Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 595

Chapter 593, Surrender Group

finished their call with Gallardo, Gu Hang had basically confirmed their next strategy. If

Iron Armor wanted to continue the attack, then let them.

Regardless of where he went, as long as he didn’t come south, Gu Hang had decided to hold off for another year and a half until the ships were ready.

Oh, even if he went south, the Alliance’s strategy would remain the same: still wait and see.

Of course, there were risks here.

With time, he would grow stronger, wouldn’t Iron Armor?

The Alfonzo Cult only lost one of its main fleets, but they weren’t dead. As a branch of the Mechanicum, their greatest strength would never be combat capability, but manufacturing.

Waiting another year and a half would certainly allow the Alliance to add six more massive ships, and Iron Armor or Alfonzo would likely become even stronger, with new ships to replenish.

However, after careful consideration, Gu Hang decided to proceed.

He didn’t believe the Iron Armor-Alfonzo alliance could grow as fast as he did.

The Alliance’s shipbuilding industry is able to maintain such tight production times. Besides the Imperial military assistance and Gu Hang’s specialized shipbuilding raw materials, another key element is the black box system.

Not only can these black boxes directly produce core components that are time-consuming and technically challenging to build, but the Alliance’s shipyards also contain motherboards with relevant technology, black boxes, which produce key equipment for ship production.

Whether directly produced by the black boxes or on production lines that utilize these technologies, they guarantee rapid, high-quality, and stable output.

These attributes are unmatched by the worlds directly controlled by the Alfonzo Cult and the Ironclad Chapter.

Under the same objective conditions, Ironclad-Alfonzo’s ships will only be slower than those of the Alliance.

Furthermore, these conditions are not yet the same. The Alliance’s territory is not as vast as Ironclad-Alfonzo’s, but it also does not face the threat of war on three fronts, with vast territories threatened by war.

Furthermore, Ironclad Alfonzo’s war potential relies solely on his own health bar, relying on the wealth accumulated over the years to launch a rebellion. The Alliance, on the other hand, not only has its own base, but also a strong support system from the Empire.

These are conditions Ironclad Alfonzo cannot match.

In terms of war potential, they cannot possibly surpass the Alliance.

Or rather, they have already largely tapped their potential, while the Alliance still has significant room to capitalize.

Another important point to note is that Ironclad’s war is not limited to the southern front.

The northern front is plagued by the Zerg, but that is a top-tier force comprised of the Black Crusades, two founding chapters, the Infinity and the Bats, and the Argent Watch,

a collection of veterans from various chapters. Ironclad cannot afford to be unprepared. While the western front may be crumbling, the Empire clearly cannot afford to ignore it. The fleet originally intended to reinforce the Phoenix will undoubtedly accelerate after Gallardo’s incident and the capture of Ogurren. The fleet commander was quickly chosen, led by a Grand Admiral of the Navy. The expeditionary force was formed by mobilizing a number of local defense forces from various cosmic domains within the Central Territory.

Notably, the expeditionary force included a fully staffed Chapter, the most notable of which was the Ortopis Chapter.

This Chapter, the direct descendant of the High Lords of Holy Terra, served as their personal army, completely obeying the orders of the Lords of the Supreme Council, or more precisely, Prime Minister Zilberdur. Even decades ago, during the heyday of the Sun King, the Ortopis obeyed only the Prime Minister, forming one of the core forces that ultimately enabled Zilberdur to turn the tide.

Information about this Chapter was kept secret, from the gene-seed used, the source of its troops, the source of its weapons and equipment, to its deployment… all of it was highly classified, even to the Ministry of Military Affairs.

They would not be deployed lightly; they were the darlings of Prime Minister Zilberdur’s faction. And when they were all mobilized, it became clear that the masters of Holy Terra were truly furious.

Besides Ortopis, eight other Chapters have contributed troops, to varying degrees.

The majority are Phoenix Chapters.

The mother Chapter needs to be rescued! The

Vengeful

Phoenix lineage, however, is increasingly at odds with the Ironclad.

Adding in the remaining remnants from the collapse of the Western Front, it’s easy to gather 2,500 Space Marines.

