Sailing west from the waters off the Cape Verde Islands took about four weeks to reach Spain, Spain's first colony in the Americas. During the long voyage at sea, Isabel found a dangerous but effective way to pass the time.

In addition to herself, the priest, the ship's doctor, and the two navigators, the entire crew of the Nemesis armed merchant ship had to be trained daily in the handling of the arquebus, and even the cooks, blacksmiths, carpenters, seamers, and divers had to master the loading of the arquebus.

Crew members who could not read and write English were given oral training by other crew members, and those who could read and write were given a copy of the arquebus operating rules copied by the priest. With only six arquebuses on board, Isabel had Navigator John Hawkins borrow a dozen more guns from her father's three merchant ships.

Day after day of boring operational training, the entire crew dreamed that they were loading the arquebus. Finally, by two weeks, more than 30 part-time musketeers had mastered the loading and firing of Spanish heavy arquebuses.

At this time, the well-developed "Spanish phalanx" column combat concept was still on the agenda. This does not mean that Isabel Walton, a naval officer, became interested in Army operational thinking. The reason why the crew was allowed to conduct a column combat drill was entirely to prepare for the Spanish plan in the future.

The Spanish plan was to build an English military fortress or pirate stronghold in the western no-man's land of the Spanish island. The successful establishment of this fortress was bound to attract the attention of the Spanish colonists in the east. In the event of an armed clashes, the English pirates defending the fort could use arquebuses and column tactics to resist the Spanish forces attacking the fort.

Isabel did not believe what the navigator Cassiano Avigliana had "hearsay" about, namely the operational tactics of the Spanish musketeers. She intended to start with the simplest three-stage arquebus tactics and gradually develop into the famous Spanish phalanx of spearmen and musketeers.

The early musketeers were only a supplement to the fire of the spear phalanx, and the use of three-stage arquebus tactics of 3 or 4 platoons was sufficient. However, under the guidance of the tactical thinking of the three-stage attack, the continuous density of firepower is very weak. In order to strengthen the continuity of fire, the musketeers had to fight with a thickness of 6 to 10 platoons.

Relying on backward shooting and rigorous training, the arquebuses in the hands of the musketeers can continuously output firepower, causing a huge shock. Of course, at some point, in order to instantly increase the density and explosiveness of fire, it is possible to merge 6 or 9 platoons of musketeers into three platoons. The first row squats, the second half squats, the third row stands, and at the same time shoots.

Obviously, the firepower of the early three-stage strike tactics simply reached the firepower of multiple rows of rounds or special three-rows. In the 17th and 18th centuries, when flintlock muskets and bayonets were popularized, the three-stage strike tactic rose to another level with the advent of the famous Anglo-Dutch firing tactic.

Under the influence of the tactical thinking of the Spanish phalanx column and the establishment of fortified forces, Isabel decided to purchase a large number of arquebuses, primers and propellants when the fleet arrived at the port of Santo Domingo on the Spanish island. After two weeks of training in column-style combat tactics, the crew also went to the waters outside the mouth of the Osama River outside Santo Domingo, a deep-water port on the island of Spain.

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"Boatswain, I've seen land." The sailors on duty at the mainmast observation deck, leaning against the edge of the observation deck, put their hands to their mouths and made a trumpet shape, and yelled at Brady Hawkins, who was standing on the open deck.

At this time, a strong wind blew from the vast Caribbean Sea to the south, blowing the "Nemesis" and three other armed merchant ships on the sea. Brady was about to ask another question about the sailors when a sudden blow blew him to starboard, which was constantly sloping towards the sea.

"Got it." Brady screamed and grabbed a few of the ship's cables near the starboard fence to keep himself from being blown into the sea by the sea breeze.

When the sea breeze had subsided, Brady hurried under the mainmast to ask the observing sailors again. Then, with an ecstatic smile on his face, he strode to the stairs in front of the captain's lookout in the stern.

"Boom... Boom... Boom..."Brady's feet stepped the wooden stairs and ran up the lookout, and came to the captain's cabin behind the stern, standing in front of the hatch with a blushing face and a heartbeat. Bang... "Bah" knocked on the hatch three more times.

"Come in...!" Isabel crouched on the deck and looked up at the hatch as she picked up items that had fallen on the deck.

"Captain, we're about to arrive on the Spanish Island." Brady pushed the door open and shouted to himself as he walked in excitedly.

"It's already here?!" Isabel crouched on the deck next to her desk and muttered.

When Brady saw the female captain squatting on the deck, he suddenly remembered that he had not given a courtesy greeting to the special female captain when he came in. Hurriedly stood three or four steps away from Isabel and bowed, "Good day, captain." ”

"Well, what time is it?" Isabel looked at each other as she held the object in her hand.

Brady hurriedly looked to the left side of the cabin, glanced at the French clockwork fixed to the cupboard a few times, and hurriedly said, "Captain, it's almost ten o'clock." ”

At this moment, Isabel stood up, placed her belongings and papers on her desk, and looked at the boatswain, "Well, let the navigator and the artillery commander come to me." ”

John Hawkins and Fast were also overjoyed by the imminent arrival of the fleet, and came to the captain's cabin. Isabel leaned against the porthole and blew the sea breeze, turning to look at the two of them, "John, you go and check the food and materials that need to be replenished, and resupply them as soon as you get to shore." Also, look for places that sell arms. ”

John looked at her with some curiosity, "Captain, do you want to buy some more gunpowder and projectiles?" ”

"Well, not only to buy a lot of gunpowder, arquebuses and projectiles, but also to buy another 60 Mushkert arquebuses and fork holders."

"Yes, Captain. However, it seems that there is not enough money to buy arms. ”

Isabel pulled open a drawer and pulled out a smaller canvas money bag, threw it on the table and glanced at him, "There's some gold here, take it to buy arms." Be careful, don't let people rob you. ”

John, who had come into contact with gold for the first time in his life, stared at the small cloth bag with his eyes intended. Carefully picking it up, he said, "Captain, I will definitely buy the arms back." ”