Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 509

Chapter 507, helping each other?

Gu Hang was stunned when he heard that Humphrey Paul, who had so painstakingly assembled the Spider Web Universe’s forces, had single-handedly persuaded an entire fleet, including the Astra Militarum troops aboard, to surrender. This was

especially true when certain details surfaced, making Gu Hang’s mind boggling.

The surrendered Admiral was named Bowen Melandri.

During the Inquisitor’s subsequent investigation of Admiral Melandri, he detained and interrogated his family, relatives, and friends, and searched his home and office, uncovering confidential, non-public information.

It was mentioned that Melandri and Paul were old acquaintances, having fought side by side. According to his family, Melandri had a very positive impression of Paul, describing him as a “resolute, charismatic, and trustworthy leader.”

This was precisely why Melandri was deeply shocked when Paul and his Ironclad Chapter were declared traitors by the Empire. In his view, Paul was the epitome of a Space Marine, maintaining peace and stability in the region, fighting against the Void Zerg for centuries. He had ensured the safety of the Princess Sector, and indeed the entire Spider Sector, from the Void Zerg’s invasion.

“How could such a man betray the Imperium?”

These were the words Melandri had once uttered in front of his family.

After all, how could such a clear traitor and sympathizer of the Imperium be allowed to hold such a prominent position?

They had apparently overlooked the fact that Melandri had followed that statement with another statement: “I will personally capture Paul and bring him to Holy Terra, and make him repent before the Golden Throne of the God-Emperor!”

While his attitude might seem somewhat questionable, it wasn’t entirely unacceptable. Gu Hang was even more curious about what Captain Paul had said when he had come to persuade Melandri. How could he have persuaded him to surrender on the spot? In fact

, the term “surrender” was a misnomer.

It should be called “defection.”

From all the information gathered, Humphrey Paul appears to be a leader of immense charisma, possessing a captivating charisma.

…

The surrender of a high-ranking commander like Melanderli was a grave crime, and someone had to bear the responsibility.

His family and many of his former close friends and relatives were executed; several high-ranking officials in the Spider Web who had recommended him to lead the fleet were also implicated.

Political turmoil aside, the most crucial issue was that Melanderli’s defection had left the Spider Web’s defenses virtually depleted!

The already dire situation had suddenly deteriorated.

Of the Spider Web’s fourteen star regions, three in the southeast had already fallen to Iron Fury; the remaining defenses in the remaining eleven were quite depleted.

While some naval and Astra Militarum forces remained, they were outnumbered by the defection.

The subsequent defense will likely rely primarily on Planetary Defense Forces urgently mobilized from various planets, supplemented by Skitarii reinforcements from two Mechanicus Forge Worlds and a large contingent of the Sisters of the Bloody Rose dispatched by the Inquisition. Numerous Battle Sisters work for the Inquisition in this universe, perhaps even more than those directly under the Empire.

While it may appear that some major forces still exist, in reality, they are quite weak.

However, within the Spider Web, a considerable force exists: seven Space Marine Chapters.

These seven Chapters were not transferred from outside, but are widely distributed across the Spider Web. After all, this is a vast region encompassing eight thousand worlds, so seven Chapters is a reasonable number. On average, there aren’t even enough Space Marines per planet.

Furthermore, these seven Chapters may not all be fully staffed.

This suggests that the forces affiliated with the Empire within the Spider Web still possess considerable strength. Seven chapters, plus the Sororitas, some Skitarii, and a vast contingent of planetary defense forces… that’s quite a force.

If this force could be united, united, and operating under a unified command, they wouldn’t be able to completely stop the Iron Rage Stone’s invasion, but at least they could turn the entire Spider Web into a quagmire of war, dragging the entire Iron Rage Stone into it.

That would significantly improve the Empire’s position. If the Iron Rage Stone could be held in the Spider Web for a few years, even if the ultimate price was to reduce the Spider Web to a shattered wasteland, it would buy the Empire more time to rally its forces.

However, this anticipated scenario did not materialize.

