The new couch crossbow weapon is launched for the first time!

It was a show of force for the Romans!

Lei Ge was in a good mood. He was happy but also a little regretful. If that crossbow could shoot through a Roman warship, it would be very satisfying.

The distance was widened again, and the fleet of Lei was continuing to induce the Romans to rush towards the preset battlefield step by step. When using the crossbow, Lei was cautious. The power of the new weapon could only be maximized under unexpected circumstances.

As for the effect, that time just now, if the Romans hadn't followed too closely, Lei Guan wouldn't have wanted the couch crossbow to be exposed so early.

One retreat and one chase!

The two fleets danced on the sea like two wooing butterflies. The Roman oarsmen puffed up their gills one by one and vented the anger in their hearts through the oars. The Qin fleet leading the way,

Like a female butterfly seducing a male, she leads her opponent into a death trap step by step, either quickly or slowly.

——.

Northeast of Kitti.

In the area around Cape Saint-André, weird ocean currents, scattered reefs, and changing wind directions all lead this sharp corner of the strait into a mysterious and unpredictable realm.

The Qin fleet is stationed here. What Gan Yong likes is the unpredictable situation at Cape Andre. The Qin fleet has more than thirty warships. In terms of overall strength, it is one-third less than the Roman fleet.

, if the formation is spread out in the open sea, the isolated Qin ship may encounter unfavorable situations of one to two or three.

This is not the case at Cape Andre. The ocean currents here are weird. Although the Qin fleet will also encounter the situation of running aground, it at least avoids being besieged by the enemy.

A corner of the bay.

The main force of the fifteen Qin fleets was quietly waiting for the order to go out. Gan Yong held his hand on the side of the ship and scanned the empty sea in the distance. His face was calm and nothing unusual could be seen. However, his fingers were gently moving.

He tapped the wooden side lightly, revealing a trace of nervousness in his heart.

"General, the Thunderbolt fleet is still five nautical miles away from our fleet. The Romans are chasing after us. Can't they wait?" There was the sound of footsteps on the deck, and the young Sima Chaocuo, who was responsible for transmitting information between the fleets, ran over.

Exciting reports.

Chao Cuo was from Yingchuan and was seventeen years old.

Like the young people of this era, Chao Cuo, who once stopped Li Yuan's car with Shangshan Sihao, studied Confucianism at first, and then studied law. He first studied privately as a Confucian scholar, and then joined Yingchuan Public School. After he became an adult, he abandoned literary studies and became a scholar.

Wu, entered the ranks of the Qin army and became one of many young staff officers.

After the Qin State's Mediterranean Fleet was established, Chao Cuo and his friend Yuan Ang became the naval commander of Troy City. However, Yuan Ang chose to assist Luan Bu in handling domestic logistics, while Chao Cuo, who had a strong temperament, decided to go to the sea to fight.

Forge your own path.

Gan Yong nodded and ordered: "Chao Sima. Send a message to the right fleet. After the main fleet engages the enemy, wait for an opportunity to cut off the enemy's retreat from the flank."

"No!" Chao Cuo responded loudly, and ran down quickly. The communication between the three fleets of the Qin Army mainly relied on fixed-point beacon signals. Fixed-point beacon technology originated in ancient China, at regular intervals.

Above. Set up a site, and then rely on lighting fires to send warning signals. Different fires represent different meanings. This primitive military information technology is best known to the world and originated from the love between a man and a woman.

story.

At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, King You of the Zhou Dynasty played with the princes by beacon fire, just to win a smile from the beauty Baosi. This man who loved beauty more than his country was eventually captured by the Di people and became the laughingstock of the ages.

The Qin Army already has relatively complete experience in using fixed-point beacon technology on land, but it is much more difficult to use it at sea. Even if there is no wave on the sea when it is calm, it can be seen even from several nautical miles away.

We must be clear, but if the wind and waves rise, a small boat with only one or two boats will not be able to gain a foothold on the sea. Fortunately, in mid-August, there are rare three or four days of wind on the sea around Kiti Island.

Hurricane break period.

What gave Chao Cuo confidence was, of course, not just the old trick of beacon fire. As a erudite young man, Chao Cuo quickly absorbed the advanced knowledge from Western civilization after arriving in the Mediterranean. He was a disciple of Alex Totle from Lyceum College.

Their show off made Chao Cuo open his eyes and discover another ocean of knowledge different from the East.

In Greek records, there are descriptions about carrier pigeons. The history of the use of carrier pigeons in the Mediterranean originated from the Carthaginians. Their merchant ships carried pigeons. After loading the goods, the merchants released the pigeons to the destination.

The local receiver sends accurate signals to ensure that the goods can be transshipped and sold in a timely manner after arriving at the port.

The discoveries made by the merchants were more out of curiosity and profit. As for the military use of homing pigeons, it has never been done before. Even Carthage and Rome, two powerful countries with advanced navigation technology, have not conducted relevant experiments.

