1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 78: The Flame's Song
"Send the signal and let Captain Fidel act according to the plan!"

Isaac yelled at the captain of the Santa Maria.

Normally, as an outsider, Isaac would not interfere with the command of the fleet and unconditionally trusted Fidel and Henry.

However, the situation is different this time. The first battle of the fire ship must be fought by Isaac.

Only by designing the tactics yourself can you bring out the best in them.

Prior to this, Isaac and Captain Fidel discussed dividing the entire Mediterranean fleet into two parts.

Captain Fidel and Vice-Captain Henry led the flagships Duke of Morea and St. Nicholas, and brought some galleys as the first echelon to deter the enemy, lure out the enemy's outer escort ships, and hold them firmly in place.

He and Captain Giovanni led the Grand Consul and several fire battleships and hid in the rear under the cover of some pirate forces, looking for opportunities to directly attack the enemy's main battleships.

The two parts of the fleet are not far apart and can provide support at any time.

Isaac stood quietly at the bow, watching Captain Fidel, who had received the signal, immediately lead the main fleet to the battlefield to support the Ichel that was caught in the battle.

……

"Captain, the enemy ships have entered the battle area. Should our troops press on?"

On the other side of the battle circle, on a large galley flying the Hafsid flag, Ebenis, the naval commander of the Hafsid dynasty, looked at the tense battle situation in the distance with a serious expression.

This naval commander from a branch of the Hafs family is 63 years old this year. He should be enjoying his grandchildren, but he was dragged back to the battlefield.

There was no way. Caliph Yahya could not find a second general who was both familiar with maritime affairs and loyal.

Albany has been at sea for many years. Although he cannot be called a man of great strategic vision, he is very experienced.

"Don't worry, the enemy will definitely have a backup plan."

Amini looked at the two tall and graceful large Clark battleships opposite and sighed inwardly.

Unknowingly, the Christians had already left the once leading Muslims far behind in shipbuilding, and the gap was widening.

Seeing that Christian warships were becoming more and more powerful, with more and more weapons, and higher sides, and the navy was gradually becoming professional, while his compatriots were still holding on to the old tactics from hundreds of years ago, Amini's heart was always filled with waves.

Since when did Islam, which was once open, inclusive and advanced, begin to become as closed-minded as the Vatican?
Amini didn't want to think too much and focused her attention on the battlefield.

At present, in the central battle circle, seven small and medium-sized galleys were fighting against each other. Arrows and crossbows were fired at each other, and the momentum was huge, but the actual situation was hard to describe.

It was obvious that both sides were stalling, trying to delay until the main force arrived at the battlefield.

Looking at the entangled warships, Amini was filled with anger.

"I've told you not to engage in battle, and to report to me immediately if you see an enemy ship. Why are you still going?"

"Captain..."

The first mate looked at Amini cautiously, not knowing what to say to the angry Amini.

According to the arrangement of Captain Emini, all the ships patrolling the outer periphery are composed of private pirate forces. These sailors usually plunder everywhere, live alone, and are used to being rough.

This time, Caliph Yahya united the Ulema forces, exploited religious sentiments, and united them in the name of jihad to fight against the aggressive Christians.

In the eyes of these people, being able to participate in the jihad is already a favor to the Caliph. As for obeying orders?

Sorry, I'm not your subordinate.

boom--

As he was speaking, a deafening cannon shot pierced the eerie silence on the battlefield.

The flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet, the Duke of Morea, took the lead and entered the battle, announcing its arrival with a cannon shot.

Behind it, the St. Nicholas carrack and many galleys rushed towards the enemy ships at full speed.

"Let's take the fight."

Captain Emini said stiffly.

There is absolutely no need to discuss whether to engage in battle now.

The speed of the enemy ships was not as slow as imagined, and they were completely able to catch up with their main fleet.

If they wanted to retreat at this time and abandon the several small galleys that had already entered the battlefield, the Christians could simply chase them and expand their advantage step by step.

