There is an island in the center of this bay called Aegina. More than a hundred years ago it was considered a powerful state in Greece. Especially in the naval aspect, Athens suffered a lot. It was not until Dimistokli suggested that Athens use most of its wealth to develop the naval force that Athens gradually began to gain the upper hand in the naval battle with Aegina. Finally, during the reign of Pericre, Athens entered the golden age. Without Sparta's intervention, it finally conquered Aegina and made it the territory of Athens.

Aegina's annexation, and the island of Salamis, not far from its northwest, also belongs to Athens, so the northern waters of the bay are within the control of Athens.

Although Seclien made an amazing decision, he did not lose his rationality and did not arrogantly let the fleet warships break into the northern waters and provoke Athens. This would be very likely to drag Athens, which was originally neutral, into the war at this time, and add unnecessary trouble to the kingdom. Therefore, he let the fleet warships pass through the south of Aegina Island.

This is of course also a risky decision, because there are some small islands and reefs in the south of Aegina, and the route is relatively narrow. The First Fleet warships, who are not familiar with the sea conditions here, can only line up in longer columns and pass at a slower speed. If the hostile Greek city-state fleet suddenly launches an attack at this time, the first Fleet will be difficult to echo at the beginning and end and will inevitably suffer great losses.

In this and nearby waters, only Athens has strong naval strength. According to the information provided by the Ministry of Military Affairs, Seclian knew that there was an Athenian military port on Aegina Island and some warships were moored, so Seclian had long lost his previous comfort and began to feel nervous.

The 1st Fleet quickly transformed into two columns, and began to pass between Aigita and Maisana, and then carefully circled to the south of the small island of Agtistri, after which they gradually increased their speed...

At this time, the south coast of Aegina Island was filled with Athenian people. They watched one triple-layered warship after another sailing through their noses, their faces filled with astonishment.

"This...how many warships are there?!"

"I have been counting just now. 205 ships have passed, and there is still so long behind it. It is estimated that at least 400 ships are more than!"

"This should be the fleet of Dionia. I heard that when they fought a naval battle with the Carthaginians, the warships on both sides totaled a thousand. At that time, I thought that the self-deprecating colonial kingdom was popular in Athens (the drama "The Dionians" written by Aristophanes was popular in Athens, which made many Athenian people think that the Greeks, the main body of Dionia, ignored their noble identity and took the initiative to include the indigenous people into their kingdoms, granted their citizenship rights, and lived with them, which was a manifestation of self-deprecating depravity), deliberately exaggerating their own power, but now it seems that it may be true!"

"400 warships are nothing great. In the past, the total number of warships in Athens was more than this. And even if our number of warships is far less than them now, we can still defeat them in naval battles with our superb ship-handling skills!"

"Young man, it's good to have confidence, but don't blindly belittle each other. We are all sailors. Take a closer look at their sailing before evaluating. The fleet of Dionia should be unfamiliar with the sea conditions here, but you see that their speed is not slow, and the distance between each warship and the rear warship can always remain stable... In the narrower place in front, the two warships of each of their lines can turn very freely, and the speed has not slowed down much, and there has never been a collision... These all show that the fleet of Dionia is well-trained, and their sailors have good sailors' ability to control the ships, and we must pay attention to it!"

"Hey! You guys, now the fleet of the Dionians has reached our doorstep. You still have the leisure to stand here and look around. Shouldn't you go to mobilize our warships and prepare to protect our homes!"

"What do you, a woman, know? Look at the direction of the Dionys fleet, it doesn't seem to be coming to Athens. Besides, we have not received the order from the General Executive Committee to attack. If we attack rashly, it will lead to a war between Athens and Dionys, we may be sentenced to guilt by the Citizens' Congress!"

...

Just as the Athenian people were standing on the island of Aegina, the vanguard of the 1st Fleet had quickly approached near the port of Cancorree in the eastern part of the isthmus. The land part here was concave inwardly, forming a small bay. The Dionian warship immediately blocked the entrance of the bay to prevent the ship from escaping.

The 1st Fleet came by coincidence. After five Asian troop transport ships entered the port of Cancorree, two more grain transport fleets from Asia Minor arrived near the port of Corinth. They received the news that "Dionia fleet appeared in Saron Bay". They were guilty and were very panicked and flew into the port, causing panic and congestion at the port entrance, and also causing the port to be unable to close the water gate for a while.

