Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 593

Chapter 591, Please call me Your Excellency the High Lord

. Ou Juren’s face turned very ugly.

“What nonsense are you talking about? You have no right to speak here! Guards! Get him out!”

There were loyal secret guards in the conference hall. According to the rules, he should obey the High Lord. The Prime Minister of Justice, Ou Juren, was a High Lord. If he ordered to expel a non-High Lord, even if the other party was the Prime Minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs, he should obey.

But… there was more than one High Lord present.

The guards looked at each other, and no one moved first.

They were quite embarrassed, and their eyes looked at the seats of the High Lords again.

It was not the first time that Ou Juren wanted to expel Gallardo. He asked Gallardo to leave before, but didn’t the Prime Minister ask him to stay?

Maybe this was the Prime Minister’s intention?

We, the small guards, should not get involved in the fights between the High Lords. Let’s wait until

the big guys above have a clear statement before we start to expel people.

As for who would be removed, that would depend on the orders given. After so many years as guards, they understood one thing: in this hall of supreme power, any kind of dynamic was perfectly normal. Don’t jump to conclusions until the very last moment.

At least, they, the soldiers, wouldn’t understand. They’d just have to wait for the news.

Now, only Ou Juren had spoken, and the guards planned to hesitate for ten seconds.

If no one spoke, they would assume everyone agreed with Prime Minister Ou Juren’s statement, and then they would act.

Ou Juren knew the ins and outs of this, breathing heavily, waiting.

Gallardo wasn’t being polite.

Ten seconds was enough time to say a lot.

Accusing Ou Juren of “breaking the law” was meaningless. The High Lords didn’t care.

The “evidence” of his “breaking the law” would be the public evidence of Ou Juren’s resignation, but it wouldn’t be the reason.

If he had to say something, he had to say something truly explosive, something that affected the interests of all, or at least the majority, of the High Lords. Furthermore, he had to demonstrate his worth, letting the High Lords know that to overthrow Ojuren, they only needed to make a statement, and Gallardo would accomplish the task without any effort on their part.

Of course, there had to be some benefit as well.

Gallardo coughed softly and said, “My colleagues in the Ministry of Military Affairs and I have reached a consensus. We have already made recommendations regarding the Western Front campaign. A Solar Fleet and a Martian Fleet should have been dispatched, but orders from Prime Minister Ojuren prevented the fleets from departing…”

At this point, Gallardo could hear footsteps behind him.

Guards were approaching.

Just then, Prime Minister Zibodu spoke, “Let him finish. The High Lord should be able to withstand any questioning.”

The guard paused.

The High Lord who had spoken now was tied at 1-1, and the one who had refused to allow Gallardo to be dragged away was the Prime Minister.

Therefore, he could not act rashly.

The guards breathed a sigh of relief; now they just had to wait for the outcome of the argument.

Gallardo felt much more relieved.

His words, seemingly simple, actually pointed to a crucial point: “I’ve already consolidated the Ministry of Military Affairs. I’m not the puppet I was when I was pushed into office a few years ago.”

Gu Hang’s victory was a major credit to him; otherwise, his prestige

would have been difficult to establish. In contrast, Ou Juren’s expression darkened.

At this point, he was almost certain that Gallardo wasn’t suddenly turning against him, intent on overthrowing him at this meeting. Instead, Prime Minister Qi Bodu was behind this.

Qi Bodu wanted me to fall?

On what grounds? Did we have a grudge?

Or had Gallardo made some promise that he would follow the Prime Minister?

Did the Prime Minister want greater centralization of power, wanting his voice to be the sole voice of the Supreme Council? If Gallardo followed him and replaced him as High Lord as Prime Minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs, then, with the seats of Prime Ministers of the Ministry of Taxation and the Ministry of Administration, plus Qi Bodu’s own, that would bring the total to four seats. Clement, the Grand Master of the Assassin’s Court, had ascended to the throne a few years ago thanks to his own efforts, as well as those of the Prime Minister. If he were included, that would

make five seats. Five of the thirteen High Lords would undoubtedly be the strongest.

What would the other High Lords think?

Would they disagree? Who could possibly win them over?

In a flash, many thoughts raced through Ou Juren’s mind.

