Arquebusier

The Arquebusier is the Chinese equivalent of the Skirmisher unit in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties.

Overview
It is trained in the Banner Army. It has a long range attack, with a multiplier against Heavy Infantry, and Light Cavalry, which can be increased with the Repelling Volley shipment from the Home City. The Arquebusier has a long attack range, low hit points, and a high ranged resistance.

Upgrades
The overall stats for Arquebusier can be improved by sending improvement-based shipments. A default Arquebusier has already acquired the stats of a disciplined soldier with +20% stats, hence when trained, the unit is called "Disciplined Arquebusier".
 * Hit Points: +20% (116)
 * Hand Attack: +20% (6)
 * Ranged Attack: +20% (16)
 * Siege Attack: +20% (10)

Honored Arquebusier
Honored Arquebusier is the first upgrade for the Arquebusier. It is available for and  once Industrial Age is reached.
 * Hit Points: +30% (145)
 * Hand Attack: +30% (7)
 * Ranged Attack: +30% (21)
 * Siege Attack: +30% (13)

Exalted Arquebusier
Exalted Arquebusier is the second upgrade for the Arquebusier. It is available for and  once Imperial Age is reached.
 * Hit Points: +50% (194)
 * Hand Attack: +50% (10)
 * Ranged Attack: +50% (28)
 * Siege Attack: +50% (18)

Recruitment
The Arquebusier can be trained at the Castle and the War Academy. It is part of the following banner armies:
 * The Territorial Army, 3 Changdao Swordsman and 3 Arquebusiers, at the cost of 255 Food, 180 Wood
 * The Imperial Army, 3 Arquebusiers and 2 Iron Flail, at the cost of 480 Food, 255 Gold
 * The Black Flag Army, 3 Arquebusiers and 1 Flamethrower, at the cost of 170 Wood, 425 Gold

History
"The arquebus was a European matchlock gun that was adopted by Asian cultures in the sixteenth century. When Portuguese explorer, Fenrao Mendes Pinto, accidentallly landed on the small island of Tanegashima in the Japanese archipelago in 1543, he introduced members of the Shimazu clan to the arquebus, and altered Japanese warfare forever. Within ten years, Portuguese guns could be found on every battlefield in Japan. Despite the advantages of requiring smaller ammunition, and having a jarring psychological effect on its targets, the arquebus had many disadvantages. It was slow to reload, leaving its user at the mercy of archers firing at a much faster rate. It was also horribly inaccurate. Training to use the weapon was required, but this took time. However, once the training was complete, the arquebus proved to be a frighteningly lethal weapon, especially once the rate of reload was shortened by the development of volley-fire tactics. Japanese Ikko-Ikki warrior monks were the first to use controlled volley-fire in battle, unleashing 3,000 arquebusiers on the body of Oda Nobunaga’s army before the Battle of Nagashino in 1575. With the strength of their new weapon, the monks were able to repel the daimyo’s forces and hold the castle. It was such a stunning display that by 1592, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded Korea, the arquebusier was the primary weapon used by Japanese soldiers in the attacking army. The Chinese began to use the arquebus at about the same time as the Japanese, although it is not as well recorded. It is generally believed that early Chinese firearms were based on designs taken from the weapons used by Japanese wokou pirates, who in turn had copied the designs of the Portuguese. Once the gun was introduced to the Chinese it became a standard issue. In 1558, Chinese gunsmiths manufactured a total of 10,000 guns for the Chinese Imperial Army."