Enlightened Empire

Chapter 324: Securing the Landing

At sea, the most important factor that decides victory is information. To some extent, this may also be true on land, but Atau wasn't an expert in that regard. At the very least, an army was less restricted in the direction it could move. Even if it were caught out, retreat was often possible for a land army, or so the captain thought.

In comparison, much of naval warfare was about positioning oneself windward from one's enemy, which many captains considered an unbreakable position, regardless of the strength of their fleet. Thus, whoever knew more about their enemy's position, and about the surrounding terrain could retreat or advance as they desired, and thus control the waves.

Which was the reason for Atau's current unease. From his flagship's quarterdeck, he observed the waters around him, but any information necessary for navigation eluded him. Visibility was pitifully low through the hazy mist. Only a few craggy rock formations jutted out of the distant white wall from time to time.

What a mess.

As usual, he was annoyed by the complexity of the weather and terrain around the Verdant Isles. How could such a thick mist even form on the open sea? And how could anyone navigate through it? The sharp cliffs also looked like they were just aching for a chance to slice apart his ship's hull. As someone who had sailed the world, he could say with confidence that this place was the most chaotic assortment of landmasses on the planet.

Not even the Northern Spice Islands of Sadraiy or the Cape of the Beast in the north of Amsalew were anywhere near this confusing, or treacherous. At least this time, Atau didn't have to navigate this mess himself. They had brought an expert to guide them, or they would be screwed in this thick soup.

Again, his eyes turned towards the robed man who was leaning over the ship's railing and intently stared at the water below, like an old priest reading the future in the waves. All this time, Atau had held back any criticism of the guest performer, since they were reliant of his expertise. Yet now that they were in such a precarious position and the robed man looked so much like a cheater, the admiral could no longer sit still.

“And you're sure you know what you're doing, Captain Aqta?”

The robed man clambered back up from halfway down the railing and looked back, revealing his young face. According to Corco, this was one of the youngest captains in Rasacopa's fleet. His youth and weakness were the only reasons they had managed to win him over, and they were also the reasons for Atau's distrust.

“Are you doubting my abilities, Admiral Atau?” the local asked. His smug expression of superiority really didn't sit well with Atau, though he knew better than to provoke a conflict right now.

“Nah, I'd never,” he replied in a sarcastic tone, before he shared his previous assessment. “But how could anyone see anything in this soup? This place is a mess.”

“The wind talks to a true captain. Just a look at the movements of the water alone will speak of the hidden cliffs and reefs that it has traveled around. A good captain can even traverse the waves of his home blinded. Why would this bit of navigation be considered difficult?”

Yeah, yeah. You're a big deal, Atau thought. Really, he felt like the other guy was just talking big, and that he looked less and less reliable.

“Either way, the heavens are helping us,” the robed captain continued before Atau could complain more. At the same time, he looked up at the murky sky. “During this time of year, the weather here is always misty in the morning, but today the fog is especially thick, ideal for a secret approach like this.”

“So long as we don't crash.”

This time, it seemed like Atau's lack of trust had angered the captain. He frowned for a few seconds, before he replied, “Rather than questioning my expertise, are you sure the information from your men is correct? I would prefer if we wouldn't run into any surprise enemy raidships on our path.”

Now it was Atau's turn to get annoyed. How would this backwards little captain know anything about their superior methods or their amazing scouting technology?

“Of course our intel is correct,” he insisted. “What do you take me for? Our scouts have already determined that their ships patrol around the island in constant intervals. Every morning around sunrise, they all come together to transport the supplies for the people on the island. They have built a landing dock on the south-eastern side of the island. So long as you can help us approach the island's north-west, we should be able to get close without being spotted. By the time they find us, we'll already be in position.”

“As you have mentioned before,” Captain Aqta said. “But if your men know the sea as well as you seem to, I doubt their judgment can be trusted.”

“Now listen here you little-”

Atau rushed at the loudmouth captain, but was greeted by an outstretched palm and harsh words.

“Quiet! We are about to approach Yua. Any sound could warn our enemies and give away our plans early.”

Although he felt like throwing the traitor captain with the smug look overboard, Atau held back and returned to his previous position on the ship's quarterdeck. At least there, he wouldn't have to deal with the unpleasant local.

Once he had returned to his spot besides the ship's wheel, Atau motioned towards his first mate, who raised the flag that signaled all soldiers and sailors aboard to be silent. This was an order the men were used to by now. Some time ago, Saniya's spies had solved the mystery of how the ships of Borna and Cahlia could keep up with their own, despite their inferior navigation technology.

After years of being led around the nose by Atau's ships, the Arcavians had begun to employ knights with cultivation techniques specialized in hearing and smell on their ships. So long as the wind stood favorably, they would be able to pinpoint their position across a long distance. The only way to get close to them was to approach from upwind, which was a dangerous maneuver. Unless, of course, the entire ship was as quiet as it was right now.

While Atau was checking the deck to make sure all his men obeyed the command, his first mate signaled to the aft of their formation. Behind them, the other ships in the fleet were following along in a line, attached together by rope so they would be able to trace the flagship's precise path through the misty water and dangerous cliffs.

