1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 20: Sea Battle

The port of Nafpaktos, on the northern shore of the Gulf of Corinthia.

This is a typical Greek city. The Temple of Apollo and the Temple of Athena outside the city have become ruins, but some buildings inside the city can still vaguely show the remaining imprint of ancient Greece.

However, now the Ottoman crescent flag is flying over this ancient Greek town.

Ever since Murad II decided to punish Constantine's usurpation, the Ottoman army occupied this place as a transit base for food and fodder in the rear and a naval port.

At this time, in the mayor's palace of Nafpaktos, Zagan Pasha was affectionately escorting two gorgeously dressed men out the door.

"Then it's settled, Zagan Pasha. If you conquer Corinth, you must sell the slaves to us first!"

The tall man pretended to be drunk and leaned against Zagan Pasha, putting one hand on Zagan Pasha's shoulder.

"Of course! You also hate those Orthodox Christians, so you will probably remain neutral!"

Zagan Pasha pushed the tall man away imperceptibly, took his hand, and spoke in a pretentiously affectionate manner.

"Of course, their affairs have nothing to do with us..."

The tall man narrowed one eye at Zagan.

"By the way... you used to be a Greek Orthodox Christian, right? Don't you want to save your compatriots..."

"I once went astray, but fortunately Allah saved me from suffering. I was appreciated by the Sultan and ranked among the top. Apart from that, I have nothing else to ask for."

Zagan bowed his head deeply, as if he was feeling the will of Allah.

After seeing the two men off, Zagan Pasha took the handkerchief handed over by the servant with disgust, wiped his hands vigorously, took off his coat, and ordered the servant to throw it away.

After a while, a strange and morbid smile slowly appeared on Zagan Pasha's stern face.

"Hahaha……"

The laughter grew louder and louder until Zagan Pasha's whole face was twisted.

The laughter stopped abruptly.

"Tell the transport fleet that the Venetians have been dealt with. Let them deliver military supplies directly to Corinth. The Janissaries should also make some moves and practice their skills."

"Let the warships set sail to intercept from the west to prevent Venice or Genoa from turning hostile."

Zagan Pasha regained his usual stern demeanor.

He stood by the bed, waited for a moment, and then watched the Ottoman transport fleet slowly set sail from the port.

Perhaps tomorrow the Greeks will step out of their tortoise shells and surrender to the great Sultan.

Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Zagan Pasha's face again.

……

Not far from the Ottoman fleet, another huge fleet was moving towards them quickly.

It was the Mediterranean fleet brought by Isaac.

After setting out from the port of Ceuta, Isaac traveled day and night, and while resting in the Adriatic Sea, he met the Northumbria which had completed its mission.

After hearing Captain Kerman's report, Isaac immediately understood the seriousness of the matter.

Afterwards, Isaac ran frantically for two days and finally arrived at the battlefield at the last minute.

"Your Highness, the Saint Nicholas has sent out a signal that the Ottoman fleet has been spotted ahead. It is a fleet of six escorting galleys, and they are patrolling."

"Order Captain Henry to advance at full speed and open fire on the Ottoman fleet if he encounters it."

"Yes!"

The Grand Duke Morea sent out a flag signal, which was passed on layer by layer by the warships in front until the St. Nicholas received the message.

"Captain! The Ottoman warships ahead are surrounding us!"

The sailor who climbed up the mast shouted down.

Looking at the surrounding Ottoman warships, Henry smiled.

"Your Highness has issued a high order. Fight immediately when you encounter the Ottoman fleet."

"Captain of the Sails, lower the San Marco flag and raise the Eagle flag!"

"Captain, fire!"

For safety reasons and to conceal their presence, the fleet had previously used the St. Mark's flag of Venice.

After this battle, the eagle flag will fly again.

Boom——Boom——

The salvo of ten cannons on the port side of St. Nicholas marked the beginning of the Battle of Corinthia.

At the same time, the Sparta and Marquis de Gian galleys following St. Nicholas also opened fire.

For a moment, the sea was filled with smoke.

The Ottoman warships that rushed over were stunned.

I just received information from Zagan Pasha that Venice remained neutral, so I was doing a routine check. Why did they suddenly open fire?

When the smoke cleared, they looked at the purple in the sky, their eyes filled with horror.

"It's the Greek fleet! Quickly notify the flagship!"

