After reaching agreements with the Holy See, the House of Habsburg, and Jagiellon, Vitus finally announced their departure.
Ragusa's harbor waters were cramped, and most of the ships lay at anchor in Gruž Bay to the north.
This time, the Eastern Roman Empire deployed 120 transports and twenty warships. The first landing force numbered as many as fourteen thousand, with the Tuna Legion forming its main strength.
The front on Sicily Island had long been deadlocked. The two sides had faced off in the northern mountains for more than half a year, and keeping field troops there was simply a waste.
The field troops on Sicily would subsequently transfer to central Italy in stages, while Vitus would send auxiliary troops to Sicily to fill the vacancies.
September 6, early morning.
A gentle breeze blew as a galley towed the sixty-eight-gun warship Gothis slowly out of the long, narrow Gruž Bay.
Groves of olive trees covered the slopes on both sides of the bay, their silvery-gray leaves shimmering in the sunlight. Some nobles had built villas on the slopes, with white walls and red roofs surrounded by green trees-an excellent place for a holiday.
Ragusa's prolonged population loss had left nearly half the villas vacant, and the army had requisitioned them as field hospitals, command posts, or barracks.
After leaving the bay, the Gothis raised her sails and led the way onto the blue waters to the west. Battleships and transports followed one after another, forming a double column stretching ten kilometers.
Since the previous month, the French Army had squeezed Italy to its limit, stirring resentment everywhere.
During this time, Rimini, Ancona, Pescara, and other places had sent ships in succession, asking the Eastern Roman Empire to send troops to their aid.
Vitus chose Ancona.
The city had the best