At the southernmost tip of the Istrian Peninsula, the Austrian fleet, having just rounded the sea, encountered the Venetian escort fleet that had come to intercept them.
The experienced Dujam keenly observed that the Venetian fleet was noticeably larger than his own, but its advantage was very limited.
His fleet not only included the main force of the Austrian navy but also the entire Frankopan Family fleet, a Genoese reinforcement fleet, and several accompanying armed merchant ships, totaling fifty-seven vessels—a fact the Venetians were currently unaware of.
Moreover, he had four large carracks with formidable combat power and eight main galley warships, with numerous medium and small galleys and carracks constantly adjusting their positions around these main warships.
Although the Venetian fleet was large, it mostly consisted of temporarily requisitioned armed merchant ships, and the number of main warships was actually less than that of the Austrian fleet.
Furthermore, Dujam knew very well what kind of people those Venetian merchants were, so he quickly determined his strategy against the enemy.
"Hoist the battle flags, lower the sails, form a defensive formation, and continue to hug the coast."
Dujam's instructions were quickly relayed, and the fleet's three divisions swiftly adjusted their formations, connecting bow to stern and moving parallel to the coast, presenting their broadsides to the Venetians.
The main warships formed a line, creating the core of the formation, while the nimble light warships maneuvered around the main ships.
The less combat-capable transport ships and armed merchant ships moved to the inner side of the formation, closer to the coast, forming a second battle line.
This was the engagement formation Dujam had prepared in advance before entering the Gulf of Venice.
Besides this purely defensive formation, he had also prepared two other formations, but they were not suitable for use here.
Although called a defensive formation, its true purpose was actually for escape and luring the enemy—a tactic he had learned from the Portuguese, very suitable for the Austrian fleet, which was equipped with a good number of cannons.
The ocean was like a casino; fighting at sea not only required luck but also the clearest and most advantageous judgments in the gamble.
Dujam had dug the pit; it remained to be seen if those Venetians dared to jump into it.
He reached out and felt the wind direction; it was blowing from the sea towards the land, so now nothing was missing.
On the flagship of the Venetian fleet, Admiral Niccolo also observed the Austrian fleet's adjustments as they continuously approached the coast. "Damn it, they want to run! If they escape into the Port of Pula, it will be difficult to find another opportunity to destroy the Austrian fleet.
Send orders to Graziano, tell him to take his three sailboats, seize the windward position, and stop the Austrians for me!"
The Banner of Saint Mark fluttered in the wind, and the flag bearer quickly signaled to the several large sailboats next to the flagship.
Niccolo's subordinate, Graziano, immediately commanded his carrack and two other smaller sailboats to quickly sail towards the front of the Austrian fleet.
As for Niccolo himself, after feeling the favorable wind, he immediately ordered all warships and armed merchant ships to hoist their sails and row with all their might, advancing at full speed towards the Austrian fleet.
"All who shrink back or plunder recklessly will face trial and be hanged in the city square, scorned by all citizens.
If you wish to share in honor and spoils, then follow me to destroy the Austrian fleet!"
Niccolo's roar echoed over the sea. Before the fleet set off, he had already issued such orders to the captains of the requisitioned merchant ships, hoping to restrain the fleet.
However, even though he threatened them with the gallows, a significant number of merchant ships hesitated, neither advancing nor retreating.
Many of them had bought their ships with loans, and a merchant ship was far more expensive than a house or a carriage.
Therefore, they had to constantly travel between the Eastern trade routes to sustain their livelihoods and repay their loans.
The Republic's forced requisition of merchant ships had already caused strong dissatisfaction among these captains, even though the order was based on the Republic's traditions and laws.
The industry was already in a slump, and the Austrian Emperor repeatedly targeted Venice, making the captains' lives difficult enough.
Now, even the Republic was going to delay them from earning money and paying off debts.
A Venetian merchant ship captain stood at the bow, looking ahead, watching the first dozen warships spread their sails and charge at the Austrian fleet with explosive speed.
His own ship, though with sails unfurled, was at an incorrect angle, so its speed was significantly slower than those galleys, naturally falling behind.
"Captain, are we really not going to follow?"
The first mate asked the captain worriedly. What they were doing was no different from deserting in battle, and they might genuinely end up in court and be hanged.
