A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

But unfortunately, it's a little too late.

Only at this point can the navigation level of both sides be seen.

By Thomas's standards, it was a short and tedious race of speed. In the light wind and drizzle, the Arab dhows were outmatched. The other side quickly realized this and gave up their escape, preparing for battle.

Thomas entered the stern deck, ready to watch the first naval battle in his two lives.

Section 31 Temporary Training 5

Although it has long been known that the main form of combat is boarding, this does not mean that the two sides will collide head-on and engage in a head-on confrontation.

Or rather, that's what the Crescent Moon Cult wanted, but the former Navy Commander clearly didn't see it that way.

On the Arab sailboat, the Crescent Moon believers stood on the deck, brandishing their weapons and cursing, eager to engage in boarding. However, the former naval commander ordered the crew to sit or lie down, trying not to expose themselves to the enemy and using the side of the ship for protection.

There are also skills to "head-on confrontation".

The former naval commander ordered his subordinates not to shoot indiscriminately, while maneuvering the warships to sail upwind to gain the advantage of wind direction, allowing his own long-range attacks to reach a farther distance.

For bows and crossbows, there is a big difference between being with the wind and against the wind.

Not to mention arrows, it also affects bullets.

Once the upper hand is established, everyone will immediately stand up and shoot at full speed.

In addition, the musketeers were always in the poop and forecastle, maintaining a continuous and stable output of firepower.

His efforts paid off, for before the two sides could truly close in, the enemy had lost at least thirty or forty men, while his own side had lost only five or six, most of them with minor injuries. Only one unfortunate individual was struck in the neck by an enemy arrow and died instantly.

After getting close, the warship began to adjust its position, aiming its bow at the enemy, and the cannon on the bow finally opened fire.

Unlike Thomas's memories of his previous life, this cannon did not shoot at the hull, but at the enemy's deck.

The cannon caused many casualties in an instant.

So when the two sides finally met on board, the situation had become very favorable.

Of the enemy, who numbered no more than two hundred, between one-quarter and one-fifth had suffered casualties, while our own forces remained almost intact.

Moreover, our side always has musketeers who can occupy the poop and forecastle to provide fire cover, while the enemy's long-range shooters suffer heavy losses because they are given special attention.

In fact, before the battle really started, the enemy side only lacked a cannon, and had no other disadvantages.

Even the number of crew members is not much different.

The current gap is caused by the difference in commanders' experience and skills.

The Crescent Moon pirates, who were originally crowded on the deck, shouting and cursing, ready to start a war, have lost their previous prestige.

However, although the momentum has weakened, the fighting spirit has not decreased much.

In fact, a quarter of the army's casualties occurred in land battles, which was enough to cause the entire army to be defeated.

But naval battles are different, because from top to bottom, everyone knows that there is no way to retreat.

Humans have no way to leave the boat. Without the boat, they will surely drown, freeze to death, die of thirst, or starvation.

If they were defeated in battle, the consequences would be disastrous. The best outcome would be becoming a captive and waiting for their loved ones to pay a ransom for their release.

But to be frank, 99% of people are not qualified for this. So the usual consequences are either death or slavery.

There was actually not much difference between slavery and death. Having your tongue cut out, or being castrated and becoming a servant of a nobleman were both good choices.

More often, they would have their feet chopped off or be branded, then chained to ships as rowing slaves, living a miserable life for three or four years before being killed by overseers or disease.

So the battle is either victory or death. There is no other option.

Thomas stood at his position and looked out the window. He could clearly see the ferocious expressions of the Crescent Moon Cult crew members who were gritting their teeth and determined to fight to the death.

Fear...and madness!

You can tell from their expressions that this group of people are determined to fight to the death.

Naval battles are indeed not easy to fight. No wonder my cheap master wants me to participate in training... and even arranges an internship for me.

Thomas began to carefully observe the weapons and equipment of both sides, patiently waiting for the fierce battle that was about to take place.

On the opposite Arab sailboat, a pair of eyes looked over calmly through the window of the stern deck.

The angles are different, but the expressions are similar, and the expressions of the Christians facing the fierce battle are equally ferocious.

However, they already knew that they had a great advantage, so they were less afraid and more enthusiastic about fighting.

The owner of those eyes was a middle-aged man, seemingly between thirty and forty, dressed in simple, lower-class clothing and shaved head. His ethnicity was unclear from his appearance. He calmly gazed at the Christians in the distance while wiping his scimitar with a white cloth.

It was a typical Arabian scimitar, but the scimitar was not of ordinary metal color, but light red.

At first glance, it looks like it's stained with blood that can't be wiped off.

"Sir!" The cabin was pushed open from the outside, and the man looked at the other party with displeasure.

The man was wearing a turban commonly seen among the Star-Moon Cultists, but just to show his identity, there was a piece of something inlaid in the middle of the turban, which was not sure whether it was glass or gem.

"Captain... your intrusion is truly rude," the man said casually. "I'm your passenger, not your crew member."

"Sir, please, we need support!" the captain said humbly. "These pagans are too powerful."

"Ah... it's a shame," the man replied. "But I have a more important mission." He raised his sword, squinting at the light coming in through the window, scrutinizing its sheen. "Compared to a ship like this, my mission is a hundred times more important! Besides, the battle hasn't even started yet, and it's not like you'll lose!"

For everyone else on the ship, losing would mean the end, but not for him.

He could have simply not participated in the war.

He can fight to the death without getting his hands dirty.

So he raised his chin proudly, without even looking at the captain.

"But we've suffered heavy losses, and the pagans are in high spirits!" The captain clasped his hands together. "We don't stand much chance of winning."

