Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 980: The Sicilian Squadron's Response

Because Hera Island blocked their path to the east, the three Daonian Warships had to navigate around it to retreat. This maneuver would expose their flanks and sterns to enemy fire. While the Fast Warship might be able to escape the onslaught, the two much bulkier Corvus Warships would likely meet a grim fate. Facing such peril, the three warships unanimously chose to hold their ground and fight.

Given the massive disparity in numbers, Morbal had fully expected the three Daonian Warships to retreat. Their decision to stand their ground left him marveling at the sheer morale of the Daunian Navy. Changing his mind, he decided not to lead his Flagship alongside the other two squadrons. Instead, he stayed behind with his remaining nineteen Warships. Though he had heard countless rumors about the Daunian Navy, he now wanted to witness the true combat prowess and tactical quirks of the Daonian Warships with his own eyes.

The Daonian Warships' next maneuver made him frown. Rather than charging in blindly, they swiftly regrouped and backed toward the coast of Hera Island. The two Corvus Warships took the vanguard, fanning outward in a V-formation, while the Fast Warship tucked itself into the center rear. The arrangement resembled a lobster backing into a crevice with its massive claws extended. Anchored against the island behind them, they only had to worry about threats from the front and flanks.

It was clear that the Daunian Navy boasted more than just high morale—they were highly trained, moved with seamless coordination, and possessed sharp tactical awareness. Morbal's expression darkened.

The Carthaginian Warships launched their assault. Two Warships circled toward the outer rear flanks of the Corvus Warships and charged. The Corvus Warships immediately swung their bows outward to counter the threat, forcing the attackers to hesitate. However, angling outward exposed more of their inner hulls. Seizing the opening, another pair of Carthaginian Warships surged straight toward the exposed inner flanks. The Corvus Warships were caught in a dilemma: swinging their bows inward to protect their center would leave their outer flanks defenseless against the rams of the first two attackers.

Just then, the captain of the Fast Warship roared to the Corvus Warships on either side, "I'll take the middle!"

The sailors on board pulled their oars with everything they had. The Fast Warship shot forward from a dead stop, accelerating into a full charge. Since its bow wasn't aimed at either enemy vessel but rather at the gap between them, the two Carthaginian captains were struck by a sudden illusion—they assumed the enemy, realizing the battle was lost, was trying to slip through and escape.

In a flash, the boatswain of the Fast Warship heard the captain screaming from the deck, "Hard port! Bring us broadside! Move! Move!"

The boatswain froze for a split second. Wouldn't that completely expose their broadside to the enemy ships?!

Despite their own confusion, the sailors' years of grueling training kicked in, and they executed the maneuver without hesitation.

In that exact moment, the two Corvus Warships simultaneously swung inward, instantly crushing the evasion space of the two inner Carthaginian Warships. When the surrounding Carthaginian Warships realized the trap, they immediately charged the three Daonian Warships.

None of the Daonian Warships dodged. The two Corvus slammed down onto the decks of the trapped Carthaginian Warships, and the Daonian Fleet Infantry surged across the boarding bridges. Meanwhile, spurred on by the boatswain's roars, the oarsmen reluctantly abandoned the rowing decks. They scrambled up top, tears welling in their eyes as they watched the outer Carthaginian Warships bear down on them. Most of these men were survivors of the great naval storm. They had finally been assigned a new Warship, only to watch it get sacrificed in its very first battle...

The Carthaginian Warships rammed the three Daonian Warships one after another. The Daionian crews abandoned ship, plunging into the sea. At the same time, the Daonian Fleet Infantry quickly slaughtered the sparse Carthaginian marines on the decks of their boarded targets and stormed into the lower holds. Confronting the panicked Carthaginian oarsmen, the Daonian Fleet Infantry showed no mercy, butchering them all.

The agonizing screams of the slaughtered Carthaginian crews echoed across the water, deeply shaking the other Carthaginian captains. They urgently petitioned Morbal to deploy every marine from their remaining Warships to board the two captured vessels, defeat the Daionian soldiers, and rescue their oarsmen.

Morbal flatly refused. As an old man with one foot in the grave, he was long desensitized to death. He couldn't care less about the lives of three or four hundred lowly Carthaginian and Phoenician oarsmen, and he certainly wasn't going to stall his Warships for their sakes. Besides, given the situation, even if he threw every marine into the fray, they still might not defeat those highly trained Daonian Fleet Infantry.

Even now, his shock hadn't faded. Despite his forces holding an absolute numerical advantage, the three Daonian Warships had seized the brief window while his ships were still probing their defenses. In a lightning-fast and decisive exchange, they had executed a brilliant tactical trap and managed to capture two Carthaginian Warships!

The terrifying efficiency of the Daonian Warships sent a chill down his spine, filling him with deep unease. Without hesitation, he issued a grim order: "Ram and sink our own captured ships."

As the captured vessels were rammed, dozens of Daionian infantrymen wielding short swords and leather shields scrambled up to the decks. They dove straight into the bloodstained sea, swimming effortlessly toward the nearby shore... While Morbal watched in surprise, a sinking realization hit him—the Carthaginian sailors stationed on Hera Island were in serious trouble.

But he had no time to worry about that now. He needed to lead his Warships back into the fight against the lured Daonian Fleet. He had to destroy as many Daonian Warships as possible to ensure the sacrifice of the Carthaginian merchant ships wasn't in vain.

