Hu Ju pursued him all the way and captured twelve Roman ships, and together with the five warships captured by the Qin army in Cape Andre, seventeen warships in the Roman fleet became prisoners of the Qin fleet. In other aspects of the war, they sank due to water seepage, water leakage, or improper control of sailors, and there were as many as seven warships.

This heavy fruit of victory made the Qin army overjoyed. Although Lei was killed by the fleet and almost wiped out the entire army, there was not much depressed expression on the face of this Jianghuai hero. One for one is enough to make money, and one for two is to make one. If eight warships could be exchanged for the destruction of the Roman fleet, it would be worth it.

Chao Cuo counted the spoils with excitement. He was sincerely happy that he could contribute in a naval battle that could be recorded in the history of the Qin Dynasty. This was not only because his name would be reported to Li Yuan, but also because it was a comprehensive contest between the Qin Dynasty and the most powerful opponent in the West.

In terms of strength.

This time, the Qin Navy defeated the strong with the weak and the more with the few. No matter what the plan is, after this great victory, the situation on the Mediterranean sea will change, and those fence-headed forces who are waiting and watching will cast awesome eyes on the Qin State.

Compared with the excitement of the generals, Gan Yong was very calm. He seemed to have expected the result of this battle. The person he admired the most at this time was the Emperor Shenwu Li Yuan.

What is planning and winning thousands of miles away? Like Li Yuan, many clues were laid out early in the morning, whether it was a couch crossbow, a continuous machine crossbow, or the infiltration of the Military Information Department into the Greek Peninsula, all of which showed that the Qin war machine was operating in a healthy manner.

Spiders build webs, trapping their prey in the web step by step, but before the last bite, the prey is still complacent about the little advantage they have obtained. Such a person is the real god of war.

The military newspaper that reported the victory has been issued.

Gan Yong was proud and relieved. To this day, he can finally prove his talents with his achievements and comfort his father Gan Houbo's heroic spirit in heaven.

"Father, have you seen it? Have you heard the shouts of the soldiers of the Qin Dynasty? Before the White Horse Pass, you and your ancestors rescued a hero with their lives and blood, thus laying the foundation for the birth of a powerful dynasty. Now, it has grown vigorously and become the most powerful country in the world."

——.

The stars rise and fall.

One shines, and the other dimms.

The Qin Navy and the Roman Fleet encountered each other in the area of ​​Kitti, and the largest and most intense naval battle in the history of the Mediterranean Navy War broke out. The main warships invested by both sides successively reached an astonishing 90, which did not include various auxiliary supply ships, lifeboats, watch ships, etc.

For the Carthaginians, Egyptians, Greeks and even Jews along the Mediterranean coast, the shadow of the Great Roman fleet has been looming over them for more than a hundred years. Although some people who are unwilling to be exploited to resist, the result is the same, and they are strongly suppressed by the Romans.

Therefore, when the news of the Romans' defeat spread, the major forces from all sides were stunned and frightened, and they could not imagine how they could defeat a glorious fleet with a history of more than 300 years.

Battle for hegemony at sea.

It is not a child playing house, nor is it a small battle on land that holds its limits on the edge. The result of each naval battle indicates a possibility: the Mediterranean maritime hegemony is about to change hands.

The Carthaginians cheered themselves. With the disappearance of the Roman fleet, Carthaginian merchant ships would be able to travel freely between the Strait of Gibraltar along the entire northern Africa coast and make huge trade profits. The same is true for the Egyptians, Alexandria, the big merchants in the city, hire sailors and paddlers, and excitedly drank cheap wine in the tavern, shouting familiar and unfamiliar companions, ready to go out to sea again.

In Athens, Sedi looked back at the dilapidated tavern that closed the door. After completing the task assigned by the Qin Military Intelligence Department, in order to protect Sedi's safety, Meng Hu decided to send Sedi and his family to the East, in a new strange country. This ordinary Greek would have a new beginning.

——.

The cool breeze in the end of summer in the Aegean Sea.

From the distant Siberia, from east to west, from north to south, this wind belt went west along with the retreating Roman fleet. They staggered towards the Roman land with their bodies full of pain.

Crasso's death.

The Romans were beaten hard again. Although Crassus did not show any great skills when fighting the Qin army, in the hearts of the Roman navy soldiers, the commander who had been in the experienced and commanding this fleet for twenty years was an excellent warrior.

Crasso's body was not easy to preserve because it was hot and had been cremated. The other Roman soldiers who died in battle did not have this luck. They were thrown into the sea and became a delicacy for marine creatures.

The wind on the Adriatic sea was as hot as it was when the Romans went on a war. If there was really a difference, it would be that the number of Roman warships that came back had changed.

Apennines.

Port Napoli.

On September 10th, the return of the large fleet finally ushered in, and the three broken warships that arrived at the port were all the Roman fleet.

The main force of the fleet, more than fifty three-pitched mast ships and single-pitched mast ships, were lucky enough to escape the poor three ships, and nearly 1,500 elite soldiers who symbolize Roman glory and strength, either returned to the sea or were captured by the Qin army. Only more than one hundred people were lucky enough to escape back.

