Translator: Cinder Translations
...
The goblins that emerged from the city's streets didn't act as people commonly imagined—cowardly and disorganized. Instead, they advanced and retreated with discipline, like trained soldiers. Even when faced with an unbeatable enemy, they didn't scatter in panic. Although their skill level was still poor in Harrison's eyes, they had greatly subverted the traditional image of goblins.
The goblin army—if you can call it an "army"—wasn't wielding rusty scrap metal either. Instead, they held proper swords and some even wore leather armor.
It was obvious that this wave of goblins was just cannon fodder released by the pirates to disgust and exhaust the kingdom's forces. The pirates' real main force must still be hiding in the shadows, waiting to strike a fatal blow when the kingdom's army let down its guard. Harrison absolutely didn't believe that a bunch of goblins alone could cross the sea, land in Aldor, wipe out the kingdom's navy, and occupy Westport. Also, the intelligence they had gathered didn't mention any goblins; the pirates were all supposed to be regular humans.
"Hmph! If they think they can ambush us, they've got another thing coming. We've got our own cards to play."
Thinking of this, Harrison gave orders to the officer beside him: "Raise two more smoke signals! Let our allies begin their attack on the port."
The officer quickly left to carry out the order.
…
At the docks, the ropes tying the galleys were already being loosened, and the decks were packed with pirates armed with swords, ready for battle.
Zod, a trusted lieutenant of Edward, the pirate leader, smiled as he finished listening to one of his subordinates' reports. He then turned to Nathan, standing beside him, and said, "Master Mage, the kingdom's army has already received our little gift. Shall we go deal with our northwestern 'friends'? The brothers who were out patrolling said they're waiting for us just outside."
They had already detected a fleet monitoring Westport from outside. Judging by the shape of the ships, they knew it was the northwestern fleet that had arrived recently.
"Of course, Captain Zod," Nathan smiled and nodded. "You are in command here."
He then turned to look towards the city, where the sounds of battle echoed, and mused, "Sir Harrison, our gift doesn't stop here. In the days to come, its shadow will linger with you for quite some time."
Captain Zod waved his hand. "Set sail! Let's meet those old friends from the northwest!"
The booming of war drums echoed as the rowers began to row in rhythm, propelling the warships out to sea.
…
"Two more smoke signals have risen!"
"The kingdom's army is asking for our support!"
From the high mast of the Unicorn, the lookout yelled down to the deck.
Tirpitz raised his telescope and observed the direction of Westport for a while.
Before he could make a decision, the lookout shouted again from above, "A fleet is emerging from Westport! They're flying the skull flag!"
"Inform the entire fleet, target the pirate fleet to the southeast!" Tirpitz had also spotted the movement through his telescope, and without hesitation, he issued the command.
A series of small, colorful flags were raised on the mast. This was a new type of flag signal system designed to facilitate communication for their linear naval tactics. Through these flag signals, Tirpitz's orders were quickly transmitted to every ship in the fleet.
At this moment, the fleet was positioned northwest of the port, and Tirpitz ordered them to head toward Westport.
…
The pirates had 18 ships in total, and they skillfully formed a V-shaped formation. This formation could easily spread out into a line or reform into two columns, with Zod and Nathan aboard the flagship situated in the hollow center, allowing them to oversee the entire battle. They also had a simple system of flags for communication.
The sharp point of the V was aimed at the distant northwestern fleet. Although the wind was against them, with the manpower propelling the galleys, the pirate fleet was slowly approaching.
At the prow of the pirate flagship, Nathan stared intently towards the northwest, his eyes wide open as if in a trance. But if you looked closely, you would see a faint flicker of light in his pupils.
Captain Zod, standing beside him and rubbing his hands together, cautiously asked, "Master Mage, what's the enemy's situation?"
Nathan closed his eyes, breathing a bit heavily, as if he had just finished a brief sprint.
After calming his breath, he opened his eyes and said, "Six sailboats in the front, six galleys in the rear. They are lined up in a straight formation, heading toward Westport."
"A line formation?"
"End to end... I think it's called a column formation, right?"
At this time, naval battle tactics primarily involved two strategies: ramming and boarding. Ramming used the large ram on the prow of the ship to target the vulnerable waterline of the enemy ship's side, aiming to damage the hull and keel, causing it to flood or lose its ability to sail. The use of oars allowed precise strikes and the ability to quickly retreat after the impact to avoid being dragged down by the sinking enemy ship. Boarding involved getting close to the enemy ship's side, hooking the enemy with ropes before the ships collided, and then using boarding planks to launch hand-to-hand combat.
Most naval battles started with ramming and ended with boarding. When the ships couldn't ram each other, or one side took evasive action, or even if a ramming occurred but caused no significant damage, the fight would devolve into brutal boarding actions.
To maximize the number of ships in the attack, fleets usually formed a line or multiple lines of ships advancing side by side, requiring great skill from the rowers to avoid interfering with one another or leaving gaps for the enemy to exploit.
A column formation, in contrast, was mainly used for long-distance sailing.
"Hahaha! These fools!" Captain Zod burst out laughing.
"Are they just waiting for us to cut them in two? I bet they think we're still holed up inside the port."
"Oh, right!" Zod slapped his forehead. "They don't have the power you or Lord Edward have, the ability to see for miles. That power is incredibly useful at sea."
Nathan smiled and asked, "So, Captain Zod, do you already have a plan?"
"Of course!" Zod sneered. "I'll circle around to their side, strike the middle of their formation, and split their fleet in two. We'll sink those galleys first, then take our time with those sluggish sailboats. Without their rowers, their ships will have no maneuverability."
"I don't care about those six galleys, but the six sailboats—I'll offer them as spoils to Lord Edward."
(End of the Chapter)
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