The Sun and the Lion

The galleys of the Barbary pirates sailed into the Bay of Bejaia, and the coast gradually became clearer in the eyes of the sailors. The Red-bearded brothers did not launch an attack rashly. They first observed the fortifications built by the Spanish here, especially the coastal defense batteries.

According to the information provided by the Emir of Bejaia, the Spanish garrison left behind is less than a thousand people and equipped with an unknown number of artillery. It is slightly smaller than the pirates under the Red Beard brothers, but the Spanish have attached great importance to renovation and renovation since they conquered this port. Fortifications left behind by Muslim rulers.

"Are my men the only ones who came to attack the city?" Oruchi was a little dissatisfied, not only because of the dissatisfaction of the emir of Bejaia, but also because of the disunity of the Muslims - although he needed to rely on local forces to realize his ambitions Internal discord and intrigue among themselves.

When asking for help, the emissary of the Emir of Bejaia promised to launch a group of Berber troops to attack the land wall to attract the attention of the Franks, but the sea pirates could not confirm their existence or cooperate with them.

From eastern Algeria in the west to Tripolitania in the east, the long coast and inland territory called Ifrikiya by Muslims, centered on Tunisia, are currently owned by the Hafsid dynasty. It seems that this should It is a North African power.

But Tunisia, which is now in decline, has no control over various places. The emirs are like independent monarchs. Now several Iberian courts want to extend the reconquest to North Africa. Many port cities have been captured by Portugal and Spain, including Kazakhstan. Including the territory of the Fusi Dynasty.

The various emirs who ruled the surrounding areas turned a blind eye to the many ports that fell to the Franks, watched the fire from afar, and even colluded with the Christians for personal gain. The combination of internal and external factors is why the emir asked the pirates for help. After all, the red-bearded brothers are well-known Ghazis and are willing to fight Christians.

"There are no warships patrolling outside. We can take the opportunity to rush directly into the port for a surprise attack. We can seize the port and the fort first, and then attack the castle towards the city." The three brothers simply arranged a battle plan. They did not care about possible friendly forces. Yes, anyway, everyone plays his own game.

"Give me the order to have the oarsmen rush into the port at high speed and prepare the deck for battle!" Oruch shouted and conveyed it to other warships through semaphores.

"Snapped!"

"Ah!" The oarsman groaned in pain. His hands were tied to the oars, and he only wore a piece of tattered cloth covering his private parts. He sat on a narrow bench with two other people.

"You bastards, work harder for me!"

The sound of the whip hitting the human body shocked the rowing slaves in the lower cabin. These fuels of various ethnic groups captured from the Christian coast could not understand Arabic well, but the whistle in their ears was more urgent. They knew that they needed to speed up their oars. .

The Spanish gunner on duty saw the unidentified galley approaching the port quickly and saw the flag hanging on the mast. He shouted to his colleagues: "It's a Muslim pirate!"

Without waiting for them to react, the galley inserted itself into the empty berth, and the Barbary pirates quickly jumped onto the trestle and causeway. Under the cover of arrows, Oruch and Herzl took the lead in fighting to control the chaotic port.

"Third brother, you must block all the Franks in the castle. There should be no living Kafir on the street. I will take down the fort and then join you." After saying that, Oruch led a group of people Running towards the fort, Herzl wandered the streets, fighting small groups of Spanish soldiers he encountered, and calling on the Muslims in the city to revolt against Frankish rule.

The Spaniards in the fort were ready to line up to meet the enemy. First, they knocked several pirates to the ground with a round of matchlock fire. The lead bullets passed over Orucci's head. He became furious, threw the spear in his hand, and held the spear in his hand. The sword rushed towards the Spanish officer in front. For a moment, the armor-piercing swordsman was suppressed by the unarmored pirate.

Seeing how brave their leader was, the pirates followed suit and fought with the enemy in front of them under the cover of shooters. Dozens of people poured into them on the gentle slope leading to the fort, and the two sides quickly got into a melee.