Why would those planets destroy themselves?

Surrender becomes a perfectly rational option.

Resistance would only be worthwhile if it could ultimately hold out until the Empire arrived to rescue them.

This is also the primary reason most planets face when facing interstellar war: against external enemies, there’s no question; if they don’t fight, they’ll be destroyed. When there’s a clear hope of rescue from the Empire, they can resist and wait for it.

But in this war, none of that applies. If they’re not external enemies, surrendering will be treated favorably. But if they fight to the bitter end, don’t expect rescue. It’s clear that the Empire is using these planets as “defensive lines,” hoping to buy space and delay the war as long as possible. Don’t even count on rescue.

So who cares?

They can’t even be accused of disloyalty.

Some, loyal to the Empire more than their homeworlds, lead their planets in resistance, only to be annihilated by the Ironclad, whose Space Marines are hidden underwater. Others, perhaps deeply loyal to the Empire, choose the “painful” option of surrendering out of concern for their homeworlds.

The seven trusted Chapters, the Battle Sisters of the Blood Rose, and the Skitarii of the Mechanicus, should have been considered the backbone. However

, their circumstances vary.

A Chapter rebelled against the Ironclads on their homeworld. The Chapter went to suppress the rebellion, but was ambushed by a triple-sized force of Ironclads and Furys, who had somehow slipped past the Chapter’s intelligence network. They were routed on the ground, with only a handful escaping.

Two Chapters, joined by the Blood Roses, formed a combat force to rescue a world called Tianyuan VI, which was struggling under the Ironclads’ attack.

Upon arrival, they discovered it was a trap designed to siege and attack the reinforcements. During this crucial battle, one of their Chapters defected, and internal strife, combined with the vast number of Ironclad Space Marines, annihilated this elite force on Tianyuan VI.

The Blood Roses suffered heavy losses in this battle.

However, two of the other four Chapters, persuaded by the “Succubus” Humphrey Paul, sided with them.

The final faction that could pose a significant threat to the Iron Rage Stones was the two Forge Worlds of the Mechanicum, part of a system called the Alfonzo Cult.

They had, of course, received orders from the Imperium to contribute manpower, resources, and manpower to resist the Iron Rage Stones.

However, their response was somewhat ambiguous.

They obeyed the orders, sending Skitarii, equipment, and munitions.

However, the Skitarii were insufficiently numerous and, acting as an independent faction, refused to take orders. During the war, they simply shirked their duties, refusing to fight in any major battles and merely playing a supporting role.

Strangely, the Iron Rage Stones didn’t provoke them, and when they attacked, they generally avoided Skitarii garrisons.

The two sides seemed to have some kind of tacit understanding.

The Alfonzo Cult said, “My sphere of influence is limited to this: two Forge Worlds, plus some core mineral worlds within the Cosmic Domain that provide me with resources. If you don’t provoke me, I won’t bother you.” Although I sent troops, I was only protecting my territory. Although I also provided equipment to the Empire, please understand that it was out of necessity.

The Ironclad Legion also said, “I respect your sphere of influence. You can defend yours, but don’t interfere with my plans. You can publicly provide equipment and munitions to the Empire, but not in excessive quantities. If I need to buy, you must also sell me some.”

Of course, these statements were unsubstantiated; they were merely so-called “suspicions” voiced by the Inquisition as it accused the Alfonzo Cult.

However, lack of evidence notwithstanding, Gu Hang, as a bystander, a third-party observer, standing beside the star map and observing the conversation, seemed to hear both sides exchanging similar words.

Gu Hang couldn’t help but sigh: This Humphrey Paul is truly amazing.

“Succubus” was how Gu Hang privately and playfully described Paul.

But in reality, Gu Hang harbored a considerable fear.

This man’s charisma was truly maxed out. Crucially, the Ironclad Legion had been powerful for centuries, establishing widespread influence. While there were those like the Bauhinia Rebellion who harbored grudges against the Iron Rage Stone, the vast majority were those who had received their assistance and sided with them. Of course,

simply having connections and past friendships might not be enough. Beyond that, Paul’s diplomatic skills and the exchange of interests were crucial.

