Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 894: Naval Battle of Thermae (I)

“Calm down; Lord Seclian has arrived!”

“With Lord Seclian present, there is no need to fear the enemy any longer!…”

Simultaneously, a stir erupted on the ship's deck. Although the soldiers from the reserve legions, stationed across Theonia's Sicilian territories, were certainly aware of Seclian's renowned reputation, they did not exhibit the same level of deference towards him as the Theonian navy typically did.

A man clad in leather armor and a helmet swiftly emerged onto the deck. He approached the ship's edge, offered a salute, and announced, “My Lord, I am Elias of the First Fleet, the captain of this vessel!”

Seclian felt a sense of relief upon recognizing him as a subordinate. He promptly responded, “I know you, Elias. During every warship assessment for the fleet, the triremes under your command consistently ranked highest… I now command you to order all the soldiers aboard to disembark into the sea immediately. Afterward, take your warship and follow me as we confront the enemy!”

Elias appeared taken aback and hesitantly replied, “…But… Commander Miltiades raised the flag of Apollo and instructed us to…”

“Miltiades is an imbecile!” Seclian interjected with anger radiating from him. “What is the purpose of assembling if the enemy is bearing down on us, and our ships remain crowded with soldiers utterly unfit for combat?! Did he intend for this to facilitate the enemy in sinking us?! As the navarch of the First Fleet, I order you to execute my command without delay!”

“Y…Yes!” Elias responded loudly. In his heart, he wholeheartedly supported Seclian, as Seclian had established the First Fleet based on his principle of never retreating and never yielding.

A murmur spread among the soldiers on deck upon overhearing their exchange, as the thought of being cast into the water did not appeal to them.

Elias then turned to face them, commencing his persuasion. “Warriors of Theonia, our fleet now stands in a perilous situation, facing a formidable foe! Regrettably, our warships are ill-equipped to engage them while burdened with your presence. You must therefore make a choice: either leap overboard so we may proceed to fight and vanquish the enemy, with our promise to return for your rescue thereafter, or remain aboard and await the enemy’s ships to sink us and capture everyone on board… Make your decision swiftly!”

A sudden silence fell over the deck. Then, moments later, a single soldier stepped forward.

“Squad Leader!” the soldiers exclaimed earnestly, their hopeful gazes fixed upon him.

“Brothers, we are in dire straits if the navy falters!” declared the squad leader, his expression resolute. “Grab your shields, and let us plunge into the sea to demonstrate that we are not the only ones capable of swimming.”

Following his words, not a single soldier voiced any dissent. Subsequently, one by one, they proceeded to retrieve their shields from the deck. Such was the stringent discipline enforced within the Theonian Legion, even among those belonging to the Reserve Legion.

“Kindly ensure the safety of our remaining armor and weaponry,” the squad leader requested of Elias. With that, he grasped his large shield and was the first to leap into the sea, with the rest of the soldiers following suit…

Elias maintained his salute throughout this entire process.

Having issued his orders, Seclian did not linger at this particular warship. Instead, he continued onward to catch up with the other vessels. As these warships were laden with soldiers, their reduced speed made it unsurceptible for him to overtake them. After halting several of them successively, he ascertained that all the encountered warships belonged to the First Fleet—these were the very ships that had evaded disaster by seeking refuge in the port of Selinus during the tempest—and that they were heavily populated by soldiers, most of whom were from the Reserve Legion.

After a brief period of contemplation, Seclian realized this situation was not a mere coincidence.

Seizing the opportune moment, Miltiades had commanded the warships to set sail as soon as the soldiers had completed their embarkation. The soldiers of the Reserve Legion, having undergone more rigorous training and possessing a higher degree of organization compared to the citizen soldiers of other city-states, were able to muster at the port and board the warships with remarkable speed.

Miltiades, meanwhile, was the last to depart,tasked with overseeing the entire boarding operation. Military commanders typically maintained their most trusted troops in close proximity to facilitate effective command and maximize their impact during engagements, even when merely transporting personnel. Consequently, Miltiades habitually arranged for the First Fleet's ships to dock first, resulting in the Fourth Fleet's ships, which had served under him for over a decade, departing later and remaining closer to his position.

Miltiades' unplanned action inadvertently created an opportunity for Seclian, enabling him to more effectively relay his commands to the ships of the First Fleet and the soldiers of the Reserve Legion. The swift triremes saw all their soldiers disembark into the sea, with the exception of forty who remained aboard the corvus, while the rest plunged into the water.

Understandably, Seclian encountered soldiers from allied city-states on the warships. They clearly resisted this directive, with some even resorting to threats of using force to retain control of the vessels. The captain, however, could only offer patient persuasion. Yet, after observing soldiers from a nearby warship voluntarily jump into the sea as a demonstration, most of these recalcitrant soldiers ultimately relented. This intervention, nonetheless, consumed valuable time.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

As Seclian anxiously hurried eastward, urging the ships to comply with his orders, the Eastern Phoenician fleet accelerated their pursuit of the Theonian warships, which were retreating towards the coast.

