Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 958: Luring the Enemy

"Lord Cornelius, I am truly sorry to disturb you at dinnertime!" Hylos apologized the moment he sat down.

"For the common citizens, it certainly is a time for leisure. But for the kingdom, these are extraordinary times. And as for you and me, is there ever a day we aren't busy?" Cornelius laughed, asking, "Lord Hylos, is there an urgent matter that brings you here at this hour?"

"I just received a letter from His Majesty, which is why I came to discuss it with you," Hylos said seriously.

Cornelius's heart tightened. "What happened?" he asked urgently.

"His Majesty mentioned in the letter that he has appointed Eucheris as his direct messenger."

Hearing this, a surge of warmth rushed through Cornelius's heart.

"I am grateful... I am grateful for His Majesty's concern!" he said, his voice trembling.

Hylos watched sudden tears stream down Cornelius's aged face. He understood how the man felt, but as the Minister of Military Affairs, it wasn't his place to comment on it. He gave a dry cough and continued, "In addition, His Majesty stated that within this month, all the new Warships that have completed their sea trials must be assigned to the Sicilian Fleet and the Third Fleet—"

"All the new Warships?! Within this month?!" Cornelius was taken aback and deeply hesitant. "As of now, the kingdom has built 250 new Warships, which require a crew of nearly 50,000! His Majesty previously led an army of almost 100,000, and the existing Third Fleet and Sicilian Fleet contain over 50,000 men. Supplying military rations is already incredibly tight! If we increase the number to 200,000 men, the food consumption will be massive—"

Seeing Hylos turn his head in curiosity, Cornelius's aged face immediately flushed red. He hurriedly said, "This... uh... the military rations—"

"The supply of military rations is indeed a major problem!" Hylos agreed frankly. "But His Majesty believes that Carthage is incredibly powerful. We must concentrate all our strength to defeat them. Otherwise, if we fall into a long-term stalemate, the drain on the kingdom will be even greater. Therefore, no matter what, we must ask Lord Cornelius and the other Rotating Chairmen to consult with the ministers of the various departments. We must stockpile enough military rations and supplies for this unprecedented army to guarantee them at least half a year of combat!"

"Half a year?!" Cornelius looked troubled. He shook his head and sighed softly. "That will be difficult! Very difficult! Alright, I will discuss this matter with everyone at tomorrow's administrative meeting of the kingdom's ministers."

*

After receiving his orders from Davos, Midorades led the Third Fleet to patrol the coast of Sardinia every day, attempting to draw the New Carthaginian Fleet into a battle.

However, for several consecutive days, aside from ramming and sinking a few Carthaginian merchant ships, they saw no sign of the Carthaginian Fleet. This left the crew of the Third Fleet feeling somewhat frustrated. After interrogating captured Carthaginian merchants, they learned that the New Carthaginian Fleet had indeed arrived in Sardinia, but ever since entering the Port of Saros, it had not been seen leaving.

Was the Carthaginian Fleet afraid of the Daonian Fleet? The crew of the Third Fleet felt this was highly likely: after all, it was a new fleet, and it needed time for the sailors to familiarize themselves with their ships and coordinate as a unit.

But this left Midorades with a headache. If the enemy refused to set sail, the Third Fleet couldn't fulfill the mission assigned by His Majesty. Furthermore, they didn't dare to commit all their forces to harassing the coast of Sardinia, fearing the New Carthaginian Fleet might launch a sudden attack.

One morning, the weather was clear with a slight southeast breeze, stirring up gentle waves near the shore.

The Third Fleet sailed out of Alalia, continuing their daily patrol. They headed south, and just as they rounded the northern tip of Sardinia Island toward the west coast, a fast boat scouting ahead rushed back to report to Midorades: over a dozen Carthaginian merchant ships had left the Port of Sant'Ibinia and were heading south at a slow pace.

Midorades was overjoyed at the news. A merchant convoy of this scale departing from the Port of Sant'Ibinia was generally used to transport precious metal ores. Attacking it would not only fulfill the mission given by King Davos, but was also highly likely to draw out the New Carthaginian Fleet to their rescue.

Midorades immediately ordered a pursuit.

Under his instructions, the Third Fleet deliberately sailed closer to the shore as they passed through the coastal waters of Sant'Ibinia, even sounding their military horns for the attack.

Merchant ships laden with heavy cargo could not possibly outpace Warships. Before long, the Third Fleet spotted the Carthaginian Convoy a short distance ahead. To bait the Carthaginian Fleet into a rescue, Midorades did not order an immediate attack, choosing instead to trail closely behind them.

"Signals up ahead indicate a turn to the west!" the lookout on the mast shouted.

The Carthaginian merchant ships were fleeing west? Midorades was startled for a moment before he understood: they were trying to use the wind to quickly escape the fleet's pursuit.

"Follow them!" Midorades ordered without hesitation.

