I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1163 Strong Ships and Powerful Cannons
"what sound?!"

"What happened?"

On the island of Cyprus, at the lighthouse in the naval port of Famagusta, the guards on their daily patrol were startled by a sudden loud noise in the distance. They looked around, speculating on various possibilities.

"Thunder? The sky is still clear."

"No! It's not thunder! Look!"

A sharp-eyed veteran, his face ashen, pointed to the black dot on the sea:

"A ship! A ship! A huge ship! And...and that flag...it's Han Chinese! The Han Chinese fleet is attacking!!!"

"Enemy attack! Sound the alarm!"

The urgent alarm bells rang throughout the naval port, shattering the afternoon tranquility. The soldiers on the tower watched in horror as an unprecedented fleet sailed through the waves, heading straight for the harbor! The leading giant ship was long and slender, with a dazzling crimson and gold dragon flag flying from its towering mast, which looked like a burning flame in the sunlight.

Wasn't it said that the Han people had a dozen or so small fast boats? Where did this giant ship come from?!
"What...what the hell is that?"

Port garrison captain Marcus rushed up the tower, and when he saw the strangely shaped fleet on the horizon, his heart almost stopped beating.

Without oars, how could it sail so fast using only sails? And why did that loud bang sound so much like the thunder that supposedly destroyed their combined fleet?
Upon realizing this, Marcus's eyes widened immediately: "Emergency mobilization! All ballistae in position! Seal off the port entrance! We must not allow that monster to get near the docks!"

Marcus shouted at the top of his lungs. He could see clearly that the Han fleet was not numerous; as long as they could block the largest ship, the remaining smaller fast ships would be no threat.

Soon, the well-trained Roman soldiers mobilized at the sound of the alarm, rushing to their designated battle positions. The heavy crossbows on the towers began to tighten their bowstrings at the officers' urging, and the dozen or so spare warships moored on the docks hastily weighed anchor, attempting to form a defensive line to block the strange behemoth charging straight into the entrance.

Marcus was somewhat relieved by the swift action of his allies. Famagusta, as the largest port on the island of Cyprus, boasts a proud defense system.

The crescent-shaped natural harbor was flanked by sturdy stone fortresses that guarded the narrow entrance like horns, each equipped with the longest-range heavy ballistae. Two battalions of marines were also on standby inside the harbor. He believed that if the Han army dared to enter the ballistae's range, they would be met with a crushing defeat!

"Hold your fire! Aim and fire! Focus fire on that strange ship leading the way! Use crossfire! Sink it at the port entrance!"

Marcus's roar had barely begun when his much-anticipated defensive system faced a devastating test.

"What's that ship going to do???"

The soldiers who were keeping a close eye on the enemy ship exclaimed in surprise. They saw that the Dingyuan was far away and had no intention of entering their ballista range at all. Instead, it slowly turned and pointed its long side at them.

"Is he going to run away?"

The absurd thought had barely crossed Marcus's mind when an ominous premonition gripped his heart like a venomous snake.

All the gun ports on the side of the "Dingyuan" opened, revealing the dark muzzles of the guns, and then a row of flashes of fire appeared!
boom! ! !
The deafening roar of cannons rang out again, this time not as a single test shot, but as the simultaneous roar of all twelve cannons on the starboard side of the "Dingyuan"! Thick smoke instantly enveloped half of the ship, and twelve heavy iron shells tore through the air, whistling with death, and slammed into the fortifications of the Cyprus port!

"No!!!" Amidst screams, the shells, like the hammer of death, slammed heavily onto the stone fortress and towers!
A tower equipped with a heavy ballista was hit directly at the top, sending rubble, twisted metal components, and human remains flying everywhere. The upper half of the tower was wiped out as if by the hand of a giant! Another shell precisely pierced the firing port of the left fortress, causing a violent explosion and chaos inside—the shell had hit the spot where spare crossbow bolts and oil were stored!

With just one volley, the carefully constructed entrance defense system of the port of Cyprus was severely damaged! Thick smoke, flames, and screams replaced the orderly formation.

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!" Marcus was pinned to the ground by his guards, his ears ringing, his face covered in stone dust and someone's blood. He couldn't comprehend how a weapon with such a long range and terrifying power could exist in the world! Rome's most powerful ballista was like a child's toy in front of it!

"Load! Prepare for the second salvo! Load the shotgun shells, target the ships and dock fortifications in the harbor." On the Dingyuan, Su Yao calmly gave the order, as if what he had just destroyed were just two insignificant mounds of earth.

The well-trained Han artillerymen quickly cleaned the cannon barrels and filled them with new powder packs and shells. This time, some cannons were refitted with shrapnel shells containing countless small lead pellets.

boom! ! !
Bang bang bang!

Soon, a second round of bombardment followed! This time, a deadly hail of bullets covered the Roman ships attempting to form ranks near the port entrance and the ranks of soldiers gathering on the dock.

Grappling bullets swept across the wheat fields like a whirlwind, instantly tearing the decks of Roman warships to shreds as oarsmen and sailors fell in droves. On the docks, a naval force preparing to board was engulfed in a storm of steel; shields and armor were ripped apart as if made of paper, and screams echoed throughout the harbor.

"The Devil Ship! It's the Devil Ship!"

"Run! Everyone run!"

This overwhelming blow quickly shattered the morale of the Roman defenders, and chaos spread like a plague among them at the docks.

Those soldiers who miraculously survived the storm were horrified to discover that they couldn't even get close to the enemy before being crushed by this unimaginable attack.

What courage? What discipline? They are all so pale and powerless in the face of absolute power.

"Wheelboats! Attack! Sweep away the remaining enemies and seize the dock!"

Su Yao's orders were quickly conveyed through flag signals.

Following closely behind the Dingyuan, more than ten wheeled ships, like sharks smelling blood, used their amazing maneuverability to quickly pass through the gap opened by the cannon fire and rush into the port, which had fallen into chaos. The tiger-squatting cannons and crossbows on the bows poured fire on any Roman ships and soldiers that tried to resist, while the Han sailors and marines on board began to use grappling hooks to climb up and board the ships.

Marcus struggled to his feet and was met with this scene: most of the ships moored in the harbor were on fire or capsized, corpses littered the docks, and survivors scurried about like headless flies. Meanwhile, the terrifying behemoth, adjusting its sails like a mobile fortress, slowly entered the harbor, its broadside cannons still spewing deathly flames from time to time.

“It’s over…it’s all over…” Marcus collapsed to the ground, utterly dejected, the short sword clattering to the ground. He realized this wasn’t a battle, but a one-sided massacre. The Cypriot naval port, a strategic stronghold of the Roman Empire in the eastern Mediterranean, which had been operated for a century, had changed hands in less than half an hour.

Su Yao stood on the bridge of the Dingyuan, overlooking the smoke-filled port gradually falling under the control of the Han army, and smiled calmly at Zhou Yu and Guo Jia, who were staring in disbelief beside him:
"Gongjin, do you still think this battle is risky?"

Zhou Yu took a deep breath of the gunpowder-scented air, suppressing his shock, and exclaimed in sincere admiration: "Your Majesty's divine might and supernatural craftsmanship! Such divine weapons are truly beyond human capability to withstand. I... am completely convinced!"

(End of this chapter)