There were so many thoughts and so much to analyze that Ou Juren’s mind was so confused that he couldn’t speak. He couldn’t speak carelessly; even a wrong word at this moment would be fatal.

But Gallardo wouldn’t shut up.

On the contrary, as if encouraged, he began to speak quickly:

“This is a document signed by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Ministry of Justice, the Second Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs, the First Minister, the Second Minister of the Ministry of Taxation…” He read out several positions in a row and took out a long scroll, “…a document signed by many people, which records the course of this incident in detail.”

“The Ministry of Military Affairs is contacting various parties to promote the reorganization and promotion of the troops. This is also in accordance with the resolution of the Supreme Council to prepare to strengthen the war on the Western Front. According to our estimates, the Solar Fleet can allocate at least three Retribution-class battleships; Mars is also preparing more than ten Dragon Snake-class battlecruisers. This force could also cooperate with a fleet of the Ministry of Justice to reinforce the Western Front.”

“If it had been carried out, with the Western Front battlefield strengthened by elite troops, Captain Su Lie would most likely not have lost this decisive battle.”

“However, Prime Minister Ou Juren’s delay has resulted in the fleet not being able to set off yet.”

“If anyone on Holy Terra is responsible for this failure, it must be Ou Juren!”

“Fraudulent arguments!” Ou Juren growled. He knew he had to speak up. He had to defend himself: “The preparation of the fleet is not as simple as you think! The three completely independent forces of the Navy, Mars, and the Law Department have a lot of work to do! Is it enough to just need a fleet to go on the expedition? The troops accompanying the ships are also very important. The negotiations with the Star Army have not been completed, and the Ministry of Justice has no way to gather too many troops accompanying the ships. What’s more, the commander of the joint fleet has not been determined so far…”

He suddenly stopped talking at this point.

Cold sweat ran down his forehead.

Is he defending himself?

Of course he is.

Supporting the fleet and strengthening the western front are resolutions discussed in the Supreme Council. Who can refuse to do it?

But the troops had to be assembled, and the subordinate relationships between them, who would contribute more, who would be the commander of the fleet… weren’t these problems? Trying to combine so many different forces together was, as Ou Juren himself said, a variety of problems that needed to be solved.

None of this was his fault.

Or at least not solely his fault.

However, this defense was inappropriate at this moment.

There were three other members of the Supreme Council: the two Grand Admirals of the Imperial Navy and the Astra Militarum, and the Martian representative.

When the three fleets combined forces and requested accompanying troops from the Astra Militarum, conflicts were natural.

To be fair, the slow assembly and deployment of the troops, coupled with their failure to reach the battlefield in time despite Su Lie’s urgent and incessant requests for assistance, ought to be primarily responsible within the Imperial system. Secondly, the Navy, the Ministry of Justice, the Martians, and the Astra Militarum were all equally responsible for their own wrangling and dragging their feet. Furthermore

, as the cohesive force that brought the three forces together, didn’t the Ministry of Military Affairs bear any responsibility?

They all did.

However, was this the right time to say this?

Shifting the blame might be fine at this point, but shifting the blame onto two opposing factions was a far bigger problem.

If the Prime Minister wanted to take action against him, he would have to rely on the other High Lords who disagreed with him to speak up for him. His goal should be to instill fear in the Chancellor, not to smear the other two families in an effort to clear his name.

But now that the words were out of his mouth, what should he do?

He braked sharply, about to change the subject, but one of the High Lords, who rarely spoke, spoke up.

It was Jean Rousseau, a Chapter Champion of the Death Angels, representing the Chapter Master, Grand Master Organgron, and acting as an emissary of the High Lord’s duties.

“Grand Master Organgron is deeply concerned about the war on the Western Front. The whereabouts of Chapter Master Sulie and the fate of the Phoenix are of great concern to every Chapter, regardless of their bloodline. The slow response from the Imperial Center prevented the timely arrival of support, leading to the Phoenix Lord’s defeat. This is unacceptable to every Chapter. Someone must be held accountable!”

Gallardo’s smile widened.

