Long Live Money in Anime Crossover

Cao Yuanming didn't know how all of this happened, but if there really was an invisible hand manipulating everything behind the scenes, and everything that happened today was within that person's expectations...

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Cao Yuanming's forehead.

Am I being too arrogant?

Logically speaking, he wasn't arrogant; in fact, one could say he was quite cautious.

After all, Luoyang had 30,000 troops, and he himself brought 150,000 troops. Right now, his more than 100,000 troops were stationed in a temporary camp that stretched for three kilometers. Such a huge force was absolutely foolproof in dealing with Luoyang.

Moreover, he didn't hold back this time either, bringing tanks, planes, armored vehicles, and even his most treasured mobile Sakura Stone power plant. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he played all his trump cards.

But why, after making so many efforts and preparations, has he ended up in such an awkward situation, even feeling that his current predicament is dangerous?

Cao Yuanming didn't understand, but his soldier's intuition and the mind of a ruthless leader made him sense the impending danger.

This is not Cao Yuanming's fault. Sometimes wars rely on hard power and quantity. However, when the mode of warfare changes, and when the gap in combat technology and weaponry becomes too large, quantity cannot make up for the gap in quality.

Quantity can only compensate for a limited gap in quality. The simplest example is that, in the face of the fat man and little boy from America in Momo's previous life, what use would it be for Japan to have so many young soldiers willing to die for the Emperor?

Currently, Mo Mo's weapons and equipment are comparable to Cao Yuanming's, or even slightly inferior. However, the battle between Mo Mo and Cao Yuanming is the first information war in the world to take place.

Faced with Momo's information warfare, the world's defenses in the information domain were practically nonexistent, allowing Momo to instantly conquer and occupy the entire information-level Chinese empire.

Without information support, Cao Yuanming's army was instantly dragged back to the level of decades ago. Under such circumstances, facing Mo Mo's fully information-based armed force, where each squad could understand the battlefield situation at any time and act under the unified command of the headquarters, it was like a blind man attacking a normal person. It would be a miracle if they could win.

Even now, Cao Yuanming still cannot fully comprehend everything about information warfare. Although his soldier's instincts made him feel threatened, there is not much he can do now, at least not much he can do before dawn.

"Pass on the order!"

The officers around Cao Yuanming, whose minds had been shaken by the terrifying explosion, were startled by what they heard. However, they quickly stood at attention, as if they had found their pillar of support, and awaited Cao Yuanming's orders.

As long as our leaders remain calm and decisive, that's good!

"Everyone move out and form a circular defensive formation, with tanks and armored vehicles on the outside. At the same time, all mechanical equipment should be activated and kept on standby."

Upon hearing the order, everyone was stunned. They could understand the earlier change in the garrison formation, since the current formation was loose. However, the next order, which put all the mechanical equipment into standby mode, was something they couldn't comprehend.

"General!"

An officer who appeared to be a staff officer said, "Our troops have been traveling all day, and their battery power has dropped to about half. The logistics units' battery reserves are completely depleted. Half the battery power is barely enough to support a single battle, and if we keep them running, it will continue to drain the battery!"

"If the devices are left running overnight, they will have even less battery power by dawn, wouldn't that be even more dangerous?"

The advisor's words filled Cao Yuanming with irritation; this was their current predicament—they were out of power.

However, only the logistical supply system was completely without power; theoretically, the power supply should have been restored long ago. The soldiers will then receive power from the logistical system for cooking, resting, and so on.

However, the weapons and equipment still had some power remaining, according to marching regulations. Weapons and equipment should generally be kept at more than half capacity to prepare for emergencies. This remaining power, along with the small amount of spare batteries, should not be used under any circumstances, even if it meant letting the soldiers go hungry and eat cold food.

Cao Yuanming had previously adhered to this ironclad rule and set an example himself, but now his order was to break it.

"Do as I say, that's an order! Also, take out the spare aircraft batteries and use them to give all the soldiers a rest, to ensure everyone's current mental state. No disobedience is allowed!"

Cao Yuanming had put his words to this point, and everyone vaguely understood that Cao Yuanming was worried that a battle would break out.

If the people of Luoyang really launch a surprise attack, they're now like meat on someone else's chopping block. If they can't even hold out tonight, what's the point of tomorrow?