Even a fool could tell from the previous battle that they were indeed inferior in skills.

In this battle, we won fewer battles than we lost!

"That has nothing to do with me." The man spoke, but his eyes were fixed on his long sword.

"Lord Selim, what about your knife?" The captain also noticed something.

"This is the blade of the legendary saint and warrior, Gu Taibai." The man known as Selim examined the blade. "A sage, whose name we no longer trace, forged a series of blades, said to number in the dozens. All of these weapons are blessed by the Supreme Being. The wielder of these blades will never be defeated by mortal hands! Gu Taibai wielded this blade throughout his life, undefeated."

"This knife cost me a lot of money. It put me in debt. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come all the way to Italy," said Selim.

"Sir, if we win this battle, I'll give you 30% of all the spoils."

"Hmph!" Selim snorted softly without any reaction.

"half?"

Selim squinted his eyes but said nothing.

"Sir, we'll give you 90% and we only need to keep 10% to compensate the dead and injured." The captain finally said.

"Okay..." Selim stood up. "In that case, I'll try to move."

He swung his scimitar, creating a whistling sound, and a bloodthirsty smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Well, just let me warm up!"

Section 32 Temporary Training 6

The two ships finally came into contact.

It was not a head-on collision, but a broadside collision.

Although the ramming method has always existed, and many ships even have special ramming rams today, ships of this era rarely actually use ramming in combat.

This is not because there is any difference in the thinking of ancient and modern people, but is based on very realistic considerations.

Because in ancient times, ships would sink if they were hit, but now ships are difficult to sink.

The most critical factor is that today's ships have abandoned the mortise and tenon structure.

In ancient times, the hull of a ship was first connected with mortise and tenon joints, and then the frame was made to strengthen the hull. In modern ships, the frame is made first, and then the hull is nailed onto it.

If there are gaps in the hull, seal them with soft material.

If mortise and tenon joints were used, the hull would be light, stable, and leak-proof. However, if it was struck by an enemy, it would easily break and create a huge crack.

By abandoning the mortise and tenon structure, even if the hull is hit by a huge force, it is difficult to cause a large hole. Small holes can be repaired.

Therefore, ancient warships would sink if they were hit by a collision, but modern warships would not have any major problems if they were hit a dozen times.

Therefore, even the Christian side, which had the advantage in navigation technology, chose to engage broadside.

The sides of the ship were almost perfectly joined together.

The scene at that moment was indescribable. Under the cover of muskets and arrows, human bodies collided with each other, squeezing and killing each other.

It was a completely chaotic battlefield with almost no order.

In land battles, soldiers fight in formations, so even if the crowd is dense, it will not appear chaotic.

But in a naval battle, it was a completely different matter. Even if the two ships were now perfectly joined, their sides were still unstable. A single shake would create a huge gap, and the slightest mistake would cause them to fall into the sea.

There was no way to maintain formation at all, and they could only rely entirely on courage to fight.

By Thomas's standards, the defenses of both sides were inadequate. The better-equipped of them all wore leather armor, and few wore metal armor.

This way, a heavy blow to a soldier would break through the armor's defense, while for those without armor, even a light blow would cause damage.

There is no way around it, because those who can come here to be seafarers are basically not rich people.

Armor has always been expensive equipment and poor people cannot afford it.

In land battles, armor has a high probability of being recovered, at least for the victor. But in naval battles, it's a different story.

Thomas estimated that if all his men could be equipped with metal armor, they could easily win even if they had only half the enemy's strength.

The two sides squeezed together, hacking at each other, and blood soon flowed like a fountain.

It was a head-on confrontation without any technical content, it was simply a matter of life for life, simple yet brutal.

In the first wave of attack, the Christians had a clear advantage.

This is an advantage in numbers and firepower, brought about by a series of excellent commands.

The soldiers had already rushed onto the side of the enemy ship, and the Crescent Moon believers could only defend themselves on their own decks and barely resist.

But suddenly, a figure, holding a knife in one hand and a rope in the other, flew over and headed straight for the stern deck.

Its boldness and speed almost exceed human limits.

He fell to the top of the poop, and the musketeers on the poop who were responsible for long-range fire cover were immediately affected.

In the small space, the two people who had no time to escape were directly killed by the sword, and the other musketeer dropped his musket and chose to jump into the sea.

Selim waved his scimitar lightly and was satisfied to see that his knife was not stained with a drop of blood.

Although this is not a magic weapon, it is not inferior to a magic weapon... and it also has a powerful blessing.

It feels great in the hand, and the weight and balance are just perfect.

He looked back and saw that his deck had been attacked by the enemy, but it was still too early for the battle to end.

During this era, it was common for ships to have forecastle and poop decks, and in actual combat, people quickly realized the benefits of this design. Today, forecastle and poop decks are no longer just for observation or reconnaissance; they are actually military fortresses installed on ships.

As long as the enemy stepped onto the deck, the defenders could enter the forecastle and poop and continue to inflict casualties on the enemy on the deck using bows and arrows, stones, asphalt, etc.

So even though the Christians have the advantage, if they really want to win completely... and completely destroy the enemy, that is still a long way off.

Normal development cannot be achieved without several hours.

And a few hours is enough for him...

Selim turned his gaze this way.

It was meant that the commander would be at the highest point on this side with the musketeers, but after jumping over I realized that wasn't the case.

From the attire of these musketeers, one could tell at a glance that they were not important figures.

Since he's not here, he's probably in the middle of the deck, directing the troops from close range. Of course, he could also be on the forecastle.

Tch, that's a bit troublesome.

Because if we go around here, there will be a greater chance of being attacked by fire from the forecastle.