A few days later, Crete, Candia.
"Palaiologos fleet is dispatched?"
After receiving the news from Cruiser, Soranzo was so happy that she accidentally spilled the wine in the porcelain cup on half of the table.
Starting in August, Soranzo received many urgings from the mainland, asking him to defeat the enemy fleet as soon as possible.
As time went by, the wording of the official document became more severe, vaguely revealing threats. Recently, the family of Soranzo wrote a letter to complain, claiming that someone deliberately graffitied outside their mansion.
Considering safety issues, his family moved to a manor in Po Valley to temporarily escape the storm.
Now, Soranzo's long-awaited opportunity has arrived. He canceled the recent escort and coastal harassment missions, and concentrated the fleet on Candia Harbor on standby.
November On the 25th, news came from Cruiser that the Palaiologos fleet was stationed in Nafplion.
Soranzo observed the sea chart and guessed the enemy commander's intention:
"Fabius moved the fleet here. The advantage is that it is closer to Crete, making it easier to harass our Trade route. But this port is not suitable for defense. Is he confident that he can defeat my fleet?"
A rare opportunity, Soranzo led the fleet to leave Candia and go to Nafplion of Northwest. The next morning, Soranzo received a report from the reconnaissance ship: The Palaiologos fleet is heading south!
"What? Fabius came to the door on his own initiative?"
Soranzo's inner doubts intensified. He raised his head to observe the swing of the flag. The sky was dark and the wind direction was east-north. Then he walked to the side of the ship and observed the sea surface: medium waves and good visibility.
This time, Venice dispatched seventy main battleships: twenty Double-Deck Warship, twenty Cruiser, and thirty Galleass battleships.
The fleet is also followed by thirty Armed Merchant Ship or small and medium-sized Galley, which undertake auxiliary tasks such as peripheral security and rescue of fallen crew members.
The entire fleet formed a huge wedge-shaped formation, with the flagship Murano at the forefront, and Soranzo coming to the stern deck. Wherever you looked, you could see masts like a forest, and the shadow of snow-white sails covering the sea.
"According to the report, the enemy has only more than fifty main battleships, and we have a numerical advantage. On the other hand, Venice has advanced shipbuilding technology and the sailors have superb navigation skills. With multiple advantages added together, it is impossible to lose to the opponent."
He asked the sailors to send out a signal and summon the captains to come over for a meeting.
Not long after, seventy main warships lowered their boats, and the captains took the boats and sailed to the position of Murano one after another.
In the spacious and bright captain's room, Soranzo begins combat deployment:
Twenty Double-Deck Warship formed a battle line and fought against the enemy from south to north.
Thirty Galleass battleships are divided into two assault groups: The first assault group is arranged in front of the battle line. Relying on the high explosive speed of the oars and sails, it attacks in advance and bombards the enemy's leading Battleship with bow heavy artillery to create as much chaos as possible.
The second assault group was deployed on the side and rear of the battle line, waiting for opportunities to surround the enemy's rearguard or single and injured ships.
Twenty Cruisers were scattered on both sides of the battle line, covering the advance of Galleasss and responsible for delivering orders and rescue.
Soranzo's idea is to let Galleass open the gap, and Battleship concentrates its firepower to destroy the local area and drag the battle into a melee. Our own side has a numerical advantage, which is most suitable for this kind of chaos.
As the meeting drew to a close, he warned everyone, "At this moment, Venice urgently needs a victory to defend her authority. Let us guard this ocean!"
At the same time, the sea surface thirty kilometers away to the north.
After receiving the information from Cruiser, Fabius asked the crew to hoist the signal flag and summoned the captains to come over for a meeting.
Taking into account the number of enemy Galleass battleships, he made the following adjustments:
Twenty-six Battleship formed a single-column battle line, pressing against the enemy's formation from north to south, making full use of their advantage to choose the opportunity to engage.
The vanguard is twelve fast conventional Double-Deck Warship. Its mission is to seize the position, be the first to engage in firefights, and contain the enemy's vanguard.
The Chinese army consists of seven Heavy Double-Deck Warships. Although the speed is slow, the protection is extremely strong and the broadside salvoes are powerful. They serve as the core of the entire battle line and withstand the most intensive enemy firepower. The rearguard is seven Heavy Double-Deck Warships, which prevent the enemy from outflanking and are ready to fill the gaps in the battle line at any time.
Thirty Cruiser were organized into three rapid detachments, located in front of the battle line, downwind of the Chinese army, and behind the rear guard.
The task of the rapid detachment is to intercept the advance of Galleass and prevent the enemy Cruiser from harassing the head and tail of the battle line.
The remaining auxiliary ships (Armed Merchant Ship, Medium Galley) do not actively participate in the battle, but are responsible for searching and rescuing crew members who fell into the water.
Unknowingly, the meeting was coming to an end. Looking at the many familiar faces, Fabius suddenly felt sad. When this battle is over, many faces will disappear, including himself.
Fabius paused for a moment, looked at the many captains wearing black Double-Breasted Uniform, and said slowly:
"We don't need to be afraid of the enemy, nor should we underestimate it too much. Remember, Rome requires everyone to fulfill their duties."
"Take back our ocean!" Felix suddenly responded loudly, and the remaining forty-odd captains shouted with him. After the meeting, they returned to their respective warships in small boats, and the signal flags were raised on the mast in turn.
The Eastern Roman Empire fleet disbanded the original wedge formation and changed the formation according to Fabius's schedule.
Twelve conventional Battleship boats painted with black and yellow sides adjusted their sails and yards, gradually separated from the main group and drove at the front.
Followed by seven slightly wider heavy battleships, the ship planks near the waterline are deliberately thickened, and the turns are slightly slow. Behind them, seven Battleship of the same model form a rearguard.
Within the formation, the distance between each battleship is maintained at 150 steps. If it is too far away, the firepower of the front and rear ships cannot be connected, and it is easy for enemy ships to slip through the gap between the front and rear ships, thereby disrupting the rhythm of the entire battle line.
If it is too close, once the forward sail is damaged and the ship suddenly slows down, the Battleship behind it may hit it.
The positioning of Cruiser is flexible, and they do not need to form a tight battle line. If Double-Deck Warship is compared to an infantry phalanx, Cruiser is the light cavalry or Mountain Infantry wandering outside the phalanx.
At 10:30 in the morning, the wind and waves on the sea intensified, the clouds in the sky became thicker, and a small group of seagulls hovered between the low clouds and the sea.
Almost at the same time, the lookouts at the top of the masts on both sides shouted:
"Enemy ships are in sight!"
The straight-line distance between the two armies was about five miles. Fabius came to the bow deck, and a dense shadow of sails gradually appeared on the southern sea.
He calmly judged the opponent's formation, put down his telescope, and said to the navigator beside him:
"My guess is correct. The enemy regards the Galleass battleship as a decisive means and wants to use this method to disrupt our formation."
As time passed, the distance shortened to four kilometers. There was no fog on the sea surface, and the field of vision was excellent. The two sides could already distinguish the outlines of each other's ships.
Eastern Roman Empire On the deck of Battleship, "Powder Monkey" walked between the gun positions carrying wooden barrels filled with medicine bags. The gunners checked the equipment for the last time, and then sprinkled it on the deck. A thin layer of fine sand is used to prevent blood stains from slipping.
After all the work was completed, the deck became extremely quiet, with only the sound of waves hitting the hull and the sail blowing. The crew looked at the approaching sail shadow and silently enjoyed the peaceful time before the decisive battle.