Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 982: Surprise Attack on the City of Sant'Ibinia

Davos gazed at the confident Secilian. After a moment, he broke into a smile. "This is the Secilian I know. I look forward to the news of victory you will bring me!"

Once Secilian departed, Davos considered matters for a moment before dispatching an attendant to summon Tolmides and Plintors.

"What do you think about transferring the Third Fleet to Sicily?" Davos asked directly.

Tolmides knew Davos had summoned Secilian earlier. Though he didn't know what they had discussed, he had heard the fleet commander left in high spirits. He asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, what made you consider bringing in the Third Fleet?"

Davos glanced at him and said, "Our current strategy is to sever the Carthaginian army's maritime transport lines, starving their massive army so we can ultimately defeat them. But judging by the setback the Sicilian Fleet suffered yesterday, our naval advantage isn't absolute. The Carthaginian navy still retains considerable strength and poses a significant threat to our fleets. Furthermore, the complex coastline of the western waters forces our superior fleet into the passive role of patrolling vast stretches of sea day in and day out. That stifles the Sicilian Fleet's strengths. Yet, if we let them take the offensive, we can't seal off the waters, which allows the Carthaginians to continuously supply the Island of Sicily..."

"The main issue is that our naval strength in Sicily is insufficient to handle both an offense and a blockade at the same time," Plintors noted.

"Exactly," Davos nodded. "The Third Fleet's original mission was to harass Sardinia and blockade its sea routes with Carthage. But if we transfer the Third Fleet to Sicily, we'll have enough warships to sever Carthage's external shipping lanes. The results will actually be better. After all, our ultimate goal is to defeat Carthage. As long as we concentrate our full strength on wiping out this Carthaginian army on the Island of Sicily, all our problems will be solved..."

Persuaded by Davos's analysis, Tolmides raised a concern: "Your Majesty, once the Third Fleet is transferred to Sicily, who will take command of the entire navy?"

Davos understood his meaning. In the past, having Secilian act as the supreme commander of the entire navy would have been unquestioned. But in this war, Midorades had distinguished himself with back-to-back victories, becoming another rising star within the navy. Naturally, his pride and ambition were much higher than before.

"Your Majesty, perhaps we should station the Third Fleet along the northern coast," Plintors suggested. "The Carthaginians managed to successfully deliver their supplies to the Island of Sicily this time for two reasons: first, the Sicilian Fleet was tricked; second, the coast north of Eryx is quite far from Selinus, where the Sicilian Fleet is stationed. Departing from the Port of Selinus, it takes over three hours at top speed to reach Eryx, and more than five to reach Palermos. In the future, the Carthaginians might continue to exploit this time gap, targeting the shores north of Eryx to ship military rations to their army in Sicily. But if the Third Fleet anchors along the northern coast, they can keep a tighter watch over the waters near Palermos, Solus, and the surrounding areas, entirely ruining the Carthaginians' schemes."

"On the northern coast, the friendly city-state of Saedium is closest to Solus and Palermos," Tolmides countered, "but it's a small city. I fear it lacks a proper Military Port to accommodate the Third Fleet. The other allied city-states along the north face similar issues. The only town on the northern shore capable of housing the Third Fleet is Messina, but it's too far from the west. It would actually be worse than Selinus."

Plintors's proposal greatly appealed to Davos. Despite Tolmides's warning, he said, "If there are no military ports on the northern coast, we can just build makeshift ones first. Isn't that exactly what we did here?"

Seeing Davos support the idea, Tolmides dropped his objections and raised another issue. "Your Majesty, you previously ordered the Ninth Legion to assist the Third Fleet in attacking Sardinia. I suspect their operations are already underway. If we recall the Third Fleet now, should we have the Ninth Legion return to Apulia?"

"The Ninth Legion..." Davos mused, then decided, "Let the Ninth Legion move together with the Third Fleet. The Carthaginian army is currently concentrated along the Southern Coast and the territory of the Sikanoi, leaving their northern defenses hollow. The Ninth Legion can easily launch a surprise attack on Solus, or even Palermos. If successful, not only will it secure a better port for the Third Fleet, but it will also shorten their patrol routes, making it far easier to blockade the western seas. Even if they fail, it will divide the Carthaginian forces... Henipolis, draft a letter in my name to Midorades and Tagetinos immediately. Tell them to lead their troops to Saedium as quickly as possible."

"Right away, Your Majesty." Henipolis deftly cut a sheet of Papyrus, picked up his pen, and began to write.