Despite the strenuous efforts of the Theonian rowers, the soldiers aboard significantly hampered the warships' speed. The Eastern Phoenician fleet gradually closed the distance, even after increasing their own pace to the maximum.

Like ravenous predators, the Eastern Phoenician warships advanced upon their perceived easy prey.

Realizing escape was futile, the lagging Theonian warships abruptly reversed course and bravely charged the enemy vessels. Regrettably, the Theonian warships, having lost their speed and maneuverability, stood no chance against the Eastern Phoenician fleet. Their oars snapped, their hulls sustained damage, and Theonian soldiers were frequently compelled to leap into the sea in panic.

Naturally, there were isolated instances of defiance. Although the Eastern Phoenicians had received intelligence about the Theonian fleet from their kin, they had not faced it directly. Thus, through a moment of unforeseen carelessness, a few Eastern Phoenician warships became ensnared by the twelve-meter drawbridges of the corvus warships during head-on collisions, allowing heavily armed soldiers from allied city-states to swarm aboard and engage.

Witnessing this horrifying spectacle, the other Phoenician warships quickly learned their lesson. They began to avoid the bows of the corvus warships, opting instead to attack their sterns. Consequently, the corvus warships, unable to maneuver effectively due to the weight of troops slowing their speed and lacking the protection of the fast-sailing triremes, became the primary targets for the Phoenician fleet.

Miltiades' flagship was making haste towards the coastline, which coincidentally was the same area where his marines had executed a night raid a few days prior. Despite being only a kilometer from safety and drawing nearer, Miltiades' face betrayed no sign of relief; he was consumed by internal anguish.

He had positioned himself at the stern, observing the movements of the other ships. However, his gaze fell upon countless enemy vessels hurtling forward with the wind, assaulting the vessels that had fallen behind. Despite their valiant efforts to resist, these ships were either sinking or breaking apart. They now drifted aimlessly on the sea, vulnerable to enemy attacks. The terrified crews and soldiers cried out as more and more were forced into the water…

This scene inflicted a wound upon Miltiades' heart. After all, these were the very warships he had shamelessly lobbied the Ministry of Military for over a decade, meticulously maintained and repaired daily, painstakingly procured. In a single instant, they were reduced to nothing! And these comrades, who had been by his side day and night for more than ten years, honing their skills tirelessly and brought to Sicily with eager anticipation of glory, had never faced such a dire battle. Now, their lives hung precariously in the balance…

Unable to bear it any longer, he stood, shouting, “Halt the ship immediately! Leave forty soldiers behind, and have the rest jump overboard and swim for the shore! Quickly! Hurry!”

At this critical juncture, Miltiades issued the same command as Seclian. He had, in fact, conceived of this plan earlier. However, at the time, he harbored a sliver of hope and feared that forcing soldiers to jump into the sea would provoke objections from the allied city-states afterward, which would be detrimental to his standing. He had already committed a regrettable error… a lapse in judgment that led to this perilous situation, for which he now felt profound regret.

Fortunately, the soldiers from the allied city-states on deck did not protest as vehemently as those on the eastern warships. Having witnessed the dire circumstances unfolding at sea behind them, they swiftly complied with the orders, realizing that remaining aboard might not offer greater safety than leaping into the water.

Instead of directly navigating his flagship towards the enemy vessels, Miltiades issued swift orders for it to sail towards a nearby warship. His strategic aim was to rally as many outlying ships as possible, uniting them to face the unfamiliar enemy fleet.

In truth, the gravity of the situation meant Miltiades hardly needed to signal the other ships; the soldiers aboard the Theonian warships had already plunged into the sea, freeing their vessels to join the fray.

Nevertheless, the initial assault from the Eastern Phoenician Fleet had obliterated no fewer than ten Theonian triremes. This act shattered the already dispersed rear of the Theonian formation into utter chaos. Seizing this advantage, the subsequent Phoenician ships exploited the disarray of the Theonian warships, aiming to completely engulf the fleet's rear.

Miltiades' flagship, recognizable by its broad hull and the crimson flag emblazoned on its mast, inevitably became the primary focus for the Eastern Phoenicians. Consequently, a phalanx of five Phoenician warships rapidly converged upon them, compelling Miltiades to discard his initial strategy.

Having made a critical decision, Miltiades commanded a corvus and a swift trireme to position themselves on either side of his vessel.

Swiftly, the corvus and his flagship executed a turn, sailing back towards the coastline. Meanwhile, the fast-sailing trireme completed a parallel U-turn, moving along the coast at a distance from the other two.