their fear of the fully armored Daonian Fleet Infantry. Armed with wooden oars and daggers, they swarmed forward, halting the Theonians' advance.

For a moment, the Daonian Fleet Infantry were boxed in at the bow. The cramped space stalled their momentum, leaving several infantrymen stranded on the drawbridge, unable to reach the deck. This bottleneck made it impossible to retract the drawbridge in time.

While the two sides were locked in their melee, another Carthaginian Warship bypassed the Flagship and hurled itself straight at the Corvus Warship.

Anchored to the Carthaginian Flagship, the Corvus Warship was completely immobilized. Its crew could only watch helplessly as the high-speed vessel rammed its prow squarely into their hull. With a deafening crash, a massive hole was torn open, and seawater immediately surged inside. The violent impact tossed numerous Carthaginian sailors and Daonian Fleet Infantry right off the Flagship's deck and into the sea. Screams and shouts dissolved into absolute chaos.

Amid the pandemonium, the Carthaginian sailors on the Flagship's deck seized the moment. Relying on their sheer numbers, they took advantage of the faltering enemy formation and stalled offensive to shove the soldiers toward the gunwales, forcing several more fleet infantrymen into the sea...

The subsequent Carthaginian Warships eagerly mirrored the Flagship's maneuver. This inflicted devastating damage on the Corvus Warships forming the frontline of the Third Fleet's circular array. Gradually, the Carthaginian Fleet splintered the outer ring of the formation and began carving their way inward.

Learning the detailed battle conditions from his lookouts, Midorades sensed the emergency. He decisively laid down an order: "The Carthaginians are fighting for their lives, so we must do the same! Notify all Corvus Warships: the moment a drawbridge secures an enemy ship, all the sailors in the hold must rush the deck! If another enemy ship rams them, they are to leap across and join the boarding combat! If Carthaginian sailors dare to do this, we Theonians will only prove we are far braver!"

"Yes, sir!" This time, the captain did not remind Midorades that the order was too complex. Having learned his lesson during the earlier pursuit of the Carthaginian Fleet, Midorades had recalled several fast boats, which were now clustered around the Flagship. Moreover, due to the Third Fleet's circular formation, the warships were positioned close together all around his vessel, allowing the command to be relayed in moments.

From that point on, the naval battle entered an even more brutal phase. It was no longer just the collision of warships or the combat of soldiers; even the ordinary crew members from both fleets tore into each other in savage melee...

Standing atop the breakwater walls, the Senators looked on with mounting dread, while the citizens watching from the Port District were frantic with worry. Desperate to ensure their kin could break the Daonian Fleet's blockade, several civilian shipowners threw caution to the wind. Risking total annihilation, they steered their cargo ships straight out of the harbor, bravely charging toward the hulking Daonian Warships outside the port to aid their navy in battle.

Before long, the Daunian 3rd Fleet appeared entirely surrounded, yet they did not fall into chaos. Every single warship held its position, mounting a stubborn defense against the Carthaginian Fleet's advance...

The Third Fleet's predicament did not last long. The Sicilian Fleet finally arrived. Their 250 warships had long since deployed into an echelon formation only two ships deep—a Fast Warship in the front, followed by a Corvus Warship in the rear. Like a closing jaw, they unleashed a swift and ferocious offensive upon the Carthaginian Fleet currently engaged with the 3rd Fleet.

Failing to break into the port in time, the Carthaginian Fleet was instantly surrounded. Having lost Morbal's unified command, some Carthaginian Warships still tried to force their way into the harbor, while others sensed disaster and turned to flee in other directions... Fighting entirely for themselves, their resistance was swiftly pulverized. Aside from a lucky handful of Carthaginian Warships that escaped, the bulk of the vessels were rammed, sunk, or seized by Corvus Warships.

The two victorious Daonian fleets did not ruthlessly chase down the stragglers. The Third Fleet lingered outside the port, pulling their surviving crew out of the water while viciously attacking the multitude of cargo ships that had sailed out to aid the Carthaginian Fleet, venting their pent-up fury.

The Carthaginian cargo ships scrambled frantically for the safety of the harbor, but the Daonian Warships hunted them down and mercilessly plowed over them. Countless vessels were capsized.

Meanwhile, the Sicilian Fleet sailed westward to the site where the Third Fleet and the Carthaginian Fleet had initially engaged. A multitude of Carthaginian cargo ships were gathered there. They had already rescued the Carthaginian sailors who fell into the sea and brought them to shore, but driven by anger, they did not stop there. Led by Baricus, these vessels continued prowling the waters, using their wooden oars to bludgeon the floating Daonian sailors unconscious and leave them to drown. Baricus was even planning to dive into the sea, hoping to bore holes and sink those warships that had been captured by the Daonian Fleet Infantry and left immobilized.

Just then, the Sicilian Fleet arrived. Having only recently joined the battle before securing a sweeping victory, the crew members were still brimming with stamina and energy. Facing the Carthaginian merchant ships that had once made them suffer, their desire to fight was overwhelmingly strong. They relentlessly hunted and purged every Carthaginian vessel bobbing on the sea. Ultimately, even Baricus's merchant ship was rammed and capsized...