Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 1013

Chapter 1004, admitted

Robert’s expeditionary force is massive.

He hopes to recruit a significant number of soldiers for training, and these soldiers must be drawn from Holy Terra and the nearest Hive World, Necromund.

Taking so many people away from construction would significantly reduce the effectiveness of the Alliance’s economic investment.

Building more Space Marine Chapters also requires a significant number of recruits.

Gene-seed stocks on Holy Terra and Mars must be utilized, and the Primaris technology developed by Archmagos Cawl will be useful. If gene-seed is insufficient, they can even extract gene fragments directly from Robert and cultivate them anew—though this is a rare practice. In short

, gene-seed isn’t a major issue.

But population and money are.

Space Marines aren’t simply created; they must place orders for a vast array of weapons and equipment on Mars and the Alliance’s numerous Forge Worlds and Industrial Worlds.

A full set of equipment for a single Space Marine is prohibitively expensive, let alone for an entire standardized Chapter, which would also require various heavy equipment and ships.

In addition to these ground troops, Robert’s expedition naturally required a large number of warships.

The Solar Fleet was a crucial component, but Robert felt it was insufficient. Furthermore, the Solar Fleet couldn’t be fully utilized for his Indomitable Expedition; after all, Holy Terra couldn’t afford to leave behind ships.

This necessitated the construction of a large number of new ships.

Martian orders were already overflowing, and they had repeatedly inquired: the Terran government demanded that the production of various industrial consumer goods, infrastructure supplies, and factory equipment be prioritized. However, Robert’s Indomitable Expedition headquarters demanded that military products be given the highest priority…

These two conflicting orders left them confused and unsure of what to do.

And how would Gu Hang resolve this contradiction?

…

Gu Hang didn’t even think twice. Between these two inherent contradictions, he would inevitably choose development first, war later.

According to his philosophy, conquered territories would be treated as core territories to be developed and cultivated. Therefore, the benefits of war were never immediate, but rather future-oriented.

Honestly, this was different from every previous expedition undertaken by the Human Empire.

Past Imperial expeditions had immediate benefits. As long as victory is achieved, war can be used to sustain war.

The reason is simple. If the target is an alien race, then plundering and extermination are perpetrated. Even if the human world is recovered, that will simply shift from extermination and plundering to destructive plundering.

The Empire’s expeditionary forces always maintain a single perspective: immediate sacrifices are for a greater goal.

The army lacks food and ammunition, and the military factories in the rear lack raw materials, workers, and energy. How can results be achieved more quickly? That’s through plunder and slavery.

As for the damage inflicted on local societies…it’s often simply a matter of course.

The devastation of war is inherent, and the subsequent devastation of exhaustion can lead to the decline of a once prosperous and developed world.

With luck, the war ends and a relatively long period of peace returns to the world. Even with the burden of Imperial taxes, it may be able to slowly recover. Unlucky, a protracted war, severely damaged by the world, makes recovery difficult. The Empire generally doesn’t invest in construction haphazardly; it’s entirely up to the Alliance itself.

But the Alliance’s wars aren’t fought that way.

Sometimes, Gu Hang would rather expand his army less, slow down his expeditions, and lay a solid foundation.

It was precisely because of this well-laid foundation that world after world recovered from darkness, chaos, and poverty, in turn providing a financial boost to the expeditions, slowly snowballing into the present, seemingly “wealthy” Alliance.

Where’s the wealth? It’s all accumulated bit by bit!

And this model, considered successful by the Alliance over the past century of expeditions, is a model to be maintained over the long term. The same is true on Holy Terra.

Restoring Holy Terra to 60% or 70% of its former glory, while not entirely restoring it to its former glory, would be considered excellent.

Gu Hang would rather slow down Robert’s Indomitable Crusade, but prioritize the construction.

He decided to discuss this matter with Robert in person.

…

Robert didn’t fail to understand the Alliance’s strategy. However, his conversation with Gu Hang still ended on a sour note.

This wasn’t a question of understanding or seeing clearly.

In other words, it had nothing to do with wisdom. It was a question of stance.

Robert actually agreed with the Alliance’s approach to expeditions. While there will be greater short-term pressure, the foundation will be more solid, and future potential will be greater. The Alliance’s current success is inseparable from their decades of steady progress.

However, everything has its limits.

If every world must be properly restored before the Crusade can begin, many worlds that could have been saved will likely be lost due to delays.

Robert agrees that Holy Terra should be properly rebuilt, and he understands that its restoration will greatly benefit his Indomitable Crusade in the long run.

However, the key point cannot be overlooked: no matter which option is chosen, the most important thing is to serve the Crusade.

Blindly focusing on construction can significantly slow the progress of the Crusade…

This happened during the founding crusade. Some legions have clearly learned lessons from this.

Construction is also for the sake of the Crusade; sometimes, extremes and drastic measures are unnecessary.

Beyond these factors, there is another consideration: he is the leader of the Indomitable Crusade and the Regent of the Empire, and the Imperial government should follow his demands.

How could he still go against it?

This was completely different from what he had said at the beginning!

However, after talking with Gu Hang, no matter how unhappy he was, he finally…

accepted it.

On the one hand, he felt the toughness of Gu Hang’s attitude.

On the other hand, it was Gu Hang who came up with a solution.

After listening to it, Robert’s face darkened a little, but…he finally chose to agree.

(End of this chapter)