Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1293: Advancing on Cyprus

The cautious Alitaka had even used his orders from the King of Persia—to guard the Near East Waters—as an excuse to reject a request from Pharnabazus, the newly appointed military commander of western Asia Minor. Pharnabazus had wanted the Persian Fleet to help his army cut the maritime supply lines of the Greek forces landing in Asia Minor. In the end, Pharnabazus had no choice but to order the coastal Greek city-states of western Asia Minor to assemble a new fleet.

Alitaka's refusal also stemmed partly from his own private motives. The Phoenicians and the Greeks of Asia Minor were fierce commercial rivals with deep-seated historical grievances—especially since the Persian Fleet, manned largely by Phoenicians, had previously helped Darius conquer the Greek city-states of western Asia Minor. Consequently, relations between the two groups remained incredibly tense.

When he received news that the newly formed Asia Minor Fleet had been ambushed and completely wiped out by the Daonian Fleet, however, he felt thankful he hadn't agreed to Pharnabazus's request. Yet that relief was coupled with deep unease. Now that the Daonian Fleet controlled the waters west of Asia Minor, their next target would very likely be the Near East Waters!

Therefore, he not only intensified patrols in the Near East Waters but also stepped up training for the entire Persian Fleet. To enforce this, he severely punished several Generals of Cyprus and Syria who had disobeyed his orders, a move that received the full support of the King of Persia.

It wasn't long before another crucial piece of news arrived from the south: the King of Daonia had personally led a large army to land in Egypt. Jews and Phoenicians alike began to panic, realizing the Daionian Army truly intended to invade Persia by way of Egypt!

However, over a month passed without any further movement from the Daionian Army in Egypt. The Persian generals stationed in the City of Gaza sent reconnaissance cavalry across the desert multiple times to scout the Egyptian border, but none of them ever returned with news.

To avoid further losses, the Persian general dispatched multiple envoys to Cyprus, requesting the Persian Fleet to send fast ships down to the Egyptian coast to spy on the movements of the Daionian Army.

Alitaka agreed and repeatedly sent fast ships into the waters off Egypt. Yet most never returned. The few sailors who barely managed to escape reported back: the Daonians had deployed a large number of Warships to patrol the Egyptian waters. With such heavy defenses, it was nearly impossible for fast ships to get close to the coast.

To cut his losses, Alitaka stopped sending ships south to scout Egypt, but he also heightened his guard over the southern waters.

Among the many rumors, one particular claim caused great unease among the Phoenicians: "The King of Persia fears the might of the Daionian Army, so he needs more time to gather a larger force to stand against them."

Alitaka paid no mind to these rumors. His sole focus was on securing the Near East Waters until the King of Persia arrived with the main army. Every day, he arrived early at the fleet command post in the largest Military Port in Cyprus, carefully listening to the reports from his patrol groups to check for any anomalies across the Near East Waters.

On the final day of March, Alitaka arrived at the fleet command post just like any other day. Everything seemed normal, and he expected another peaceful day. Unexpectedly, just as the sun fully rose, a patrol ship sped back to the Military Port. Its captain rushed into the command post and reported to Alitaka in a panic: a massive Daonian Fleet had been spotted in the waters south of Cyprus Island!

Soon after, patrol ships hurried back to the Military Port one after another. Synthesizing their gathered intelligence, Alitaka couldn't help but feel utterly shocked. A mixed Fleet of over a hundred troopships and cargo vessels, escorted by hundreds of Daonian Warships, was sailing straight for Cyprus...

The Daonians' intentions were blatantly obvious: they wanted to conquer Cyprus Island! Alitaka instantly tensed. He knew full well that to stop the Daionian Army from landing on Cyprus Island—or better yet, to completely obliterate this troopship Fleet out at sea—he first had to defeat the escorting Daonian Fleet. This was bound to be a naval battle of unprecedented scale!

Before he could even summon his officers, the Cypriot naval commanders, fearing for the safety of their homeland, burst into the command post. Serving as the two main pillars of the Persian Fleet, the Phoenician and Cypriot naval commanders rarely agreed on anything, but this time they swiftly reached a consensus. They formulated a battle plan and rushed back to the Military Ports where their respective fleets were anchored, issuing urgent orders for their crews to board and set sail.

...

Escorting the Daonian troopship Fleet were the First Fleet and the Second Fleet. When they set sail from Egypt, the First Fleet guarded the right flank of the entire Fleet, while the Second Fleet protected the left. They kept the troopships sandwiched in the center, forming a tight, mixed naval formation over a li wide and three to four li long.