Jean Rousseau’s words, seemingly merely an attempt to assign blame, vent his dissatisfaction as a representative of the Space Marines, and express his sympathy for the Phoenix’s plight, were actually a powerful assist.

Someone had to be held responsible, so who?

The Navy? The Astra Militarum? Mars?

That couldn’t be right. The three High Lords refused to take the blame. The general discontent of the Space Marines might be exaggerated, but grief over the loss of one’s own was inevitable. The Phoenix was a founding Chapter, highly respected! They’d suffered such a disastrous defeat, all because of a delay in reinforcements. Surely that wouldn’t have displeased the Space Marines who learned of this?

No one wanted to be blamed by the Space Marines.

Coincidentally, wasn’t there a pre-existing Chancellor of the Arbitral Ministry and a High Lord under fire?

The Chancellor wanted him out, and his own faction was in serious trouble. Not only was there the traitor Gallardo, but Gallardo’s document, signed by many people, had previously worked for Ojuren.

With a powerful enemy in front and fire in the backyard, the Space Marines had someone to blame, while the Navy, the Astra Militarum, and Mars had someone to blame…

all these factors combined, and Ojuren’s situation suddenly became dire.

The argument at the meeting wasn’t going to end easily. But after the three High Lords—the Navy, the Astra Militarum, and the Martian representatives—asserted that the slow integration of reinforcements wasn’t our fault, but rather something else entirely, Ou Juren’s chances of securing votes were in jeopardy.

He was forced to confront Gallardo himself.

Prime Minister Zibodu, along with his counterparts, the Minister of Taxation and the Minister of Administration, remained silent. But Gallardo served as their mouthpiece, and thanks to Zibodu’s backing, he was able to deliver his aggressive, cock-fighting speech.

Both men possessed formidable verbal skills. Gallardo could speak correctly, and Ou Juren was no slouch either.

But the evenly matched verbal exchange essentially marked Ou Juren’s defeat. For a High Lord to engage in a heated exchange with someone who wasn’t even a High Lord in the parliament hall was inherently unseemly and a stark demonstration of his decline.

Ultimately, the meeting came to a vote.

The topic, posed by the Space Marine representative, Jean Rousseau, was: “Who is responsible for this inadequate support?”

The extent of the responsibility wasn’t specified, but the implication was clear.

Gallardo, with no vote, not even the right to observe, was escorted from the scene.

As he left, he looked like a victorious rooster.

…

“Do you know the final outcome?”

“You definitely won,” Gu Hang bluntly declared.

“Hahaha!” Gallardo laughed. “That’s right! I won! Now, you should call me ‘Your Excellency the High Lord!'”

“Hail, High Lord—Monsieur Gallardo!” Gu Hang appeased his friend.

It was now the thirteenth day of the meeting.

The outcome was already decided. By a vote of seven in favor, three abstentions, and three against, the Supreme Council held Ou Juren responsible for the Combined Fleet’s slow attack and the resulting inadequate support. It was this Chancellor of the Ministry of Justice’s procrastination, power struggles, and selfish motives in deploying the fleet and troops that had prevented the Combined Fleet from coming together.

No direct resolution was reached on the spot, but the subsequent outcomes were already predetermined; it was simply a matter of formality.

A series of flaws from Ou Juren’s administration were uncovered, forming accusations of his crimes. Ou Juren attempted to resist, but was quickly subdued.

After a series of trade-offs, Ou Juren conceded defeat and decided to behave respectfully.

The Supreme Council voted a second time, with 9 in favor, 4 abstentions, and 0 against, confirming the removal of Ou Juren’s seat on the Supreme Council and his position as Chancellor of Justice. Ou Juren himself participated in the vote but abstained.

The third vote, with 6 in favor, 3 abstentions, and 3 against, narrowly approved Gallardo’s appointment as Chancellor of the Ministry of War and High Lord.

Thus, the political faction at the center of the empire represented by Ou Juren came to an end.

Half of the dismantled political power was inherited by Gallardo and placed under the wing of Prime Minister Zibodu; the other half was divided among various factions.

After the appointment was approved, Gallardo, in high spirits, immediately communicated with his close friend Gu Hang via telepathy, telling him the good news.

——————

I still owe him 108

sleep!

(End of this chapter)