Musketeer

Musketeer
Weapons	Rapier/Main Gauche, Wheellock Pistol, Flintlock Musket, Grenade
Origin	Kingdom of France
Activities	King's personal guard
Service	1622-1776
Battle Status	Won vs. Ming Warrior
Experts	Xavier Declie (French Combat Historian) Luke Lafontaine (Sword Master)

"So everybody was afraid of the Musketeer. They were the elite bodyguards of the king of France."
-Xavier Declie, French Combat Historian

Musketeers, the king's ruthless personal guard and fierce defenders of France's borders;

vs. the Ming Warrior, the merciless 14th Century weapons innovators who launched China's greatest dynasty.

Stats

• 1622 - 1776
• Height - 5' 9"
• Weight - 160 lbs
• Armor - Steel Cuirass

History

In 1622, Louis XIII formed the Musketeers of the Guard as his personal bodyguards. In 1776, due to the collapsing economy, King Louis XVI disbanded the faction. In 1814, Napoleon revived the Musketeers in an attempt to save his collapsing Empire. In 1816, the fall of Napoleon re-disbanded the Musketeers.

Weapons

Close-Range	Rapier and Main Gauche 195
Mid-Range	Wheellock Pistol 178
Long-Range	Flintlock Musket 275
Special Weapon	Grenade 26

Armor

The French Musketeers wore a steel cuirass which effectively protected their torso. While it was much lighter compared to plate armor, it left rest of the body undefended giving it a disadvantage. They also wore their signature cape and hat.

Simulated battle

Ming Warriors

Musketeers

The battle starts with a band of five Musketeers making their way through a forest. Up ahead, four Ming Warriors emerge from er aims his Flintlock Musket at the head Ming Warrior. Just as the Ming Warrior makes his battle cry, the Musketeer shoots and kills him.

The Musketeers then advance towards their enemy, with the one struck in the leg struggling to keep up. One of the Ming Warriors readies his 3-Barrel Pole Gun and fires at the Musketeers. One gets hit and knocked to the ground, but survives due to his armor stopping the projectile. The Ming Warrior prepares to fire another shot, but a Musketeer shoots him with the musket before he gets a chance. He falls over and rolls down the hill. The Musketeer shot by the Pole Gun is assisted in getting back onto his feet, only to be shot in the head by another Ming Warrior's Pole Gun. The Ming Warrior then retreats further back. A Musketeer sticks a bayonet onto his Flintlock Musket and walks up to the injured Ming Soldier. The Musketeer steps on him and jams the bayonet into him, killing him.

The Musketeers regroup and continue to run after the three remaining Ming Warriors. The Ming Warrior that killed the first Muskeeter desperately tries to escape, passing by the sword stuck in the ground. As the Musketeers chase him down, the injured one takes notice of the sword. Thinking that it would be of use later, he hobbles up to the sword and pulls it out. The land mine goes off and kills the Musketeer. The others see his bloody body and briefly mourn him before advancing toward the Ming Warriors. The Ming Warrior running from the Musketeers fires his Pole Gun again and kills a Musketeer. Another tries to shoot him with his Musket, but misses. The Ming Warrior hides behind a rock and desperately tries to reload his weapon. The two remaining Musketeers hear him as they approach the rock. One pulls out his Grenade while the other lights it with his match. The Musketeer hurls the Grenade over the rock, which blows up and kills the Ming Warrior.

As the Musketeers look at his dead body while passing by, another Ming Warrior jumps out with his Dao sword and kills one of them with a strike to the neck. The head Musketeer tries to fire his Wheellock Pistol, but it winds up jamming. He throws it aside and pulls out his Rapier. The Ming Warrior tries to attack the Musketeer, but is shoved aside. The Ming Warrior tries again, but the Musketeer parries and stabs him in the stomach. The Ming Warrior falls to the ground and dies.

The Musketeer hears a yell and turns around, only to find the head Ming Warrior standing on a cliff above him and also armed with a Dao. The Musketeer climbs up and engages the Ming Warrior in a sword fight. Eventually, the two fighters lock swords. The Musketeer uses this moment of opportunity to pull out his Main Gauche. He closes in and stabs the Ming Warrior in the stomach with the Main Gauche. He pulls it out and allows the Ming Warrior to fall to his death. The Musketeer raises his sword and yells out "Vive le Roi!" (Long live the King).

Expert's opinion

According to the experts, the most decisive factor in the Musketeers' victory was their armor, as it prevented their opponents from harming their vital spots. Since this fight focused more in long-range gunsmanship, the fact that the Ming armor offered little to no protection against the Musketeers' guns while the Musketeers' armor was almost impervious to the Ming weaponry ultimately decided the battle.

Trivia

• Musketeers of the Guard disbanded quickly after the end of the Napoleonic Wars due to changes in government and technology.
• The design of French Musketeers changed about every 50-70 years. The one in the show uses the design of the early 1700s.
• As the new Musketeers were defeating the then primitive Knights durring the early 1500s and 1600s, the Musketeers were seen as dishonorable against chivalrous Knights for being able to kill them at a distance with no skill. However the performance of the Musket in warfare soon made Musketeers popular and Knights extinct.
• The Musketeers of the Guard were formed under Louis XIII. Ironically, Louis XIII is in the Three Musketeers stories and is depicted as a corrupt king.
• The word 'Musketeer' can refer to any warrior using a musket. The Ming Warriors are technically Musketeers, so are other warriors using muskets like Conquistadors, Streltsy and Pirates

Gallery