The sailor was about to signal with a flag, but it was too late.

The Archduke Morea caught up with the rest of the fleet.

The Northumbria opened fire first, and Captain Kerman roared as he loaded a shell into the gun barrel.

The Duke Morea and the armed cog ship Athena also opened fire.

The scorching shells drew graceful trajectories in the air, making piercing screams.

boom--

An Ottoman galley was hit, and a solid lead bullet hit the bow, and an Ottoman sailor next to it was blown away.

Isaac felt a little regretful that he didn't hit the weak point.

"All ships continue to reload and keep a distance to avoid being cut off and surrounded by the Ottomans!"

Captain Fidel roared and ordered the flag bearer to send out flag signals.

"Captain, the Ottomans reacted quickly, they are already rushing over!"

Aboard the St. Nicholas Clark, the spotter called out anxiously to Captain Henry.

"Don't panic! Order the Marquis de Gian and the Sparta to get closer to our ship. Our side is twice as high as the Ottomans'. It won't be that easy for them to board us!"

Captain Henry gave the order.

Without waiting for the order to be conveyed, four Ottoman galleys rushed towards St. Nicholas in a semi-encirclement posture.

boom--

Another salvo hit an Ottoman warship, but only slightly curbed its progress.

The enemy commander was obviously experienced and knew that the artillery of his own galleys could not match that of the Byzantine caravels, so he planned to use the advantage of speed to rush up and engage in boarding combat.

The Marquis de Gian and the Sparta arrived quickly and blocked the two galleys, while the remaining two broke through the siege and planned to surround St. Nicholas from the left and right.

close!close!
Henry could even see the smug smile on the commander's face on the other side's flagship.

The two galleys finally completed their mission and sandwiched the St. Nicholas.

Bang - Bang -

Several hooks were swung from the Ottoman flagship and hung on the side of the St. Nicholas.

The Ottoman sailor climbed up the rope, holding his scimitar in his mouth.

"Match gun, fire!" Captain Henry saw that the time had come and began to give orders.

Then, 30 French musketeers who had been arranged in advance stuck their guns out from the tower and fired a volley at the galley on the port side.

Puff——Tong——

The matchlock gun had poor power and accuracy, but at such a close distance, the unarmored Ottoman sailors were sitting ducks.

The sailors who were shot fell off the ropes into the sea one after another.

"Crossbowmen, shoot!"

Twenty Genoese crossbowmen ran out of the cabin one after another, lay down on the side of the ship, and fired at the Ottoman galley below.

The Ottoman sailors on the deck who had no time to dodge fell to the ground one after another, covering their wounds and wailing in pain.

After one round of shooting, the Ottoman galley on the port side was no longer able to resist.

"Follow me, board the ship!"

The boatswain Owen shouted loudly and was the first to slide down Osman's hook rope.

Behind him, a dozen brave sailors rushed down with him.

Owen chopped down several wounded soldiers who tried to stop him and rushed into the captain's room first.

The enemy ship's commander stood behind the door, clenching his scimitar, ready to fight a desperate battle.

"I am Osman Bey! I demand a fair fight!"

Captain Osman shouted in his broken Greek.

"I'm not."

Boatswain Owen pulled a crossbow from his sleeve and shot it through his thigh. Then, while Osman Bey was bending over in pain, he cut off his head with a knife.

The sailors who followed opened the lower hatch, and the rowing slaves surrendered immediately.

From then on, the Ottoman flagship changed hands and the fleet lost unified command.

After that, the St. Nicholas repeated the same trick, first shooting, then using crossbows, and finally boarding the ship to capture another galley.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the two galleys entangled by the Sparta and the Marquis de Gian tried to escape directly.

The Sparta and the Marquis de Gian fired desperately, eventually sinking one and escaping with the other seriously damaged.

The perspective turns to the Grand Duke of Morea. The two Ottoman warships ordered to intercept are intimidated by the Grand Duke of Morea's powerful firepower and cannot get close at all.

They witnessed the end of the Ottoman flagship and saw the other warships flee in panic.

Seeing that Saint Nicholas had freed his hands, he was ready to surround them.

An Ottoman ship seemed to have internal strife and raised a white flag.

The other ship fled in panic, and Isaac had no time to give chase.

