Eagle Flag of Epirus

The Adriatic Sea, Corfu, this geographically important island has always been a battleground for maritime strategists, but for Byzantium, which spends most of its time on the east, it has not given enough Pay attention. The fastest update, especially after the death of Emperor Manuel I, the empire no longer has any interest in the West. This has led to Corfu Island being madly contested by the Italians in the past few decades. Changed hands several times.

The Genoese were the first to win. The privateer pirates under their control first encroached on the island of Corfu and established a stronghold, initially not only as a transit point for trade routes but also as a den of rivals. The merchant ships of the Pizzas and Venetians have suffered many times, and have long been complaining.

Therefore, shortly after taking Constantinople, Venice used the prestige of a big victory to expel the Genoese forces on Corfu Island and succeeded in occupying this important stronghold. Regarding this, Genoese, who were afraid of the opponent's strength, dared not say anything. But this does not mean that Genoa will swallow their anger, they just give up temporarily and wait for opportunities in secret.

And as the situation in the old frontiers of the Byzantine Empire has undergone tremendous changes today, the opportunity that Genoa hopes for is also given to them at this time.

Two months ago, a garrison stationed in Corfu left from the sea to Constantinople, seemingly to support the Latin Empire's offensive against Nicaea, which led to a significant reduction in the strength of the Corfu fortress. Of course, it is more than enough to deal with the surrounding pirates and the already weak Byzantine Navy, but for the Genoese, this is simply an open door.

As a result, the Genoese Merchants' Chamber in the East did not have time to ask the mother state for instructions, and finally decided to initiate a retaliation against the Venetians on Corfu.

A large-scale elite fleet assembled from Cyprus and Tripoli, and in command of them is the newcomer, Bantik, who has been steadily advancing over the past year. This man who was favored by the Doria family, even though his seniority was still relatively small among the older generation, was still able to convince the public with this.

However, at this time, Bantik was very dignified, because for him this was an opportunity that the adult gave him to continue to climb, and it was also a cruel test. If he failed, Bantik knew that he was absolutely Will be given up without hesitation. Therefore, he knew that this operation could only succeed but not fail, but Bantic, who had seen the strong fortress of Corfu before, was still not completely sure of the preparations.

Moored at sea and still watching the grass and winds of Corfu, Bantik is waiting for someone.

"Master Bantic, they are here."

In the cabin, the soldiers who rushed to the deck hurriedly told him the news that the man had been waiting for, finally letting Bantike's hanging heart relax.

Sure enough, Justinian really did not disappoint him.

...

A fleet coming from Igoumenitsa approached, and in addition to Justinian’s own legion, Simeon also dispatched Epirus border guards under Justinian’s command.

"You are finally here. I have been waiting for you for a long time. It has worried me for a long time." Watching Justinian board the deck of his ship, Bantik could finally breathe a long sigh of relief. Unsurprisingly, the young man in front of him brought a new force to help out.

But Justinian shrugged unhappily and said: "What is there to worry about, it's just a trivial matter, so that the previous things between you and me can be counted. But what you promised me before is still going to be said. I did it!"

"Okay, as long as you conquer Corfu Island, everything is easy to say." Finally, Bantik couldn't help but flex his hands and said with excitement.

And if Simeon saw this scene with his own eyes, he would realize that he had been fooled by Justinian. Obviously, all of this was carefully planned by him. All the ships that Justinian left from Moriah They were all provided by Bantik, and as a price Justinian had to assist them in attacking the Venetian garrison on Corfu. Taking this opportunity, he not only persuaded Simien to agree to his temporary stationing in Igoumenitsa, but also got the assistance of the border garrison, killing two birds with one stone. In fact, Justinian knew in his heart that doing so was somewhat inauthentic and betrayed Simien’s trust in him, but now everything has to be done cheaply, and at that time he can only avoid Igoumenitsa’s border guards as much as possible. The casualties and the spoils brought back were slightly compensated.

"How is the situation now?" asked Justinian, who had made up his mind. Before attacking, he must understand the current situation on the island. Even if the Venetians are not the main force, rushing to land operations is very dangerous.

Bantik understood Justinian's meaning and nodded immediately, and let his men spread out the map.

"This is the garrison map provided by the meticulous work on the island half a month ago. In such a short period of time, even if there is a change, it will not change much. Although the number of enemies is small, the key positions are tightly guarded. Even if the number of people is dominant, we can easily It is difficult to conquer immediately."

"That's why you have to attack an enemy by surprise, isn't it? The advantage of numbers is never used for consumption, but the results of the battle are expanded faster. If the enemy reacts quickly, use the fortifications on the island. The advantage is gone.” Without hesitation, Justinian looked at the Bantik in front of him~www.ltnovel.com~. The key to this battle was to be able to completely let Venice stay in science after the sudden attack. The defenses on Fu Island were paralyzed.

"That's the case." Bantic said, that's why he asked Justinian to help out. As a sea people, Genoese are not good at attacking on the land, and Justinian's brave warriors are here. Moria established a reputation and made him decide to cooperate with Justinian. He did not hesitate to pay a huge price to persuade the cunning little fox, which made him feel distressed.

However, it seems that all of this is clearly worthwhile. Looking at Justinian, who is calm and steady, and the warriors and warriors under his command, it seems that this attack is definitely a good one.

"When are you going to attack?" Justinian asked after hesitating for a moment, making up his mind.

"At dawn tomorrow, taking advantage of the hazy fog on the sea, I will complete his work in one battle." Bentic said the plan he made, and the success of this all depends on the elites of Justinian able to defeat the Venetian defense line in one fell swoop. .

"Is it a little unsure?" Seeing Justinian's silence for a while, Bantik was a little worried whether he had retreated.

However, Justinian shook his head and smiled calmly, "No, I just thought about how to conquer it to minimize the casualties and be a little surprised." He whispered softly, and saw that the young man's face was calm and calm. , As if Corfu is already in his pocket, and in fact, for Justinian, it is true. There is no guarantee of conquering this island, he only needs to care about how to get back. After that, it was time to give Simeon of Igoumenitsa a perfect explanation.