plumnovel Chapter 12: Three days without sheathing the sword, Rome and Carthage fall!
Chapter 12: Three days without sheathing the sword, Rome and Carthage fall!
Dardanelles, about 80 miles from Troy, is located on the eastern bank of the narrowest section of the Dardanelles Strait, at the mouth of the Koca River.
Thanks to its natural harbor, it has developed into the most prosperous port city on the eastern coast of the Aegean Sea.
*Swish! Swish! Swish!*
Ying Xuan flicked out cards one by one, and countless figures appeared under the dazzling golden light.
Instantly, ten giant ships appeared beside the boardwalk. Each ship had five floors, and both the bow and stern had battering poles and hammers that were over ten meters high, resembling a mobile sea fortress that inspired awe.
Also appearing were four naval commanders: Gan Ning, Li Jun, Zhang Shun, and Ruan Xiaoqi.
"Your Majesty."
The four men bowed respectfully upon their arrival.
The characters materialized from the cards will all develop absolute loyalty to Ying Xuan, which cannot be changed.
"Your Majesty."
"This...this...this..."
Han Shizhong pointed at the ten large, five-toothed warships that had suddenly appeared, his mouth agape, speechless for a long time.
However, Ying Xuan ignored him and continued to play cards.
Eight hundred pirates and the Jiangxia navy appeared one after another.
The 30,000 soldiers of the Jiangxia Navy wore leather armor, carried ring-pommel swords, and had stern faces.
In contrast, the Jinfan bandits were all dressed in brightly colored brocade robes, their chests wide open, and they were tall and robust, exuding a unique rugged and heroic air.
"Han Laowu".
Ying Xuan called out.
"Eh!"
Han Shizhong reluctantly turned his gaze away from the five-toothed warship.
"The five large warships can each carry eight hundred sailors."
"With these ten five-toothed warships, you can roam freely across the Mediterranean."
"I entrust the entire Jiangxia naval force of 30,000 men to you to build a Western-style navy."
"You will be the Admiral of the Navy, Gan Ning will be the Deputy Admiral, and Li Jun, Zhang Shun, and Ruan Xiaoqi will be Assistant Generals."
"only!"
Everyone responded enthusiastically.
Immediately afterwards, Ying Xuan turned his gaze to the other side of the Aegean Sea, in the direction of Rome and Carthage.
He began, "There are two threats in the Eastern Mediterranean: Rome and Carthage."
"Both of these countries are known in the far west for their powerful fleets and fierce soldiers."
"The West Asia and Asia Minor regions under our control are far from both of them."
"With my return to the east imminent, I do not wish to leave this hidden danger behind."
"Please give the order!"
Generals Han Shizhong, Gan Ning, and others sharpened their eyes and shouted in unison.
The direction in which west Jun's sword was pointed was the direction of their attack.
"Ten five-toothed warships are not enough; all the ships left in port by the Antigonid dynasty are yours."
"And those sailors and shipwrights, recruit them as long as you like them."
"Han Shizhong led 20,000 naval soldiers, along with Li Jun and Zhang Shun, and six large five-toothed warships to conquer Rome."
"Gan Ning led 800 brocade sailing pirates, 10,000 sailors, and Ruan Xiaoqi, along with four large five-toothed warships, to conquer Carthage."
"What you need to do is conquer Rome and Carthage, these two great Mediterranean cities."
"Gold, silver, jewels, armor, women—take back everything you can."
"I hereby grant you permission not to sheathe your swords."
With a fierce look in his eyes, Ying Xuan said indifferently.
'Thump!'
Generals Han Shizhong and Gan Ning were shocked, their pupils dilating instantly.
The fact that they did not conceal their weapons meant that they could burn, kill, and plunder in Rome and Carthage.
"How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?"
"Moreover, Rome and Carthage were enemy states."
After giving the two of them a deep look, Ying Xuan added two sentences.
"This subordinate obeys."
Han Shizhong and Gan Ning exchanged a glance and made up their minds.
