Chapter 199: Afterward
Francisco's eyes suddenly narrowed as he stared at the pirate fleet not far away.
"Something is wrong......"
The pirates' flags hung high above the masts, hunting in the bitter cold wind of the night. It seemed to reveal a burst of slaughter, but the deck was empty, and there was not even anything but firelight.
Francisco's brow furrowed more and more, and he moved forward step by step, not even noticing that he had reached the bow of the ship.
"What's going on......" he clasped his hands on the deck, and it seemed that the pirate fleet was just dead silent, as silent as the other merchant ships stranded in the port of Piraeus. The walls of the sea shouted to kill the heavens, but here it seemed to be cut off from the world, only the sound of the wind and the waves echoed in the ears.
"Stop sailing! Stop sailing! Don't act rashly! Francisco's roar pierced the silence, and the sailors on the battleship drew their weapons nervously.
The sails fell as the sails were folded up, and the Greek fleet, in this way, kept an awkward distance from the pirate ships. The deck creaked at Francisco's feet, and Latius could hear it clearly, no matter how strong the wind and waves were.
"Admiral Francisco, what's going on?" Latius's face, which was still full of confidence just now, was completely stiff at the moment, and he took off the noble burqa that originally belonged to him, and casually threw it to the entourage beside him, revealing the armor covered with scars and accompanying him for countless years, "It seems that he is in some trouble?" ”
"Even if those pirates were really brainstormed by donkeys, even if the Ottomans gave them a lot of support, they would never dock such an unsuspecting fleet in the enemy's port area so honestly!" Francisco's hands holding the deck railing trembled a little because of too much force, and even a few wounds that had not healed burst out of a few fresh blood stains, "These boats, I'm afraid it's not so easy to take them." ”
The topography of the port of Piraeus is a bit like a cistern. In addition to a smaller inlet, there are mountains on either side to keep out the wind and rain, making it an excellent natural harbour. And such a port is more like a pocket. Today, the pirate fleet is in the harbor, and the Greek fleet is outside the harbor.
But Francisco, smelling a strange smell. Not prey, but bait.
Tonight the sea was so rough and dark clouds obscured the moonlight that Francisco simply had no way to observe the surrounding seas normally. The fact that the pirates rushed into this gourd with their heads in their heads, and the Ottomans behind them, is enough to show that everything will not be a simple attack on the harbor.
Francisco's face was already quite solemn, and the only possibility he could think of was that it was not a robbery at all. Rather, it was a well-prepared siege. As for the so-called pirates, the so-called robberies, they are all disguises. Today, it is purely because of today's weather, and it is not for any bronze heavy artillery at all.
Francisco's speculation was quickly supported by Latius. Both men knew something about pirates, and pirates in the Mediterranean were very different from the infamous Vikings at the beginning. There will be no large-scale encroachment on the city, and for now, there is only one possibility of a much larger Ottoman fleet, hidden behind the dark depths of the deep sea.
"We must retreat immediately and return to Your Majesty!" When Latius said this, he was already trembling with nervousness. If this speculation is true, then it is clear that the city of Athens is in danger. In order to lure the enemy into the depths and annihilate them in one fell swoop, an unknown number of pirates have broken through the sea wall and entered the port area, which means that the huge space between the port of Piraeus and the port area is completely under the control of the Ottomans.
"The Ottomans could have deployed all the follow-up troops in the port area, arranged a complete siege weapon, and then launched an attack on the city of Athens with impunity. If we don't have the right to dominate the sea, they will probably have a steady stream of troops coming from Asia Minor. At this time, we have temporarily expelled all the Venetian merchants from the port area, and it will not be so easy for the Venetians to work diligently and hard......" Francisco turned back and took off his admiral's top hat, "What the fall of Athens means to the Balkans, I think the Duke should understand. ”
"We must inform Your Majesty of this matter as soon as we return to Athens!" Latius was immediately ready to give the order for all the fleet to turn around and move, but was immediately grabbed by the arm by Francisco.
"Don't be impulsive...... The Ottomans did not dare to rush all their fleets into the port of Piraeus now, probably because our fleet existed before this bay. We do not observe the specifics of the Ottomans, and of course the Ottomans do not have a specific grasp of our situation. Just now the Ottomans saw the shadow of the Eubius Radiance, and they were afraid that they would also mistake the Phoenix fleet for the Athens. Francisco struck himself on the head with the hilt of his handguard sword, forcing himself to calm down. The surrounding city guards were also taken aback by his action, "We can't move." Let the two clever guys take a boat back to the port to deliver the news...... Just to be on the safe side, let someone go to Constantinople and inform all the ships of the Phoenix fleet to leave immediately! Let's not leave here half a step before dawn...... By the way, light some more windproof oil lamps and hang them on the deck, so that they can't figure out the number of our fleet! ”
Francesco's decision was immediately supported by Latius, and the two inconspicuous rowboats slowly sailed towards Athens in the wind and waves, while the rest of the people were still nervously alert to the sea.
It was destined to be a long night......
……
"Why are those men in armor still standing motionless in the harbor?" Publius was also apparently suspicious of the Ottomans' strange behavior, and even though they had given the pirates a huge advantage, they remained focused on securing their own defenses, and no matter how the pirates charged, they remained indifferent.
"General Publius...... Is there another possibility? The adjutant beside him glanced at Publius' nervous expression, and spoke again, "Your Excellency, this offensive is already very revealing, the pirates and the armored soldiers do not belong to the same command center at all. In fact, it is even certain that they were Ottomans. If they don't come for riches, then ......"
The adjutant's words seemed to wake up Publius, who was still in the dream of catching turtles in the urn. The wooden cane snapped in two in an instant under the tremendous force.
"Fight back! Get them out of the port area! Reoccupy the Sea Wall! Fast! ”
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Lewen