The 1st Fleet warship seized the opportunity to rush into the port and tried to hit all the ships flying the flags of Asia Minor city-states that could be seen. Even if it had already docked on the dock, in order to clear the navigation route, it inevitably overturned other ships...

The port of Cancorree was in chaos, and the people on the shore ran and shouted in panic... But for a moment, the Corinthian officials at the port could not find any effective measures to stop the warships of the Dionians from raging in the port.

The strength of the Corinthian navy is quite good among the Greek city-states, but the Saron Bay in the eastern part of the isthmus has always been the world of the Athenians, so all warships docked in the main port of Lekaeum, the west of the isthmus. And even if the fleet is in the eastern port this time, they cannot compare with the number of Dionian warships that continue to pour into the port.

In addition, more than a dozen crow warships docked to the dock one after another, and the fully armed fleet infantry immediately came ashore. However, they neither pursued the people of the port nor seized the port. Instead, they arranged in an orderly array of nearly 500 people, holding shields and swords, stood there, and shouted in unison: "We only attack the cargo ships transporting troops and grain for Spartans, and have no malicious intentions towards Corinth!!! We only attack..."

These calls from the fleet infantry were a bit ridiculous, but in this chaotic situation, it worked: the Corinthians hesitated, and based on the deterrence of these landed soldiers, they neither attacked with rockets on the sentry nor found a way to close the water gate...

Not long after, the sound of military roars sounded on the squadron of the First Fleet, and all the Dionian warships in the ports quickly evacuated.

The people of Corinth in the port were calm, but broken boat boards and wreckage were floating everywhere on the sea surface of the port. The crew members who fell into the water struggled and called for help, and there was a tragic scene...

The Dionian warships successfully evacuated the Corinth port, which made Seclian breathe a sigh of relief. When he was about to issue the order to "evacuate the fleet from Saron Bay", the lookout hand on the top of the main mast suddenly shouted: "The clutch in the northeast has raised a yellow flag!"

Seclien was shocked. He understood that this meant that there were fewer warships than the 1st Fleet approaching, and only one city-state in this big bay dared to make such a move - Athens.

Seclian began to get excited, and he shouted loudly: "As the sky rise, the fleet is heading northeast!"

The flagship captain who received the order rushed to the stern and asked anxiously: "Sir, are you preparing to go to war with Athens?!"

"Calm down, love Critus." Secrean comforted him, "The Athenians are unknown. I am just preparing for it. If they dare to launch an attack, then we can fight back!"

The war trumpet was sounded and the black flag was raised. The 500 Dionian warships originally gathered outside the Corinth port, spreading rapidly with their respective squadrons as the center, and while arranging the array, they marched towards the northeast together.

Not long after, dozens of Athenian warships appeared in the field of view of the captain of the 1st Fleet's forefront warships. This did not have any impact on the warships of Dionia, and all warships continued to advance at a steady speed.

The same is true for Athenian warships.

Six miles... Five miles... Four miles... The distance between the two sides is getting closer and closer. At this time, the crew of Athens should be able to clearly feel that there is a clear gap in number compared with the Dernia fleet, but the brilliant record of winning with fewer and more has given them courage in the past, especially a victory monument is erected on the island of Salamis not far from them.

Decades ago, in this bay, the Greek combined fleet, mainly Athenian warships, fought against the Persian fleet with several times the number of warships, but eventually achieved a brilliant victory, creating a miracle of war, and saving Greece... This legendary story inspired generations of Athenian people. Today, the Athenian crew members who were ordered to leave the port had more or less hope, thus offsetting the tension in their hearts.

As the two sides got closer, even Secklian couldn't help feeling nervous. He was not afraid of the dozens of Athenian warships ahead. As a senior general of the kingdom of his level, he not only had to fight comfortably, but also considered what impact the changes in the Greek situation caused after defeating the Athenian fleet would have on the military plan that Dionia was implementing in Peloponnese. However, he could not predict the complexity of the situation in Greece.

Fortunately, when the distance between the two sides was approaching two miles, Seclien received news: The Athenian fleet stopped moving forward!

Seclian hurriedly ordered: The fleet stopped moving forward!

The warships of the two sides were two miles apart and were quietly confronting each other.
Chapter completed!