On the same day, Han Shizhong conscripted more than 400 ships from Antico, along with 20,000 Jiangxia naval soldiers and 6 large five-toothed warships.
Gan Ning conscripted 200 ships from Antico, along with 800 Jinfan pirates, 10,000 Jiangxia naval soldiers, and 4 large five-toothed warships.
Both fleets sailed south through the Aegean Sea, passed the Sea of Crete and the Strait of Chisilla, and entered the Eastern Mediterranean.
The difference is that Han Shizhong's group reached the Ionian Sea along the coastline, passed through the Strait of Messina between the Apennine Peninsula and Sicily, and headed north along the coastline, heading straight for Rome.
After entering the Eastern Mediterranean, Gan Ning's forces headed southwest, passing through the Strait of Tunisia and entering the Gulf of Tunisia, approaching Carthage.
On May 19, Gan Ning conquered Carthage, and Carthage was declared destroyed.
On May 21, Han Shizhong conquered Rome, and Rome was declared destroyed.
Without exception, both sides allowed their armies to plunder these two oldest cities in the Mediterranean.
For three days, the swords were not sheathed, and corpses covered the ground of Rome and Carthage. Blood stained the sea red, and two great cities with hundreds of thousands of people were transformed into hell on earth.
Gold, silver, weapons, and provisions were loaded onto the ships, and no fewer than 100,000 young women were abducted. Some captured Roman and Carthaginian sailors, under the threat of swords, could only maneuver their own ships fully loaded and headed to Antioch on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean.
.............
In the same month, Di Qing and Wang Yanzhang led an army of 100,000 across the Istanbul Strait and into Macedonian territory.
With the loss of the last 200,000 troops of the Antigonid dynasty, along with Philip V, at Troy.
From Thrace to Pella, the capital of the Antigonid dynasty, the Qin army encountered no significant resistance and advanced unimpeded.
On the 24th, Pella, the capital of the Macedonian Empire during the reign of Alexander the Great, fell.
One hundred thousand Qin soldiers surged in like a black tide, and the Macedonian Empire, which existed at the same time as the Qin Dynasty, lost its last seed.
Di Qing raised his sword in Macedonia, and wave after wave of Macedonian nobles were sent to the temple.
In just a few days, the Qin army killed tens of thousands of Macedonian nobles, and more than 100,000 Macedonians who resisted were suppressed.
Because he often wore a bronze mask, he was known by the Macedonians as the "Bronze Demon King," and was infamous.
The fall of Pella indirectly led to the independence of the Thracians and Greeks.
The Thracians established Plovdiv as their capital and declared the founding of the Thracian Kingdom.
The Aetolian League, formed by the Greek city-states, announced the expulsion of the Macedonians and the restoration of the autonomy of the Greek city-states.
At the end of May, Di Qing personally led 50,000 Qin troops westward to conquer the Thracian Kingdom and captured Plovdiv.
Wang Yanzhang led 50,000 Qin troops eastward, conquering Aetolia, and then marched south, successively capturing Athens and Sparta, the most powerful of the Greek city-states. Greece became a battlefield for the Qin army.
At the same time, Ying Xuan dispatched 15,000 Qin cavalry and 5,000 crossbowmen south to Chen Qingzhi's command.
Chen Qingzhi and Shi Wansui joined forces, bringing together a total of 4.2 Qin troops, and captured Alexandria (present-day Alexandria, Egypt), the capital of the Ptolemaic Dynasty.
Ptolemy IV was beheaded, and officials and nobles of the Ptolemaic dynasty were purged one by one.
In a short time, the Nile Delta and the southeastern coast of the Mediterranean were ravaged by the Qin army's iron cavalry.
The Macedonians and Greeks, who had ruled this land for over a century, lost the power and status they cherished most.
The Egyptians, who had long been under the rule of the people, finally gained the freedom they had dreamed of.
The Qin army appointed a large number of Egyptians as local officials, and quickly took control of the Nile Delta and cities on the southeastern coast of the Mediterranean.