Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 528

Chapter 526, Eight Giant Ships

Four years ago, Gu Hang personally traveled to Jindi Star and negotiated with the Mingyang Sect. The two most important agreements were that three star regions would be re-placed under the management of the Alliance-led star region government, and that the Forge World’s production capacity would be allocated to Alliance orders.

Everything else was relatively easy to negotiate; even Mingyang Sect-produced Titans were in demand, but not essential.

Large starships, with their construction cycles often lasting several years, were the most pressing concern for the Alliance.

Jindi Star possessed the capability to build battlecruisers.

The Dragon Serpent class was even more prestigious and sought after than the Holy Grail class within the Imperial Navy. After all, the Holy Grail class was relatively rare.

In the past, Jindi Star rarely even operated its two Dragon Serpent-class construction docks at full capacity.

Building battlecruisers was still prohibitively expensive, and the resources consumed were excessive. Without a pressing need, such a costly project wouldn’t be undertaken lightly; any produced ships were mostly destined for Imperial fleet orders. Otherwise, maintaining them would be a significant expense.

The Ming Yang Sect’s past orders weren’t limited to the Eastern Universe, but also came from other cosmic domains.

Of course, the situation wasn’t anything less urgent.

When they decided to build their own Ming Yang Fleet, the two shipyards began full-scale construction. Following the “secret negotiations” with Gu Hang, the Alliance’s orders for the massive warships from these two shipyards became part of the order.

The two warships cost the Alliance 110 billion tax coins.

This price was a bit high.

The Alliance only costs 45 billion to build a Holy Grail-class ship. The Dragon Serpent-class ship should cost even less, estimated at 35 to 40 billion at best.

However, construction cost is construction cost, and selling price is selling price.

According to the Ming Yang Sect’s sages, 55 billion for the Alliance was a significant discount.

For the Imperial Navy’s order, the Ming Yang Sect’s offer was 60 billion per Dragon Serpent.

Gu Hang accepted the offer.

For battlecruisers, price isn’t the issue; production capacity is.

The more ships they could build in a short period of time, the better.

Spending more money was necessary.

However, the Governor’s words sent the Alliance’s finance department scrambling.

Two battlecruisers totaled 110 billion.

And this wave of Alliance orders for Jindi wasn’t just for two battlecruisers.

There were also twelve Moon-class cruisers,

another 160 billion.

Adding in other ships, the Mingyang Titan Corps purchased or leased…

over four years, the Alliance’s total payments to Jindi exceeded 300 billion!

Add to that the Alliance’s own shipbuilding program, the expansion of its army, the need for economic development, and the costs of political development…

Money was flowing like water!

But the Mingyang Sect was also facing a difficult time.

Orders from the Alliance had practically stretched Jindi’s production capacity to its limit.

Forget rebuilding the Mingyang Fleet or expanding the Skitarii Army. Jindi’s own reconstruction and capacity restoration efforts were impacted. Even their much-needed mechanical ark had slowed significantly, significantly extending its construction timeline.

Gu Hang even asked if he could buy the mechanical ark. This

was flatly rejected by the Mingyang Sect.

And now, the two battlecruisers from Jindi Star have finally been built.

…

Originally, the two warships were to sail directly to the heart of the Alliance.

Morgan fought for a long time before the two warships were delivered directly on Ronglin Star.

As for naming one of the warships “Ronglin,” that’s an even greater honor!

It’s not just about the name; the former will have a huge demonstration effect: if even large ships like battlecruisers are delivered on Ronglin Star, then other trade activities can be conducted here with greater confidence!

As for the latter, although the battlecruisers were already named after the planetary worlds within the star field, there are over 400 worlds in the Dragon Eagle Star Field, and only a few new battlecruisers? How could they be named after Ronglin Star?

This was also a decision he made after leveraging his reputation and building connections. He even managed to deliver a letter directly to President Gu, who, despite his busy schedule, approved it.

Naming a rare battlecruiser “Ronglin” would certainly generate lasting publicity!

Jason Morgan might seem to be putting in a lot of effort for a lot of empty fame, but in his view, all this would ultimately translate into tangible benefits for Ronglin Star and even the entire Steel Dragon Star region!

Thaddeus understood this.

Upon arriving at Ronglin Starport, he was warmly entertained by the local Steel Dragon Alliance officials, led by Jason Morgan.

Normally, he would decline such hospitality.

To date, the Alliance hasn’t developed a strong tradition of lavish banquets.

Jason Morgan wouldn’t normally engage in such an endeavor.

Not only would it not bring any benefits, it would also easily lead to investigation by the anti-corruption authorities.

But this time, he made an exception.

Thaddeus also participated.

The reasoning was that the arrival of two new giant ships would significantly boost the development of Ronglin Star.

As long as it wasn’t a major event, Thaddeus wasn’t particularly opposed to using his status and position to attend a banquet and offer some support for local development.

However, business came first.

At the banquet, Thaddeus, dressed in military uniform, spent most of his time negotiating with the Mingyang Sect representatives who had also been invited, finalizing the details of the delivery of the giant warships.

He had turned a banquet into a business trip.

Jason Morgan wasn’t annoyed, only pleased.

There were quite a few people here today. Seizing the opportunity, various chambers of commerce and prominent figures from the Alliance Center had gathered. He was delighted that Ronglin Star had made a splash, and he couldn’t help but imagine how he could leverage this publicity to gain practical benefits.