New signal flags were hoisted on the Flagship, and the Third Fleet began to veer away from the coast, heading toward the open sea.

The color of the seawater gradually deepened, and the rolling waves grew larger than they had been near the shore.

A wave surged forward, cleaved head-on by the bow, scattering into sprays of water that splashed across the deck.

Jolted by the sea spray, a trace of unease flickered in Midorades's heart. He turned and shouted, "Any movement behind us?!"

The lookout at the stern shouted back, "Same as before! No movement!"

The New Carthaginian Fleet hadn't taken the bait? Midorades was slightly disappointed. He thought for a moment before decisively ordering, "Have the First Squadron rapidly overtake them! Sink the merchant ships, then return!"

"General, we're abandoning the previous plan?!" the captain of the Flagship asked in surprise.

Midorades pondered for a moment before answering, "Theonian Military Law dictates that fleets must not venture too far into the open ocean. Moreover, judging from the current conditions, the wind and waves out here are much rougher than near the coast. Do not forget the lesson of the Sicilian Fleet!"

Hearing this, the captain's expression immediately turned solemn.

Receiving the flag signals from the Flagship, the oarsmen on the Fast Warships at the vanguard began to row harder, rapidly increasing the Warships' speed.

At the same time, however, the Carthaginian Convoy also picked up speed. They skillfully adjusted their sails, adopting a zigzag course that turned the waves into an obstacle for the Fast Warships. So, while the distance between them was gradually shrinking, it was clear they wouldn't catch up in a short amount of time.

Shortly after, Midorades received a bad piece of news from a fast boat returning from the vanguard: the Fast Warships still had not caught up with the Carthaginian merchant ships. Feeling surprised, he also hardened his resolve. "Halt the pursuit immediately! The fleet is to return at full speed!"

"General, they might be on the verge of capturing those merchant ships!" the captain couldn't help but remind him upon hearing the order.

Midorades did not explain immediately. Instead, he repeated firmly, "Sound the horns and raise the signal flags! Execute the order immediately!"

Only after all this was executed did he speak in a soft voice. "Every battle dictates the life and death of countless brothers. Greed will only blind our reason and lead us to make irreversible mistakes..."

Midorades spoke from heartfelt experience. Unlike Secilian, he was a naturally cautious man, but after successfully using a stratagem to capture Alalia, his mentality had shifted. He had succumbed to the delusion of continuing on to conquer the Phoenician City-States on Sardinia Island, which resulted in defeat and heavy casualties among the fleet infantry. Yet King Davos had not punished him, instead continuing to give him his trust. This left Midorades feeling deeply guilty and constantly vigilant.

His decisive halt to the pursuit stemmed from this profound self-reflection. He suddenly realized that his eagerness to force a decisive battle with the Carthaginian Fleet over the past few days had disrupted his composure, causing him to neglect the fundamental principles of naval warfare he usually strictly adhered to.

The vanguard Warships of the Third Fleet were right on the verge of sinking their teeth into the fat piece of meat that was the Carthaginian merchant ships when the retreat signal was suddenly hoisted. Both the crews and the captains found the order difficult to accept. However, Midorades had led the Third Fleet for six or seven years and held high prestige among them. Combined with the strict deterrence of Theonian Military Law, the crews had no choice but to obey, no matter how dissatisfied they were.

Because they were merely pursuing merchant ships, the Third Fleet had not assumed a combat formation. Instead, they had formed a long column, placing the three squadrons in the vanguard, center, and rearguard positions respectively to form their standard patrol formation. Midorades was positioned in the center alongside the Second Squadron. Now that the order was issued, the vanguard quickly became the rearguard, and the rearguard became the vanguard. All the Warships successively came about, swiftly turning back toward the coast.

From spotting the Carthaginian merchant ships to initiating the pursuit and finally turning back, barely half an hour had passed in total. But the crews had gone from initial excitement and expectation to disappointment, having gained absolutely nothing after a strenuous exertion. On the journey back, there were no synchronized rowing chants, much less any energetic chatter or singing among the crew.

Midorades completely understood their frustration, but he didn't believe his order had been wrong.

The entire fleet sailed in silence. The only sounds to be heard were the splashing of oars hitting the water and the cries of seagulls circling above the fleet—meaning they were already nearing the coastal waters.

Just then, the lookout on the Flagship's mainmast suddenly began to shout loudly. "Yellow flag! A yellow flag has been hoisted ahead! The Carthaginian Fleet has appeared! They're coming!..."

The lookout's shouts instantly triggered a commotion among the crew on the deck and in the cabins.

Midorades, who had been leaning against the mast with his eyes closed to rest, now widened his eyes. "Roughly how many enemies?"

"Two yellow flags!" the lookout hollered. "Their numbers should be about the same as ours!"

Midorades abruptly stood up and decisively issued his orders. "Sound the attack horns! Hoist the attack flags! And raise the Starry Sky Flag!"