HCB Chapter 413: The Defense of Celilius
Chapter 413: The Defense of Celilius
Autumn 1457
Standing on the castle wall of Acre, Kalishica looked southwards, with a broad view of the southern port. The port was wide, with hundreds of sailing ships neatly arranged and quietly moored on the water, their hulls gleaming in the sun. This huge port seemed busy and orderly.
Around the ship, tens of thousands of soldiers were busy. From the distance of Calixga, they were like ants, carrying all kinds of supplies from the shore onto the ship in an orderly manner.
At this moment, Daiba appeared in front of Galisica and said:
"Your Majesty, all the ships operating from Slaver Bay have arrived at Acre. There are a total of fifty-three ships, large and small."
"Well, that's enough."
Calixica answered casually, calculating quietly in his mind that, with the scattered ships he had collected, the total size of the fleet was about 100. He had done his best to gather them all.
There could have been more, but some of the transport ships were sunk by the pagan ships on the southern islands. Thinking of this, Galixica felt that it was even more necessary to capture Celilius Island.
At this moment, a scout quickly climbed up the city wall, knelt on one knee in front of Galilee, and said loudly:
"Your Majesty, news has come from the north that the Yoda people are gathering troops at the border. I'm afraid they are planning to invade..."
"Humph!"
Galixica snorted heavily, his expression becoming more solemn, and he commented coldly:
"It turns out that the pagans' words cannot be trusted. These guys are full of lies."
At this point, his mind suddenly flashed back to his mother and brother who had poisoned him, as well as the ministers who had tried to murder him. Those people who were also good at speaking sweet words but harboring evil intentions, made him feel helpless and bitter.
"But it's too late to go back with the army now. It's really difficult."
Galisica muttered to himself, then turned to Daiba and said:
"Dyba, go back to the north to delay for a while. Once I conquer Celerius, come back with your army immediately."
A few days later, John stood on the edge of the harbor. In front of him was a vast expanse of sea. A few miles away, the Kusha fleet was flashing a cold metallic glow in the sun.
Those ships were like a black barrier, gradually approaching. Not only the East Port, but now the entire Celilius Island was surrounded by these enemy fleets, as if it had become an isolated island that could be hollowed out at any time.
He lowered his head, clenched the weapon in his hand, and beads of sweat oozed from his forehead. At this moment, his heart was filled with uneasiness and anxiety.
"What should we do?"
He muttered to himself, looking around and seeing the same worry on the faces of the soldiers.
"Order the men at the artillery to get ready. Fire when the Kushan ships get close!"
After a long time, John finally gave the order. To break the deadlock now, they had to wait for the Kusha fleet to attack.
With a shrill horn, the air in the port suddenly became tense.
Under John's telescope, the entire Kushan fleet was dispatched, and thirty or forty ships of different sizes rushed towards the East Port in batches.
Small boats had ladders on their bows, ready for the Kushans to leap onto the beach, and larger ships had iron sheets and animal skins laid on their bows to prevent fire.
When the Kushan fleet entered a relatively safe shooting range, he took a deep breath and ordered loudly:
"ignition!"
Following his orders, flags were waved in the harbor, and the soldiers quickly and orderly went into action. Fuses were lit, flames spread rapidly, and the pungent smell of gunpowder filled the air.
Then, the artillery at the fort began to roar, and the deafening sound broke the tranquility of the harbor. Shells flew towards the Kusha ships accompanied by white smoke.
Almost all the shells hit the bows of the Kusha ships accurately, and only a few fell into the seabed. With a violent roar, the structures of some Kusha ships began to collapse, and the sound of wood breaking could be heard everywhere.
"The bow is taking water!"
shouted a Kushan soldier, who saw the water pouring into the cabin from his side and ran to the other end in panic.
"Hurry up and seal the gap. Everyone else use basins to pour out the water!"
Officer Kusha shouted loudly, but it was of no avail. As more and more holes appeared on the ship, the water in the cabin gradually reached the soldiers' waists. The soldiers immediately pushed and shoved their way to the deck.
"The ship is sinking! We have to run!"
The other soldier turned pale and began to hurriedly take off his armor.
"Stop! Where are you going?"
The Kusha officer tried to hold him back, but it was too late.
“May Allah bless me!”
He muttered to himself, then jumped into the sea without hesitation.
Seeing this, the soldiers on the ship followed suit, some struggling to take off their armor, while others pushed and shoved their way closer to the ship in panic.
While the boats ahead were consuming the shells from the fort, the ships behind them that were carrying artillery gradually shortened the distance to the fort. Following the captains' orders, the ships turned around, revealing their sides in John's field of vision, and then one cannon after another was slowly pushed out of the hatch, the exposed metal guns flashing a cold light in the sun.
With the sound of cannon fire, the shells flew towards the opposite artillery position like arrows shot from a bow.
"boom!"
With a loud bang, the shell slammed into the rammed earth layer outside the fort, stirring up dust and rubble all over the sky.
The rammed earth layer was a barrier specially built to withstand the heavy blows of enemy artillery fire. It could not only resist the power of the shells, but also ensure through the slope design that the defenders of the fort could accurately fire their attacks at the enemies below, forming a blind spot with nowhere to escape.
"Order the artillery to fire at the Kusha ships in the rear first. The Kusha ships nearby will be dealt with by the crossbowmen and musketeers!"
John ordered again, and the flag bearer waved the flag to convey John's order. A few minutes later, the artillery on the fort began to readjust its angle, and with a deafening bombardment, the powerful sound almost drowned out the waves. The shells were like roaring beasts, quickly passing over the heads of the small boats in front and shooting towards the Kusha ships behind.
"boom!"
With a loud bang, several shells hit the cabin of a Kusha ship accurately, causing a burst of fire and smoke, followed by a violent explosion.
"The powder magazine exploded! Run!"
The Kushan soldiers panicked, shouted in confusion, and then jumped into the sea like dumplings.
Just as the situation was gradually tilting towards John's side, suddenly, several small sailboats in the distance emitted thick black smoke, like a furious demon, instantly engulfing the entire ship. The ship shook violently and rushed towards the fort with the wind, like an ominous omen.
"what happened?"
John realized that the situation was unusual and was secretly alert. As the small boats with black smoke came closer and closer, John's heart began to beat faster. The thick smoke swirled in the air, blocking the sunlight, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.
As the ships approached, Captain Kusha saw the soldiers on the fort above him amid the arrows from the fort, and shouted enthusiastically:
“Allahu Akbar!”
The Kusha ships launched their final charge in front of the fort. Almost instantly, with a heart-wrenching roar, a violent explosion tore the air around the fort apart. Fire and smoke intertwined, and a violent shock wave spread outward. The fort was immediately shaken and the ground seemed to tremble as well.
"Quick! Cover!"
John's voice was drowned out by the roar, and the scene before him was a mess. The strong airflow generated by the explosion almost blew the soldiers to the ground, and the heat wave rushed in their faces, burning every sense of the soldiers.
The sea was now covered with billowing black smoke, which was like a thick curtain that blocked all vision. John tried hard to confirm the enemy's movements through the black smoke, but no matter how hard he looked, he could not see anything. Even the enemy's course was shrouded in the ominous smoke.