Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 580

Chapter 578, So, what is the price?

Ewing has silently readjusted his judgment of the Alliance’s strength in his heart.

It cannot be taken lightly.

He must consider how to deal with the relationship with the Alliance in the future.

Since the Blood Sharks have accepted the call to participate in the rebellion started by the Iron Armor Chapter and to seek revenge on the Iron Armor that had caused the Chapter to suffer a loss one hundred and thirty years ago, it is obvious that they still need to cooperate with the Alliance for a relatively long period of time.

This counter-insurgency war does not seem to be over in a short time.

Gu Hang, a powerful psychic, a ruler of the Alliance who cannot be underestimated, and the commander-in-chief of the southern theater of the counter-insurgency war, is a person who needs to be dealt with for a long time.

As the commander of the Blood Sharks, Ewing must of course deal with it carefully.

Ewing, who was quite worried, completed the task of capturing the entire battleship together with the Phoenix and the Alliance army.

The Alliance advocated a policy of accepting prisoners, even treating them with respect. Led by Space Marines, supported by Battle Sisters, and with the Honor Guards as the primary force, they repeatedly thwarted Alfonzo diehards who, in their final moments, attempted to sabotage the ship.

Ultimately, the Retribution-class battleship came under full Alliance control.

Crew members and even the entire command system were able to enter the ship and begin commissioning.

Soon, the Retribution-class battleship, once part of Alfonzo’s fleet, was back in operation.

However, it now belonged to the Alliance.

As is customary for ships of this class, the Alliance named it the Iron Horse, after a sector within the Dragonhawk Sector.

It was in poor condition, having sustained damage from previous space battles. Furthermore, the boarding operations launched by Blood Sharks, Phoenixes, and Alliance forces were not gentle, causing considerable internal damage.

Alliance engineers and accompanying Sun Cult tech-priests were thoroughly inspecting the ship.

For now, the situation remained optimistic.

At least the Iron Horse didn’t need a major overhaul.

A few months of sailing to a relatively better starport should restore it to normal combat capability.

With that, the Space Marines’ mission was effectively complete.

Ewing was about to return to his flagship, the Ghost Shark, with his battle-brothers. But just then, he saw a warrior in the red armor of the Iron Terminator approaching.

Ewing recognized him.

His name was Carduso, First Captain of the Phoenix Chapter and commander of the three hundred Phoenixes operating aboard the ship.

This fierce-looking Space Marine had left a deep impression on Ewing. He always subconsciously assessed the performance of others to gauge their relative strength. In his opinion, Carduso was still a bit inferior to himself, but he was already on par with his own First Captain. This

was quite remarkable.

Some less renowned and less powerful Chapter leaders might not even possess such prowess.

He singled out the New World Torch for criticism.

However, the Phoenix Captain’s expression was unpleasant, his gaze tinged with hatred.

Why?

Ewing quickly understood: they held no grudge against the Phoenix, but the Phoenixes held no grudge against them.

During the Redbud Rebellion one hundred and thirty years ago, while their primary target was the Redbud Chapter, they had also killed a significant number of Phoenixes along the way.

Yet, he felt no guilt or regret for this.

Back then, the two sides were at war, and the Phoenixes had been labeled traitors by the Empire. Therefore, it was only natural and proper for the Blood Sharks to suppress the rebellion and fight the Phoenixes. Fighting on the battlefield was like that: life and death, no compromise.

If the Phoenixes harbored hatred, they should have gone after the one who labeled them traitors, not him.

Even if blood feuds were the issue, the number of Phoenixes killed by the Blood Sharks back then was certainly less than that of the Fury and Iron Armor.

Regardless, if the Phoenixes persisted in treating them with hatred, he had no objection. If, further down the line, Governor Gu Hang, due to his closer relationship with the Phoenix, made a choice between the two, then the two would regrettably become enemies.

With this mindset, Ewing calmly met Carduso.

Carduso looked him over, his expression still unpleasant, even snorting coldly.

Ultimately, however, he refrained from any drastic action, saying in a muffled voice,

“The Governor invites you to meet him.”

…

Ewing didn’t hesitate. Upon receiving the invitation, he immediately boarded his spaceship and arrived aboard the Alliance carrier Hippogriff, where Gu Hang was stationed, to meet the Governor.

Gu Hang was unlike Carduso, with his sour face.

He greeted Chapter Master Ewing with a broad smile and a gentle demeanor. A simple refreshment, suitable for just the two of them, was brought by a servant, and Gu Hang invited Chapter Master Ewing to taste it.

Ewing was unmoved by this, and even showed some discomfort with the environment, the etiquette, and the pleasantries from Gu Hang.

To be honest, Ewing had no experience in dealing with such situations. He was neither good at it nor liked it.

Gu Hang soon realized this.

He chuckled. It was not unexpected.

Precisely because he had anticipated this in advance, Gu Hang did not ask anyone to make a big fuss.

And he himself, after the initial greetings, quickly mentioned the business:

“I hope that the Blood Sharks and the Alliance can become closer allies.”

“Not just for this war, but also for the future after it ends.”

“I know the Blood Sharks’ traditions, and I’m aware of the existence of the Gray Tax and the Blood Tax. There’s nothing wrong with them, and I fully accept them. But I must say that the Alliance cannot allow the Blood Sharks to violently and unnegotiably collect the Gray Tax and the Blood Tax. I also believe this is extremely inefficient and wasteful.”

Gu Hang paused, observing Ewing’s expression, who was unhelmeted.

He showed no emotion.

