"Ella, she left with the fleet."
Amy leaned against the door, looking at the ceiling and said blankly. The room was gloomy.
"She didn't say anything to me... This was the first time. I didn't know what she was thinking, how sure she was, whether she was confident or pretending to be calm... I couldn't see anything. . She just walked out and didn't allow me to have any doubts."
On the other side of the door, Lily was leaning against the wall in the same posture.
"I felt the same way when Hestein left with his troops."
Lily drank sip after sip of wine.
"I know that he asked me to stay in Zealand because the situation in front of me was so bad. But it made me very uncomfortable, you know? It's very uncomfortable!"
"But I can understand Ella... Her eyes are facing me, but she is not looking at me. She is looking at the distance... a place that I can't see from a distance. No matter what kind of scenery there is, Whether it is the dawn of victory or the ashes of failure, I cannot share it for her. And she is unwilling to describe it to me... She is prepared to bear everything on her own."
"This is the king who leads everything."
"Wang...? Lily, why did you also use this word?"
"Because I am only a mortal. Like you, I can only watch Hestein's leaving figure and pray silently here."
"No... Ella is different from Hestein. She is still young, very young... I can't let her go down this road alone."
"Do you want to catch up?"
"I think."
"Then, I'll find a boat."
"No. I can't. Ella asked me to wait here for her return."
"Then what do you want to do?"
"Do you know Jutland? I saw on the map that this land is just to the west of Zealand, separated only by a very small strait."
"I know, that's the territory of the Alemannic Federation."
Amy opened the door and let the sunlight shine into the house.
"Loki's Sword...I'll find you a guide. You go over there and help me do something..."
…
…
Westfall. The land enchanted by Sigurd is still shrouded in smoke. To land in Zealand by ship from Britain, starting from West Fore, you have to cross a series of straits.
Ella decided to use these straits as a place for decisive battle.
Hestein left her with only two thousand troops, which was far from enough. Although Ella mobilized almost all the people who could go to the battlefield when she set off, those people were all old, weak, sick and disabled, and had no ability to fight in hand-to-hand combat.
——But if you are fighting a naval battle that pays more attention to ship maneuvering skills, the disadvantage will be slightly smaller.
"1,200 years ago, there was a famous naval battle in the Mediterranean."
Ella gathered the little bosses together and explained her battle plan.
"Xerxes mobilized a huge fleet of more than four hundred ships to invade the Peloponnese, while the Peloponnese region only sent fifty triremes and pretended to flee north."
"The people in the Peloponnese region led Xerxes' fleet into a narrow strait. In that limited space, Xerxes' fleet was difficult to move and even unable to retreat due to its large number. At this time, Bethesda Loponnese's hidden fleet suddenly appeared from behind Xerxes' fleet, and the galleys in front immediately turned around and attacked Xerxes' fleet."
"In that naval battle, the Peloponnese region lost 40 warships, and Xerxes destroyed 200 warships, not including the number of captured ships."
The pirates listened to Ella's stories with great interest. They like stories about war.
"This time, our plan is the same. When I went to West Fore before, I observed the terrain around here. There are many places in this narrow strait suitable for similar operations. We divided the fleet into two , one is in front to lead Halfdan and Ivar’s fleet into a narrow area, and the other is hidden out of sight and looks for the right moment to break out.”
"I have observed Sigurd's fleet. They are all small ships designed to transport troops and are not suitable for fighting at sea. I think Halfdan and Ivar are similar. But our ships are now equipped with ocean fire—— Those of you who have been to Antilia, you will know the power of this weapon. A naval battle will be in our favour."
"When the enemy fleet enters the narrow area, we will attack with ocean fire from both front and rear!"
After Ella finished speaking, the pirates burst into applause. In their eyes, Ella is the goddess of victory who brings victory.
"Sister Shield Girl, as long as we do this, we can win, right?"
Gan's eyes sparkled with excitement for the coming killing.
However, Ella remained silent and turned to look at the sea.
The pirates began to search the nearby sea for the most suitable terrain. They soon found a place that perfectly suited Ella's plan - not far from West Falls. The long and narrow terrain is large enough to accommodate all of Halfdan and Ivar's fleets, but makes it difficult for them to turn and navigate. Siful, shrouded in black mist, is enough to hide the fleet, and no one will approach it curiously.
The best thing is - it really only has two ways out, front and rear. Once the front and rear are blocked, the fleet inside will be completely unable to escape.
The excited pirates dragged Ella to see this perfect spot—a location that fit the battle plan so well that it was like the gods favored Ella.
But Ella remained silent from beginning to end, just like the sultry summer sky.
Reports soon came that Halfdan's fleet had appeared near West Fore and was expected to arrive during the day tomorrow.
To be on the safe side, the pirates tried the sea fire that Ella equipped for the ship - spraying it at a wooden ship, and in the blink of an eye, the wooden ship burned. Power, distance, sustainability, all are impeccable. Except that it cannot burn on the ocean, it is no worse than the ocean fire equipped on the Aulus fleet.
So the pirates arranged everything according to the plan. A fleet sailed away from West Fore and drifted outside the strait. As soon as it encountered Halfdan's fleet, it raised its sails and fled towards the predetermined location.
They took turns holding the ax and taking a nap. Everyone imagined the scene of defeating Halfdan's fleet tomorrow and smiled slightly.
Ella couldn't sleep at all. She sat on the shore and searched through the books in the Wang Family Library in her mind.
——There are too few records about naval battles.
Ella had searched through nearly every record of the war, but most described land battles. There are also some that seem to be describing naval battles, but are actually the imagination of poets or painters who don't understand naval warfare at all. The total number of truly useful records of naval battles would not fill a parchment.
This is the second time Ella has commanded a war and the first time she has commanded a naval battle.
However, the records that she could refer to were almost zero.
——Can this kind of battle plan from 1,200 years ago really be able to defeat the pirates galloping on the sea?
Moreover, when the fleet size is far smaller than that of the other party?
Searching the Royal Library is too physically demanding. At dawn, Ella finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep.
In her dream, she saw a raging fire burning in the strait. And standing in front of her was a man, dressed in white, spotless, as if he had just fallen from the sky to the earth.
He held a bloody sword in his hand, and behind him were many people, all pirates who followed Ella on the expedition. Everyone's eyes were full of unwillingness and anger, but they were helpless.
The man swung his sword. The world in front of Ella was only blood red.
Ella opened her eyes, but the sky was still gray.
——That plan alone is probably not enough.
However, Ella really had no choice. Naval battles, narrow areas from which there is no escape, flanking on both sides, and fire attacks are all options that can minimize the disadvantage caused by numbers.
Moreover, Ella could not find any more records that would be helpful in the upcoming naval battle.
——Is it really so?
The sun rose in the east, a bit dazzling. The Soldier Saint's work suddenly appeared in front of her eyes, turning the pages gracefully.
Ella suddenly understood the problem with the original plan.
