Chapter 422.2: Military Exercise

He had never heard of those.

Seeing his reaction, Chu Guang immediately adopted a serious expression.

"That won't do! Dinars are the Army's money, how can we use the enemy's money when trading?!"

"But..." Kariman was about to explain, when Chu Guang continued, "As for silver coins, don't worry, one ton of grain at our trade station can be exchanged for about 500 silver coins. Fruits are slightly more expensive, especially sugar-producing sugarcane. If you don't have any, we can lend you a couple of hundred million to start with, or you can pay with agricultural products, minerals, and equivalent Lion Coins from your side."

Kariman quickly calculated. A ton of grain for 500 silver coins... If a tank cost 1.5 million, that would mean they only needed to trade 3,000 tons of grains for a single tank!

That was incredibly worth it!

Even without considering the food production of pre-war agricultural facilities, conservatively estimated, the agricultural products from 6,000 acres of farmland could be traded for a tank, and the products from 4,000 acres could exchanged for a cannon.

The deal was way too good to pass up!

The Lion Kingdom had tens of millions of acres of farmland, and the last thing they lacked was food!

Watching Kariman, who was secretly pleased, Chu Guang also revealed a smile of satisfaction.

In fact, the price of military equipment wasn't just something he thought up on a whim, but was based on a comprehensive calculation of costs and the scarcity of goods.

Taking the World War 2 era prices as a reference, the ratio of a T34 tank to a ton of wheat was about 1:2500, although there were cases post-war where 10 Dollars could exchange for a tank's worth of farmland...

His 1:3000 ratio was very considerate, even without a discount, it was a reasonable price!

Huh?

Selling a tractor-modified tank for the same price as an exoframe was too much?

Nonsense! That didn’t mean that tanks were cheap... It just meant that exoframes were too damn cheap! Time to raise the prices!

After all, he was selling to his own players, and the players who could buy exoframes were the most loyal knights of the New Alliance. Even if he sold it to them cheaper, he was essentially moving money from one pocket to another.

If he was going to sell it to others... Don’t bother mentioning a million silver coins. Chu Guang wouldn’t even entertain the thought of selling one of 100 million!

And it was different for the Cannon 155s.

As long as there was a need, electricity, mining, and their production facilities could keep up, Goblin Technology could produce two of them a day! Increasing the production line was no difficulty at all.

Industrial goods were always cheaper the more they produced. Chu Guang was willing to sell them cheaply to allies, in exchange for the resources needed by the New Alliance.

As for arming them so strongly it would weaken the New Alliance’s regional influence...

They had to be joking.

They might be able to hold on against external threats, fighting with their lives on the line to ensure their home was safe, but actively engaging in war with enemies... Fuck, they were completely useless when it came to that.

Don't talk about Cannon 155s, even giving them several exoframes wouldn't work.

Otherwise, why wouldn't the Enterprise bypass the New Alliance and cooperate directly with the Lion Kingdom?

Were they concerned about the distance and the cost?

Obviously not.

Although generous, that doesn't mean the Enterprise was foolish.

Even when picking allies, they have to pick someone promising. Otherwise, all they would be doing would be sending aid with no result to show for it.

...

The exercise ended.

From the start of the attack to the end, the First Corps completely captured the position in just 5 minutes.

However, it was just an exercise. It wasn’t a real battlefield

On a real battlefield, their opponents wouldn't be wooden stakes stuck in trenches that couldn't move or fight back.

Their opponents would use heavy machine guns to sweep the tracks and tires of the tanks, bury mines in front of the trenches, use anti-tank rocket launchers without a care for their cost to counterattack, and stop the armored troops from advancing... They might even resort to unconventional methods they've never seen before.

Once the charging tanks broke down midway, they'd just be sitting targets.

To survive on the battlefield, they had to charge faster!

The coordination between different branches of the military had to be more seamless!

Now, they started with an artillery bombarding followed by a tank charge. In the future, they would also need to practice charging with a moving barrage, charging under the cover of air support, and covering their infantry as they moved...

