Chapter 465: Chapter 333: Naval Battle (Continued)
The riverbank fell into silence, and Iberus began to feel relieved: if those cunning troops had appeared while he was leading the retreat... things might have ended differently.
"Leader, should we keep waiting? The enemy has cavalry—our people may struggle to return successfully!" a sailor on board couldn’t help but plead.
Iberus was still hesitating when the poleman standing at the bow suddenly shouted, "Leader, there’s a fleet heading straight toward us ahead!"
Iberus sprang up in shock, rushing to the poleman’s side in just a few strides. Indeed, at the bend of the river, several boats appeared, packed with people, floating downstream and sailing toward the riverbank.
"The Nix people have a fleet!..." Iberus opened his mouth in astonishment.
Since the Nix Tribe had occupied the Segestica Main Camp, he had dispatched boats upstream multiple times to probe into the heartland and gather intelligence. Yet, he had never detected any signs of a Nix fleet. Though wary of ambushes, he never dared navigate too close to the Main Camp. But if the Nix had established a fleet, shouldn’t they be patrolling the river daily to familiarize themselves with the waterways? And yet, none of his reconnaissance boats had ever encountered them. Could this just be a hastily assembled fleet? But how could it have arrived so quickly?!...
Of course, Iberus was unaware that, ever since the Nix Fleet was formed to safeguard the newly constructed wooden bridge, they had been training and patrolling along that stretch of the river.
Regardless of whether the approaching fleet was temporary or long-established... Iberus faced an urgent situation where his 400 tribal people manned over a hundred boats, with an average of only four people per boat—not well-suited for naval warfare. Time was too tight to make adjustments.
Iberus hurriedly commanded, "Everyone, initiate departure immediately! Leave the riverbank and retreat to Gonami Lake!"
Even faced with the enemy’s assault, Iberus’s tribesmen who performed poorly on land acted rather composed on the Sava River. They did not frantically rush for position but instead departed orderly, one vessel after another, leaving the riverbank.
Soon, Iberus’s fleet formed a long, single-file column, hugging the east bank of the Sava River, moving downstream.
By this time, the Nix Fleet had also begun their pursuit, maintaining a distance of twenty to thirty meters from Iberus’s fleet without getting too close.
The two fleets seemed like two parallel lines along the river, stretching southward—albeit Iberus’s fleet led while the Nix Fleet followed behind.
However, the Nix Fleet’s sailing speed was faster, steadily gaining ground due to their larger crew per vessel, and their oarsmen were rowing with all their might.
It was clear that the lead boat of the Nix Fleet was about to catch up with the one carrying Iberus at the forefront.
Yet, Iberus remained unflustered. Having observed this stretch of the river, his plan had crystallized: although the Nix Fleet had fewer boats, their vessels were crowded, whereas his crew was sparse. Speed competition was a lost cause, but sparse crews meant lighter boats, greater agility, and easier maneuverability. His people were adept at handling boats. If the enemy wanted to expend effort overtaking, intercept the fleet or engage in close combat, his tribesmen could utilize the current and skilled ship handling to avoid enemy vessels and break free from encirclement. Once they reached Gonami Lake, the enemy’s stamina would likely be drained—that would be the perfect time to counterattack.
Although Iberus couldn’t directly relay his orders to the following boats, the fact that his vessel maintained a steady course downstream effectively communicated his decision to the fleet behind. Hence, Iberus’s fleet made no changes and allowed the Nix oarsmen to continue their frantic rowing.
Iberus fixated on the enemy’s boat to his right as it overtook his own. However, oddly, this vessel did not veer to block them; instead, it continued parallel forward. On its bow sat an enemy pointing in his direction, speaking to those on board. Soon, two men who had been idling in the middle of the vessel raised their hands toward him.
The vessels of the Nix Fleet differed from those of Iberus and his tribes. Though the lengths were similar, the Nix boats were broader, originally used in Segestica’s core region for cross-river transportation of goods. After confiscating and consolidating them into their fleet, the Nix Tribe had assigned ten people to each boat for this operation. Besides the helmsman and sailor, six oarsmen on either side, and two idle individuals sat in the center. This design prompted Iberus’s assumption that their boats were sluggish and incapable of blocking his fleet.
At this moment, the two idle Nix men were holding wooden items, but the dark, gleaming tips of these objects sent chills down Iberus’s spine.
Before he could warn his crew, he saw the two men sharply jerk their hands.
Instinctively, he tried to dodge. However, at a distance of just over twenty meters, it was far too close. Sharp pain erupted in his left chest as a crossbow arrow embedded deep into his flesh, causing him to collapse backward onto the deck.
Simultaneously, the helmsman on the same boat was struck in the face by another crossbow arrow and fell into the river.
Soon after, the crossbow soldiers on the other Nix vessels began firing at the enemy as well.
One by one, the helmsmen of Iberus’s fleet were hit and fell. With their vessels suddenly uncontrolled, collisions and chaos erupted among them.
