While the Achaean princes were still debating whether to make war or peace with Byzantium, Justinian was leading an army on a Genoese ship approaching the southern part of Moria. Everything was going very smoothly. After passing through Pat

When they arrived at Huo Bay, although they encountered a Venetian fleet, neither side had any intention of conflict.

This is mainly because although the Genoese have constant conflicts with the Venetians, there has never been a formal declaration of war between the two countries. In such a sensitive situation, both sides are more hesitant and are more interested in supporting other forces to compete with each other. But even so, the islands controlled by the Venetians

Going to the stronghold still made everyone nervous.

"Those days when the Venetian ship was following us, I thought they would keep following us." The frightened Abdera finally breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the calm sea. During this period, all forces at sea were at war with each other. If they encountered

In the event of an attack, a dozen transport ships would not be able to withstand a single blow, and the troops on board the ships would surely perish in the sea.

But Justinian was not so relaxed. Although there was no movement in Venice, it made Justinian vigilant. Before, he destroyed the stronghold of Croatian pirates in retaliation. The other party then pretended to be pirates and attacked Nevsky at that time.

It is not the style of these people to let them go easily.

The Genoese and the Venetians were already at odds with each other, and Justinian absolutely did not believe that there were no small moves on their part.

"Be careful, they may not give up."

"Indeed, it's too quiet now, but as long as we can leave Patho Bay, there shouldn't be any big problems in the next step." Nevsky also said aside, the number of troops they dispatched this time is not necessarily large.

Being noticed by the Venetian does not mean that the Venetian will treat it as invisible. With his many years of experience, the other party will never give up so easily.

"I hope there won't be any accidents. Where are Zeodore Cephalon and the others?" Justinian suddenly asked.

"On the other ship, those company officers are also there. It seems that he is really not ready to cooperate." Abdera also shook his head helplessly and replied. On the surface, they are an army of nearly two thousand people.

However, without the assistance of the heavy infantry under Zeodore Cephalon, the Turks or Kipchaks would be very reluctant to rely on the Turks or Kipchaks for the next tough battle.

When he heard the news, Justinian also frowned slightly. He didn't expect that the other party would do this, but now he can only accept this situation helplessly. Although Arslan had hinted to himself before that he could help him kill

Zeodore Cephalon, but Justinian did not come up with this strategy until the last step, and he did not completely believe in the Turks.

Just then, a warning call came from the bow.

"It's a pirate, it's a pirate, there's a pirate attack!"

Pirates? Justinian and others were alert at the same time. How could there be pirates in such a place? The Venetians dominated the sea, and basically there should be no pirates on the routes passed by merchant ships unless they ordered it! The first thought

They all thought it was a Venetian disguise.

Not caring much, Justinian and Nevsky first boarded the bow to check the situation.

Through the light mist on the sea, Justinian saw a fleet approaching them. The other party had no intention of sneak attack, but was making a big show of it, and it was not like they were sure to defeat them.

"Raise the sails and fight!" The Genoese captain in charge of the ship reacted immediately. Although it was a merchant transport ship, it still had experience in fighting pirates. There were obviously a lot of pirates this time.

The drums sounded, the Genoese flag with a red cross on a white background was raised, and the Genoese warships, sailing at full speed, were ready to attack.

The ship was full of Genoese sailors, as well as Italian mercenaries and Norman veterans brought by Justinian. Justinian asked them to lead the group so as not to reveal their identities as much as possible. After all, he didn't know who these pirates were.

I'm sure, if it was the Venetian side, once they were discovered, the expedition would be in vain.

At the same time, the sound of war drums was faintly heard on the opposite ship. It seemed that the pirates did not flinch when they saw the flag of Genoa. Instead, they attacked even more crazily. Justinian couldn't help but look at the eyes of the soldiers under the flag.

He clenched his sword again and again - these people were mercenaries. He didn't know if he could trust them, but now he could only make a desperate move. If he couldn't withstand it, he could only let the soldiers hidden under the cabin go to fight.

.

The Genoese ships quickly formed a fighting formation, waiting for the pirates to attack. Everyone held their breath.

The first thing to break through the fog was the bow of a pirate ship. Oncoming was a black flag. It was indeed a pirate. But what surprised Justinian was that he was not facing pirates disguised by Venetians or pirates.

The real Illyrian pirates, but a group of Saracen pirates in strange costumes. "Kill all the pagans and use their blood to sacrifice God's defiled sea!"

It's a Saracen pirate!

The pirates who came now really wanted to rob property, and Justinian and others were also very surprised. Only then did they remember that they were leaving Illyria, and this area was where Egyptian pirates were raging.

"They were hired by Egypt and often attacked passing ships. They were really caught off guard now!" Nevsky suddenly remembered it, but at the same time he breathed a sigh of relief. Since they were real pirates, they were safer than facing the Venetians.

Some.

But gradually the look on his face became ugly. As the entire fleet approached, he finally saw the appearance of the other side's fleet. The sailor on the bow turned back to Justinian with a horrified look, "There are almost three enemies."

A large ship and four or five small boats are approaching."

There are a lot of them. It seems that this group of pirates is not just an ordinary mob!

"This is a bit troublesome, but everything will be done according to the original plan." Justinian held the sword in his hand, and his expression became serious, but he remained calm. "Since you are a Saracen, don't worry about being exposed.

Let the Kipchaks come out of the cabin first, we need excellent archers!"

"yes!"

The pirate ship at the front on the other side also rushed towards them. It seemed that they believed that the ship Justinian was on was the flagship and wanted to kill the general. There were only a lot of people on the deck, and Bedouins on the side of the ship were holding their bows.

He nocked an arrow, and when he got there, arrows rained down and shot toward Justinian and others on the ship.

"Escape!" Seeing the rain of arrows like locusts, Nevsky was also frightened and dragged Justinian to avoid the rain of arrows. However, in an instant, dozens of people were hit by arrows and fell to the ground, and there was chaos on the deck.

"Shield bearer!" In this case, Justinian did not care about the danger. He knew that it would be dangerous if the situation was unstable. Under his order, the Italian mercenaries carried a huge shield in front of him and finally blocked it.
Chapter completed!