From the sky to the ground... Only if everyone united could they have a chance to defeat an enemy far stronger than themselves.

As the army eventually gathered in the plaza, Chu Guang led a group of officers from the viewing stand to the main podium.

Standing in front of the military personnel, Chu Guang, clad in his exoframe, turned on his loudspeaker and began.

"... Everyone, you performed well today. From the spirited look in your eyes, I can see your precious courage and loyalty, as well as the determination to win."

"You are the pillars of the New Alliance, the future of the Alliance, and the future of all human civilization. The responsibility on your shoulders is as heavy as the distant mountains, so you must not be complacent, nor slack off."

"... The sweat you shed today is so you will bleed less tomorrow!"

"I hope you continue to strive for excellence! Continue to move forward and end the Wasteland Era!”

In the plaza, the military personnel stood at attention, their right fists planted firmly against their chests.

"Loyalty!"

The uniform shout echoed across the vast plains, splitting the heavens.

"Loyalty!"

Responding to their determination, Chu Guang slowly nodded, crisply returning a military salute.

Under the gaze of the soldiers and officers, who looked at him with reverence, even worship, he ceded the position to speak to the nearby corps commander and casually walked off the training field.

The performance reviews of the various units' exercises would be conducted by New Alliance officers at all levels.

Those who had been through numerous battles knew better than anyone how their subordinates should improve.

It was better than any theoretical discussion.

As for Chu Guang, the administrator of the New Alliance, besides meeting their logistical needs, he only had two tasks.

That was to maintain his prestige in the military, and ensure the loyalty and morale of the troops.

The future marshal of the New Alliance might just be among those soldiers in the plaza.

They were the people of the wasteland. They only had one life. They couldn’t survive on courage alone, they also need faith.

As for managing their relationship... Unlike managing a player community, it was a completely different approach.

Chu Guang, who originally wasn't very good at those things, found himself getting better at doing so.

Following behind Chu Guang, Kariman was pondering whether to first place an order for 100 tanks to test if they were good, or to buy 200 at once to build an armored battalion of 1,000 men before rushing straight into confrontation with the Army's dogs.

Just as he was about to speak, Chu Guang suddenly stopped. He tapped his helmet with a finger.

Kariman paused slightly. "What's up, Mr. Administrator?"

"Just a moment, taking a call." Casually replying, Chu Guang closed the visor, his gaze focused on the holographic window displayed inside the helmet.

The call request came from Falling Leaf City, and it was Ma Ban who was calling him.

There was no hesitation on the line. As soon as the communication connected, Ma Ban spoke with a serious expression. "Sir Administrator, a group of people has arrived from the direction of the Sunset Province, claiming to be from the Honey Badger Kingdom."

Honey Badger Kingdom?

Chu Guang had heard of them before.

One of the five major kingdoms of the desert, located near Falcon Kingdom in Oasis No.2, the Honey Badger Kingdom was based in Oasis No.3, spanning about 50,000 square kilometers.

The area of Sunset Province was ridiculously large, and so were its artificial oases.

Even though Oasis No.3 was relatively small, it was almost the size of half of Zhejiang Province on Earth.

According to rumors from merchant convoys, the population of the Honey Badger Kingdom was close to a million, and they seemed to practice a relatively enlightened monarchy.

Compared to the other kingdoms that inherited legacies from the Federation Era, their national strength was still among the weakest of the five major kingdoms, and they were also the first to be annexed by the joint forces of the Falcon Kingdom and the Army.

However, where there was oppression, there was resistance. The royal family of the Honey Badger Kingdom held high prestige in Oasis No.3, both in terms of royal and religious authority.

And most crucially, the location of Oasis No.3 in the central-western part of Sunset Province was precisely between Oasis No.2 and Oasis No.9 which was slightly to the north.

If they could foster a local armed force there, they could suddenly appear behind the Army's lines while the New Alliance and Army were fighting a fierce battle...