Their subconscious thought was, "The people in Luoyang can't see at night either, so how could they possibly launch a sneak attack?"

But they immediately realized that the earth-shaking explosion was still fresh in their minds. The explosion couldn't have happened out of thin air, and there were no large factory facilities in that direction or distance that could have exploded.

Upon closer reflection, the problem likely lies with their logistics team.

Thinking of this, their hearts sank. Who attacked and destroyed their logistics team? Need I say more?

"As ordered!"

One by one, the generals left Cao Yuanming's side with their own thoughts, returning to their troops to reorganize the army, change formations, and also take out the spare batteries from the aircraft, making them available to the soldiers for rest and preparation.

The military camp, which had become somewhat gloomy due to the explosion, immediately became much more lively as the lights came on. Soon, the cooks were also busy, turning on the electricity and setting up the pots to cook. The soldiers, who had eaten quite a few compressed biscuits, smiled as they watched the large pots gradually rise.

However, the soldiers were ignorant. They naturally did not know the cause of the explosion, but they would not think about it. Even if they did, they could not make a reasonable guess, and they could not even judge the specific scale of the explosion.

Compared to the soldiers, the officers who were organizing the tanks and armored vehicles to adjust their formations all realized what they were about to do.

This is defense.

Defend against potential enemies.

Is the enemy... coming?

Fortunately, the officers' radios allowed them to communicate with each other within a few kilometers. In about an hour, the originally scattered rectangular camp was transformed into a circular defensive formation with tanks and armored vehicles on the outer perimeter and Cao Yuanming's command center at the innermost part.

The headlights of the tanks and armored vehicles were kept at a minimum brightness and were not turned off, ready to attack at any time.

"General, please have some too!"

A guard carrying a tray with four dishes and a soup came to Cao Yuanming's command post. Cao Yuanming frowned, instinctively wanting to refuse, but the cold compressed biscuits he had eaten a few hours earlier were no longer effective, so he nodded and sat down at an empty table.

The guard grinned, quickly placed the tray on the table, and then took out a cup to pour water for Cao Yuanming.

However, when he placed the cup on the table, Cao Yuanming stopped him, because Cao Yuanming was surprised to find that the cup was trembling slightly.

If his troops were still in the process of being mobilized, then this would not be surprising. However, his troops had just been mobilized not long ago. He can't even hear the vibration of an armored vehicle anymore!

But... why is the cup still vibrating? What is making the cup vibrate?

There is only one answer: large-scale mechanical equipment operation!

"General?"

Upon discovering this, Cao Yuanming could no longer sit still. He immediately rushed out of the command post, boarded the command vehicle next to him, and stood on high ground to look out.

The staff officer, who was eating a hot meal outside the command post, saw this and hurriedly followed Cao Yuanming, not even having time to swallow what was in his mouth. Together they looked into the distance.

And so, everyone witnessed a scene they would never forget.

That was a ray of light.

A beam of light, as sharp as a sword, pierced the sky. The light seemed to move with mechanical movements, slashing and annihilating all unseen enemies in the dark sky.

However, this was not the end. Soon, two, three, four... countless beams of light followed that beam of light and appeared from behind a steep slope. Hundreds and thousands of countless light swords pierced the sky, as if they had illuminated the sky in an instant.

Each beam of light was followed by a mechanical device whose nature was unclear and unpredictable. Thousands of these machines roared together, creating a deafening sound that reached the ears of everyone from afar.

what is that?

Nobody knows.

But seeing that independent beam of light stepping forward, everyone's hearts were in their throats.

Could it be thousands of tanks and armored vehicles?

Even Cao Yuanming was only in this many numbers!

Could this be... the entire main force of Luoyang?

"Prepare for war!"

Cao Yuanming's eyes turned red instantly, and he roared.

Author's Note:

This is the first update. There will be two more updates before midnight, and one more after midnight, for a total of four updates today.

110 The broadest patriotic united front

"stop!"

At Artoria's command, the first to stop was the one who gave the order.

Although the roar of motorcycles filled the air behind her, her orders could be transmitted to every captain-level figure via a neural link device. After more than a month of training, Artoria, using modern training methods and the neural link device, had essentially made this elite group obey orders without question.

