Chapter 268 Naval Battle
"Order the warships to stop! Stop!"
The officers realized that the Vandals were trying to use close combat to occupy and seize the Roman six-row warships. Although the six-row warships had a large number of people, they could not withstand the repeated rounds of fighting!
The archers on the deck shifted their target below the ship, and they poured arrows and javelins at the Vandals who were climbing up the ropes.
After understanding the route of the Vandals' attack, Hermanus had to admit that they were really risking everything. In order to block and attack the Romans, they might not care about their own life or death. This was also the problem that Hermanus and his men were facing at the moment: how to win this battle with minimal losses.
The Vandals were not unprepared. The soldiers on their own ships began to cover their own soldiers who were boarding the ships by throwing torches, javelins and even anything that could make the archers dare not show their heads at the ships above their heads. Someone even prepared kerosene, poured it on the hull of the six-row warship, and then ignited it, causing the hull to catch fire in an instant.
The fifty six-row warships were still advancing slowly forward, their bows constantly colliding with the small Vandal warships that had no time to bypass. There were so many Vandal warships that they even piled up together to form a piece of land made of wood under the fifty six-row warships.
"We've run out of arrows! We've run out of arrows!"
Hermanus stood on the deck. The exclamation of the officers on the deck even made the heart of the naval commander "jump". Without bows and arrows, it means that there is no way to suppress the Vandals who are like ants below, so how can we resist the Vandals who keep climbing up! "Order the warships in the rear to bypass the first line and attack from the rear of the enemy!" Hermanus gave a new order to the herald, and walked out of the hatch holding an iron sword. At this time, the deck was in chaos. The sailors took any long enough wooden sticks to push down the Vandals who tried to climb up.
But there were too many Vandals. They not only grabbed the railings of the ship with hooks, but also the masts, and swung up like pirates, landing on the already chaotic deck.
The sudden arrival of the Vandals caused quite a shock to the archers on the deck. As soon as these armored guys got on the deck, they drew their iron swords and swung them desperately. This was extremely dangerous for the archers who had no armor protection at all. One by one, the archers within the attack range of the Vandals fell in a pool of blood. The fully armed sailors naturally would not allow these daring Vandals to act recklessly on the deck of the six-row warship. They rushed onto the deck in teams and either killed the invaders on the spot or pushed them into the sea.
"Belia, my child!" The war was imminent. Hermanus walked slowly onto the deck with a sword in his right hand and turned his head to look at his son. "Don't be afraid. If the Vandals rush towards you, don't run away. Fight back with what I taught you. I don't ask you to kill them, but just save your own life. Someone will come to save you. Do you understand?"
This was probably the first time he had seen such a real experience. The bloodshed on the deck deeply shocked this young man who had never really stepped on the battlefield. His face was pale, his lips were trembling, and he looked at his father and couldn't help but straighten the tilted helmet on his head. He bit his lips tightly and used the iron sword as a crutch to support himself.
"Father!" He seemed to have made a huge decision, as if he had made a choice between life and death. "Can I fight alongside you?" The voice was not loud, but it sounded full of power. Hermanus felt incredible. He looked at his son for a few seconds, then nodded, and finally showed a little smile on his face, although it only lasted for a moment.
Hermanus was wearing armor, and the emblem of bright bird feathers on his helmet was particularly conspicuous in the crowd, causing the Roman sailors who turned around to raise their weapons and cheer, because their supreme commander would fight alongside them! "Trust your men! Belia."
As Hermanus spoke, he strode into the battlefield where a fierce tug of war was still taking place.
The appearance of Hermanus did not frighten the Vandals. To be honest, they had been in the Western Empire for so many years, but they had never heard of a person in Rome who could make them tremble unconsciously just by hearing his name. Although there was such a person, he had died more than 30 years ago.
"Their top commander is here!"
The Vandals on the deck shouted to their companions below, asking them all to set their sights. Soon, only shouts of killing could be heard below.