The ships were just close enough that a message could be transmitted from one to the other, so Atau could at least make out the aftern ship's bow in the fog. Beyond their own bow however, he could still only see white. Despite the local captain's insistence, Yua Island was nowhere in sight.

As he stood there in tense anticipation, Atau waited for anything to happen, either a crash into a cliff or the arrival at their goal. His fogged up clothes clung to his body uncomfortably. Even the mist itself seemed to creep into his skin and pulled his muscles together. Just as he believed that the fog would never end, finally, they broke through a bank of white, and their view cleared.

Some five kilometers in front of them, Atau could see Yua Island, with the wooden walls of their enemies built across the land in the distance. As soon as the land appeared, the admiral troubled his telescope again. Anchored in the south beyond the walls, he spotted the enemy fleet made up of arcavian galleons and verdant raidships.

Since they were quite close already, their enemies spotted them at the same time as well. However, Atau wasn't worried. At this point, they were far too close already. There was nothing their enemies could do anymore.

“Full mast!” the admiral ordered promptly. Their local guide, as annoying as he was, had not only steered them through the treacherous waters in thick fog, he had also maneuvered them into headwind. Their sails unfurled and billowed, as their ships rushed towards the close-by beach.

During their approach, Atau observed their enemies further, but they had barely managed to unfurl their own sails and begun to move by the time the Homeward was already in position. A short distance away from the coast, the flagship lowered its sails again on Atau's command and coasted closer on its momentum. Meanwhile, the other ships behind them did the same.

The enemy ships just began to round the island and move towards them when the Homeward dropped its anchor. Now in position, it was a guide for the other ships behind them to do the same. One by one, they closed in, one behind the other, and dropped anchor, to create a wall of ships, a swimming fortress. The enemy ships tried to approach, but Atau only sneered. By now their response was far too late.

As soon as the first Verdant raidship came into firing range, the entire anchored fleet unloaded a frightful broadside that raked across the length of the ship's deck. After only one round of poorly aimed target shots, the verdant ship looked heavily damaged and immediately turned to retreat.

It received another three broadsides, before it managed to escape out of firing range, now equipped with heavy scars across its portside hull, and with a slight lean in its movements. Meanwhile, the other enemy ships behind them had learned the lesson and stayed far away.

With their stable position and superior firepower, Atau's ships were able to repel all incoming enemies, no matter how many ships they brought. And the wind direction guaranteed that the more powerful bornish sailing ships would be lumbering in their approach, and thus even easier targets. If they were really dumb enough to attack them from the front, he wouldn't mind giving them another harsh lesson.

Meanwhile, the complex terrain around them meant that their enemies couldn't just try to circumvent their strongest point and attack them from their weak flanks. Either side of their formation ended in land, with Yua island on one end and a sandbank on the other. Thus dug in, Atau's fleet wouldn't be able to pursue and sink any enemy ships, but they had secured this one position, which was all they needed. Now it was up to the army to establish a beachhead.

From behind the main fleet, dozens of small-scale ships moved in. All of them were boats of Rasacopa, privately owned by the Hulpatec royal family. They were otherwise used to transport materials between the islands of the kingdom, but this time, they would transport Saniya's troops instead. At a steady pace, they moved past the row of galleons and brigantines, ever closer towards the north-western beach of Yua Island.

By now, their enemies seemed to have realized what they were trying to do. The ships tried to get close again to fire their own cannons – an attempt to interrupt the landing – but they were easily repelled once again, to no one's surprise. At the same time, troops from the wall construction in the island's south organized their formation and turned north, to intercept the attackers before they could establish a position on the beach.

However, the landing was planned well in advance, so the fleet was prepared to deal with the defenders. The front three galleons in the defensive line were the largest in the fleet for a reason. They had loaded extra cannons and installed them on the ships' bows. Thus, as soon as the enemy warriors began to close in on land, they were greeted by another barrage of iron.

The ships further back fired simple cannonballs, scary but unlikely to hit too much. However, the Homeward in front had loaded shot ammunition, which would tear even the armored defenders to pieces with a hail of thousands of tiny iron pieces.

The sudden attack caused panic in the formation of the defenders, and thus delayed their advance. This delay was enough to allow the first boats a landing on the shore. Without interference, they unloaded their troops. Soon, several hundred warriors had made their way onto the sand and began to form clean lines.

However, their enemies were experienced warriors and wouldn't give up, not even now. Stubborn, under intense cannon fire, they charged forward, trying to prevent the worst. However, they had underestimated the discipline of Saniya's troops, who managed to form orderly lines long before the enemy warriors reached them. The first few volleys of the rifles softened the enemy lines before they could gain momentum for a proper charge.

What followed was a short melee, before the enemy commanders finally saw the writing on the wall and ordered retreat. At this point, there was no more resistance to their landing. An hour later, four thousand troops from Saniya had been unloaded onto the island. As soon as all of them were accounted for, they began to establish a small fort of their own, from which they would launch their attacks on the southern wall in the future. By noon, their own position was established, and the war for the island was about to truly begin.