The navigator beside Cassiyo hung a small lamp on the statue of the god of the sea at the stern of the ship, and the faint light on it became the only guiding direction for the ships behind, because the ruined Rhodes even destroyed their own lighthouse in the port of Camillos, and the second ship did the same, only to see a small orange fire moving between the gray sea and the clouds, accompanied by the sound of a single and uniform stroke.

Cassiyo himself, standing at the front of the ship, looked nervous, his breathing almost stopped, his pale face, his burning eyes, hoping to take in everything he could see at sea and under the water, he knew that all the victories and defeats in this battle were tied to the flagship at the front, as long as a reef that was not avoided, let his flagship run aground or be severely damaged, then it was all over, it was really over.

The water was constantly being rowed, the sails were not raised, and the speed of the ships was maintained at a very cautious distance, which helped to temporarily change course and ensure the safety of the fleet.

It was a moment of great tension, and finally in the faint morning light that came from the sea, Cassiio and the navigators saw that in front of the harbor of Camillos, the part of the wreck that was exposed to the waterline was dark and gloomy, like an undulating hill, "Commander, could this narrow channel be a trap for the enemy?" ”

"The Rhodes had suffered heavy losses before, they had exhausted all their manpower just to defend the walls of the city, they really didn't have oarsmen and crews to guard the harbor, you must know that the Rhodes cherished the most important thing was the boats, and now they are all scuttled, until they are really exhausted, they will never do this." Cassiyo slowly explained his determination and reason for the surprise attack. Then the flagship's paddle quickly stopped. The entire ship was slowly approaching the port by relying on the tides. Almost all of the crew members were nervous at the moment. Finally, with a dull thud, everyone shook on the deck and in the cabins, and when they were seated again, there was a curse from above, "The ship's side has been hooked up by the sunken ship!" ”

"Damn it!" Cassiyo whispered a hammer against the gangway and roared, then he waved his hand and called out to the centurion and navigator. "Give me the oars and get the flagship out of the way!"

The order was swiftly delivered, and the oarsmen and crew came to the side where they were hanged, and with the swing of their oars and sickles, and pushed and chopped, bouncing the pieces of wood everywhere, and then at the sound of the whistle, they came to the other side of the ship, where they would lighten the weight, and then in the lowest compartment. The oarsmen, sitting on benches covered with standing water, shouted collectively to the low beat of the drum. Paddled the side, the helmsman was sweating profusely, carefully grasping the direction of the boat.

At last, the behemoth-like flagship slowly swung up, and then, very skillfully, "sliding" down the tide again about eighty Roman feet, past the "shipwreck", into the suddenly open inner harbor, "stop the oars, drop anchor, drop anchor!" Cassiyo ran to the bridge and shouted loudly, and at this moment life was noisy in the towers and walls on both sides of the harbor.

After the anchor was thrown into the water, splashing with a great splash and making a "pop" sound, almost at the same time as Cassillo's shouts in all directions—buckshots, stones, and crossbow arrows, whizzing in all sorts of trajectories toward the great flagship—the Rhode Islanders, aware of the situation, reacted quickly and launched a counterattack.

"Raise your shield, raise your shield." The Cassiio soldiers on deck, stacking their shields on the side of the ship to defend against the Rhodesians, were in the hidden dock in the harbor square, and the locals, in the few remaining fast rowing boats, rushed out and swooped down on Cassillo's flagship, knowing of course that as long as they could damage and destroy the only enemy ship on the opposite side, no matter how many enemy ships were still outside, it would be useless to enter.

The soldiers of Cassiio shouted and prepared for battle, they stuck to their posts, or cabins, or paddle benches, or decks, or towers and bows, using long oars, sickles, slings and ballistas, to meet the small ships of Rhodes Island coming from all directions, this is an arsenal ship, Cassiio has great trust in its ability to fight with the fortress, and it is also true that the flagship of Cassiillo, which is backed by the sunken ship, is not in danger of being surrounded, and after anchoring, it is like a stationary camp with rapid firepower, The rowing boats of Rhode Island, which tried to outflank them from both wings, were helpless, and they were sunk and wounded under the fierce rain of bullets, so they could only light up the burning smoke and scatter to escape, and many heads floated and sank on the surface of the sea, swimming for their lives.

"Hurry up, we're going to get into action when the Rhodians launch a second siege." Saying that, at the stern of the flagship of Cassillo, several military slaves and soldiers were controlling the ballista, and a throwing gun with an iron hook was put in the noose, and after quickly pulling back the force, a slogan was fired, and the throwing gun with a rope tail swished through the waterway between the wreck, and fell directly into the deck of the one behind, which was quickly lifted by the crew and hung on the mechanism of their own bow to bite together, and then the stern ballista of this one was concocted in the same way, and soon in the effort, All the ships of the Cassius column were linked to each other by iron cables.

Then the signal flag was raised on the tower of the last ship, and then it was passed back one by one, until Cassillo, who was standing straight on the bridge, saw that the second ship on the other side of the wreck had also raised the signal flag, so he nodded and shouted, "Anchor, oar!" ”

After saying that, Cassillo's already prepared oarsmen began to swing their arms vigorously, and the long and narrow cabin was full of squeaky oars and shaking, and the flagship moved forward, braving the fire and arrow feathers flying everywhere by the Rhodesians, pulling the second and third, and in turn like a long sea serpent, burrowing into the gaps, and taking the opportunity to split the inner water surface of the circular Camillos harbor into two halves, so that the light ships of the Rhodians no longer had the possibility of outflanking and besieging them!

At this time, the sun had already risen, and the two legions of Cassiio on the other side also began to attack bravely in the direction of the front wall, and the fireworks rose one after another, raging under the blue sky, and the flagship of Cassiio was the first to rush to the shallow water inside the port of Camillos, and the soldiers on both sides jumped from the side of the ship with shields and swords on their backs, and then climbed and attacked towards the buildings and towers of the city walls at the water's edge.

"If you succeed, tell the follow-up ships, tell the soldiers above not to reload, that they will drown, jump into the water lightly first, and press the port uninterruptedly." Even Cassillo, who has always been known for his calmness, said with a hint of excitement. (To be continued......)