The darkness of the night shrouded the sea, and everything was so deep and quiet. Just listen to the waves lapping against the hull of the ship from time to time, so that the armed merchant ship sailing alone on the sea makes a certain rhythmic "squeak... Chirping... Squeak...".

Captain Hawkins, from the southern port town of Plymouth, took the ship Nemesis in the hands of the armed merchant ship "Nemesis" and quietly entered the Forth River after sailing for about five hours. At night, Adjutant John Hawkins, the adjutant of maritime affairs, seemed to see a monstrous castle standing on a jutting piece of land on the south bank of the River Forth River.

Subsequently, John immediately reported the discovery to his father, who was the captain of the ship and the commander of the sneak attack squad, Mrs. Isabel. Lady Isabel summoned Captain Hawkins and the Low Scots interpreter to the captain's cabin, intending to discuss the next steps with the interpreter's attendant, Ralph Earle, and the captain.

Captain Hawkins, in the glow of the oil lamp, repeatedly looked at the simple maps on the table, "Madame, judging from the map, this castle must be Scots... Blakeness Castle? ”

Ralph, the squire who was also standing on the side of the map, carefully read the map, and then smiled softly and said to Isabel, "Madame, the captain is right. I remember that some Scots from the city of Edinburgh had inadvertently mentioned the castle and said that the castle and much of the surrounding land were probably the property of the Crown. ”

In fact, Blakeness Castle was already a county jail and the residence of Sir George Crichton in 1449. By 1453, on his deathbed, Sir handed over the castle and the nearby area of Blackness to King James II of Scotland. However, James, the eldest son of Sir Knight, who was unable to inherit his father's inheritance, took over the castle and briefly used it against the king.

A few months later, the castle was recaptured by the king after being besieged by royal troops. Subsequently, Blackness Castle and the nearby Blackness area became a stronghold for the Scottish Crown. While the castle continued to serve as a prison, the county governor of Linlithgow served as its caretaker. Currently, only 10 knights and 30 sergeants who are effectively loyal to the royal family are responsible for guarding the prison.

With her arms folded over her chest, Isabel stood at the captain's desk and stared at the small black dot on the map that represented the castle. Nodding his head, he whispered, "Royal property?!" Jail?! ”

Thinking about it, he turned to look at the clocks that were all over the cupboard, and saw that the only hand pointed to exactly 12 o'clock. Then, he turned his head and glanced at the two of them, "It's 0 o'clock in the morning of September 1, and it's probably more than 6 hours before dawn." I would say that it is time to go ashore immediately. ”

Captain Hawkins stood up straight and looked at her for a moment, then hesitated, "Ma'am, you mean to occupy this castle?" Or come ashore nearby? ”

"Occupy this castle and make it our first fort in Scotland."

"But, ma'am, we know nothing of the castle at the moment. What if there were still Scotsman troops stationed in the castle? ”

When Isabel turned around and walked to the door of the captain's cabin, she sneered and threw down a sentence, "Army? Captain, I think you can try a few shots. ”

The calm Captain Hawkins smiled a little helplessly, "Yes, ma'am. ”

Under the command of Captain Hawkins, the Nemesis left the established course and slowly sailed towards the castle on the south shore. At this time, the gunners on the merchant ships were also ready to open fire. However, the artillerymen waited a long time and did not wait for the order to fire. The gunners waiting on the artillery deck, you look at me, I look at you, shrugged and pouted, no one knew what the senior crew members on the open deck were doing at the moment.

As the armed merchant ship aimed its two wrought-iron swing guns at the bow of the ship, which was isolated on a narrow stretch of land, several men standing at the bow stared silently at the castle in the darkness. Isabel whispered to Captain Hawkins beside her, "Captain, I don't see many sergeants guarding the castle, and now I'm ready to dock. ”

Soon, the Nemesis turned at sea and sailed towards a bay east of Blakeness Castle. Based on his previous sailing experience, Captain Hawkins decisively let the ship drop anchor when the merchant ship was about to enter the shallow waters of the bay, and the gunners on the gun deck were given new orders. However, instead of letting them open fire, they were asked to guard the coast with seven bronze front-loading guns on the starboard side.

Adjutant John, the adjutant of the sea, stood on the starboard side and observed the shore about a mile away from him, and after a while, a look of surprise appeared on his face. Hurriedly said to the commander of the sneak attack team beside him, "Madam, there are many forests on the coast. ”

Isabel also saw a long forest-like curtain wall standing up from west to east along the coastline, which she knew would give her team a good chance to land. Not only can you successfully land, but you will also be able to hide your whereabouts. Nodding, he turned his head to look at the boatswain behind him, "Brady, get ready for the ferry to start landing." ”

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After the three ferries had brought the members of the raid team and all their weapons and supplies to shore, Isabel instructed the boatswain who was piloting one of the ferries, "Brady, when you get back, let the captain sail the boat away from Scotland immediately." ”

The boatswain hurriedly agreed, and suddenly asked in confusion, "Madame, you haven't told me when we will pick you and your team aboard." ”

Isabel is also thinking about it, but it is not yet mature. Glancing at Brady, he nodded, "Well, let the captain come here and pick us up in three days." If we don't come, we'll have to wait a week at most. ”

After the boatswain and the ferry departed, Isabel and her team hid in the ancient forests along the coastline. After finding a suitable meadow for camping, Isabel asked everyone to sit down to eat something and drink some wine to replenish their strength. When Baldwin handed Isabel a brown water bag, he asked, "Your Excellency, what are we going to do now?" ”

Because Blakeness Castle was less than a mile northwest of this ancient forest, Isabel decided to take it immediately tonight. After drinking some ale, he thought about it and said, "Wait a minute, let the brothers prepare their weapons and prepare to occupy Blakeness Castle." ”

When Fast on the side heard her order, he smiled and said, "Your Excellency, is there a lot of treasure in this castle?" ”