For decades, the sailors of Gonami Lake regarded river battles as ship collisions followed by boarding combat. The outcome depended on ship-handling skills, the crew’s swimming prowess, and bravery—in short, close-quarters melee. They never expected the Nix Fleet to revolutionize naval combat by equipping boats with crossbow soldiers for ranged assaults. Completely unprepared, they were caught off guard.
On each boat, once the helmsman was knocked down, other crew members hurried to take over the position. But they, too, were quickly shot by the rapidly reloading crossbow soldiers. With only four to five men per boat, after two volleys, most boats were left with no crew at all.
The Nix Fleet’s attack was swift and lethal. Iberus’s fleet fell into despair without offering any meaningful resistance. Except for a few individuals who managed to flee by swimming, the remaining survivors had no choice but to surrender...
.....................
"Leader, a messenger on horseback has delivered urgent news from Anfeltaas, the Sava River Fleet Commander. He led the fleet against the Pannonian Fleet in battle on the river and secured a decisive victory! Over 200 Pannonian sailors were captured, including the heavily injured leader of the Pannonian Fleet, Iberus. Additionally, they seized all 103 enemy ships without suffering any losses!
In other words, Anfeltaas successfully annihilated the entire enemy fleet! Leader, previously, the Third Legion’s report mentioned that nearly half of the enemy forces escaped the ambush and fled onto their boats. I was worried they might get away, but now I can finally relax!" Flanitnus said with a delighted smile.
"We worried beforehand that our fleet wouldn’t stand against those Segestica shippeople from Gonami Lake who have roamed there for years. Now it appears that despite this being Anfeltaas’s first time commanding a naval battle, his capabilities are quite commendable. Your Military Department can rest assured!" Maximus also smiled and offered praise.
Today, Maximus and the chief officers of the Military Department gathered in the main hall of the leader’s residence. They were awaiting results from the various units countering the enemy invasion and ensuring they could promptly make new strategic plans should any unexpected events arise to protect the territory from significant losses. Now that the battles had gone as planned, the atmosphere in the hall grew relaxed and cheerful.
Quintus, wearing a relaxed expression, said, "Leader, Anfeltaas’s command undoubtedly contributed to the great victory. However, without smoke signals from the Nix Camp and Village 123, Anfeltaas wouldn’t have been able to mobilize the fleet in time.
The fleet’s ability to secure victory with zero casualties was undoubtedly due to the crossbow soldiers, who played a primary role. Without your approval to integrate them into the fleet—"
"Quintus, now you’re learning to give compliments too," Maximus joked with a smile. "But while you’re praising others, let’s not forget that our ability to thwart the enemy’s harassment plans so handily and protect our new territory from harm was due to Glicus’s precise intelligence!"
Glicus was also present in the hall. As the chief officer of the Military Intelligence Bureau and effectively one of the leaders of the Military Department, he was key to uncovering the Pannonians’ plot against the Nix Tribe’s new territory. It was due to this intelligence that Maximus had invited him to attend this military meeting.
For Glicus, this was his first time participating in the Nix Tribe’s military meeting. Faced with the seasoned Military Department leaders who had long served Leader Maximus—particularly Quintus and Flanitnus—and being a relatively new member of the tribe who had only joined two months ago, Glicus kept quiet and sat unobtrusively at the back, like a shadow.
Upon hearing his name mentioned by Leader Maximus, Glicus humbly replied, "Leader, you’re too kind. This is simply the duty of the Military Intelligence Bureau."
"Leader, the establishment of the Military Intelligence Bureau was a brilliant idea! With Glicus as the chief officer, its effectiveness has been outstanding! In such a short period, he managed to set up the intelligence network you envisioned in the Gonami Lake Region and the Brochi Territory, and it immediately yielded such accurate and critical intelligence. It exceeded all my expectations!"
Quintus was ordinarily reserved but inwardly quite proud. However, he made no effort to hide his admiration for Glicus this time, as the successful counter-offensive had deeply impressed upon him the importance of the leader’s newly-formed Intelligence Bureau for the Staff Department.
The sincere praise from his superior left Glicus slightly overwhelmed. He modestly responded, "Given how negligent the Brochi and Gonami Lake Segestica people were, the intelligence operatives merely needed to pose as fleeing Segestica refugees to infiltrate the displaced groups lingering around Gonami Lake and the Brochi Territory.
Moreover, the enemy was planning an invasion with almost no attempt at concealment. Pulikas openly recruited warriors at the refugee camp, and Iberus assembled his fleet—training for several days at Gonami Lake. My operatives merely needed to use simple methods to extract information from those sailors and warriors prepping for departure."
"Indeed, the Pannonian Tribe’s loosely organized and backward military setup proved to be like a sieve under our targeted investigations, unable to guard any secrets. But to not only obtain precise intelligence about the enemy’s surprise attack but also relay it cleverly and effectively—I’m impressed, truly!" Quintus continued to commend.