Along the way from Kiti to the Apennines, countless bitter tears of Roman naval soldiers were left behind. This difficult experience was later written into the history of Rome in the future - and was named: The Great Escape of Kiti.

——.

The Roman fleet was destroyed!

Crassus was defeated and died of sepsis on the way to retreat. The navy soldiers who had made countless contributions to the prosperity of the Roman Republic disappeared into the blue waves. The whole city of Rome was simple, the sadness of the free people, the sighs of the great slave owners, and the memories of the past of the old senators in the Senate filled this different summer.

In the city of Rome.

In front of the Senate, the leaves of the olive tree have turned green and yellow, and yellow and green. The scenery of the alternating summer and autumn is originally the most beautiful, and the plump breasts and buttocks of the female slaves of different skin colors who served in the Senate are even more of a viewable landscape in the eyes of the high-ranking veterans.

But now, the eighteen elders representing different interests of the Roman Republic have no idea. Since Scipio took office, the Romans have cheered and felt that the time for Great Rome's expansion had come, but then the emergence of the most powerful opponent from the East made them feel pressure that they had never felt before.

In the chamber.

The former consul Fabian, who had been undermined, looked sad, with a few white hairs on his head and wrinkles on his forehead proclaiming that the former consul's current bad mental state. Crassus' death made Fabian lose his last pillar. What can be imagined is that in order to shirk his responsibilities, Scipio would definitely add all the guilt to Crassus. Anyway, the dead cannot defend himself.

Silence enveloped the Senate. Scipio, who was sitting in the prominent position in the center, looked bad, and the large fleet was wiped out, which he did not expect. The Qin people actually built a maritime force that could compete with the century-old Roman fleet in a short time. What happened in the middle? The Romans were puzzled.

"Great Consul, we must fight back and show the Qin people. If we don't know, what is the honor of Great Rome? Our interests will also be seriously damaged-!"

"The large fleet is gone, we still have a large number of merchant ships and enough experienced sailors. As long as they are organized, they can quickly rebuild another fleet."

The elders talked and talked a lot. As great slave owners, they were most concerned about whether their own interests would be damaged. Once the Romans lost their maritime power, their slave transactions in northern Africa, the Iberian Peninsula and the Atlantic Ocean would be affected.

Scipio looked coldly at the group of elites in front of him. His eyes were covered with blood. When Crassus was dead, he had to find a scapegoat to replace him, otherwise he would not sit steadily in the position of the consul. Fortunately, Crassus was not his person.

"Dear Speaker, what do you think of the failure of the Great Fleet this time?" Scipiovi raised his chin and pointed the target of the attack at one of the people in the seat: the former consul Fabian, the master of Crasso, is naturally the best scapegoat.

"Ah, what did the consul say?" Fabian sat in the round chair for a long time. His age could not allow him to think hard for a long time, and the death of Crasso's confidant made the old man even more sad.

"The Great Fleet failed, General Crassus died in battle. Don't you want to say anything? No one knows better about the Great Fleet than you?" Scipio asked lightly.

"Crassus, he is dead, he is not willing to die. This time, if he hadn't been commanding randomly and fell into the trap of the Eastern people, how could the large fleet fail? The first thing we have to do now is to rebuild a new fleet and compete with the monkeys in the East. For this goal, Fabian is willing to hand over the two merchant fleets of the family to the Consul." Fabian said while standing up staggeringly.

Under Scipio's words, Fabian had to retreat repeatedly. In order to evade accountability, what he could do now was to give up the interests of his family, but Fabian could not be sure whether the prices of the two merchant fleets could satisfy Scipio's appetite.

After mastering the army, Scipio wanted to include the Great Roman fleet in the morning, but due to Crasso and Fabian's support behind him, he was unable to do so. Now, although the elite fleet of Great Romans no longer exists, as long as the possessions of the old people in the Senate can be extracted one by one, Scipio believes that in a year, he will be able to build a new Roman fleet that obeys his command.

"The Speaker is indeed patriotic. With the efforts of veterans like you, my new fleet of Rome will definitely stand up again and will definitely drive the Easterners back to where they should go. However, compared to the Eastern devils, there are many places that need to be summarized in our failure. What makes me most angry is why the information about Qin State has repeatedly made mistakes, and why the orders in the army have been treated negatively. Is there anyone in secret interfering in the middle? I hope the Senate will check it carefully. If there is still no result in a month, then please ask Gao Ming for another consul."

Scipio's voice suddenly became sharp, and his eyes emitted the light of fighting. His self-confidence once again rose in the face of the concessions of his political opponents. This time, he directly used the method of provocation. Fabian, the old opponent, still occupies the position of the speaker, and refuses to retreat completely, which is something he will never tolerate.

Fabian opened his mouth wide, his heart beat violently for a few moments, and suddenly paused. In the face of Scipio's ulterior motives, he wanted to refute, but he was unable to do so. At this moment, the elderly old consul finally admitted that he was really old and useless.

PS: Thanks to Silver Sea Shadow for rewards and monthly tickets, and update returns.
Chapter completed!