Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 558

Chapter 556: Alliance Version of ‘Blood Tax’ and ‘Gray Tax’

Gu Hang set his sights on the Blood Sharks.

He knew it was unrealistic to try to make the Blood Sharks like the Phoenixes.

The Phoenixes’ situation back then was no different from a complete extinction, so that would have been easier to deal with.

Now, while the Blood Sharks were poor, their long-term operations in the Dark Outlands had yielded them valuable lost technology. From that perspective, they were wealthy, though they simply couldn’t bear to sell much of it.

Furthermore, they were well-mannered, always numbering around six or seven hundred men, and their individual combat capabilities were exceptional, making them practically the best and brightest of regular Chapters.

Expecting them to become a near-part of the Alliance, like the Phoenixes, was impossible.

However, just as many Space Marine Chapters have the backing of various factions, the Alliance could become a supporter of the Blood Sharks.

This relationship, too, was hierarchical.

Generally speaking, it’s just a transactional relationship; a slightly closer one could elevate it to employment; even closer still, perhaps a stable partnership…

Gu Hang could accept any of these levels.

Even if it were merely a transactional relationship, it would be nice to be able to buy the valuables Blood Shark had obtained from the aliens and lost worlds of the Dark Outer Realm.

There were two main concerns here.

The first was the relationship between Blood Shark and Phoenix.

But after a brief thought, Gu Hang didn’t dwell on it.

First, the past hatred between the two groups wasn’t as deep as imagined. There were certainly Phoenix members who died at the hands of Blood Shark. But Blood Shark was just a mercenary, just a sword. The real enemy was Iron Armor.

Sword certainly still hated Iron Armor, but not as deeply.

Moreover, how could the Phoenix today be the same as it was back then?

Not only has the personnel been completely replaced, but they’re now deeply integrated into the Alliance. Even if they’re unhappy, Gu Hang is fully confident he can appease them.

As for future disagreements, that’s perfectly normal; they’ll just have less contact and less cooperation.

The second consideration, however, is more problematic.

The Blood Sharks’ tradition of “blood tax” and “gray tax.”

If they persist, there’s no future cooperation, and there’s the prospect of immediate chaos.

However, communication between Gu Hang and Alma Ewing is relatively normal.

He’s just been a little quieter.

Later, I checked and realized, oh, they’ve changed Chapter Masters. A hundred years ago, during the Bauhinia Rebellion, their Chapter Master was named “Salinas.”

Changing Chapter Masters is often due to the previous one’s death.

With the Blood Sharks operating in the Outlands, amidst the treacherous conditions, a change of Chapter Master every hundred years isn’t unusual.

It’s not always just one.

With a change in top leadership, it’s normal for the Chapter to differ in some details while maintaining its overall style and culture.

One hundred and thirty years ago, they suffered a similar setback. Initially fighting side by side, they ended up at odds with the Ironclad over the “Blood Tax” and “Gray Tax.” While the hatred may not have changed, perhaps over the past century or so, they’ve carefully considered their previous actions, wondering if they were ill-considered and should learn from them in the future.

Regardless of the reason, the Blood Sharks, the “Blood Tax,” and the “Gray Tax” are now negotiable.

That’s great.

Gu Hang believed the two sides had excellent conditions for cooperation.

Regarding the so-called gray tax, or conventional supplies, the Alliance had no problem. With two star regions, thousands of worlds, and numerous powerful domestic industrial manufacturing capabilities, they could easily supply all the resources the Blood Sharks needed.

Whether they needed armor, weapons, conventional supplies, or vehicles, the Alliance could produce them all.

They even had surplus.

Even if they needed starships, the Alliance might not be able to build battle barges, but they could easily build strike cruisers. These were expensive, so it would depend on whether the Blood Sharks could capture enough merit to earn them.

As for the blood tax, that was even simpler. It

just required manpower, right? The Alliance could directly provide them, even trained mortal troops, to join the Blood Sharks as their mortal auxiliary forces.

Gu Hang would happily provide whatever the Blood Sharks needed. He would

even provide you with a full complement of political commissars.

Furthermore, the blood tax served a greater purpose in recruiting new soldiers for the Chapter,

something that fell squarely within Gu Hang’s expertise.

The Phoenixes inherited the bloodline of the Phoenix Chapter, a type of gene-seed that requires a relatively high degree of compatibility. Phoenix Chapters have always been small in number, unlike the Infinite, Punisher, and Golden Knights, which have flourished.

Even so, with Gu Hang’s ability to selectively select the highest-quality candidates through the card system, the success rate of implantation has been significantly increased.

The Blood Sharks’ lineage is unclear, and they are said to be a descendant of the Bat Legion, so their population is also relatively small. This also necessitates even greater care in selecting candidates, lest a single failure waste a seed.

Gene-seed is no longer valuable to Gu Hang. Instead, the availability of Space Marines is his primary concern.

For any legitimate Chapter, gene-seed remains a precious commodity, crucial to its survival.

If Gu Hang can consistently provide the highest-quality candidates, and with a high implantation success rate, the Blood Sharks, despite their many other considerations, will find it difficult to resist the temptation of rapidly increasing their Chapter’s numbers.

As for these candidates, they grew up within the Alliance system, received an Alliance education, and even attended some sort of Zhongsi Academy… so what? It’s just the first decade of a person’s life. Given the infinite lifespan of a Space Marine, memories of their mortal years are always compressed into an infinitesimal space, ultimately replaced by Chapter culture.

If Gu Hang were to comment on this, he would say,

“Exactly, that’s it!”

So, Gu Hang does have a series of methods, some effective in the long term, others in the short term, that can bring the Blood Sharks aboard.

However, planning for the Blood Sharks is a gradual process. There’s no need to rush, as they’ve already accepted Gu Hang’s role as “Southern Theater Commander-in-Chief” and acknowledge that operations in this region require a certain degree of deference to his command.

From this perspective, the Blood Sharks are quite loyal to the Empire and willing to comply with the Imperial system.

Currently, they are following Gu Hang’s instructions, hunting down the Fury Fleet and driving it towards Heyang VIII.

Gu Hang’s main fleet awaits them there.

By the way, I am also waiting for the reaction of the Alfonzo sect.

(End of this chapter)