Long Live Money in Anime Crossover

Gao Hai glanced at Mo Mo. "Cooperate with Mo Mo?"

His relationship with Momo... at most involves some shady dealings; cooperation is out of the question. If it weren't for the overall instability, it would be good enough if they didn't sabotage each other.

However, Gao Hai does indeed need to cooperate with Mo Mo right now, because it is clear that he cannot handle the upcoming war alone.

Upon hearing that 300,000 troops had been amassed in the local area, Gao Hai was stunned for thirty seconds, then jumped up and down and cursed for thirty minutes.

He couldn't understand what had gotten into the local authorities. Mobilizing 300,000 troops was an enormous undertaking, requiring immense manpower, resources, and finances. Clearly, the central government couldn't possibly withstand it. What were they trying to do? Did they really intend to change the dynasty of the Chinese Empire?

However, in the Chinese Empire, which lasted for 1,800 years, the change of dynasties was almost unimaginable.

Knowing he was no match for Gao Hai, he even considered fleeing. If it weren't for his reluctance to give up his position as prime minister, and the fact that the local authorities certainly wouldn't tolerate a eunuch prime minister like him, he might have even surrendered.

For the sake of China?

He really doesn't have that kind of mind for now...

Therefore, Gao Hai immediately went to the palace to discuss with the emperor whether or not to fight, whether or not it was better not to fight, let alone the question of good or bad.

Unfortunately, Gao Hai received a result that left him in despair, because Mo Mo and the old emperor were of one mind and resolute in their opinion: they had to fight, they couldn't not fight, they had to fight no matter what, and they had to fight to the very end.

Who's gone mad?

Which has gone mad, the local or the central government?

I think they've all gone completely insane!

The whole world has gone mad because of this guy named Momo!

Gao Hai didn't understand, he really didn't understand. The Imperial Guards under his command of seven divisions had been reorganized and could basically exert their original combat power without any problem.

But could a mere 20,000-strong army defend Luoyang against 300,000 equally highly mechanized armed forces in modern times?

This is modern warfare, not an ancient battlefield. What good are city walls?

Even the strongest city walls are no match for a barrage of bombs from tanks and planes.

If so, then two waves.

If the local authorities are well-prepared, logistical support will certainly not be a problem. On the contrary, if the local authorities are unwilling to take action, as long as Luoyang is completely besieged, it will not be long before Luoyang surrenders obediently.

Under these conditions, how should we fight?

I, Gao Hai, know nothing about military affairs, but don't treat me like an idiot and drag me along to go crazy and die with you!

"Your Majesty, Lord Mo, things have come to this point, and I think it's no use for me to say we shouldn't start a war so easily. War is imminent."

"However, all I want is a definite answer: how should this battle be fought, and what should I and the troops under my command do?"

"I don't understand!"

Actually, what Gao Hai wanted to say was, "I'm not convinced!"

You want to go and die? Fine, I, Gao Hai, have only been prime minister for a month, and I haven't had my fill yet!

If you can't win, why insist on fighting? Isn't that just suicide?

However, neither Momo nor the Emperor noticed the change in Gao Hai's expression. The Emperor waved his hand and said, "Gao Hai, you should hold back for now and conserve your strength. Momo's special reaction force is ready to go; just observe their actions for now."

"Also, Momo, I imagine you won't just sit idly by before the regular war begins; you'll definitely do something, right?"

Momo, who was standing to the side, finally broke free from his stone statue state and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I am ready. However, it is not the right time yet; we must wait a little longer."

"Wait, wait some more, how long will we have to wait!"

In Gao Hai's view, Mo Mo was nothing more than a desperate attempt to feign malice and retaliate.

"It won't be long before they set off and begin their operation, and it will be difficult for them to turn back."

"Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll scare them away."

Author's Note:

Second update

096 Next, My War

Seemingly startled by Mo Mo's boastful tone, Gao Hai looked shocked, while the old emperor also seemed to have been intrigued by Mo Mo.

The relationship between the old emperor and Mo Mo is somewhat strange. On the surface, it seems to be a pure and unconditional trust, but Mo Mo knows that the old emperor is actually being forced onto a narrow path and being led by Mo Mo.