"The Austrians don't have many fewer ships than us. Charging in now is no different from seeking death. Let's observe first."
The captain's furrowed brow immediately relaxed when he saw other merchant ships nearby that were also not charging.
For merchants who made their living from the sea, losing their ship was like losing their life, and if they were truly sunk in this naval battle, they would likely not survive.
Even if they miraculously escaped with their lives, the Republic would not reimburse their losses. If the ship was gone, the debt remained, which was no different from being dead.
If Admiral Niccolo could break through the Austrian formation, he would certainly be willing to follow and grab some spoils to alleviate his financial pressure.
His colleagues around him probably held the same idea; no one genuinely wanted to foolishly take the brunt of the first wave of firepower.
Soon, the Venetian fleet became disjointed, with only about forty armed merchant ships and various galleys following Niccolo's flagship to attack the Austrian fleet.
Seeing the enemy take the bait directly, Dujam also showed no mercy, immediately ordering the fleet to prepare for engagement.
The two leading main galleys, along with several light warships, immediately adjusted their course. The oarsmen, tempted by freedom, rowed with all their might, charging towards the Venetian sailboats that had come to intercept them.
On the four large carracks at the core of the fleet, the gunners were conducting final inspections of the newly equipped cannons.
These were medium bombards they had assembled in Ragusa before starting this voyage; three of them were equipped with 4 cannons, and one large Genoese carrack was equipped with 6 cannons.
These behemoths, capable of destroying city walls on land, were now brought to the sea. Iron chains firmly secured them to the deck, and their dark muzzles pointed directly at the ship's broadside.
However, before these incredibly powerful heavy cannons could unleash their might, the Venetian bow cannons roared first.
Fierce flashes of fire flickered on the sea, gunpowder smoke filled the air, and cannonballs, glowing red from the flames, flew towards the Austrian fleet with whistling sounds.
However, the few short-range cannons only splashed a few waves on the sea. One unlucky light galley was accidentally hit, immediately flooded with seawater, and quickly sank completely.
Nearby ships immediately approached to rescue the surviving crew, waiting for the Venetians to get closer.
Finally, the Austrian flagship, "Genoa," let out a deafening roar of cannons at the Admiral's command.
Three Genoese warships followed closely, firing their cannons. Heavy cannonballs cut through the air with piercing shrieks, fiercely smashing into the charging Venetian fleet.
One Venetian main warship had its deck pierced, killing several unfortunate oarsmen, and its charging momentum was momentarily halted. Two other warships had their masts broken, and their speed quickly slowed down.
Niccolo then noticed that many armed merchant ships were still observing the battle situation from behind, which infuriated him, causing him to curse loudly, but to no avail.
He commanded his flagship—a carrack weighing over eight hundred tons—to approach the four large carracks protected at the core by numerous light warships.
Three detested red cross flags, and the remaining prominent eagle flag, directly indicated which ship was the true Austrian flagship.
Niccolo immediately decided to execute a decapitation strike. If he could successfully capture the Austrian flagship, this makeshift fleet would surely collapse immediately, and those timid cowards behind would quickly come to help.
Two large galleys closely followed his flagship, charging towards the Austrian fleet's flagship, attempting to sandwich it and then engage in close-quarters combat and boarding.
Unfortunately, several main Austrian galleys that had already accelerated to arrive prevented their desperate attempt, holding back these attacking Venetian warships and preventing them from approaching the flagship.
The Venetian fleet's tactic of using the ramming prows of their galleys to flank the Austrian fleet ultimately failed.
Nearly a hundred warships crisscrossed on the sea, followed by a dense exchange of cannon fire, musket fire, and arrows.
The Austrian fleet was equipped with a far greater number of cannons of all sizes than the Venetian fleet, and the sailors were also equipped with matchlock muskets produced in the Graz arsenal, with superior firing efficiency and accuracy compared to the Venetians.
The sea was quickly covered by thick gunpowder smoke, and the two fleets engaged in a chaotic, brutal struggle.
Gunfire, the sound of ships colliding, and the roars and screams of sailors echoed on the calm sea.
The heavy cannons in the Austrian fleet also did not cease fire. With numerous light warships providing cover and main galleys acting as shields, the carracks fully demonstrated their significant firepower advantage.
Several slightly slower Venetian armed merchant ships attempting to join the melee were mostly hit; some had broken masts, and one was directly sunk.