After simply assembling the fleet, Isaac ordered the transport fleet to rendezvous and head straight for the port of Nafpaktos.

……

Nafpaktos, port.

Zagan Pasha was saying something to the commander of the Second Janissary Army with a smile on his face.

The soldiers of the Second Legion filed onto the deck of the transport ship, stowed their luggage, and collected their rooms.

They were well-equipped, wearing square helmets decorated with a long feather, leather armor, and equipped with muskets, scimitars and maces. Some soldiers also carried round shields and held short crossbows.

A golden seat is painted on the helmet's cap.

Second Janissary Guards Corps, [Golden Throne]

Zagan Pasha was obviously very happy and praised the legion commander highly.

Transport ships set out from the port, some carrying military supplies, some carrying cannons, and some carrying Ottoman soldiers.

The Corinthia Bay was like a kettle, and he had arranged six fast galleys to guard the mouth of the kettle. The commander was familiar with naval warfare, so he should be able to rest assured.

Suddenly, Zagan Pasha seemed to have seen something horrible, and the smile on his face froze.

The legion commander was a little confused and turned his head away.

A group of warships flying the purple double-headed eagle flag were approaching rapidly.

The hull of the leading ship, the St. Nicholas, was still stained with the blood of the Ottoman sailors, and there were bullet holes left on the deck from lead bullets. The captured Ottoman flag was dragged behind the ship.

To Zagan Pasha, the battleship seemed to have come from hell.

boom--

The cannons fired, directly hitting the busy sailors on the shore.

Then, one after another, the Eastern Roman warships roared their long-buried anger at their ancient enemy.

"Evade! Evade! All members of the legion stop boarding the ship and evacuate by land!"

The legion commander of the [Golden Throne] was well-trained and was the first to react. He began to give orders and at the same time dragged the bewildered Zagan Pasha to escape deeper into the land.

Boom!

A lead bullet hit the grain warehouse in the port. The hot shell met the dry cloth and immediately caught fire.

The flames ignited the flour particles scattered in the air, directly causing a huge explosion.

The flames spread everywhere, and suddenly, the entire port was engulfed in flames.

The legionnaires who had not yet boarded the ship showed great quality at this time. They lined up with their guns and fired a volley at the fleet to buy time for their commander to escape.

But with little success.

"Run! Don't wait!" the legion commander roared.

The legion infantry covered each other and retreated in an orderly manner.

When a round of shelling begins, they often hide behind buildings, wait for a break in reloading, and then quickly flee.

"Give up bombarding the Janissaries and concentrate your firepower on attacking the port buildings!"

Isaac ordered.

Huh——la——

A sentry tower collapsed, killing several sailors hiding below.

Compared to the orderly retreat of the [Golden Throne] soldiers, the dock sailors and other troops seemed disorganized. Some soldiers madly squeezed onto the transport ships and then fled, while others ran around until they were swallowed by the growing flames.

Half an hour later, Isaac ended the shelling of the dock.

The surviving sailors and soldiers knelt down and surrendered in tears.

Isaac sent the Knight of Conti off the ship to receive it, and then announced that the fleet would continue eastward.

The entire Gulf of Corinthia is connected to the Mediterranean Sea only on the west side, and is a completely sealed pocket on the east side.

The transport ships that escaped temporarily thought they were safe, but in fact none of them could escape.

The fleet sailed eastward, picking up surrendered transport ships along the way.

As for the diehards, if they insist on dying for the sake of Allah, let them do it.

The battlefield cleanup operation lasted from the afternoon until midnight, until a civil strife broke out on the last transport ship carrying the soldiers of the [Golden Throne]. The lower-level soldiers killed the squad leader and surrendered to Isaac.

From then on, the Battle of Corinthia ended. This naval battle between the Ottomans and the Eastern Roman Empire ended with a great victory for the Eastern Roman side.

The storm subsided and the sea returned to calm.

Only the ship fragments and sailors' bodies floating on the sea tell of the thrilling naval battle.

I didn’t make up the name of the Janissary Corps. Historically, the names of the Janissary Corps were just that idiotic. For example:
[Sword of the Sultan] [Golden Throne] [Scythe of Bayezid] [Konya Wolf]
There are also some bad tastes, such as:
[Gravedigger] (digs up Skanderbeg's grave)
[Regicide] (who killed the Sultan)


(End of this chapter)