Therefore, even though the emperor often didn't know what Mo Mo was planning to do, he wouldn't ask any more questions once Mo Mo revealed his plans, because he couldn't refute or interfere with Mo Mo's decisions.

This time, even the old emperor couldn't imagine what Mo Mo would do. He looked at Mo Mo curiously, hoping to get an answer from him.

Encouraged by the Emperor's attitude, Gao Hai boldly questioned Mo Mo, saying, "What methods do you have? Are you still going to keep them a secret? Mo Mo, if you're really just playing tricks to drive us crazy, then don't blame me for turning ruthless!"

"No problem, Lord Gao, you don't need to get angry. Anyway, you're ruthless by nature. Ruthless prisoner, ruthless prisoner, that's probably what they're talking about, right?"

Gao Hai's eyelids twitched, knowing that Mo Mo was mocking him, but he really didn't understand what Mo Mo meant by those words.

If you're still worried, I can explain it to you now.

After saying that, Mo Mo took out his wallet and pulled out a hundred-yuan bill with the emperor's portrait printed on it.

The old emperor in the portrait is still very young. This is a banknote that was reprinted nationwide when the old emperor turned thirty.

"Money? Paper money? Or... the means of using money?"

The curious old emperor couldn't help but ask, "Since Mo Mo has taken out money, it means that all of this must be related to money. But in the current situation, what can money do?"

Money is a good thing. The poorer people are, the greater the true meaning of money becomes. But for the rich, powerful, and even influential, such as the emperor or the high-ranking members of powerful families and warlords, money has little meaning.

"Mo Mo, don't tell me you're planning to bribe them with money. Do you think they're fools? You'd probably get shot dead before you even get close to their position with the money, wouldn't you?"

“You are overthinking it, Lord Gao. Although many vulgar people can be bribed, I think Cao Yuanming, who is attacking us this time, is an exception.”

Gao Hai paused, realizing that Mo Mo was referring to him.

Vulgar? Disgusting...

You're so elegant and have such a refined taste!

"It's not hard for us to guess Cao Yuanming's thoughts. He has his eyes on the emperor's position. Although he will probably still do what his ancestors did and sideline His Majesty the emperor, becoming a mere prime minister, it has already become incredibly attractive to him."

"In this state, let alone bribing him, even if His Majesty were to throw all the wealth accumulated by the royal family at him, he probably wouldn't even smell it and would still chase after Your Majesty and tear him apart."

The old emperor nodded and said, "His wolfish ambitions are common knowledge now. Continue, Mo Mo, I want to know what good methods you have."

Mo Mo smiled slightly and said, "Therefore, the money I receive is not something as vulgar as bribery. Rather, it is to borrow the power of money and the power of Your Majesty."

"My power?"

The old emperor was slightly taken aback and said, "What power do I still have? I have already handed over military and political power to the two of you... Are you planning to ask me for money? Although the royal family still has a lot of reserves, Luoyang has now started a planned wartime system under your arrangement. The army's consumption is directly allocated through material allocation, so we shouldn't need money, right?"

"Just because you don't need money in Luoyang doesn't mean you won't need it elsewhere." Gao Hai said sarcastically, "Mo Mo, you're not planning to borrow money from the Emperor and then leave Luoyang to spend it somewhere else, are you?"

"Gao Hai."

The Emperor gave a soft rebuke. Gao Hai's words were tantamount to a veiled attack, far too direct.

"Ahem, I know I was wrong, Lord Mo, please don't be angry. I just spoke my mind."

"It's alright, it's alright. To be honest, Lord Gao probably doesn't know about my wealth. Even without the salary His Majesty the Emperor gives me, I'm not short of money."

Mo Mo shook the banknotes in his hand and said, "What I need to use, besides the power of money itself, is even more so the power of Your Majesty the Emperor. There's no doubt about it, it is indeed your power. You yourself just used this power, didn't you?"

"My power... the power I just used?"

The old emperor frowned in thought, then suddenly his eyes lit up, as if he had understood.

"Are you referring to me... no, to the prestige of the title 'Son of Heaven' throughout the 1,800-year history of the Chinese Empire?"

