Cardinal Richelieu watches a sea battle from the fortified docks of La Rochelle.
As in our world, in this epoch, the lines between church and state are blurred, and religious conflicts boil over into war between nations.
Wars between armies are fought with pole arms and muskets. The primitive guns of the age need to be massed to produce a shotgun like accuracy, while the other half of the army stands ready with pikes or halberds to keep an enemy from closing to melee range. Simply showing up with more soldiers is often the cornerstone of victory. Knowing this, both sides recruit as many men as possible, and battles are mass slaughters.
Variations of the same tactics use used in all places in the world. In this scene, a conflict between Russia and Persia.