Such terrifying firepower made the already slow-moving Venetian merchant ships even more timid; some even furled their sails and observed the battlefield from a distance.
On the tangled main galleys, Austrian and Venetian sailors fired muskets at each other. People were constantly hit and fell, their blood staining the decks.
Some Greek sailors on the Austrian side were equipped with Turkish bows, which they used to shoot rapidly at the enemy. However, the Ottoman archers on the Venetian ships had a faster rate of fire than them, so for a time, the firepower of both sides was evenly matched.
Before truly boarding and engaging in hand-to-hand combat, both sides continued this exchange of fire. Besides muskets and bows, they also threw stones and even javelins at each other.
The Venetians' combat effectiveness at sea was indeed undeniable. Several Austrian light warships that rashly charged into the Venetian formation were captured within a short time, and all the sailors and oarsmen on their decks were killed.
Just then, several armed merchant ships, dragging these newly captured Austrian warships as spoils, sailed away from the battlefield without looking back, completely disregarding the fate of the already disadvantaged Venetian fleet.
Dujam had by this time commanded his flagship to approach the Venetian flagship, which had charged alone into the Austrian formation. On the other side, another main Austrian ship also drew near.
After hooking the enemy ship with ropes, Austrian gunners first gave the opponent two point-blank heavy cannon bombardments, directly blasting a clear space on the Venetian flagship's deck, with nauseating scattered limbs and organs all around.
As the three ships continuously drew closer, the Austrian warships on both sides incessantly poured firepower onto the Venetians caught in the middle.
Although the Venetians attempted to retaliate, they were still suppressed by the dense long-range firepower, unable to raise their heads.
Austrian sailors then began boarding, engaging in brutal hand-to-hand combat with the Venetians.
Several Venetian warships attempting to rescue them were quickly surrounded by Austrian warships.
In contrast, those Venetian armed merchant ships lingering behind seemed to be getting further and further away from the battlefield, whether by illusion or not.
After a period of brutal fighting, the flagship of the Venetian escort fleet was finally captured. However, Austrian sailors searched all the bodies on board but did not find the Venetian naval admiral.
Among the remaining warships that had attacked the Austrian fleet, a dozen or so managed to escape.
With a loud bang and the sound of splintering wood, the last resisting Venetian main galley was struck by a hard ramming prow, creating a huge gash.
Seawater poured into the hull, and the warship began to list. Sailors and oarsmen jumped into the water, flailing their arms and loudly pleading for mercy from the surrounding Austrian warships. However, they were met with accurate volleys from Austrian sailors.
Crossbow bolts pierced bodies, and those who fell into the water slowly sank, leaving only a streak of crimson on the sea.
Seeing the Venetians retreating, many small boats began to patrol the battlefield, rescuing fallen comrades and shooting enemies who had lost the ability to fight back.
"The Venetians are defeated!"
The cheers of the Austrians echoed over the sea.
"Uncle, reinforcements have arrived."
Dujam watched the last few Venetian sailboats escape towards the northwest. At almost the same time, Ivan pointed behind the fleet, where the Naples and Ragusa fleets arrived belatedly.
After joining with the reinforcement fleet, Dujam immediately led his fleet at full speed towards the Port of Pula, arriving at the port the next day.
After the post-battle count, the Venetians had sunk one main Austrian galley and six light warships. Two other warships were captured by the Venetians and taken away from the battlefield.
The Venetian losses were much heavier: not only was their flagship captured, but only three of their six main galleys managed to escape.
The remaining two were sunk, and one was captured.
A total of seventeen other carracks, light warships, and armed merchant ships were sunk or captured.
Frankly, such losses were not very severe for the Venetians, but being defeated at sea by the Austrians was undoubtedly a great humiliation for them.
Afterward, many captains who had deserted in battle were held accountable, but only one person was sent to the gallows: Niccolo, the commander of the Venetian escort fleet, who had abandoned his flagship in the middle of the battle, transferred to another warship, and miraculously escaped with his life.
To quell public anger and stabilize morale, all blame was placed on this ambitious oligarch, who was subsequently executed for mismanagement.
Meanwhile, the fleet, laden with Austrian Guards soldiers, had already set sail from the Port of Pula, rapidly heading towards Cres Island.