A thousand people isn't actually a lot; a small playground could easily accommodate them. However, the sight of a thousand people and a thousand motorcycles, with a thousand headlights illuminating the darkness, is truly spectacular.

Artoria didn't speak, but instead pressed the neural link device to listen to the scouts' report. In fact, Artoria's scouts had already taken advantage of the darkness to sneak up to a spot not far from Cao Yuanming's troops, occupying a slightly higher position and observing their movements.

"You mean, less than an hour ago, they suddenly started breaking camp and reorganizing their formation, turning into what we see now?"

Artoria frowned and asked the scout again for confirmation. After receiving an affirmative answer, she nodded.

"General, how is the situation?"

The vice-captain of this thousand-man squad was Hong Gu, who was currently serving as Artoria's second-in-command. He approached Artoria and asked what had happened.

"This unit is elite."

Artoria relayed the news she had just received to Hong Gu, who couldn't help but marvel. To be able to complete such a formation adjustment in just one hour, this unit's discipline, obedience, and mobilization capabilities were probably no less than their own Zhu Jin Army.

Artoria was equally surprised by this, but she was prepared.

In the original work, Cao Yuanming was also an ambitious person, and the Liaodong Military Region army was quite powerful.

Although Cao Yuanming's support for the Sawazaki puppet Japanese government's attack on Kyushu became a farce to highlight the two main characters, Lelouch and Suzaku, the map in the original work shows that the Northeast Military Region's territory had actually expanded compared to 2010, by the time the story began in 2017.

The Liaodong Military Region not only recaptured a portion of Siberian territory, but also seized the Northern Territories, which originally belonged to the EU but were later occupied by Britannia, from Britannia.

Although this is related to Britannia's disdain for the Northern Territories, which lack Sakura Stone resources, and its reluctance to go to war with the Chinese Empire over the Northern Territories, the fact that the Liaodong Military Region was able to seize land from Britannia demonstrates its strength.

Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why Cao Yuanming's Northeast Army was an elite force.

"General, please give the order. What should we do? Should we give these traitors a head-on blow?"

Artoria's voice turned serious as she said, "Honggu, carefully recall the combat experience I gave you before. The enemy boasts an army of 150,000, with all their machinery and the last bit of electricity."

"And on our side, we're just a motorized unit, armed with Panzerfaust RPGs, which are merely light weapons. Their accurate firing range is only 300 meters. How do you plan to fight against enemy tanks and armored vehicles?"

Hong Gu blushed and said, "Well... didn't we just have that Divine Dragon Cannon? Right now, the enemy is in a dense formation. If we fire one shot, they'll suffer heavy casualties. Next, we can take advantage of the chaos to kill more enemy soldiers, and they'll definitely suffer heavy casualties too!"

As he spoke, Hong Gu tugged at his beard, becoming quite excited, but he noticed that Artoria was shaking her head slightly.

"General, did I say something wrong? Please enlighten me."

Artoria said, "No, you're right. If we want to dismantle this force, now that we have the Dragon Cannon you mentioned, it's definitely no problem."

"But Hong Gu, don't forget one thing: we are fighting a civil war now. Moreover, our goal is not just to defend Luoyang, but to liberate all of China and revitalize China!"

Hong Gu was taken aback and said, "General, what do you mean..."

"With just 30,000 men, we can win a well-prepared defensive battle in Luoyang. So how do you think we, with 30,000 men, can penetrate into all parts of the country, take control of the local areas, and even go beyond China to reclaim what originally belonged to China?"

Hong Gu was completely stunned. Although he had become a captain, he was still an ordinary soldier. He was loyal to the emperor, loved his country, and wanted to serve the nation. However, he found it difficult to consider matters concerning the future, especially national strategy.

"Does the general intend to persuade them to surrender? But they are Cao Yuanming's men, loyal to the Cao family. None of them are loyal to the emperor. Such people are not worth mourning!"

Artoria shook her head and said, "It's true that they are disloyal to the emperor, but they are not necessarily all loyal to the Cao family. They can betray the emperor, and they can betray Cao Yuanming as well. What we need is an army that can be used for fighting, not a person who is completely loyal."