This number is smaller than at the peak of the Western Front. Not only the Space Marines, but also the Inquisition, another major force on the battlefield, has been severely weakened after the collapse of the Western Front. They have lost 30,000 Battle Sisters, nearly draining the Order of the Bloody Rose!

Of course, not all of these forces have been lost. Many more remain scattered across planets in the eastern Magre and western Spider Web regions, forces that fled to the surface after the collapse of the front and are now fighting to the last vestiges.

If the subsequent battles proceed smoothly, these forces can be reassembled.

Currently, this force, comprised of ships, soldiers, and elite personnel, is assembling in the Tianwang region. Give them more time, and they’ll be able to regroup.

Whether the Iron Armor advances into the Tianwang Realm or waits for their forces to assemble before launching an offensive, the Iron Armor Chapter will have to contend.

Generally speaking, the Alliance never has to face the Iron Armor alone.

And if you factor in the combined forces of the three fronts and the entire Empire, the Iron Armor is in even better shape.

The Empire is merely sluggish, simply burdened by the pressure of deploying troops in various locations, not truly weak.

If the situation drags on, the Empire’s sluggish nerves will be aroused, forcing it to prioritize threats elsewhere and scramble its forces to address them. Then, the Iron Armor will be left to compete with the Empire in terms of war potential.

Size can crush the enemy.

A hasty attack only serves a limited political purpose. From a military perspective, delaying, waiting for their strength to grow to the point of achieving a more undisputed victory, is paramount.

True political advantage lies in victory; nothing else matters.

It’s precisely because of this multifaceted consideration that Gu Hang never rushes.

Not only was he not in a hurry, he also needed to first resolve some minor issues within his own territory.

On Phantom Moon, the Alliance’s efforts to eliminate the remnants of the Wrath Flame and New World Torch chapters had yielded results.

…

Since arriving on Phantom Moon and beginning the eradication of the Wrath Flame and New World Torch, Grit had rarely smiled.

As the head sister of the Holy Lily Sisters, she was now the supreme commander of the entire Holy Lily Sisters’ war effort.

There was no denying that a significant factor was Gu Hang’s support. After all, she and Gu Hang were old acquaintances, having provided assistance when Gu Hang was starting out. After the Alliance became the major financial backer of the Holy Mercy Lily, and the Holy Mercy Lily effectively became part of the Alliance, her status naturally rose.

The Holy Mercy Lilies’ becoming part of the Alliance was inevitable and a natural progression.

They were merely a small branch of the Sisters, operating solely in Koroja. After nearly losing their homeland during the Plague War and being saved by Gu Hang, the Alliance’s influence in Koroja, the sector, and the region… expanded countless times in just a few decades.

Initially, the Holy Mercy Lilies’ relationship with the Alliance was merely cooperative, but as time went on, there became less and less room for negotiation.

And there was no need for bargaining.

What was there to argue about? The Alliance respected the beliefs of the state religion first and the Sisters’ sects second. Furthermore, and more importantly, the Alliance provided substantial financial support for the Sisters’ development, providing personnel and equipment for the combat sisters and providing strong support in all other areas of the Sisters’ faith, missionary work, and medical care.

The entire Sisters quickly fell.

Many of the new sisters even graduated from the Alliance’s Loyalty Academy.

This wasn’t surprising; graduates of Loyalty Academy have always been a valuable source of recruits for many Sisters’ orders.

The Alliance’s Loyalty Academy differs slightly from the more common Imperial Loyalty Academy, but it’s not a major issue.

The Holy Lily of Mercy has now expanded to over half a million soldiers. Most of them are civilian sisters, but the Sisters of Battle also number over three thousand.

This time, there are a full one thousand Battle Sisters fighting on Phantom Moon, along with six thousand Honor Guards, who are also under her command. Meanwhile, the Alliance’s ground forces on Phantom Moon comprise two army groups, totaling forty million men. Adding to the newly recruited and established local defense forces, the total strength approaches two hundred million. In the sky, there’s also a fleet, led by a Moon-class ship and composed of several destroyers and frigates, to support ground operations.