, this is not because the Romans or Carthaginians lacked foresight, but in fact, birds such as pigeons are no different from parrots, starlings and other playthings in the general concept of the people.

After all, training pigeons requires not only patience, but also time. Only slave owners with large estates would raise pigeons as a tool for entertainment. In addition, the ancient Greeks and Romans would also compete in sports

After winning the battle, in order to tell the good news to his family promptly and quickly, he used domestic pigeons to send messages to his hometown far away.

Before the Qin fleet appeared, the Roman naval fleet had occupied the position of the first fleet in the Mediterranean for more than a hundred years. Any innovations and inventions were useless for such a superior boss.

Compared with Westerners, the time when the Chinese used homing pigeons in the military field occurred during the Chu-Han conflict. Chinese history records say that Liu Bang was once chased by Xiang Yu and fled into an abandoned well, and then used a pigeon to

Only after delivering the message did he begin to escape. This legend sounds unreliable no matter how unreliable it is. Although Liu Bang was a little weak, he would not be chased and fled into the well.

More importantly, with the birth of the New Qin Dynasty and the end of the battle for hegemony between Li Yuan, Liu Bang, and Xiang Yu, this legend became nothing more than a legend. Neither Liu Bang nor Xiang Yu had the ambition to dominate the world anymore.

luck.

Chao Cuo's home.

He kept pigeons and used pigeons to convey messages, something he often did when he was at Yingchuan Public School. After the Qin fleet was established, especially after Chao Cuo came to Troy, the use of carrier pigeons was used to improve the naval combat effectiveness and strengthen each fleet.

an important means of communication between.

As the main person in charge, this time the carrier pigeon was put into practice on the battlefield. For Chao Cuo, it was not only whether the pigeon could be used by the fleet, but also an opportunity to prove his ability.

The Qin Dynasty was strong and prosperous.

The Shenwu Emperor Li Yuan was also a soldier. When looking at and selecting talents, those who could contribute to the Qin's Western Expedition were naturally the first to be reused. For this reason, the new generation of young people from the Qin State who grew up after the Unification War

, all considered joining the Western Expeditionary Army as the possibility of being successful. Chao Cuo understood that if he missed this opportunity, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

——.

Extremely eye-catching.

On the blue sea, a little bit of black appeared, and then a few mottled small black spots, and further back, you could see the ships of the Thunder Fleet speeding towards Cape Andre.

"Shuai Gan, General Lei's fleet is here, followed by the Romans. Unfortunately, the tail ship is on fire, and the Romans fired fire arrows——!"

On the observation platform, the observation hand of the flagship let out an exclamation. The game of luring the enemy on the sea is easier said than done. Although the crossbow has the advantages of new weapons, the Romans are not incompetent people who just take beatings.

Crassus's soldiers finally figured out a way to deal with it after being made highly nervous by the crossbow.

Fire attack!

For ships on the sea, fire is the most terrifying thing. The vast sea surface is open and unobstructed. Once the ship underfoot catches fire and cannot be extinguished, the crew will have no choice but to abandon the ship and escape.

The Thunder Fleet is the left wing of the entire Great Qin fleet. Like their commanders, many of the generals under it are from the East. Although they have seen the waves of rivers, seas and rivers are different after all. This ship on fire is

The stern ship made an inadvertent maneuver and was hit by a Roman fire arrow.

Under the scorching sun, the fire was raging.

The wood coated with olive oil intensified the spread of the fire. Although the Qin soldiers on the ship fought hard to put out the fire, they were unable to control the fire.

The Qin ship gradually fell behind, like a lonely injured whale on the sea. It was exhausted and could no longer catch up with its moving companions. Around it, the Roman fleet was like a group of blood-devouring ships.

Like a shark, it opened its bloody mouth.

"Brothers, the enemy ship is coming up and is about to smash the crossbow. Let's fight for one to get enough. If we kill two, we will earn one. If we fight for three, boy, you are a hero——!"

On the fire ship, the dull shouts of the thirty-year-old captain seemed a little hoarse. The soldiers of the Qin ship, who were facing a desperate situation and had realized that there was no way out, faced the final fight with a smile step by step in the tragic atmosphere.

"Da Qin, Da Qin!"

"Jiujiao Lao Qin, restore our rivers and mountains, until the blood is shed, we will fight to the death -!" On the distant sea, all the soldiers on the remaining ships of the Thunder Fleet sang a majestic and desolate war song, for the soldiers of the Qin army

For me, this song not only boosted their morale, but also made them go to war with courage and fearlessness of life and death.

Lei was struck in the open space at the bow of the ship with a fierce sword. Seeing his soldiers trapped, he could only watch helplessly. This feeling was really uncomfortable, but what could he do otherwise? The entire plan of the Daqin fleet to lure the enemy

He is about to succeed, and he cannot let his efforts to annihilate the Roman fleet go to waste for his own selfish purposes. (To be continued...)
Chapter completed!