The young drummer flicks both wrists and begins to strike the single-sided snare drum, which originated in the 13th century, with two small drum sticks in his hands. As the drummer struck the drum with the double mallets at the tip of the stick, there was a penetrating and expressive sound, and the clear and crisp sound of the drum resounded through the sky above Sherif Hatton Castle.

The Duke of Richmond nodded to the beat while listening to the rhythmic snare drums. Suddenly, he looked at the female privy counsellor beside him and whispered, "Isabel, this drum beat made me sound the Edinburgh War two months ago. ”

The single downbeat rhythm of the drum produces a vivid music that represents the march of the entire phalanx. Isabel silently felt the beat of the snare drum (snare drum) that shook her heart, and the tragic scene of her brother Sir Ernest fearlessly rushing to Edinburgh Castle and his younger brother dying on the western border between Britain and the Soviet Union seemed to be in front of her.

Looking at the back of the phalanx of musketeers who kept walking north, Isabel nodded, "Me too. ”

Suddenly, the stirring drum stopped abruptly. The phalanx stopped in unison, about 110 steps (about 328.1 feet, or 100 meters) to the north of the clearing, about 110 steps (about 328.1 feet, or 100 meters) from the two of them. According to the well-established military theory of the Spaniards, the lead projectile fired by the arquebus at this distance was so powerful that it could penetrate the armor of any knight.

"Henry, let's go to the phalanx, they're ready for live firing." Isabel unhurriedly urged the Duke of Richmond to leave her position.

"Well, okay. Eh, are they ready to shoot into the woods? The Duke of Richmond asked as he walked.

Isabel pointed to the row of forest-like curtain walls to the south behind her, "Henry, I've set up a row of shooting targets there. ”

The Duke of Richmond turned his head to look at it, and couldn't help but smile and shook his head, "Isabel, you actually put a cuirass on the target?!" ”

As the two of them were about to reach the periphery of the left side of the phalanx, Isabel nodded, "Actually, I originally wanted to put plate armor on the target. But, I'm guessing you'd be stingy with it. ”

"God, you can call me stingy?? Isabel, I'll let people take it at once... How many plates do you need? ”

"Fifteen." Isabel's eyes looked at the phalanx leader who had run to the center of the phalanx, and whispered, "Henry, be quiet. ”

At this moment, Peter, the leader of the phalanx, who was wearing a cuirass and a sword with a handguard hanging from his waist, stood behind the phalanx and shouted, "All turn back!" ”

After the musketeers who formed the phalanx collectively turned around and faced the target to the south, the phalanx leader shouted again, "The front two rows are ready to shoot!" Target, cuirass target! ”

I saw 30 musketeers in the first two rows holding forks in their right hands kneeling on one leg on the ground, placing the forks in their hands on the ground, and holding the arquebuses leaning on their left shoulders in their left hands. Take a long stretch of rope from your body, blow one end of the rope and hold the other end with your left hand.

Then, 30 musketeers quickly fastened the fire rope that blew one end to the arquebus clamp and exchanged the guns for the right hand. Quickly pick up the fork from the ground with your left hand and stand up straight while placing the arquebus in your right hand on the fork you hold in your left hand.

At this time, the Duke of Richmond seemed to want to say something, and Isabel hurriedly whispered, "Henry, the arquebus burns quickly, and the musketeers must finish their first shot before the arquebus runs out." ”

The Duke of Richmond nodded with his hands behind his back, watching intently as the musketeers operated. At this time, the 30 musketeers tilted the fork back slightly, the arquebus balanced on the fork, and took a step forward with his left foot. With both feet in a lunge and the butt against the right side of the chest, the trigger was pulled and aimed at the cuirass target directly in front of him. Because all the musketeers had pre-loaded the primers, pellets, and propellants needed for the first shot, the Duke of Richmond saw only the second half of the operation before the shot.

The leader of the phalanx, who was standing on the periphery of the left side of the phalanx with the small drummer, saw that the musketeers in the first three rows were ready to shoot, and immediately shouted: "Close your eyes...... Fire!! ”

"Woo ......!" 30 arquebuses fired almost at the same time, firing 30 projectiles at the cuirass target within range at the same time.

After the shooting was completed, thick smoke of gunpowder rose around the bodies of the musketeers and above their heads, only to hear the phalanx commander shout again: "Stand back and reload!" ”

After that, the first two rows of musketeers retreated one after the other to the back of the phalanx along the gap between the platoons and began to reload the second shot. At this moment, the 30 guards in the middle two rows immediately changed from the two rows of musketeers in the front of the line. After the musketeers had completed the same pre-firing preparations, the 30 arquebuses in their hands fired another volley: "Woo ......! ”

Next, the 30 musketeers sequentially carried out the preparation of the backward reload. The last two musketeers stood in front of the line after completing their preparations, and fired another volley: "Woo ......!"

The effect of firing three salleys of 30 arquebuses in a row seemed to Sir William Ingleby, who did not quite understand what arquebuses were, to hear three loud noises, and inevitably produced a psychological fear that he had never experienced before. As several of the valets held the horses for him and his two flag-bearers, William looked at the valet with uneasy eyes and asked, "What's going on?" This is... Cannonade? ”

"No, sir, it's the gunfire of an arquebus."

"Arquebus?"

"Yes, sir. At this time, His Highness and His Excellency were at the back of the castle watching the arquebus firing. ”

Sir William waited for the horses to be quiet, and immediately jumped off his horse. As he looked towards the south side of the castle, he commanded the manservant, "Take me to your highness." ”

"Bang bang... The Duke of Richmond had a deep smile on his face, stretched out his hands and slapped it a few times. While clapping his hands, he stared closely at the musketeers phalanx who had finished shooting, and said to Isabel beside him with great excitement, "This is great! I believe that the musketeers of the Spaniards also shot like this. ”

Isabelle, who was holding her hands behind her back, smiled and said nothing, but looked at the phalanx leader, "Peter, let them rest in place and clean up the gunpowder residue in the ignition hole and the primer pot." ”

As the musketeers began to clean up, Isabel led the Duke of Richmond to the southern cuirass target, pointed to one of the targets at the very end, and said, "Henry, look at the bullet holes in the cuirassy." ”

The Duke of Richmond stepped forward, put his face in front of the target and carefully looked at the countless black holes on it, nodded and smiled, "I think, I can try it with plate armor." ”

"Henry, will you let the musketeers shoot with expensive plate armor?"

"Of course, uh, can you fix the broken plate armor?"