Serving as the reserve force, the Third Fleet departed several hours after the First and Second Fleets. Escorting the supply vessels heavily laden with provisions, they too set sail from the Port of Naucratis, heading toward Cyprus.

However, after several days of continuous sailing, this massive formation of the First Fleet, Second Fleet, and troopships was no longer as orderly as when it first departed. Although they hadn't encountered any major storms during the voyage, a strong southern gale the day before yesterday had capsized over a dozen Corvus Warships and troopships. The entire formation had been scattered by the wind, and it took them the better part of a day to regroup.

Then, early this morning, heavy sea fog and shifting winds struck again. By the time the sun fully illuminated the sky, Secilian received the report: the entire formation had been scattered once more. The first and second squadrons of the First Fleet, the majority of the third squadron and a portion of the fourth squadron from the Second Fleet, along with nearly a hundred troopships, were still gathered together. However, the rest of the ships were nowhere to be found.

Secilian, usually brimming with boundless energy, felt quite exhausted after tossing about at sea for the past few days. He didn't even have the energy to complain. He simply issued a resigned order: dispatch fast ships in all directions to search for the missing vessels and instruct them to regroup on his position as quickly as possible.

Following that, he issued another command: the ships present were to slow their advance, and the navigators were to determine the Fleet's approximate location immediately.

The vast, boundless sea offered no landmarks. Moreover, it was daytime, so the constellations were invisible. Even the most experienced navigators couldn't pinpoint their exact coordinates; they could only use the rising sun to roughly estimate that the entire Fleet was still heading northeast.

However, Secilian's vexation didn't last long. He received a report from the lookout on a fast ship sailing at the very front of the Fleet: a small Warship had been spotted ahead, but it had quickly turned around and fled.

He made a prompt decision, sending two more fast ships to scout in the direction where the Persian Warship had disappeared.

While waiting for news, several more small Persian Warships appeared near the Fleet in quick succession, only to rapidly sail away.

The situation was crystal clear now. There was definitely a Persian Military Port nearby. Once those patrol ships reported back, the Persian Fleet would very likely come to intercept them. With the Daonian Fleet currently missing more than half of its Warships, facing the enemy head-on would put them at a severe disadvantage. The situation was grim. Yet, after pondering for a moment, Secilian decisively ordered, "All ships, raise the sails! Accelerate toward the northeast!"

At the same time, he left two fast ships behind to wait at their current coordinates. Their task was to wait for the returning scouts and the missing segments of the Fleet, and then guide them all toward Cyprus Island.

Secilian's decision was incredibly risky. However, given his immense prestige within the navy, none of the naval officers or ship captains present dared to voice any objections. Thus, the entire Fleet had no choice but to accelerate northward.

About twenty minutes later, they rendezvoused with the returning scouts. Upon learning that Cyprus Island was a mere fifteen li ahead, both the sailors and the soldiers felt an instant surge of morale.

Aided by a mild southern wind, the Fleet approached Cyprus Island forty minutes later.

The soldiers aboard the troopships erupted into cheers, eagerly packing up their gear and preparing their weapons, while the sailors rowed with even greater vigor.

Under the navigators' guidance, the Fleet skirted the western waters of Cyprus Island, heading toward a beach suitable for landing. Meanwhile, all the Warships formed a protective perimeter around the troopships. The lookouts climbed high up the masts, their eyes peeled for any movement on the open sea.

Upon learning that there were no enemy forces defending the landing beach, and that no Persian Fleet had appeared in the surrounding waters, Secilian let out a long breath. He knew his gamble had paid off. Although their Fleet had been spotted by Persian patrol ships, the suddenness of the event and their rapid advance meant that neither the Persian Fleet nor the enemy forces on Cyprus Island had enough time to mount a proper counterattack, even if they had already received the news.

Still, Secilian didn't dare let his guard down. He knew the Persian Fleet could arrive at any moment. He quickly ordered the sailors and soldiers of the Fleet to hurry, replenish their food and water, and recover their stamina.

More than 4,000 soldiers of the Theonia Legion finally set foot on the beach and began unloading supplies from the cargo ships in organized batches.

Seeing this, the captain of the First Fleet's Flagship immediately asked Secilian for instructions, "My lord, our mission to cover the landing is complete. Should we first return to rendezvous with the Second Fleet and Third Fleet, and then come back here to seek a decisive battle with the Persian Fleet?"