"Correct, the emperor's prestige."

Gao Hai, who was standing to the side, seemed to understand what Mo Mo was about to say and said, "You don't mean you're still thinking of inciting people's hearts, do you expect the people in various places to rise up in rebellion? Although 300,000 troops have been mobilized in the local areas, these 300,000 troops are only those that can be mobilized for their own use and will not hurt the local areas at all."

"If a place doesn't have enough troops left to protect its homeland, let alone a popular uprising, even if a regular army were parachuted in, it certainly wouldn't be able to take down any powerful warlord family."

Gao Hai's words made the old emperor nod in agreement. He didn't understand what Mo Mo was trying to do, even though he knew that Mo Mo relied on the emperor's prestige.

"Lord Gao, you are overthinking it. The emperor's prestige is not just for bewitching people, nor is it merely reflected in word-of-mouth and spiritual support from the common people."

"There is something that operates under the halo of the emperor's authority from beginning to end, but no one in the world is aware of it."

"Lord Gao, you didn't realize it, His Majesty the Emperor didn't realize it, and neither did any of the powerful families, warlords, or even the entire Chinese Empire."

"Everyone just did it naturally, and no one thought about why they had to do it this way, or what would be wrong if they didn't."

Mo Mo smiled confidently and shook the banknotes in his hand again. The banknotes were printed with the image of the old emperor's surrender. The emperor, who had just turned thirty, still had a confident and determined look in his eyes.

Money... and more money.

What exactly is Mo Mo saying?

Gao Hai was completely confused, but having known Mo Mo for so long, even though he knew that Mo Mo had repeatedly made wild claims and acted erratically, he was certain of one thing: unless Mo Mo was an enemy of him, Mo Mo would not lie to him about such matters.

Right now, Gao Hai is only finding fault with Mo Mo because he's used to playing the bad cop around Mo Mo. In reality, he doesn't believe that Mo Mo would really be helpless or even run away with the money.

However, Gao Hai really couldn't understand what Mo Mo was going to do. He could only frown and pretend to be profound, otherwise, his inability to keep up with the pace would be too embarrassing.

"Money...banknotes...paper money..."

The old emperor muttered to himself, pondering the hints given by Mo Mo. He looked at his own portrait on the banknote, his thoughts drifting away from the present and tracing the history of the banknote's issuance.

Suddenly, he thought of something.

"I saw this while browsing the Royal Daily Records. When paper money was first issued, although wealthy families and merchants applauded it, the common people did not accept it. Compared to a light piece of paper, gold, silver and copper coins were more trustworthy."

"The entire court is pondering countermeasures. The issuance of paper money is imminent; otherwise, gold, silver, copper, and iron coins will become a major obstacle restricting the further development of the entire Chinese Empire."

"At that time, the chief eunuch who was close to the emperor made a suggestion, which was to have the emperor act as guarantor. The people of the world trusted the emperor, so let the emperor act as guarantor of the paper money to ensure its usability."

The old emperor's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and he said, "Therefore, the new banknotes were printed with the emperor's portrait, and the printing of the banknotes was all moved to Luoyang, so that all the banknotes in the world were produced in Luoyang."

"The first 100,000 banknotes were even signed by the emperor himself on each one. After that, these 100,000 banknotes were circulated throughout the country and used by officials at all levels to promote the banknotes to the people."

"With this two-pronged approach—one guaranteeing the emperor's approval and the other ensuring that all paper money was produced by the royal family—the doubts of the people were barely dispelled, and paper money gradually began to circulate, eventually completely replacing gold, silver, copper, and iron."

After speaking, the old emperor looked at Mo Mo and said, "Mo Mo, I understand what you are trying to say. The emperor's prestige is tied to paper money. The fact that the people are still using paper money means that they still trust the prestige of me as the emperor, and trust the prestige of the Chinese Empire for 1,800 years."

"You still want to use my authority to get things done, but this time, you're going to tamper with the banknotes. Can you tell me exactly what you're going to do?"

Mo Mo smiled slightly, and gently tore the banknote in half with both hands.

"It's actually very simple..."