Perhaps he could negotiate with a few more chambers of commerce, or even negotiate with the logistics and equipment department under the Ministry of Military Affairs to see if Jindi Star’s cargo could be shipped through Ronglin Star.

After a pleasant gathering, Thaddeus and his men moved into the two battlecruisers the next day.

Naval engineers transferred from Winged and Wrathful Owl planets would complete an inspection of the ships later. This step had already been

underway.

Purchasing a single ship cost 60 billion. Of the many star regions controlled by the Alliance, at least half of them cost $10 billion. Four years’ worth of output might not even add up to that figure. This was a vast fortune, and it was undeniable that it had to be valued.

After the future ownership of the two ships was confirmed, Alliance shipbuilders had already arrived on Jindi several years in advance. Their primary goal was to oversee and inspect the construction phase, ensuring a trouble-free handover.

This had absolutely nothing to do with stealing technology! Wu Jiarong certainly didn’t help!

Even though Alliance engineers had been involved during the construction process, the necessary inspections for the overall handover still required meticulous care.

This work lasted for about ten days.

After all teams signed off on the agreement, Thaddeus and his naval force of over 300,000 men finally took full control of the two battlecruisers and departed Ronglin Starport.

After

a long voyage, Thaddeus returned to Wing Star with the two massive ships.

In Wing Star’s orbit, a massive fleet was gathering.

Each of those battleships was worth the wealth of an entire planet, or even several.

And each of the dozens of Moon-class cruisers was worth the wealth of an entire star region.

Despite this, the most eye-catching aspect was the six massive ships that surrounded and guarded the fleet.

The first was the Alliance flagship, the Retribution-class battleship ‘Burning Star’.

The second was the Pegasus, a Zhuge-class battleship, which appeared even larger and longer than the ‘Burning Star’!

The other four ships were the Yunluo, the Raging Owl, the Wing, and the Koroja.

The Yunluo, a Dragon Snake-class battlecruiser, was originally the flagship of the Yunluo Fleet. When the Fury Flame Regiment was driven out, they had intended to take the Yunluo Fleet with them, but during the evacuation, the Yunluo slipped away.

Who wants to leave like a bunch of losers, a lost dog?

Besides, this is their home.

The Fury Flame Regiment, demoralized, had no time to worry about such matters, and ultimately failed to successfully capture the Yunluo Fleet.

Technically, the Yunluo Fleet was not part of the Alliance.

It had its own independent Imperial Navy, separate from the Alliance Navy.

However, this was just like the Pegasus Fleet not being part of the Alliance. That being said, under Yelicia’s influence, with the Alliance assigning political commissars to the fleet, how could they not obey the Alliance’s orders?

They were nominally separate, but in reality, they were as close as a family.

Aside from the Yunluo, the remaining three massive ships, named after the three most important planets in the Tianma Sector, are all “Holy Grail”-class battlecruisers, all built by the Alliance in recent years.

Compared to the “Dragon Serpent” class, the “Holy Grail” class is more slender and aesthetically pleasing. In fact, it’s also more expensive to build. In terms of firepower, the “Holy Grail” class boasts an additional X-class gun emplacement; while its defensive capabilities are slightly weaker, its speed is superior.

The Alliance possesses two “Holy Grail”-class shipyards, one of which was built earlier. Some of the Alliance’s first “Holy Grail”

ship’s precious and difficult-to-manufacture components were directly pulled from a black box. This greatly accelerated the first shipyard’s production efficiency, allowing it to produce two ships in six years.

The second shipyard produced one in four years.

This is how the Alliance’s three battlecruisers came about.

The Alliance is currently operating at its maximum capacity, with two Grail Battlecruisers and one Zhuge Carrier

under construction simultaneously. While there are rumors of plans for a third Grail-class shipyard, the Alliance’s finances would be strained if it were to simultaneously operate another battlecruiser production line while also supporting orders for two Dragon Snake-class production lines on Jindi Star. It

‘s not like they only focus on shipbuilding.

The cost of such a large vessel isn’t solely due to its construction cost. Even after construction, it remains a constant drain on capital. The fuel consumed during each voyage, the ammunition consumed during each drill, the resources expended during each maintenance, and the manpower costs of hundreds of thousands of crew members…

After a decade or so, the cost of a single warship could be equivalent to building a new one.

Regardless, the Alliance’s naval power is undoubtedly superior to what it once was.

Including the Ronglin and Steel Wing brought back by Thaddeus, the Alliance now possesses one battleship, one aircraft carrier, and six battlecruisers!

With these eight battleships as the core, supplemented by more than forty cruisers, not counting other lower-tier destroyers and frigates… the combined power of such a fleet is enormous!

Thaddeus stood on the bridge, quietly looking at the hundreds of warships gathered in this space, with a heroic feeling in his heart constantly stirring.

At this moment, a communication request came through.

It came from Ms. Ossena.

“General Thaddeus.” Ossena said, “Is everything going well along the way?”

“Everything is fine. The two warships arrived safely. I also saw many local officials of the Alliance along the way. They are all trying their best to develop their own star regions, especially Jason Morgan. Ronglin Star has done a good job in his hands. If each of our star regions can develop like this, the future of the Alliance will be even more worth looking forward to!”

“That’s great,” Ossena said with a polite smile, “However, there are still some financial documents that require your signature as soon as possible.”

“No problem,” Thaddeus said, “I should.”

(End of this chapter)