The Daonian Warships scattered along both sides of Hera Island were facing a similar siege from the Carthaginian Fleet's overwhelming numbers. They fought back fiercely, putting up a stubborn defense to delay the Carthaginian armada's eastward sweep.

In the narrow pocket of sea between the islands, Daonian Warships were steadily converging around Straphacus's Flagship...

By the time Morbal's fleet rounded Hera Island, Straphacus had managed to gather just over thirty Warships. Yet without a shred of hesitation, he ordered a full-on assault against the vastly superior Carthaginian Fleet.

From his earlier observations, Morbal fully recognized the Daonian Fleet's terrifying superiority in tactical coordination and boarding warfare. The small, ring-shaped pocket of water between Hera Island and the eastern islets offered virtually no room for his Carthaginian Warships to maneuver or flank. In fact, the tight confines played perfectly into the Daonian Fleet's unique strengths. Having finally secured a massive localized advantage, Morbal absolutely refused to squander it in a reckless head-on brawl. Instead, he ordered his forces to "sweep the outer perimeter first, wipe out the scattered Daonian Warships, and save the tough bone in the center for last."

Of course, Morbal quietly hoped the enemy center would give chase and abandon their cramped defensive waters. The moment they stepped into the open sea, the Carthaginian Fleet would ruthlessly converge and annihilate them.

...

The Carthaginian Convoy, led by Baricus, tacked in a zigzag pattern, deliberately keeping the Daonian Fleet at arm's length—neither pulling too far ahead nor letting them get too close.

Secilian's main fleet remained hot on their heels. The Fast Warships, in particular, steadily closed the distance, ramming and sinking several merchant vessels. Under Secilian's orders, ten other Fast Warships broke off from the direct pursuit. Racing at top speed, they bypassed the convoy and cut straight toward the Port of Lilybaeum, sealing off the Carthaginians' escape route and slowly tightening a net around them.

When Baricus saw the enemy Warships cutting off his path forward, he didn't panic. Instead, he barked out an insane order: "Come about!"

Facing dead against the wind, his ship lost nearly all its speed coming out of the turn. Relying purely on the masterful precision of his helmsman and rowers, they narrowly dodged a Daonian Warship that was being dragged forward by its own momentum. The rest of the Carthaginian merchant ships mirrored the desperate maneuver. It was a costly gamble—at least seven vessels were violently rammed and sunk in the chaos.

But the Daionian crews found no joy in the kills. The surviving Carthaginian merchant ships had slipped through their net yet again. It was a silent, stinging humiliation for the Daunian Navy.

The Daonian Warships quickly reversed course to pursue. Yet, absurdly, Baricus ordered another sharp turn. Pointing their bows eastward, the Carthaginians trimmed their sails to the right, caught the southwesterly wind, and sliced right past the Daonian Warships, missing them by mere inches.

By now, the Daionian crews were turning red with sheer fury. The frustration boiled over so much that several of the Daonian Fleet Infantry on the Corvus Warships resorted to hurling their short swords directly at the Carthaginians on the passing merchant vessels.

Leading his thirty-odd remaining merchant ships through the gaps in the Daionian formation, Baricus steered straight for the nearby shore. Hugging the coastline, the convoy banked south.

Secilian was utterly dumbfounded. He had never expected the Carthaginians to pull a stunt like this. They were sailing straight into the shallows! The Carthaginian merchant ships were small and drafted high in the water; they could safely traverse zones where a Warship would immediately run aground. Worse, the coastline was riddled with hidden reefs. The Carthaginians knew these waters like the back of their hands, whereas the Theonians were flying blind. Giving chase in the shallows was practically begging to rip the hulls out of his Warships.

These Carthaginian merchantmen were playing the Daonian Sicilian Fleet like fools. The sheer audacity of it infuriated the fiercely proud Secilian. To salvage his navy's honor, he swore he would ram every last one of those arrogant bastards to the bottom of the sea before the day was out.

He immediately dispatched a small detachment of Warships to speed toward Mazara and Lilybaeum. The rest of his fleet began prowling the coastline between the two cities, keeping the Carthaginian Convoy boxed in. Unless the enemy abandoned their ships and fled ashore, the Sicilian Fleet would maintain the standoff. Secilian was even preparing to recall a few Fast Warships to carefully press into the shallows and force the convoy's hand.

Before long, the recalled Fast Warships arrived. However, an extra messenger ship sailed in alongside them, bringing urgent military intelligence.

"Our squadron in the north is being ambushed by the Carthaginian Fleet!" The moment Secilian heard the report, the fury burning in his chest went cold. Every lingering doubt he had regarding the bizarre movements of the two Carthaginian convoys instantly clicked into place, replaced by a surging tide of dread. This entire chase had been a calculated trap laid by the Carthaginian navy. If they had planned this so thoroughly, the squadron's situation was extremely dangerous!

Any lingering obsession with the Carthaginian Convoy and his bruised ego vanished. Secilian immediately sounded the recall, frantically gathering up his scattered Warships across the waters between Lilybaeum and Mazara. The regrouping process, unfortunately, chewed up precious time.

...

Meanwhile, Morbal hadn't forgotten about the main Daonian Fleet to the south. The moment Secilian finally rallied his Warships and began surging northward, the Carthaginian commander received the report.