Friendships were the foundation; diplomatic prowess and charisma were the means and methods; and the exchange of interests was the essence.

What benefits would those who surrendered, defected, and sided with the Iron Rage Stone actually gain?

Simple benefits were certainly not enough. No matter how eloquent Humphrey Paul spoke, he couldn’t change the fact that the Iron Rage Stone was in rebellion, nor could he alter the increasingly stern warnings from Holy Terra.

No matter how many immediate benefits there were, if the ultimate outcome was defeat, they would ultimately be for naught.

Clearly, Paul had convinced many that he could ultimately succeed.

This success might not involve overthrowing the empire.

That’s too fantastical.

But at least if they can prevent Imperial interference within a certain region, then the Iron Armor will have “won.”

The Purple Flower Rebellion over 120 years ago is a prime example.

While the scale of their actions now is far greater than it was then, making it less likely that the Empire will compromise, it’s also precisely because of the sheer scale and the terrifying nature of the situation that the “united front” value of their actions could become extremely high.

With a series of military victories and growing momentum, the belief that the Iron Armor will ultimately prevail will only grow.

Furthermore, when the Iron Armor is faced with a blow, many factions face the choice of either death or faith in their victory.

Which choice? The

latter is easily the

obvious. Once again, this is a “human civil war.” Losing to the Greenskins doesn’t mean total slaughter; losing to the Abyssal Demons doesn’t mean everyone will be corrupted into lunatics and ultimately sacrificed; losing to the Void Zerg doesn’t mean the entire planet will be turned into food…

Of course, fighting a foreign war requires perseverance. In any case, whether you resist or not, you’ll ultimately die, and they’ll definitely bite you in the face.

In a civil war, surrender means the powerful remain, perhaps even more powerful; the common people can survive, and their will to resist is significantly weakened.

…

The situation in the Spider Web Domain has become rotten.

Gu Hang saw this with his own eyes, and was deeply shocked.

Sometimes he couldn’t help but compare himself: if it were him, or the Alliance, launching such a wave in the Eastern Domain, could they achieve the same level of momentum as the Iron Fury Stone?

Probably not.

First, there’s still a gap in hard power. The Alliance will need four years to amass a naval arsenal, while the Iron Fury Stone already has it now, and even more. With the fleet that defected, led by Melandri, they’re even stronger, making the two sides almost unmatched.

In terms of ground forces, the two sides might be able to even things out. While the Iron Armor may have over ten thousand Space Marines, the Fury and Stone Shield are undoubtedly reborn as well, each likely having over two to three thousand Space Marines, totaling over fifteen thousand Space Marines.

This was a conservative estimate.

The Phoenixes the Alliance could produce strictly adhered to the regulations of the Space Marine Codex, and their number honestly did not exceed one thousand.

However, in terms of quality, after the bloody battle with the Fury Chapter, no one dared to underestimate them.

Moreover, Gu Hang was confident that the quality of the Alliance’s army would definitely surpass that of Iron Armor’s renowned auxiliary forces.

However, there was one thing that Gu Hang and his Alliance could never match Iron Armor’s: centuries of accumulated reputation.

This was something that even Gu Hang, a diplomatic expert with a maxed-out Charisma, could not compensate for.

Without reputation, Gu Hang would find it difficult to convince many to side with him, to believe in his ultimate victory, and to stop fighting for the Empire.

His Alliance, like the Iron Rage Stone, could not afford to be dragged into the quagmire of war in its core areas if it rebelled.

From this perspective, it was unlikely that the Alliance would be able to achieve the same effect as the Iron Rage Stone if it chose to rebel.

Gu Hang began to ponder this issue because he recently received a personal letter from Humphrey Paul.

Above, Paul invited the alliance to the south and also take advantage of the situation to start an uprising.

Paul promised that he would never go south, and the two sides could engage in trade and even help each other!

(End of this chapter)