“Dangdangdang…”
More and more hooks were hung on the railings. It was easy to tell that the Vandals were going to capture the king. They grabbed the ropes and kept climbing up. There were too many of them. One after another, they scrambled to climb up, hoping to become the hero who killed the Roman commander and get the reward from their king! Although they were eager to fight, the fragile railings could not support their weight. The wood creaked and groaned under the ravages of the ropes. The Vandals below didn't care at all. They only cared about how to climb up.
“Crash!”
Finally, the fragile railings could not bear the increasing weight, and a row of railings and a whole row of broad shields placed on them collapsed. The Vandals, who lost their strength instantly, screamed and fell heavily on the deck below. No one knew whether they were dead or alive. For the Romans, serious injuries were welcome, but death was even better!
But how could the Vandals give up the attack because of such a small loss? They helped their companions who were still able to move up between the shields and the torn railings, picked up the iron hooks again and aimed at the decks of the six-row warships. No matter what, they had to get up.
"Hold the towers and the turrets! Stop the Vandals!" Hermanus took Belia and the sailors on duty. They fought side by side, using their shields to block one oncoming blow after another, and raised their iron swords to stab the attacking Vandals from the side of their shields.
“Crack, boom!”
Because the flames had spread to an unstoppable point, a six-row warship next to the flagship lost its center of gravity in the raging fire and flipped over. Like a castle collapsing, the huge roar covered the screams of everyone inside. The sailors and archers who had already abandoned their battle positions screamed and jumped from the overturned warship into the sea. They didn't struggle in the sea for long before the overturned warship above their heads slammed them into the water.
The worst were the slaves, who had nowhere to escape and were tied to their seats by iron chains, unable to move. They had no choice but to be buried with the ship as it sank into the sea. The "wailing" sound of the ship breaking apart was like a fist, hitting the chest of every witness.
The huge ship was gone in an instant, leaving only broken planks and burning oil floating on the sea. The Vandals cheered loudly, this was a victory for them, and more importantly, they felt that they had found a trick to overturn the huge ship.
"Use the Scorpion Crossbow! Scorpion Crossbow! Puncture their warships!"
The silence of a six-row warship reminded Hermanus and even the officers on other warships that they could not simply rely on warships. No matter how strong they were, wood would eventually be devoured by flames. If the stalemate continued, the Vandals would naturally use the same method to burn the second and third six-row warships in this sufficient time! The crossbowmen did not dare to neglect it! They pulled the crossbow strings to the maximum force and loaded the heaviest crossbow arrows.
“Boom!”
As a crossbow arrow was fired, the entire scorpion crossbow felt like it was shaking slightly. Such a huge force pushed the crossbow arrow, which could penetrate several people, straight into the Vandal ship below.
“Crack!”
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As expected, the crossbow arrow pierced through the warship and smashed a huge hole in the deck. Sea water poured out of the hole like a giant outstretched hand, dragging the small Vandal warship into the abyss.
A Vandal soldier raised the sword in his hand high and rushed towards Hermanus with a roar. Hermanus stared at the man with his eyes. Just when the sword was about to swing down, Hermanus suddenly dodged and the sword missed.
How could this veteran who had experienced many battles give the Vandal who tried to put away his sword another chance? He stretched out his left hand and grabbed the Vandal's neck, forcing the Vandal to keep his body leaning forward, then thrust his sword into the man's chest.
The killing was done in one go, leaving Beliaru standing by stunned.
"Don't just stand there, my child!" Hermanus let go and pushed the guy who was only breathing a breath left to the ground. He stood up and looked back at Belia, pointing at the Vandals who were still climbing up and said, "There are still many enemies. Now is not the time to be dazed!"
Belia didn't even nod, he just rushed towards Hermanus with sword in both hands.
"What is this?" There was a hint of confusion in Hermanus' eyes, but subconsciously, he still dodged.
"laugh!"
The sword blade passed in front of Hermanus and stopped where it was. Looking along the blade, he saw a Vandal soldier, holding a battle axe in his right hand, hanging limply below. His neck was pierced by the iron sword and blood was flowing from his mouth.
"brush!"
Beliaru drew out his iron sword, splashing blood, and the man fell to the ground with a thud. Only then did Hermanus come to his senses and realize that he was saved.
(End of this chapter)