Chapter 99 of 100

Chapter 99

17 min read4,228 words

A cry of "ah" got stuck in Saya's throat. Fortunately, she was sitting on a horse, and the soldiers were only focused on marching forward, so only a few people, including Lin Yifan, noticed.

Tox Island Sae was relatively reserved and didn't laugh out loud, but Nan Liangxiang beside her burst into laughter.

Saya, embarrassed, lay on the horse, wishing she could bury her head in the ground.

This tsundere girl, from the moment he caught her, every time she acted tsundere, something embarrassing would happen. He didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

After helping the tsundere onto the horse, Lin Yifan finally mounted his own. To be honest, Lin Yifan wasn't very good at horseback riding. He had learned a bit for a scene where he fell off a horse, but he could only give simple commands to the horse.

He couldn't do something like riding and slashing like Tox Island Sae.

After all, not everyone could get used to fighting on horseback. Without training, they had no combat ability, which was why cavalry was so valuable in ancient times.

And in this era, the dragoons, also known as mounted infantry, would ride to their destination and then dismount to fight, similar to modern rapid response forces.

So, it wasn't as simple as riding a horse and knowing a bit of basic horsemanship to become a cavalryman.

Nan Liangxiang, like Lin Yifan, was also very awkward at controlling the horse. However, Tox Island Sae and the tsundere Saya, both from wealthy families, handled the horses with ease.

When Lin Yifan led his small army to the outskirts of Charleston, they saw a large open area with a military camp from a distance, divided into four zones by several main roads.

The outer perimeter of the camp was surrounded by simple wooden fences, with smoke rising from the chimneys. Infantry squads patrolled the roads, and occasionally, you could see mounted cycle riders dashing through.

Behind this vast military camp, the small coastal town of Charleston was visible, surrounded by two rivers. To the east was the outlet to the North Atlantic.

The port was filled with numerous trading ships. Even from a distance with a telescope, the rows of sailing ships in the port were quite impressive.

At the same time, several warships were on guard outside the port, flying the Royal Navy flag with the St. George's Cross.

The St. George's Cross, the red cross representing England on the flag of the United Kingdom.

As they approached the camp, Tox Island Sae and the others covered their faces to avoid being noticed by the cycle riders.

When Lin Yifan and his army arrived at the camp, an officer on horseback galloped over: "New cycle rider? Follow me, I'll show you and your men to your camp."

Lin Yifan nodded and followed the officer into the main road of the camp area.

The officer slowed down and, keeping pace with Lin Yifan, said, "Fellow comrades, we are the Steel Front cycle riders. Welcome to our ranks."

Lin Yifan nodded in acknowledgment. These Steel Front people really liked using the phrase "fellow comrades."

"Two-thirds of the British army are our comrades, and the rest are like you."

Lin Yifan just smiled without speaking. The remaining cycle riders could only come here.

From the information obtained from Natalia, the Steel Front had lost a lot of elite members in the last large-scale group battle, even the regional steward was killed!

Now they were short of manpower and had brought everyone they could. On the other hand, the Arbiters were overflowing with people, only bringing in their elites, with completely different configurations.

"By the way, this is your first cycle, right? Let me introduce you, comrade." The officer called him a comrade, which was quite friendly.

"Thank you, I'm still a bit confused."

The officer nodded and pointed to Charleston: "In this mode, it's all about money and people. Basically, except for the initial infantry, you won't get any reinforcements if your men die, unless you recruit some stragglers into your team."

The Steel Front cycle rider glanced at the cannon fodder behind Lin Yifan. They looked like they had been defeated on the front lines and were dirty and disheveled.

"Oh? How so?" He was curious about how the money competition worked.

"It's about buying. The previous robbery mission gave you a lot of money, right? Fifty thousand can buy a regular colonial soldier unit, about 120 men, including supplies and equipment."

Lin Yifan was somewhat shocked. Fifty thousand for such a small number of people? No wonder it was so costly.

In the recent battle, thousands of people were mobilized, and the combined forces of both sides were nearly ten thousand. How much money must have been spent?

And one volley of musket fire could kill a hundred or so people, and the money burned even faster.

Seeing Lin Yifan's shock, the Steel Front member chuckled, "Don't worry, comrade. We have plenty of money, but we lack manpower. A cycle rider can lead no more than 500 men, which puts us at a disadvantage.

If you need money, you can take a loan from our group, or join us. We'll provide you with a free infantry unit to command, as long as you follow our orders."

Lin Yifan just smiled and didn't easily agree. He still had 390,000 left after buying horses and other things, so he didn't need to borrow money from them, and he didn't want to take orders from them.

But in this group battle with restrictions, it was indeed tough. Having money but no people, or having no money to buy good line infantry, was a real problem. The Steel Front's recruitment and loans were a good way to benefit both sides.

However, these groups were incredibly wealthy, thanks to their scams, frauds, and the fees paid by their members.

Lin Yifan's money, on the other hand, didn't last long. His income was very low, with only 50 coins per day per low-risk prisoner in the prison.

Lin Yifan had been in the cycle for a long time, but only one day had passed in the Infinite City. The daily income of over 2,000 was pitiful.

He needed to find a way to squeeze some profit out of the prisoners, making them do something instead of just eating instant noodles all day.

As they talked, the officer led Lin Yifan to a campsite.

"This is the area for independent teams. Choose an empty spot and set up camp. Also, no conflicts between teams. We are comrades, so don't cause chaos within our ranks." The Steel Front member said sternly.

"Understood, I'll be careful."

"Good luck, comrade." The officer turned and left the independent camp.

Lin Yifan looked around. Many people had gone out, and only a few stragglers were left in the camp to rest.

He led his men to an unmarked empty spot and had the soldiers set up camp.

Lin Yifan dismounted and went to Saya's side: "Get down, change your pants in the tent, and then come with me to establish our position."

This time, Saya didn't dare to be stubborn. She covered her torn pants and was easily lifted off the horse by Lin Yifan.

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