Even if he could retreat with his fleet, what about Sfax and Kerkennah Islands behind him?
If the Christians were allowed to obtain a naval port for long-term supply, it would be extremely difficult to drive them out of this sea area.

At this point, we can only give it a try.

The situation at sea changes rapidly. Wind direction, currents, reefs, these uncontrollable factors can often change the course of a naval battle.

A real war is not a simple reduction in the paper strength of both sides, but a comprehensive game full of coincidences.

"Pass on my order. The three-decker Abu Aziz will be the spearhead of the attack and serve as the front line."

"The Bejaia, Yahya, Hemer, and the remaining eight galleys followed the Abu Aziz, looking for opportunities to engage in boarding combat."

"The flagship Maghreb, a three-decker Galli warship, is advancing slowly, the Andalusia is in charge of the rear guard, and the rest of the fleet is spread out, looking for opportunities."

Amini did not believe that these warships represented the entire strength of the Christians, and chose the most cautious approach.

Several warships received the order, and the sailors shouted at the slaves rowing the oars and whipped them, leaving bloody marks on their bodies.

The three-decker Abu Aziz burst into extremely fast speed and rushed towards the Grand Duke Moria that was blocking the center of the battlefield.

The rest of the galleys also lowered their sails, rowed their oars, and headed towards the battlefield.

"Captain, the enemy ship is approaching us. Should we call His Majesty?"

Fidel looked at the enemy fleet in the distance and shook his head.

"The main enemy force has not moved, and there are still a lot of small warships responsible for escort. We continue to fire and attract them over."

Boom boom——

The Grand Duke Morea continued to spew flames and fired lead bullets from its muzzle, hitting the sea around the enemy ship, causing terrifying splashes.

The enemy ships were obviously very familiar with this tactic. They separated into twos and threes and drew a "Z" shape on the sea to avoid the bombardment of artillery shells.

The gunfire gradually died down, and no results were achieved.

"The enemy's artillery bombardment has ended. Prepare the ropes and let's charge!"

The Abu Aziz was overjoyed and called on the surrounding ships, trying to take advantage of the vacuum period when the Christian fleet's artillery fire stopped and rush in to engage in a boarding battle with its numerical advantage.

"Captain, the Omertash requests to go into battle."

Aboard Hafs' flagship, the Maghreb, the first mate reported to Emini.

"Captain, if the Abu Aziz can entangle the enemy's large warships, they will not be able to take advantage of their naval guns and firearms. We can attack them in groups. What do you think..."

Amini waved the first mate away and shook her head.

He is a little confused now.

Current naval artillery is very bulky and often takes a long time to reload after firing a round, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive.

This period of time is the dangerous period for the ship.

How could the enemy dare to be so arrogant and use all the naval guns when our side had the numerical advantage?
Are there any traps in this?
Amini's eyes flickered as she looked around, repeatedly confirming that there was no other fleet flying the double-headed eagle flag in this endless ocean.

Finally, he fixed his eyes on several transport ships behind the enemy fleet, somewhat puzzled.

Why bring the transport ship so close?
"Let them continue to wait."

Amini rejected the advice of his subordinates and resolutely implemented his original strategy.

Outside the battle circle, Isaac sat on the Virgin Mary, looking at the tense situation ahead.

In the eyes of the enemy, the several fire battleship motherships were undoubtedly large transport ships without any combat capability. They were stranded on the battlefield by chance and had no time to withdraw.

Several small enemy warships were getting closer and closer to the Archduke Morea, forming a semi-encirclement, and the two sides had begun firing crossbows at each other.

The remaining warships attempted to rescue the Duke of Morea, which had rushed too far ahead, but were entangled by the arriving Hafsgali ship.

On the outer battlefield, Christian pirate ships and Muslim pirate ships have begun fighting each other. When enemies meet, the fighting is extremely fierce with bayonets.

I'm showing such weakness, and you still don't want to go?
Isaac looked at the unshakable line of Hafs' fleet and felt annoyed.

"Ye'er Gubai!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Go find Captain Giovanni and have the Grand Consul dispatched!"

