novelraw Chapter 286: Ambush
Chapter 286: Ambush
The fleet docked, and the military officers learned a shocking truth from Helgi: Sun Island had recently suffered a massive attack and nearly fallen!
Naval Commander Hadavar was puzzled. "Why would pirates ignore the Italian regions and instead plunder a newly developed island? Why engage in such a losing venture?"
Helgi sighed. "The cane sugar from the Canary Islands has seized the markets in Britain and Northern Europe, causing heavy losses for the cane sugar industry in Iberia. Some merchants and plantation owners spent money to hire pirates, using this method to eliminate their competitors.
"Furthermore, some maritime merchants are highly interested in the new sailing ships. They have placed heavy bounties to encourage the pirates to capture our vessels."
Afterward, Helgi invited several military officers to the castle hall, showing them a map drawn with simple strokes.
"Pay attention. These are the seven islands of the Canary Islands. According to the confessions of the captives, the pirates have established a base on an island to the northeast, and more reinforcements are on the way."
Hadavar observed this island, which had been named "Shark Island," and then turned his gaze toward Morocco across the sea. Helgi saw his concern and quickly explained:
"The Idrisid dynasty is currently undergoing a transition of kingship, with a massive amount of internal affairs waiting to be handled. It is absolutely impossible for them to intervene in this commercial dispute caused by cane sugar."
Even so, Hadavar did not relax his vigilance. His mission this time was to escort, not to eradicate an island occupied by a large number of enemies.
He pondered for a moment and decided to lead the warships on a reconnaissance mission, then return to Londinium with the intelligence to let the king make a decision.At this moment, Baron Garos, sitting across the long table, proposed a bold suggestion:
"How about this: let me lead a merchant ship to scout ahead. Perhaps we can lure the enemy into a predetermined battlefield and inflict heavy damage on the pirate fleet in one fell swoop."
The military officers whispered among themselves, worrying that this proposal was too idealistic and that the pirates might not fall for the trap. However, Helgi firmly supported his subordinate. "Commander, the mindset of a pirate is different from a normal person's. Their heads are filled with nothing but plunder. If they could control their desires, would they have ended up in such a state?"
Out of a thirst for military merit, the navy agreed to strike. They repeatedly asked about the conditions in the waters of the Canary Islands and eventually formulated a detailed ambush plan.
On the early morning of June eighteenth, Garos steered a merchant ship named the "One-Legged Seagull" toward the northeast. That afternoon, the lookout high up on the mast shouted a warning:
"There are many Moorish pirate ships anchored in the bay ahead! They have built numerous temporary dwellings on the shore, enough to house at least two thousand people! Turn around quickly, someone has spotted us!"
Garos spun the ship's wheel, steering the massive and cumbersome merchant ship in a wide arc across the sea. Before long, more than five pirate ships were trailing behind them, and their numbers were still growing.
Realizing that the distance between the two sides was constantly shrinking, the crew of the One-Legged Seagull carried heavy wooden buckets up from the lower hold and tossed them into the sea one after another.
Time ticked by, and the sun gradually sank in the west, dyeing the sky and the sea a brilliant, fiery golden-red. The sails of the pirate ships remained clearly visible in the twilight, showing no signs of giving up.
Soon, darkness enveloped the sea, yet this life-or-death pursuit did not end; the pirate ships were still giving chase. The crew of the One-Legged Seagull was utterly exhausted, but listening to the faint sound of waves crashing against the enemy ships behind them, they did not dare to slack off in the slightest.
Just like that, the chase lasted from the afternoon through the dusk, and spanned the entirety of the silent night.
It was not until the early morning of the next day, when a pale light broke through the eastern horizon and the dawn faintly revealed itself, that the dark silhouettes of those Moorish pirate ships still stubbornly appeared where the sea met the sky in their wake.
"Tsk tsk, these people really have perseverance."
Garos handed the ship's wheel over to the first mate. He flipped through the duty log from the previous night and, referencing the speed and direction measured every half hour, plotted the One-Legged Seagull's course and current position on the nautical chart.
After hastily eating some breakfast, he regained control of the ship's wheel and steered the vessel south. Two hours passed, and an island with lush vegetation and rugged, undulating terrain appeared ahead.
This was the westernmost island of the Canary Islands. The pirates had been here before and found no Viking settlements, concluding that the merchant ship was trying to use the island's terrain to hide. Consequently, the twelve pirate ships split into two groups: seven maintained their course to pursue along the western coast, while the remaining five circled around to the eastern side of the island to cut off the target's escape route.
At noon, as the merchant ship rounded the steep cliffs at the westernmost tip of the island and passed a hidden bay, the pirates paid it no mind, continuing their pursuit at full speed.
After a while, four two-masted sailing ships sailed out of the bay one after another, blocking the retreat to the north. The pirates finally realized that danger had descended upon them.
"It's an ambush!"
Not long after, three warships flying black dragon flags appeared ahead, surging toward the Moorish pirates with murderous intent.
At this moment, behind the pirate ships to the north were the four two-masted sailing ships. Ahead of them to the south were the three warships and the One-Legged Seagull. To the east lay the deserted island, leaving the west as their only path of survival.
Amidst the urgent shouts of the pirate captains, the sailors adjusted their rigging, attempting to flee westward at top speed. Unfortunately, it was already too late.
The One-Legged Seagull charged toward the nearest enemy vessel. As the distance closed, the enemy's rain of arrows grew increasingly dense. Baron Garos roared, "Charge through! The sailors of Britain never retreat!"
In truth, Garos had grown up in Iberia and spent only a few months in mainland Britain. But it could not be helped—the king and the earl simply paid far too well. He genuinely considered himself a Briton from the bottom of his heart. As for the Moorish rulers of the later Umayyad dynasty, the esteemed baron barely knew them.
On the other side, Hadavar steered his flagship, the Kestrel, pouncing toward the dhow on the far west.
"Crush their little boats!"
The design of a warship was different from a merchant ship. The rigging on board was far more complex, effectively increasing its speed and agility. Thanks to the outstanding training of the navy, the Kestrel caught up to a pirate ship attempting to flee. The ram at its bow slammed viciously into the pirate ship's broadside, instantly tearing open a massive hole.
Utilizing their height advantage, the Vikings fired crossbow bolts and hurled lime jars, rapidly clearing the remaining enemies off the deck.
A handful of brave sailors leaped onto the enemy's deck and severed the ropes secured to the mast, causing the entire pristine white lateen sail to collapse onto the deck.
With its sail destroyed, the pirate ship lost any chance of escape, reduced to a harmless piece of flotsam drifting on the sea. The Viking sailors had no time to tangle with the remaining enemies in the lower hold. They returned to the Kestrel, preparing to assault their next target.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, the battle came to a close. One pirate ship that had attempted to flee was burned down by fire pots, while the remaining six pirate ships were all captured.
Hadavar assigned men to escort and guard the captured vessels in the bay. He then led five ships, including the Kestrel, to sail south.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, the Kestrel ran head-on into the five pirate ships tasked with flanking them at the southern tip of the island. They captured three of them, while the remaining two fled desperately, only to accidentally strike a reef and sink.
"These pirates can barely take a hit. I overestimated them."
Observing the captured ships anchored on the sea, Hadavar sighed with emotion.