Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 514

Chapter 512, Land Occupancy Act

In the 230th year of the 10th Millennium, the Princess’s Rebellion was the biggest news in the entire Empire.

Initially, it was merely a shocking event, something many high-ranking officials had anticipated would inevitably happen. While it arrived earlier and more suddenly than anticipated, it was not entirely surprising given its long-standing expectations.

Most people in the Empire assumed that this rebellion would be difficult to quell, requiring significant empire manpower. Perhaps a year? Two years?

Shouldn’t that be enough?

However, what followed, step by step, left many stunned.

The rebellion erupted in February. In March,

Melandri defected, sparking outrage throughout the Empire and the Inquisition demanding the Ironclad Chapter pay.

In August, the Tianyuan VI Incident occurred, with the destruction of a Grand Inquisitor commanding 400 full Inquisitors of all ranks, over 10,000 Blood Rose Battle Sisters, and a loyal chapter… Such an elite force was annihilated, forcing the Inquisition to lick its wounds in silence.

In October, the entire northern front of the Spider Web was breached, and the war spread to the Devouring Stars. On Holy Terra, the representative of the Devouring Stars President, who held a seat on the Supreme Council, fiercely criticized Ou Juren, Gallardo, who was not eligible to attend, and Gu Hang, who was stationed in the distant Eastern Space. The Devouring Stars representatives believed that their overly aggressive actions a year and a half ago had forced them into a war with the Ironclad Chapter without sufficient preparation. Now, their Devouring Stars had suffered the devastation they had initially feared.

The following year, in January 10231, the capital world of the Spider Web fell.

However, this didn’t mean the entire Spider Web universe was completely conquered. The Spider Web was a much larger region than the Eastern Universe, containing nearly ten thousand worlds. It was unlikely that all of it would be conquered or surrendered in a single year. The Ironclad Chapter, in particular, had actually managed to build up its strength, fighting a few key battles, rather than splitting its forces to rapidly sweep across the region.

However, after the fall of the capital, the entire Spider Web universe was essentially a fish on the chopping block. The Ironclad Chapter could simply carve off a slice wherever they wanted.

They’d have it.

At this stage, the Holy Terra government, especially under direct pressure from the Galactus Universe representatives on the Supreme Council, and with several other territorial governments around the Spider Web expressing their concerns, was truly in a state of turmoil.

Fortunately, this time, the Supreme Council included Space Marines.

The Space Marine from the Death Angels had already received a request for assistance from the High Council, hoping the Chapter could play its part and aid in the war.

Reconstructed from the First Legion, the Death Angels were not only a founding Chapter but also the first Space Marine Legion established during the Legionary Era. They achieved remarkable military success during the Imperium’s founding and in the years that followed. The Chapter was immensely powerful and possessed numerous secret weapons unknown even to the Holy Terra government—well, they themselves would never admit it.

However, the Death Angels refused the request for assistance.

Their homeworld was in the western fringe of the Empire, separated by an entire empire, making it impossible to reach them.

They had other matters to attend to.

The Death Angels representative declined to reveal what those matters were, as no one could force him to do so.

However, he did act as a High Lord on behalf of the Chapter Master, now a High Lord. He offered to contact and invite other Chapters, particularly those operating in the eastern and northern fringe areas of the Empire, to see which were available and could assist.

A few chapters have indeed responded to the call and have begun to assemble.

However, the numbers are still insufficient.

The chapters siding with Iron Armor now extend beyond the original three Iron Wrath Stone factions. Of the seven other chapters in the Spider Web Universe, three have been destroyed, one has fled, and the remaining three have all sided with Iron Armor. That

‘s six chapters alone, not to mention Iron Armor itself, which is ten strong.

With only six chapters responding to the call, it would likely take months to fully assemble, as they would need to arrive from various locations.

Some chapters, such as those operating in the Devouring Star Universe and the military forces of this universe, are even more difficult to muster. While the threat posed by Iron Wrath Stone is personally relevant to them, the problem is that each universe has its own internal problems.

Greenskins were everywhere; there were small pockets of Void Hive that needed to be cleared out; some worlds were experiencing significant cult activity; there were rebels and pirates…

With hundreds of worlds in a sector, thousands or even tens of thousands in a universe, existing military forces were often stretched thin to cope with their own domestic problems.

At such times, the sudden onset of a massive external crisis was truly daunting.

The forces currently assembled to combat the Iron Rage Stone were woefully inadequate, at least not enough to reassure the masters of Holy Terra.

Amidst this situation, the High Council of Holy Terra met again and again.

The High Lords constantly exchanged ideas and resources, scrambling to determine who to contact, how many troops and supplies to contribute, and when they could arrive…

In reality, the forces that could be assembled, at least on paper, appeared enormous and powerful.

The problem, however, was that these forces often took a long time to assemble.

Even those who could arrive quickly couldn’t be deployed directly to the battlefield, lest it become a case of “adding fuel to the fire,” like the Calabash Brothers saving their grandfather.

But if it took a long time to gather, who knew what the situation would be like within the Spiderweb Universe by then? Who knew if the damage would extend beyond just one Spiderweb Universe?

Under these circumstances, when another meeting of the High Lords began, Gallardo entered.

Thirteen High Lords sat at the head of the table, looking down at Gallardo.

Perhaps, in the future, Gallardo would sit among them, but not yet.

Under these scrutiny, Gallardo suppressed some of the strange emotions within him and bowed respectfully to the High Lords.