Space Marines have always been like this, especially the Blood Sharks, who are considered relatively taciturn and reserved among the various Chapters.

But Ewing didn’t storm out in anger when Gu Hang spoke, which was a good thing.

After all, the Blood Sharks had a history. Their conflict with Iron Armor had begun here.

Even if it might anger the Blood Sharks, Gu Hang had to make this clear.

“Very good, it seems we have reached a consensus on this most basic principle.”

“I agree that the Blood Sharks have the right to collect blood and ash taxes. This is what you deserve after fighting alongside the Alliance and winning victories. You also agree that the collection of blood and ash taxes needs to be provided by the Alliance, rather than directly obtained by v*olence. With mutual respect, we have a basis for cooperation.”

“Based on the victories won by the Blood Sharks, the Blood Sharks have the right to make a series of material and personnel demands from us. In accordance with the tradition of the Blood Sharks, let’s talk about the ash tax first. What was the price when you traded with those Mechanicus in the past? The price the Alliance offers for technology and equipment recovered from the Blood Sharks will definitely exceed theirs by more than 20%.” “

As for the blood tax, the discussion can be divided into two parts. The Blood Sharks need excellent reserve personnel to serve as a source of new blood for the development of the chapter. I promise that when the Blood Sharks are in need, there is no need for any military merits or results. As long as you need to replenish new blood, you only need to tell the Alliance a number, and the Alliance will provide that number of outstanding young people.”

“The second aspect of the blood tax is that the Blood Sharks need ordinary mortals to supplement their auxiliary forces, the Chapter’s fleet crew, and the Chapter’s servants. The Alliance can also provide these, completely free of charge. But on top of that, the Blood Sharks must agree to a series of conditions: the mortals provided by the Alliance must have a certain number of years of service, receive basic benefits, and have the right to basic protections. Their lives must not be trampled upon at will, and they must be treated with basic respect.”

“Wait…” At this point, Ewing had to interrupt Gu Hang.

He stared at Gu Hang, not even raising his own question.

He believed that Gu Hang understood his meaning.

The Blood Sharks never treated mortals as human.

Not just enemies, not just allies, but also their own auxiliary forces and mortal servants.

This wasn’t just a matter of tradition; it was also a matter of perspective. They didn’t care, and they also believed that only those who survived the trials of blood and fire were worthy of serving as their auxiliary forces—high-level cannon fodder. If they didn’t survive the trials, then, fortunately, their sacrifice in the glorious cannon fodder work was their best destiny.

And now, Gu Hang was asking him to respect these mortals?

And they’re going to pay him? And there’s a service limit, can he retire after that?

Ewing wanted to tell Gu Hang with his eyes how ridiculous this was.

But Gu Hang didn’t back down on this matter.

“It’s not that I can’t pay the traditional blood tax you desire, I can give it to you from the prisoner-of-war camps; but every world claimed by the Alliance will not provide these powerless ‘slaves’.”

“But listen, there are benefits to this. You don’t have to pay the wages; the Alliance will. But precisely because of this, they are still part of the Alliance, so you cannot trample on their lives and dignity. Also, I believe that over time, you have witnessed the heroic deeds of the Alliance’s mortal warriors. Let me be frank, many of these elites, aside from not having the opportunity to be implanted with gene-seed and possessing superhuman bodies, are no less skilled and mentally competent than any Space Marine.”

“Like your Honor Guard?”

“Yes, of course. I can’t guarantee that every single one of the tens or hundreds of thousands of men I provide you will be of this caliber. However, I can guarantee that there will be such elites among them, and their average level will be no less than that of the Imperial Astra Militarum. You should understand the value of this.”

Ewing fell silent again.

This time, he was thinking.

He certainly understood the significance of such a value.

The Blood Shark Chapter had accumulated considerable experience collecting blood taxes over the years. For those “slaves” they coerced to join them, through what they called “blood and fire training,” to truly reach the level of auxiliary troops they recognized, it would be a stretch to say that even one in ten would survive.

Therefore, they needed to continuously collect blood taxes. On the one hand, they did need a considerable number of cannon fodder, but they also needed a considerable amount of cannon fodder to cultivate a sufficient number of auxiliary troops.

But if the Alliance could provide them directly, why would they need so much cannon fodder?

Furthermore, low-quality cannon fodder was not particularly suited to their fighting style. They were a Chapter excelling at rapid reaction and rapid assaults. Why would they need cannon fodder? Would they engage in frontal combat to attrition each other?

More elite auxiliary troops would clearly provide them with better support.

Even if ordinary troops are sometimes needed to help distract the enemy on the front lines, creating the opportunity and space for a rapid assault on the rear, using cannon fodder is less effective than using elite auxiliary troops to hold the enemy at the front. It

sounds very beneficial.

The only problem is that the Chapter needs to change its traditions, its perceptions, and its mindset.

This is a somewhat challenging undertaking.

“Let’s put that aside for now,” Ewing said, putting aside the controversy. “Your terms sound good from beginning to end. The Gray Tax is more of a bargain, and the Blood Tax is provided to me by the Alliance for free…”

“So, what’s the price?”

“What does the Alliance want from the Blood Sharks?”

Gu Hang smiled widely, almost saying ‘everything’.

But he held back.

He said, “Ally, we need a long-term, reliable ally, one with a unified command system and united goals.”

“Just an ally?”

Gu Hang’s smile remained on his face. “Of course, just an ally. These are all the Alliance’s terms. Do you have any more questions?”

(End of Chapter)