Due to the small number of soldiers deployed in the fort, the Spanish swordsmen at the front were not able to hold the line at all. They often had to deal with the siege of several opponents. If they were not wearing armor that was strong enough, they would not be able to survive a single battle.

Like killing a chicken and a sheep, Oruch captured and killed the Spanish officer in front of him. The rapid collapse of the sword and shield soldiers in front shook the shooters in the rear. Seeing the Muslims coming like a tide, they did not have the courage to draw their swords, so they just ran for their lives with their matchlocks and crossbows, leaving the rough and crude shore defenses behind.

Due to time constraints, none of the artillery was damaged. Oruch glanced at these sharp weapons that were supposed to be used to defend against Barbary pirates. He regarded them as trophies, and then climbed up to look at the city. The sound of fighting in the distance could still be heard. into his ears.

"No, something happened at the port."

Isaac, who stayed at the port to guard the warships with the minimum manpower, was suddenly attacked by a group of Spanish elite soldiers. The intensity of the attack was simply unstoppable. The pirates had no choice but to retreat to the deck and give up control of the coast.

Oruch could see clearly from the mountainside that the Franks who wanted to retake the port were numerous and well-equipped. He had sent Herzl to stop the castle guards. How could he spare so many people to fight separately? Is the castle no longer defendable?

There happened to be a few cannons that could cover the port. He adjusted the angle according to his feeling, leaving the manpower to operate the cannons. He led everyone to immediately go to reinforce Isaac.

However, before he arrived at the port, he first saw the embarrassed Herzl. It was obvious that he was not a victor, but had suffered a defeat and was killed and had retreated here.

"The Franks in the city speak much more than that emir! And how did they know we were coming?" Herzl recalled the lead bullets fired from three sides and the opponent's attack while shouting "Capture the culprit Redbeard!" "He was not angry. There were ambushes on the rooftops and in the alleys, and his men were scattered in an instant.

Time is running out, leaving aside the fact that the Emir is suspected of cooperating with the Spanish garrison to deal with the pirates. The Spaniards were pursuing the victory, looking for Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuan.com Herzl retreated all the way, and the Spanish ambush troops chased them all the way. There was no chance to breathe, so they had to take advantage of the opponent's loss of ambush position and take the initiative to move behind to block the pursuers and gather their own personnel.

Oruch had just listened to his explanation of the setbacks in the city. The sound of cannons rang out and the shells fell into the crowd at the port. At this time, Herzl exclaimed in surprise: "Didn't the fort not be captured?"

"The fort was taken down, and the ones on it were our gunners, but I saw that the Franks were dividing their forces to attack Big Brother, intending to cut off our retreat, so I led my troops down. In any case, what we have to consider now is to remove the Franks at the port. Kill them and retreat." Oruch's explanation made Herzl feel at ease.

At this time, the Spanish garrison that was dealing with Isaac had just been disrupted by the shells fired from the fort. They seized the opportunity to launch a wave of counterattacks and temporarily switched from offense to defense. Although the formation was chaotic, the numerical advantage was still there and they would not be defeated by the pirates in front of them. The two sides were in a stalemate.

Oruch and Herzl happened to take the opportunity to rush into the port, and were suddenly attacked by another group of enemies, which made the Spanish flanked by the enemy even more chaotic. They were very panicked, but the two brothers were even more panicked. If they could not kill the enemy in front of them immediately, He was the only one who was flanked.

After a bloody battle, the leaders successfully rushed back to the ship under the desperate protection of their subordinates, but all of them were injured - Oruch was shot twice in the left arm, Herzl's arm was cut several times, and the wound on his forehead was the most dangerous, and Isa Ke's right arm and calf were pierced by crossbow arrows.

The failure of this raid cost the three brothers a huge price. Less than half of the pirates who successfully evacuated were less than half of those who landed ashore, and several battleships and their oar slaves were captured. Oruch once again felt that he was lacking in strength. Despite their glory when they raided the Christian coast, once they encountered a defensive enemy, they would have to break their front teeth. His opponents were kings.

"If you want to go to Izmir, you must go immediately."