Theoretically speaking, the dynasties of England, including the Tudors, have always existed and implemented two types of military service: first, the aristocratic military system of knightly service (the military commander of a county, that is, the county count, and the mercenary army); The second is the kingdom's militia.

The first was based on feudal land tenure (knightly tenure), in which the lord was obliged to the king. The second was the obligation of all freemen (from the nobility to the poorest of the poor, as well as some of the wealthier gentry and yoman) to bring their own weapons to defend the country and serve the king, according to the King's Law of Arms. Thus, the armies of the nobles and the militia assembled in the counties under the Law on Arms were, in principle, owned by the king and not provided by the nobles.

By the time of Henry VIII of the Tudor dynasty, the king and the royal family further suppressed the power of the aristocracy and strengthened the centralization of power. Although the nobility at this time was still allowed to hold large territories, they were forbidden to raise private armies. As a result, the power of the aristocracy was gradually declining, the power of the royal family was gradually rising, and the centralization of power was slowly beginning to take shape.

After the suppression of the rebellion in the north in 1536, the aristocracy was largely defeated, and Henry VIII further deprived the counties of judicial power and the administrative power to appoint officials, and suppressed the military power of the county counts. The appointment of magistrates, governors of the county magistrates, and other local officials was also forcibly transferred from the hands of the nobility to the hands of Henry VIII.

The Governor of the Peace, subordinate to the County Magistrate, is the Commander of the County Militia Army, which is called up under the Armed Forces. The county militia armies, i.e., the security forces, under the command of the county magistrate, protect the security of the county and the patrolling and arrest of the estates.

The militia was recruited from among the freedmen of the county, on the principle that soldiers were chosen by lot from among the commoners, and officers were selected from the squires who owned property. All militia members who are selected to serve in the lottery and those who are selected for officer service are full-time service, with an annual honorarium and a uniform (military uniform).

Under the militia system, the county security forces were obliged to serve only when the territory of the kingdom was violated. In other words, only when the kingdom is threatened with invasion can the king call up the security armies of the counties to resist the invading army.

According to the law, the king could not raise too many troops in peacetime (because the king had no money, as long as the parliament did not approve it). In wartime, militia can be conscripted to garrison the country, and mercenaries can be taxed with the consent of parliament (if mercenaries are retained for a long time, they become the king's standing army).

It should be noted that the noble soldiers and militia had to defend the motherland, that is, to participate in the war, but they did not have the obligation to fight overseas. Therefore, Henry VIII's expedition to France at this time had to rely on mercenaries. However, the nobility, as local leaders, could also "volunteer" in order to be rewarded with titles, land, gold, silver, and jewelry. And hired poor people from the territory to form mercenaries to go on overseas expeditions, and then "sold" the army to the king in exchange for payment.

To sum up, King James V of Scotland at this time gathered troops on the western frontier, but never invaded England A series of actions was not an invasion in the eyes of Henry VIII. These frontier matters could be handled entirely by Sir Thomas Wharton, the knight of the county under the command of the Earl II of Cumberland, who governed the western frontier.

And because under the direct influence of the expedition to France, a major overseas military operation, the security army under the command of the governor of the counties has never received the king's decree to summon him, and naturally he has no obligation to serve the king. Therefore, some of what Henry VIII said to his illegitimate son, the Duke of Richmond, is indeed true.

It seems that it was Sir Thomas, the chief of the Western Border Guard, to recruit hundreds of men to strengthen the border defenses at this time. And the actions of Isabel and her family, as well as some acquaintances, are purely personal.

In any case, the Scottish army never invaded the kingdom, and the security forces of the northern counties never went to the border to fulfill their duty to fight for Henry VIII. However, the fact that the Scottish army does not invade now does not mean that it will not invade in the future. More than two months later, the Scottish army that invaded the kingdom woke up all the English. Unfortunately, it was too late to wait until after the invasion to recruit the security forces of the counties to the border against the Scots.

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More than a dozen people, more than a dozen sturdy war horses, the sound of clattering horses' hooves streaked across the sharp sky. On the road to Carlisle Castle on the western border, a dozen or so young men dressed in full three-quarter armor, armed with light cavalry guns, carrying handguards, swords, battle axes, or armor-piercing cones, and an archer dressed in infantry half-armor and wearing a silver mask galloped without saying a word.

After a day and night of rapid marching, the dozen or so men arrived in the town of Carlisle, south of the western frontier in Cumberland, on the morning of 29 September. At this moment, the team had slowly walked to the vicinity of a hard road paved with small gravel leading to the castle.

Wearing a helmet with visor on his head, William Parr rode slowly to Isabel's left on horseback. Through a two-finger-wide gap between the top of the visor and the brim of the helmet, you can look at a magnificent stone building in the front left.

It was a castle built on a huge mound with heavy stone walls and towering watchtowers. It was built in 1093 by William II, the son of William the Conqueror, on the foundations of a Roman castle. After the construction was completed, William II named it Carlisle Castle.

Carlisle Castle was built to secure the western frontier of England and the threat of invasion from Scotland. It was not until the unification of England and Scotland in 1603 that the castle fulfilled its major military mission to protect the border between England and Scotland.

William Parr pointed to the castle and said to Isabel beside him, "Your Excellency, we have arrived at Carlisle Castle. ”

"Well, I see the castle." Isabel, wearing a humanoid silver mask, nodded. However, when she saw the castle, she also noticed a phenomenon. On the grass on both sides of the road leading to the castle, dozens of domed tents are densely packed.

The procession stopped as it slowly crossed the road and came to a stone bridge over the moat outside the castle. Two halberders guarding the city gate stopped the team with their halberds. One of the younger halberds was intrigued by the swallowtail spear flag that hung from the tips of the light cavalry spears of the two flag guards.

After glancing at the two different noble coats of arms on the two spear flags, he looked at the team with puzzled eyes, "You... Who? ”

The Flag Bearer said loudly from Fast through the visor lined with 42 breathable holes, "Sergeant, we are not Highlanders. ”