Ye'er Gubai was obviously startled.

"Your Majesty, what about your safety?"

Ye'er Gubai pointed around, and now the only ships guarding Isaac were the Grand Archon and a few small pirate ships.

"Once the war is won, I will be safe."

"go quickly."

The number of enemy forces far exceeded estimates. Although their quality was uneven, they were still able to fight back and forth with the Mediterranean Fleet that came from afar in a short period of time.

The waves were surging, and under Isaac's instructions, the Archon sailed at full speed towards the battle circle.

As if to show off, Giovanni moved rapidly on the sea and headed straight for the three-decker Abu Aziz, which was next to the Grand Duke of Morea.

"Captain! The enemy is not as weak as we thought. The boarding battle is not going well. We must go to support them!"

On the Maghreb three-decked galley, the first mate spoke anxiously to the fleet captain, Amini.

In his opinion, the interval after the first round of shelling by the enemy ships was their best opportunity to attack. As long as they could form an absolute numerical advantage in a short period of time and encircle and destroy the enemy flagship, even if the morale of the enemy ships was high, they would never be their opponents.

However, the hesitant commander, Amini, let this great opportunity slip away, giving the enemy ships a precious buffer moment.

"us……"

boom!
The main gun of the Grand Duke Moria was loaded and it fired at the nearby Abu Aziz.

Lead bullets tore through the side of the enemy ship and crashed into the navigation room, causing a howl of grief.

At the same time, the Grand Archon, which had just joined the battlefield, found another Gallic ship and rushed towards it.

Crack - it was obvious that the small Gallican could not withstand the impact of the ram and broke into two pieces.

The Muslim sailors jumped into the sea, flapped their wings on the surface of the water, and begged for mercy from their enemies, but all they got in return were sharp arrows and loud ridicule.

Amini opened her mouth, but could not speak.

"Captain, look!"

Several small pirate ships on guard could no longer hold back and rushed towards the battlefield.

Then, more and more pirate forces began to ignore orders and join the battlefield.

Amini's face turned pale, but she quickly calmed down.

The enemy ships are very resilient and there is no point in dragging it out any further.

He looked behind the enemy fleet again.

Apart from a few transport ships, there are only a few small ships left, which are not a concern.

It seems that the enemy has already put all their efforts into it.

Using the vanguard to lure the main force of the enemy fleet, and then leading the subsequent ships to join the battlefield when the opportunity arises, this was originally Emini's strategy.

Amini put her shriveled finger into her mouth, pulled it out, closed her eyes, and felt the direction where the coolness came from.

The wind direction is favorable and the wind speed is normal.

He opened his eyes, and there was a light flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"Order, all troops to attack, with the flagship Maghreb as the center, slowly approach the battlefield!"

……

"Your Majesty, the enemy ships are moving!"

Isaac raised his eyes and saw that the enemy ships were slowly moving towards here, with a large galley as the center.

Due to the speed, the formation was a little disjointed, but it was generally neat.

"hold on."

Isaac said in a deep voice.

It was obvious that there were some differences in the enemy fleet. The small warships in the front were running very fast, and were getting farther and farther away from the large galleys in the rear.

"Your Majesty, enemy ships have joined the battlefield!"

"hold on."

"Your Majesty, the galley Bursa has sunk!"

In the distance, under the attack of several small galleys of the same size, the Bursa caught fire and slowly sank into the sea.

"hold on!"

"Your Majesty, the Grand Duke Moria has entered the boarding battle stage, and more small warships are rushing over. The situation is critical!"

"Again--"

boom!
The large galley Maghreb was spewing flames, and lead bullets were emitting harsh sonic waves, streaking across the sky and falling into the sea, stirring up large waves.

Seeing that the situation was not good, several Christian pirate ships that were cruising nearby turned their horses around and fled.

"Pass my order. All motherships will drop fire warships and charge towards the enemy's flagship and the several medium-sized warships next to it."

As the enemy's small frigates and large warships gradually became out of sync, Isaac believed that the time had come.