Of course, the fleet is commanded by a Rear Admiral, and the Alliance Army is also commanded by a Lieutenant General, though she doesn’t directly command them.

However, the most important task on Phantom Moon is to eliminate the remnants of the Fury and the New World Torch.

These Space Marines, along with some stubborn resistance members, have taken refuge in the mountains, ruined cities, and secret bunker complexes, making them a formidable challenge.

The main difficulty was that, firstly, they were hard to find, and secondly, hard to defeat once found. A massive siege

was necessary. Orbital bombardment wouldn’t help much; the enemy would break through. If they tried to bombard from orbit using ground markings, the enemy’s Space Marines would have already moved, making the bombing ineffective.

After several ineffective attempts, the Rear Admiral politely and subtly said, “Forget it! Bombing the air is expensive, and I can’t handle it. The Navy Audit Office will have trouble with me…”

Grit felt awkward and annoyed.

It wasn’t that she was angry at the Navy; she understood their point and knew her calls were a waste. In reality, if she could have trapped and accurately marked the enemy, she wouldn’t have needed to call for orbital bombardment. Her calls were simply last-ditch efforts when intelligence was uncertain and she couldn’t contain the enemy, hoping for a chance with blanket bombing. The

“bandit suppression” campaign lasted for over six months, with limited success.

The rebel groups, led by the two Chapters, continued to attack various locations across Phantom Moon, obstructing the ongoing alliance process.

Their chances of success were quite high.

Many of the rebels were former members of the Planetary Defense Force or stationed members of the Imperial Legion. They possessed a deep understanding of the local situation and could select their targets effectively.

Adding the Space Marines to the mix, their success rate was naturally high.

Furthermore, they moved swiftly, striking and escaping immediately.

The hastily arriving Sisters of Battle or the Honor Guard, outnumbered, would suffer heavy losses if they rashly pursued them. By the time their numbers had rallied, the enemy would have long since fled.

Grit and her team sometimes proactively gathered intelligence and launched attacks,

but the reliability of their intelligence was questionable, making them vulnerable to failure. Even if they were captured, they were easily evaded. If they were truly annihilated, the Space Marines’ prowess would have impressed them greatly, and the cost of their destruction would have been extremely high.

Over the past six months, Grit calculated that they had fought over a thousand battles at various locations around the globe, wiping out 217 Furies and New World Torches. She had personally killed five of them.

Ordinary Sisters of Battle were no match for the Space Marines; the gap was immense. But she was different. As the blessed Mother Superior, she possessed extraordinary strength. Armed with the Valkyrie Terminator, Grit could easily dispatch even the most experienced Terminator.

However, despite the success of over two hundred men, the price paid was significant.

Grit was unable to mobilize. She wished she could fly to every battlefield at any moment, but that was clearly impossible.

Nearly fifty thousand Home Guards and twenty thousand Alliance Army soldiers had perished on the battlefields. Furthermore, over two hundred Sisters of Battle and five hundred Honor Guards had been lost.

On Phantom Moon, a conservative estimate was that a thousand Space Marines were still active.

At this rate of attack, it would take them at least three years to completely wipe out the bandits. At the same time, the casualties were estimated to be 400,000 to 500,000.

The losses of the defense forces and the Alliance Army were manageable,

but the losses of the Sisters and the Honor Guards were much more difficult to bear.

At least a thousand Sisters would die, and three thousand Honor Guards…

Grit felt that if this scenario were to happen, she wouldn’t be able to face Governor Gu and report a victory.

With the support of a massive army, aerospace, and an entire, largely occupied world… With such a comprehensive advantage, the outcome was truly disgraceful.

Something had to change.

And the opportunity for that change soon arrived.

Someone arrived with a message claiming he represented the New World Torch Chapter and requested talks with the Alliance.

With the matter classified as highly confidential, Grit not only verified its authenticity and whether it was a trap, but also reported the information.

She was then authorized, and an Alliance diplomat arrived to oversee the negotiations.

In a secret location, she met with Wang Mengsong, Chapter Master of the New World Torch.

“If you agree to my terms, then New World Torch is willing to surrender.”

(End of this chapter)