Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 590

Chapter 588, Phoenix Defeat

Holy Terra, Imperial Palace District.

A crucial meeting is underway.

Thirteen High Lords gather, their discussion still focused on the war in the East.

News of Gu Hang’s victory on the southern front has reached Holy Terra.

The high-ranking officials present are experiencing a marked oscillation of emotions.

While everyone knows that the Alfonzon Cult, located just off the Imperial Star Domain, enjoys a close relationship with the Iron Armor Chapter, this sector-wide, Mechanicus-like sect must have been a powerful supporter of the Iron Armor during the war. The Iron Armor’s ability to acquire and maintain so many warships and maintain their superior military equipment is inseparable from the support of the Alfonzon Cult.

On the battlefield, Imperial soldiers have even discovered Alfonzon Cult equipment, likely hastily transported and its markings removed.

This enemy is a known faction.

However, for political reasons, no one wants to force the Alfonzon Cult out of the fight.

Just build some equipment, if you will. The masters would rather bow their heads and act like ostriches than let Alfonzo die.

And yet, they did.

Upon hearing this news, panic ensued on Holy Terra. While

there were certainly some who were clear-headed, there were also those who were muddleheaded, blaming the Alliance for attacking too aggressively and thus bringing down Alfonzo.

It’s worth noting that this group of people might actually overlap quite a bit with those who had previously urged the Alliance to attack and criticized it for its fear of war.

Even aside from these muddleheaded individuals, those who recognized that Alfonzo’s demise was inevitable, only sooner rather than later, and that going south was preferable to going west or north, were actually quite pessimistic.

They acknowledged the Alliance’s achievements; otherwise, if Alfonzo’s fleet had suddenly appeared on the Western Front, the Western Front, led by the Phoenix Chapter’s Su Lie, would have collapsed immediately.

From this perspective, the Alliance’s rapid advance into the Pride Talon sector, chasing down the Fury and New World Torch Chapters, created a significant strategic advantage for the entire Empire.

While acknowledging the Alliance’s achievements, some were also optimistic about its future.

The enemy the Alliance faced was simply too formidable. Intelligence from the front lines revealed the Alfonzo Fleet’s formidable capabilities.

War Arks, Emperor-class battleships… these were all powerful weapons. Even if Holy Terra Central were to fully deploy a fleet to fight in the Eastern Frontier, considering the need to maintain sufficient defenses in the capital, it likely wouldn’t be able to muster such a fleet.

Mars would certainly be unwilling to commit a single War Arks to defend the Eastern Frontier. And after providing strong support to the battle in the Southern Frontier of Solaria, the Solar Fleet couldn’t spare a single Emperor-class or two Retribution-class ships to fight.

How should the Alliance respond to this situation?

The Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy, one of the thirteen Lords of the Terran Council, convened his Imperial Navy General Staff to assess the war situation. They pessimistically believed that the Alliance’s best response was a complete retreat, layer upon layer, blocking the enemy. If necessary, they would even have to abandon the entire Proud Claw Sector, or even the Menghe Sector. They would trade space for time, stalling for time.

Perhaps, with enough time, the Empire could draw forces from elsewhere to support the southern front.

They even collaborated with the Grand Marshal of the Astra Militarum to develop a comprehensive strategic plan, encompassing both naval and land forces, which they issued to the Alliance as a guiding principle for the southern war.

While these were merely “suggestions,” such “suggestions” from Holy Terra were generally no different from orders and requirements. Frontline commanders generally did not violate Holy Terra’s directives.

Otherwise, if they disobeyed the Supreme Will, a defeat would fall solely on the commander of the frontline theater; even before a defeat, the commander would be dismissed.

Of course, Gu Hang was an exception. While the Empire provided considerable support to the so-called Southern Theater, it primarily focused on supplies and funding. While there were tens of millions of interstellar troops and dozens of small and medium-sized warships, the fleet was scarce, even at the Moon level. Primarily, they consisted of frigates, patrol vessels, and even armed merchant ships. While valuable, their usefulness on a battlefield of this magnitude was quite limited.

In the Southern Theater, the Alliance was essentially fighting on its own.

Removing Gu Hang’s command was impossible.

Yet, they still strongly advised Marshal Gu to fight this battle according to their guidelines.

They couldn’t win, but at least they shouldn’t lose so quickly.

However, the Alliance paid no heed to their advice.

They also had no idea what the Alliance was planning. The Alliance had ambushed Alfonzo’s fleet during the Battle of Bovan, and before that, Gu Hang couldn’t have informed Holy Terra of their battle plan, preventing leaks and potential complications.

However, the Alliance hadn’t contacted them for a long time, and even when they did, it was often perfunctory, which displeased the two Grand Marshals on Holy Terra.

They were deeply uneasy, fearing the Alliance would act impulsively, and repeatedly urged them to submit their war plans.

The Alliance’s “ambassador” to the Holy Terra office was polite but offered no useful advice, simply stating that Marshal Gu had a plan in mind, that he knew how to fight the battle, and that he would help convey the leaders’ opinions…

After these perfunctory responses, the results of the Battle of Bovan finally arrived.

The discontent of the two Grand Marshals vanished instantly upon confirming the accuracy of the information.

Instead, they were filled with shock, bewilderment, and ecstasy.

Shock and bewilderment stemmed from their genuine inability to comprehend how the Alliance had achieved such a resounding victory. The strength of the two sides wasn’t a 4:6 or 3:7 split; the gap was two levels, not even on the same level!

How could they win?

How could they win?

And not just a minor victory, a repulse of the enemy, but an undeniable, crushing victory!

It was simply incredible!

They were ecstatic because the destruction of Alfonzo’s fleet had suddenly opened up the situation.

They were now discussing a joint strategy for the northern, western, and southern fronts. If they could establish connections between the three fronts and achieve better coordinated operations, they would put even greater pressure on the Iron Armor, and would be one step closer to victory.

Just then, the doorbell to the Supreme Council rang.

A guard announced that the Chancellor of the Military Affairs Department, Monsieur Gallardo, urgently requested a meeting.

Gallardo wasn’t a supreme lord, and had no right to participate in the Supreme Council.

But he claimed to have an emergency, so after a few words of discussion, he was allowed in to report.

The heavy, imposing door of the Council Hall opened, and Gallardo strode in with a demeanor that made him seem like a member of the group.

He held a piece of parchment high in his hand and shouted,

“Urgent news from the East Front and West! Phoenix has been defeated, and our front has collapsed!”

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There’s another chapter tonight, but it should be late, so read it tomorrow!

(End of this chapter)