At the command, eight motherships converted from transport ships lowered the fire ships, and the Muslim slaves, dragging their shackles, boarded the fire ships.

They took the full oil bottles, and many of them looked terrified.

"After completing the mission, you will no longer be slaves and can have legal status in my territory."

"If you dare to disrupt the mission or shrink from moving forward, your entire family will be executed."

"If one person causes chaos, the entire ship will be executed."

Isaac spat out these words coldly, continuing to exert psychological pressure on them.

While putting pressure on them, give them a little hope.

Soon, thirty-two fire warships, fully loaded with Greek fire, rushed towards Hafs' flagship.

Isaac narrowed his eyes and waited quietly, watching the slaves on the fire ship paddling desperately and moving away little by little.

……

On the Maghreb, Amini looked at the Christian fleet that was gradually losing the wind and smiled for the first time.

He admitted that the Christian flagship was indeed very powerful, not inferior to the main ships of Genoa and Venice, and had caused him considerable trouble.

But so what?

With absolute numerical advantage, even the most powerful opponent will be exhausted to death.

First use a small group of ships to lure the enemy, then gradually increase the number to entangle the enemy ships, and finally send a large army to break down the sailors' psychological defenses and prevent the enemy ships from escaping.

It seems that the ancient tactics have not been eliminated by the times.

"Captain, another enemy galley has sunk!"

All of a sudden, the officers who had been full of doubts immediately gathered around and praised the fleet captain's wisdom.

Amini smiled reservedly, considering whether to accept the prisoner.

"For the love of God, we..."

"Captain!"

Amini frowned and glared at the annoying first mate.

"First mate, you..."

"what is that?"

what is that?
Amini walked to the side of the ship, squinted her eyes and looked into the distance.

Under the sunshine, a group of small boats moved quickly towards this side, like ants marching quickly.

"Lifeboat? They mutinied?"

A sailor asked doubtfully.

Amini looked at the strange device on the boat and the frightened and ferocious expressions of the rowers, and she felt a sudden chill in her heart.

"Whatever it is, let the outer ships stop them!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Amini suddenly realized the problem.

I no longer have any peripheral ships.

"Shoot arrows! Fire cannons! No matter what, we can't let them get close!"

Amini yelled loudly, trying to avoid possible danger.

All of a sudden, artillery fire and crossbow arrows were fired.

boom--

By chance, a small boat hit a cannonball.

Immediately afterwards, a horrific explosion shocked the entire sea area.

Everyone watched in horror as the original boat turned into flaming fragments, floating and burning in the ocean.

The black viscous liquid fell on the sea, still flickering with flames, like the flammable saliva of a legendary dragon.

"Stop them! We can't let them get close!"

Amini was experienced and was the first to react, shouting loudly.

The four medium-sized galleys surrounding the flagship also fired arrows at the same time, trying to destroy this horrific suicide weapon midway.

However, it was too late.

Fire warships are small and maneuverable targets, and are basically impossible to hit with artillery.

The slaves sitting at the bow raised their large shields to resist the arrows.

“Turn, turn!”

No one listened to him. Everyone looked back in a daze.

A fire warship broke through numerous blockades and crashed into the Andalusia galley, which was following at the end. The only remaining slave shed tears and shouted loudly, fighting against fear.

He opened the valve, lit the fuse, and flames gushed out.

On the Andalusia, a sailor picked up a stone and threw it down with all his might, trying to sink the boat and stop the devilish flames.

As luck would have it, it fell on an oil tank.

boom--

Amini closed her eyes in pain.

On the Virgin Mary, Ye'er Gubai stood on tiptoe, looking at the fire in the distance, his eyes wide open, his legs and feet shaking uncontrollably.

The person who was alive just now has now turned into a ball of sparks.

"His Majesty……"

He turned his head and looked at Isaac who was calm and composed.

Isaac stood on the deck, red light reflected in his eyes.

I don’t know if it was the flames that exploded one after another, or the blood-red setting sun.

(End of this chapter)