There are many islands and lands that need to be forcibly occupied, and there are many gold and silver treasures that need to be plundered, and the invasion, occupation and plunder plans that need to be formulated are divided into two parts: the Spanish plan and the Portuguese plan. In a large number of two-part plans, Isabel identified the island of São Tomé, the center of the slave trade in the Gulf of Guinea, as the first urgent priority.

The plan she had drawn up to occupy the western part of the Spanish island and establish a stronghold was so tempting that she almost abandoned the Portuguese plan for the sake of the Spanish plan. However, several issues stumped her, however, about the costing, manpower, and materials for establishing the base, as well as the selection of paramilitary personnel suitable for long-term presence in the base. After thinking about it carefully, she still planned to solve the problem of funding for the establishment of the base first.

When she tasted the unexpected benefits of plundering Portuguese merchant ships, she was no longer willing to buy a large number of black slaves from the island of São Tomé through legal merchant means and means. The most direct and least cost-effective way to buy goods is looting. The Portuguese relied on pirate raiding methods to sell and enslave black Africans, so as the embodiment of justice and justice, she should take this wealth from the hands of the Portuguese.

With the clear sky, the vast smoke of the Atlantic Ocean, and the place where the sea meets the sky, Captain Isabel Walton, who was sitting on the captain's lookout, suddenly turned to look at the maritime lieutenant on the left side, "Baldwin, how many Spanish arquebuses and gunpowder are we have looted from the Portuguese merchant ships, and where are they now?" ”

Baldwin immediately stepped forward, stood on her left side and bowed slightly, and replied softly, "Captain, in accordance with your orders, I gave Captain Hawkins and the other two captains some guns and gunpowder, and now there are six guns and several different barrels of gunpowder stored in the arsenal. ”

"Well, let Fast, who oversees the arsenal, send someone to bring the guns and gunpowder to the open deck."

"Captain, you want to try?"

Isabel didn't bother to use an arquebus at all, she just had other purposes. Holding his glass, he glanced at the serious adjutant who was standing on the left, and smiled lightly, "No, I want you old fellows from the north to learn how to use muskets. ”

Baldwin's expression didn't change, but his eyes became bright, and he hurriedly agreed, "Yes, Captain." ”

Soon, Fast and the five Duke's guards walked out of the staircase leading from the middle of the open deck to the lower deck with arquebuses, arquebuses, gunpowder (for both the guns and the fire doors), projectiles, and fork brackets. The six guards not only carried a full set of arquebus equipment, but also hung trapezoidal iron-edged pots for inducing medicine, and leather boxes for leaded projectiles; White vials of propellant (one shot per bottle).

"Alright, Fast, you stand in a line with the others." Adjutant Baldwin, the adjutant of the sea, told several of his colleagues to stand near the port side of the open deck, and then immediately walked under the aft lookout. Looking up at Isabelle, who was standing near the fence on the side of the stairs of the lookout, "Captain, Fast, they are already waiting for your orders. ”

"Good." Isabel spoke calmly, and walked towards the stairs with her hands on her hips.

Six heavily armed musketeers appeared on board, and boatswain Brady Hawkins, who was on the open deck, surrounded curiously with a dozen sailors and craftsmen who had nothing to do for the time being. Isabel led the captain John Hawkins and the Spanish navigator slowly down the stairs.

At this time, she was like a naval fleet commander inspecting the officers and men of the navy, with her hands crossed on her waist and examining the six musketeers standing in a row from left to right. When she walked up to Fast who was standing in front of the team, she looked at the unsmiling opponent with a smile on her face, "Fast, do you want to learn how to use an arquebus?" ”

Standing with his head held high, holding the arquebus barrel in his left hand and the handle in his right hand, Fast blinked in thought before reporting aloud, "Captain, I don't want to learn to use an arquebus. ”

Unexpectedly, his words drew laughter from the onlookers, and even the two people standing behind Isabel couldn't help but laugh lightly. Isabel shook her head while laughing, looking to the left and right of the musketeers, "Guys, stop laughing. ”

After speaking, he still looked at Fast with a somewhat solemn expression, "Really?" Tell me, why. ”

At this time, Fast's mind was full of what the Portuguese sailors had been firing yesterday with their guns. Without thinking about it, he blurted out, "Captain, this musket has to do a lot of preparation before firing, and it must be supported by a bracket to fire a projectile. Perhaps, when the enemy rushed in front of my eyes with a sword in hand, I would not have been able to let this gun fire. ”

"Well, that's an indisputable fact. However, this Spanish arquebus could shoot through a knight's armor at a distance of 100 yards (about 91.4 meters) and kill a knight or horse at a distance of 500 yards (about 457.2 meters) after firing. Isabel turned her face to the left and glanced at the Spanish navigator, "Mr. Avigliana, do you think I'm right?" ”

The navigator Kasiano hurriedly looked at her seriously and nodded, "Yes, Captain, the lead projectiles fired by the Imperial-made Mushkert arquebuses are very powerful enough to pierce any kind of knight's armor. ”

"Very well, sir." Isabel spoke, then looked at the duke's guard, who was armed with an arquebus, "Fast, if the enemy rushes in front of you, you are ready to shoot. Guess who dies first, you or the enemy in knightly armor? ”

"Captain, of course it's an enemy in armor." Fast laughed, and his silly appearance drew a burst of laughter from the onlookers.

"Good. Now you and the others start practicing how to use the arquebus. Isabel nodded, ready to turn away.

"Yes, Captain. However, I and others don't use it at all. ”

"Don't worry, the Spanish navigator will teach you."

"Captain, I... I'm just a navigator, not a musketeer. Kasiano hurriedly argued for himself.

Isabel turned to Cassiano, "Sir, have you ever seen a Spanish musketeer using an arquebus?" ”

Kasiano didn't argue any further, but replied truthfully, "Yes, captain, I saw it." ”

"Now that you've seen it, I think you must know something." Isabel tilted her head to look at the other party, then slowly walked to the port side fence and turned to the navigator and said, "So, you better do my orders." ”

"Captain, I may not remember any of the operations." Kasiano knew that he couldn't hide, so he could only reluctantly agree.