Naval Battle in the Reef Zone 3

On the flagship of the Red Hemp Territory, Totti, relying on his status, firmly refused the First Mate's offer to take him to his cabin. He remained standing on the deck, watching the changing situation on the battlefield. The First Mate had no good ideas and could not interfere with Captain Van Dyke's command, so he could only stay by Totti's side and watch him.

Totti stood on the deck, constantly observing the situation on the battlefield, and muttered to himself, "The Blacklin family's flagship is finished. It's being attacked by three ships. I hope Hibat is dead. Viscount Trik of the Blacklin family has no direct relatives, only this cousin with the right of succession. If he dies, there probably won't be many heirs left in the Blacklin family!"

Baron Russell of the Yellow Celery Family should have abandoned ship immediately. If his ship had run aground and he had taken a small boat, he could have escaped the battlefield in time.

And the Cabbage Family's ships, whose fleet was second only to ours, are now all stuck inside.

..."

First Mate hearing what Young Master Totti said, the first mate's opinion of his young master changed slightly. At least Totti knew the situation of the allied forces very well, which meant he wasn't just there to gain credit.

Just then, Totti suddenly asked the First Mate a question, "Why aren't those enemy ships ramming or boarding our ships? Why are they surrounding our friendly forces instead of getting closer?"

The First Mate also looked towards the battlefield, and sure enough, the flanks of the noble fleet had been surrounded by the southward-bound fleet from the Northlands, but those ships did not approach the stranded convoy at all.

The First Mate glanced at them a few more times. "They're not the same decoy ships as before, Young Master Totti. Look, they're drafting very deep. It's not that they don't want to see us, but that they're afraid to get close. If they get close, they might run aground in the Reef Zone too."

"Could we try to turn back and rescue our allies? After all, we still have 13 ships. If we're with our allies, we might be able to hold out until the Great Oak Fleet arrives, and we'll definitely be able to achieve victory."

The First Mate agreed with Young Master Totti's point, but Captain Van Dyke's earlier order conflicted with it. "Young Master Totti," he said, "Let's listen to the captain; he's the most experienced."

Totti was furious. He felt there was nothing wrong with his suggestion, and the First Mate's expression had clearly changed just now. He had rejected him because he remembered what Van Dyke had said, which made Totti dislike Van Dyke even more.

At this moment, Totti and the First Mate noticed a new change: the enemy fleet seemed to be pushing something onto the deck.

"Is that Catapult?"

Totti immediately recognized that the thing on the enemy ship's deck was a Catapult, but much smaller than a normal Catapult.

"This Catapult is indeed impressive; it's amazing that it's so small. But did they really intend to use Catapult to attack the enemy?"

Totti had seen Catapult before. Even if they could be made very small, their accuracy was still a problem. Even if they were placed on flat ground, nine out of ten would miss. He estimated that even if these Catapult placed on ships could be used normally, their accuracy would still be poor.

Just as Totti had predicted, the Catapult on the northern nobles' fleet fired four volleys of stone projectiles, but only three hit the target. Considering that the Northern Frontier nobles' ships on both flanks totaled more than 50, this meant that the hit rate was less than two percent.

Totti shook his head and chuckled. It seemed that the Northern Frontier nobles were indeed not very good at naval warfare, having come up with such a flashy but impractical thing. The miniaturized Catapult that could be mounted on a ship was indeed very powerful, but its effectiveness in naval warfare was limited.

If they hadn't fallen into a trap, they might have already defeated the Northern barbarians fleet.

As the battlefield receded further and further away, Totti grew increasingly anxious. He couldn't understand why Van Dyke would suddenly abandon his allies.

"Look, what's that!"

At that moment, a sailor suddenly shouted.

The situation on the battlefield changed. The fleets of the northern nobles began to broadside their ships towards the stranded vessels, which appeared to be under attack. Suddenly, some sailors on many of the noble fleets fell to the ground.

Is it a bow and arrow?

The First Mate was somewhat puzzled. During naval battles, bows and arrows were rarely used because the sea was humid, and the bowstring would deform after being damp and used only a few times, affecting not only the power but also the accuracy.

Totti, who was carefully observing the battlefield through his monoculars, suddenly widened his eyes as if he had seen something terrifying. "It's not an arrow, it's a crossbow bolt, a bolt fired from Bed Crossbow. No, how can the rate of fire be so fast, and how can it be so accurate?"

Totti clearly noticed that the fallen sailors had been struck by a crossbow bolt that resembled a short spear, and that the bolt was so powerful that it was firmly embedded in the side of the ship.

Totti was certain that this was Bed Crossbow unlike any he had ever seen before. It had a longer range, greater accuracy, and even a faster rate of fire than ordinary Bed Crossbow, far exceeding Totti's previous understanding.

"Is this their secret weapon? The coastal nobles' fleets are finished!"

Totti lowered his hands, muttering to himself, knowing that the situation on the battlefield was beyond saving.