Then he began to speak: “This time, I’m here to report to the rulers of the empires and the respected high lords about the needs of Gu Hang, the chairman of the Eastern Universe, the Dragon Eagle Star Region, the Marshal of the Interstellar Army, and the commander of the legitimate multi-star political entity ‘Alliance’…”

“Okay, we already know what Gu Hang wants.” The Prime Minister of the Administration Department interrupted Gallardo impatiently, “But I have a question: What exactly does that so-called alliance mean? Does it mean that he won’t send troops unless Holy Terra gives Gu Hang the benefits he wants? Is his loyalty to the interests rather than to the empire?”

It was already a serious accusation.

But Galardo was not panicked at all: “Of course not, no one knows Gu Hang better than me. He is absolutely an extremely loyal imperial official. After the incident in the Spider Web Universe, he was more worried than anyone else. Please don’t doubt Gu Hang’s position. We are in Holy Terra, and it is quite far for the Iron Armor to attack us; his alliance is directly under the Iron Armor’s front line, but now we are lucky that the traitor Humphrey Paul did not develop to the south. The threat he faces is greater than any of us, and he wants to resolve the threat of the Iron Armor faster than any of us.”

“Haha.” Another high lord spoke, “Why did the Iron Armor Legion fight so fiercely to the west and north, but not to the south? Who knows if there is some dirty agreement between them that they dare not tell others?”

Another deeper accusation.

But Gallardo didn’t intend to continue to be timid at this time. He said, “I don’t quite understand what you mean. It seems that you really hope that the alliance will stand with Humphrey Paul? Imagine what would happen if that scene really happened?”

“How dare you!” Someone shouted at him.

Ou Juren, who was sitting at the top, also spoke up: “We all know Gu Hang’s loyalty. This kind of thing that can’t happen, Bogioya, don’t use it to scare everyone.”

It sounded like a gentle reprimand for Gallardo, but in fact the attitude was quite clear, directly defining Gu Hang as loyal.

Otherwise?

Gallardo restrained himself a little. He said, “My respected High Lords, please understand that the Alliance is actually the only force we can expect now. It brings together the Space Marines, the Naval Fleet, and the Astra Militarum, and it has the direct support of hundreds of worlds. If you allow, then the power of the entire Eastern Universe can be integrated by the Alliance, and we will have a sharp blade in the south of the Iron Fury Stone.”

“If you don’t agree to the conditions of the Alliance, it certainly does not mean that the Alliance will stand on the other side. It will not affect Gu Hang’s loyalty. However, we must also respect objective facts. If we don’t support the Alliance and can’t let Gu Hang integrate enough power, how are we going to let him fight against the Iron Armor Legion?”

“Let the Alliance be given away in vain like those forces that were buried in the Spider Web Universe before, and then let the situation that was originally leaking on two sides turn into a collapse on three sides?”

“Please wake up, everyone. We need the Alliance. We need him to be a strong shield for the southern Spider Web Universe, and, when necessary, a sharp sword. On this basis, the most important thing we should do is fully support him and prevent a recurrence of what happened in the Spider Web Universe.”

“As for the suspicion that Gu Hang is standing still without benefits… that’s a malicious interpretation. Isn’t Gu Hang doing exactly what he should be doing? The Empire hasn’t given him any additional authority. He’s merely the Alliance Commander and the head of the Dragon Eagle Star Region. What status or authority does he have to interfere in the affairs of the Menghe Star Region? If he had done anything, wouldn’t today’s meeting have turned into a denunciation of him?”

Gallardo couldn’t help but let out a bitter, sarcastic remark.

But this time, few people criticized him.

The High Lords each had their own thoughts.

“Let’s proceed to the voting phase,” Ou Juren said, winking at Gallardo below.

Gallardo bowed and withdrew.

He wasn’t yet a High Lord, so he wasn’t eligible to observe the voting process.

However, Gallardo believed that a position would be opened for him in the near future.

…

“Gu Hang, you didn’t see me lashing out at them in the Supreme Council!” Gallardo boasted.

“Ha… ha… what… was… the… final… result?” Gu Hang’s voice, coming through the astrocomm, was extremely choppy.

Gallardo paused, then answered Gu Hang’s question. “Of course, the result is fine. Although the vote count was a close call, you now have legal rights to occupy the land. Every planet you conquer can be incorporated into the Alliance!”

“Thank you so much… for relieving me of… my… worries…”

Gallardo finally couldn’t help but ask, “What’s going on over there? Why are you stuck?”

“I… am on the starship.”

“?”

“The main force of the Alliance has entered the Menghe Star Sector, and I’m leading it myself.” At this point, Gu Hang’s signal finally improved.

“Shouldn’t I have just told you the results? What if the Supreme Council doesn’t approve it? You…”

Gu Hang smiled, “What’s the big deal? You’ve personally taken action, how can I not believe you can easily win?”

Gallardo also smiled: “Then I wish you a successful start!”

…

After the call with Gallardo ended, Gu Hang continued with his own affairs.

Regarding the Iron Armor War, Gu Hang had made up his mind and was determined to participate.

There was no way he could side with Iron Armor.

It wasn’t just about interests, nor was it just about previous grudges.

The most important point was that Gu Hang absolutely refused to believe that Iron Armor would be the ultimate victor.

No matter how great the hidden benefits, if he couldn’t win in the end, the profits made in the process would be meaningless.

But he wouldn’t attack the core of the Spider Web Universe just yet.

With the Land Occupation Act now out, Gu Hang planned to first take advantage of the influence in the Menghe Star Region that the Fury Flame Warband had spent years cultivating.

It’s a fact that many planets within the Menghe Star Region are directly or indirectly providing assistance to Iron Fury Stone.

This support must be completely cut off!

Send troops, control the planets, and clean up the accounts.

To eliminate the influence, it makes sense for the Alliance to station troops. Sending officials to manage it also makes sense, right? Under the Land Occupation Act, incorporating it into the Alliance framework seems to be a natural progression!

(End of this chapter)