Just then, Martius stepped into the main tent. "Your Majesty, a battle report has arrived from Syracuse."

Davos took the Papyrus Scroll, which was bound with a black cord. After scanning its contents swiftly, his face broke into a broad smile as he looked at the others in the tent. "Excellent!" he shouted in excitement. "Prosous has done brilliantly! Everyone, I bring good news: the main city of Syracuse has fallen into our hands!"

...

On the very day Secilian was heading to Minoa, preparing to face Davos's reprimands, the sky was just barely beginning to lighten over the central western coast of Sardinia Island. Five Carthaginian cargo ships arrived outside the port of Sant'Ibinia. Such occurrences had become common lately. The Daionian Fleet's persistent raids around Sardinia forced many Carthaginian merchant vessels to seize the brief windows before the Daionian patrols arrived in Sardinian waters. Only then could they rush into the various Phoenician town ports on the island to unload their backlogged cargo.

Since the ships were steered by crews with Phoenician features, and time was of the essence, the patrol boats did not conduct a thorough inspection. They were allowed entry into the port.

By early dawn, the Third Fleet—which had been sailing south along the coast—suddenly drew close to the shore at a spot slightly north of the central western coastline of Sardinia Island.

The nearshore waters here were densely peppered with reefs, and the shoreline itself was mostly lined with sheer cliffs, offering no suitable anchorages. However, the Mannu River emptied into the sea at this very spot. Along both banks of its estuary lay expansive tidal mudflats, particularly obvious during low tide. The flats were coated in a slick, soft black muck. Anyone stepping onto it would easily sink, making passage incredibly difficult.

But the Third Fleet came fully prepared. The Corvus Warships sailed one by one into the estuary, pulling up to the mudflats along the northern bank. Carrying pre-prepared bundles of wheat straw, the fleet infantrymen carefully disembarked. They laid the straw over the mudflats and topped it with wooden planks. Very quickly, they constructed a boardwalk leading straight to the riverbank.

At the very front marched the soldiers of the Ninth Legion's Mountain Scout Squad. Teetering slightly as they crossed the planks, they reached the base of the riverbank. Using the climbing gear they carried, they easily scaled the relatively gentle slope. Once at the top, they dropped over a dozen pre-prepared rope ladders. The fleet infantry following close behind scrambled swiftly up the ropes.

Over half an hour later, 4,000 fleet infantrymen had ascended the northern bank of the Mannu River. They advanced rapidly inland, preparing to launch a surprise assault on Sant'Ibinia, which lay just a short distance from the coast.

The City of Sant'Ibinia served as a metal processing hub for the Phoenicians on Sardinia Island. Centuries ago, it had originally been a settlement of the native Sardinian Nuragic people. Because the nearby mountains were rich in iron and silver ore, the natives had long traded these precious metals with the Etrurians, who resided in central Italy across the Tyrrhenian Sea on the Italian Peninsula.

After the Phoenicians colonized this island, they used trade, intermarriage, assimilation, and war. A century later, the indigenous Nuragic people of Sardinia had largely retreated into the northern mountains, while the south fell entirely under Phoenician control. Aside from the City of Olbia at the northeastern tip, Sant'Ibinia was the northernmost Phoenician town. The Phoenicians developed it into a crucial metal processing center on Sardinia Island.

Sant'Ibinia nestled amid low hills not far from the coast, bordered closely on the north by the Temo River. Because the surrounding terrain was relatively flat, it was easy for the ore mined in the northern Phoenician quarries—as well as the ore excavated by the Nuragic people in the mountains—to be hauled here for trade. The inhabitants of Sant'Ibinia would then process and smelt the ore into metal ingots, loading them onto ships at the Temo River port to be exported to Carthage or elsewhere. Sant'Ibinia's annual yield of precious metals accounted for over half of all the metal produced on Sardinia Island. Because of this, Sant'Ibinia was profoundly vital to both the Phoenicians of Sardinia and Carthage itself.

Back when the Carthaginian navy dominated the western Mediterranean, Sardinia was secure. The Phoenicians on the island could fish, farm, and expand their metalworking in peace, entirely unconcerned about foreign invasion. But ever since the war broke out between Carthage and Daionia, the Carthaginians had consistently operated at a naval disadvantage, threatening the safety of Sardinia Island. Fortunately, Sant'Ibinia's geographical location was highly unfavorable for Daionian amphibious landings. The prior raids Daionia had launched against Sardinia had never reached anywhere near Sant'Ibinia.