Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 603

Chapter 601: Alfonzo’s Civil War

In Chapter 601,

the story of a Mechanicum ship being rescued during the Alfonzo civil unrest is a bit odd.

Isn’t Alfonzo an enemy? Why rescue it?

The reason for this is that the Alliance’s intelligence organization must be mentioned.

The person who performed the feat was someone Gu Hang already knew—Arno Chenko, Ossena’s younger brother.

As a senior agent of the Central Bureau of Investigation, Arno was ordered to enter the Alfonzo Sector to conduct intelligence gathering.

While intelligence gathering was slow on the Western Front due to the chaotic situation and the widespread presence of armored troops, Arno’s intelligence network established in the Alfonzo Sector was much more successful.

According to Arno’s previous reports, the Alfonzo Cult experienced significant turmoil within the ranks following the destruction of the fleet led by Sage Dubois.

The Alfonzo Cult’s overall strength is immense, and they wield immense influence over the entire sector, assuming the name of the sector. In comparison, the Ming Yang Cult in the Dragon Eagle Sector is simply not on their level.

Alfonzo possesses three Forge Worlds, each as powerful as Kindi. The entire sector is under their control, encompassing six hundred worlds, providing raw materials, food, manpower, markets, and locations for the transfer and processing of low-end technology… It

can be said that nearly all of the hundreds of worlds in the Alfonzo sector revolve around these three Forge Worlds. The essence of the cult’s power lies within these three Forge Worlds.

They are not monolithic.

Even before the war, there were “doves” within Alfonzo. This was a combination of “imperial” and “centrist” factions. The former always disapproved of the cult betraying the Empire and joining the Iron Armor. The latter, while not necessarily committed to the Empire, were open to continuing business with the Iron Armor. They emphasized that the cult should remain out of the way, engaging in trade and selling equipment, but engaging in direct combat was a categorical imperative.

In the early years, the centrists were the majority; but by the eve of Alfonzo’s entry into the war, they had already joined forces with the “imperial” faction, becoming doves, and were then completely suppressed by the hawks.

The so-called Hawks, naturally, were those who would lead the entire sect in following Iron Armor’s lead. The

Hawks’ prestige peaked when the Alfonzo fleet attacked the Proud Claw star system.

At that time, no one imagined such a powerful fleet would encounter any obstacles heading south into the Proud Claw star system. Any obstacle standing in the way of the Alfonzo fleet would be ruthlessly crushed.

In a glorious victory, the Alfonzo sect would trample upon the corpses of the Alliance, proving its might to Iron Armor and establishing its status as the “Two-Headed Eagle” within this independent organization!

This was the Hawks’ claim, and it was ruthlessly crushed when news of their defeat arrived.

The Hawks’ prestige plummeted, and the Doves’ voices resurfaced.

Both the Imperials and the Centrists were outraged by the Hawks’ actions, accusing them of rash actions that had cost the sect its most valuable assets. The act of starting the war had also plunged the sect into a dire straits.

Had the Hawks lost power?

Ordinarily, it should have. They had lost numerous high-ranking figures, particularly the Sage Dubois; they had decimated their military might; and their reputation had been eroded by defeat.

The doves attempted to seize power, leading to numerous clashes, some even involving armed conflict.

However, at this crucial moment, someone spoke out: the Grand Sage Martin Varlück.

In the past struggles between the hawks and doves, this Grand Sage had remained silent, serving more as a balancer. Now, he suddenly spoke out, representing the voice of the hawks.

He expressed his stance with a speech and personally led a crackdown, capturing one of the three Fabricator Generals. This

calmed the Alfonzo Cult’s internal turmoil.

However, Arno, within the Alfonzo Sector, sensed that the situation had not yet subsided.

In fact, Arno had been involved in the Doves’ massive counterattack against the Hawks. On behalf of the Alliance, he contacted many Doves, particularly those within the Imperial faction, and supported their actions. Of

course, the Alliance’s remote location made it difficult for them to directly initiate military action, lest external pressure force the already fractured Alfonzo Cult back together. It was also difficult for the Alliance to send in substantial material aid, and the oilmen didn’t actually need it.

However, the Alliance’s many political promises were of considerable interest to them.

The Imperial faction was reluctant to oppose the Empire as a whole, partly out of loyalty, but also because they felt the two sides were simply on equal footing. Regardless of their initial successes and victories, the Empire’s sheer size meant they were unlikely to ultimately triumph. They also feared a reckoning after defeat.

The Alliance’s political promises largely focused on these two areas.

For the loyalists, their loyalty would be rewarded, proving to Mars and Holy Terra that they had always been loyal subjects of the Empire, never betraying the God of All, and fighting for the Empire within the Alfonzon Cult even in the most difficult times. For

the latter, the promise was to help them avoid a reckoning after the war.

Through these Imperial factions, Arno even managed to connect with a number of centrists.

His work was initially going smoothly.

Far from overthrowing the Alfonzon Cult through direct internal reform, he could at least establish a reliable network of relationships. These connections would pave the way for the Alliance’s advance once the army entered the Alfonzon Sector. Many areas that would have otherwise required countless sacrifices and enormous military expenditures could now be conquered with just a few words.

However, the personal intervention of the Archsage Varuk disrupted Arno’s plans,

nearly exposing himself.

On the one hand, he wondered why the great sage Varluk, who was supposed to be a centrist or perhaps even uncommitted, had suddenly become so hard-line. On the other hand, he was also quite eager to gain some advantages in this situation.

He hid his severely damaged network underground, and all his intelligence officers, liaisons, and agents fell silent, biding their time.

At the same time, he also planned a major event: rescuing Sebastian Moreau.

This man was none other than the Fabricator General captured by Varluk.

Varluk was not so mad as to kill the Fabricator General outright, but merely imprisoned him.

This gave Arno an opportunity.

(End of this chapter)