Chapter 29 Acting Command (Part 2)

The rising sun dyed the waves in front of the royal dock into a golden color. Diotusos "personally supervised the battle." He and a group of Egyptian naval commanders stood in the command post in front of the dock. Dozens of ships passed by in front of the dock. The remodeled cruise ships were lined up densely, followed by several decked battleships. According to Diotusos's strategy, all cruise ships would serve as vanguards and light up until the third daylight hour in the morning. The fire and oil on the ships rushed towards the Roman fleet in Qilidi and set it on fire. Then, taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, the combat ships caught up in time, captured or sunk as many enemy ships as possible, and started to fight again. Back to the advantage of being on the sea. ..

So at the end of the first daylight quarter, all the oarsmen and crew gathered in the square in front of the dock to have a meal, and then worshiped the water god Anmukai, the eagle god Horus, the war god Mo and other gods. After the second daylight quarter, the sun and wind direction have been very suitable for combat. "So far, with the blessing of the wind god, the wind direction is conducive to our combat. All oarsmen and crew members enter their respective rowing seats and positions, and remember the timing of ignition." , Your composure and bravery are needed!" Diotusos gave the order to prepare for the attack from the command tower.

Around the royal dock, there is deep water suitable for berthing fleet ships, but when it reaches the bridge channel, the water begins to become shallower, and there are many reefs and tidal flats on both sides. A long and narrow waterway is formed in the middle, which can only be used by three to four small ships. This waterway advances approximately 1,500 Roman feet and enters deep water again in front of the Seven Mile Embankment, which is an ideal place for naval battles.

This geography was naturally familiar to the Egyptian crew, but it was now also mastered by Lepidus.

So when the Egyptian ships were just getting ready for battle, they were ready to beat the war drums on the deck. Raise the sails and attack. The sentry post on the bridge suddenly lit up a warning beacon - on the water side of the bridge. Lepidus' fleet did not beat drums or shout, but silently and quickly pressed towards this side!

This time, the ships followed the previous requirements and "abandoned the pirate-style melee melee mentality, occupied a favorable position, and used long-range projectile firepower to first seal the bridge holes and waterways where the enemy attacked. Then they extended their shooting to destroy the enemy's royal palace." "Dockyard." For this reason, most ships have added false wooden walls to the sides to prevent enemies from climbing, and installed ballistae, bellows cannons and dame cannons on the deck, and added an iron anchor to facilitate stable shooting on the sea. , the bows of the forward ships were also covered with iron plates and rams, and covered with asbestos to prevent enemy fireships from setting fire to them.

Facing the attack of this fleet, the Egyptians were a little confused. "Ignore the enemy and rush out bravely." Diotusos still asked all ships to carry out the original battle plan. After receiving the signal, several patrol ships passed through the bridge hole like arrows and rushed towards Lepidus' ship in front. At this time, many patrol ships The Gorta legion and city thugs carrying bows, arrows and stick throwers also rushed out of the city and boarded the two bridges, preparing to coordinate the battle with their own fleet.

"Use the crossbow to shoot at the enemy waterway ships, and use the scorpion crossbow on the tower to shoot at the enemy archers on the bridge." Hitius, who was in the command position, issued the firepower distribution order, "Puff, puff, puff, puff." The fleet ships came from both sides one after another. After anchoring, more than a dozen ships lined up to form a fort floating on the water, followed by a salvo of ballistae. Stone bullets and heavy javelins roared to form a centripetal circle, and then they all poured into the bridge hole. In the narrow waterway between Qili Embankment, there was no need for precise calculations. Several patrol boats did not respond at all. Under the overwhelming blow, they sank to the bottom of the water before they even had time to light a fire. They were in order to load more fire. The kerosene did not hesitate to weaken the protection. In addition, these ships were open-topped, and they had no room to fight back in the face of such firepower.

Next, the waterway became the "road of death". More and more Egyptian cruise ships were sunk here, but they still bravely fought their way out along the bridge hole, which formed an extremely tragic scene. "Replace with igniting stone bullets." " Hitius immediately ordered, and then the flint bombs dropped from the sky, smashing and igniting the patrol ships in front and behind. The kerosene loaded on them was burned. First one and two ships, and then spread and burned along the entire waterway. The last spinning flint bullet passed through the waterway impartially and smashed into the bridge hole. There happened to be three or four cruise ships congested there, preparing to go over. They were immediately hit at the same time, with apricot-yellow flames. Then it exploded and rose like thunder, and even the Egyptian soldiers on the bridge above were on fire, screaming and running away.

The waterway was burning everywhere, and the Egyptian oarsmen who survived the disaster could only swim and climb to the shoals on both sides, crying for mercy, "Kill, kill, kill, it's so fun!" Macmillan, the great pirate who was helping the battle, commanded with a purple smile on his face. The sailing ships were shooting at the shoals with crossbows like hunting animals. At this time, Hitius's signal came, strictly ordering Macmillan to abandon those people and continue to stick to his post and not to act rashly.

At this point in the battle, the bridge hole had been burned into a ball of fire, and the two bridges had begun to be burned apart. The waterway was covered with burning wreckage and floating corpses. The Egyptian naval fleet had suffered a devastating blow, and the remaining larger ships had suffered a devastating blow. , was also blocked in the royal dock. The patrol ship was burned in front, and behind it were the islands and city walls stretching from the dock. The range of the ballistae on its own deck was not as good as that of Lepidus' fleet, so they could only stay in place and become a living target.

On the island of Pharos, many oarsmen and some soldiers in the Lepidus fleet who did not need to participate in the battle stood on the Seven Mile Embankment at this time, watching the great scene of their victory and watching the excitement. This was even more exciting than watching the water and land battles in the Colosseum.

With a burst of military trumpets, at the end of the Seven Mile Embankment in Alexandria, more than a dozen light reed boats carrying fully armed soldiers sailed out from the bridgehead and hidden dock controlled by the Egyptians. They grasped the timing very well and rushed through the gap between the Seven Mile Embankment and the Lepidus fleet. Then they climbed up the Seven Mile Embankment and rushed into the oarsmen with swords and killed them wantonly. The people watching the excitement on the Lepidus side realized the painful price they had to pay for "casually watching". Quite a few people were killed, and the rest jumped into the sea on the other side of the embankment. Some soldiers held their shields horizontally and swam towards the island of Pharos as sampans.

"Send three battalions from the Sixth Legion to Hebrida, drive these enemies back along the Seven Mile Dike, and seize the bridgehead at the other end!" Lepidus, who was commanding the battle on the lighthouse, immediately gave Sabo the latest instructions.

At the same time, the fleet commander Hitis, who followed the tactical arrangement, ordered several heavy ships to fire the "Massalia Cannon", targeting the Egyptian royal dock and bridge. After a few earth-shaking noises, the bridge collapsed and the dock began to be destroyed. (To be continued...)

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