Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 614

Chapter 612: Picking up a regiment for free

. Amanda’s eloquence was naturally impressive.

However, it wasn’t her eloquence that played a crucial role in persuading the Dragon King’s Spears to surrender. It was Amanda’s extensive preparation and her precise understanding of their perspectives.

With that in place, the next step was simply to articulate what the Dragon King’s Spears were thinking, what they were reluctant to express, and what they hadn’t even grasped.

Tai Shichen didn’t express his opinion.

Then, Amanda outlined some of the conditions the Alliance could offer.

While the Dragon King’s Spears weren’t the primary source of rebellion like the three Iron Wrath Stone factions, nor were they like the New World Torch, known for backstabbing allies and causing significant losses to the Empire, they were still rebellious. This was an indisputable fact, and it was impossible to leave it alone.

However, Amanda conveyed Gu Hang’s advice to the Dragon King’s Spears: a penitential expedition was essential, as was the confiscation of their homeworld.

But they guaranteed: 1. The Expiration Crusade would take place within fifteen years;

2. It could take place within Alliance territory and under Alliance command;

3. During the Expiration Crusade, the Alliance would guarantee continuous support to the Dragon King’s Spears, from weaponry and equipment to mortal legion support, fleet support, and even recruits.

With these three conditions, the Dragon King’s Expiration Crusade was completely different from any Chapter sentenced to this punishment. Aside

from the confiscation of their homeworld, there was virtually no consequence.

Moreover, a Space Marine Chapter needed a homeworld because, to put it bluntly, it was its birthplace, its home base, its place of recuperation, and a vital resource for its development. The Alliance had it all covered, so there was no need to worry.

As for defending their homeworld… honestly, could they really secure it without surrendering?

On the contrary, if they surrendered, they would have a chance to fight their way back to their homeworld with the Alliance.

After listening to these conditions in silence, Taishichen remained undecided.

But Amanda knew the Chapter Master of the Dragonspears was undoubtedly tempted.

Thinking calmly, this was practically the most generous offer a Dragonspear could receive.

Amanda knew Taishichen was tempted because, after hearing the terms, he demanded that Ricardo Lazio take him away and imprison him.

His intentions were clear.

He’d spoken of execution, but nothing happened, and he’d even let Amanda finish her words. After she finished, he dropped the question of execution, only imprisonment. And he’d put Ricardo, a man clearly a traitor and leaning towards the Alliance, in charge of Amanda’s imprisonment…

So what else was there to say?

It was simply that Taishichen needed some time to convince himself.

Ricardo felt a wave of relief.

He nodded, escorted Amanda out of Taishichen’s office, and accompanied her to meet with various members of the Chapter.

After two days of waiting, Taishichen still hadn’t responded.

He didn’t explicitly state his position, but he ignored the fact that Amanda, who should have been imprisoned and restricted, had been secretly colluding with Ricardo and lobbying with the Chapter’s captains, sergeants, chaplains, and technical sergeants. Later

, Amanda decided she could be more daring.

She contacted Martins, informing him of the situation and hoping he would quickly dispatch a force to capture the planet where the Dragon King’s Spear was currently stationed.

Martins was a bit stunned when he received the news.

He had been on high alert, pondering how to respond to the attack from this renegade Chapter in the Thorngrass Sector.

He anticipated a fierce battle. Although his forces were larger than the enemy’s, they were heavily overstretched. A large number of land forces were scattered across the more than 200 worlds in the Thorngrass Sector already occupied by the Alliance, fighting to suppress the situation there. Numerous ships would need to be deployed to these worlds to provide ground support for the land forces. Space Marines would also need to disperse their forces, stationing them on worlds facing the greatest danger. Even if only one or two squads were stationed per planet, defending critical situations and challenges beyond the reach of mortal forces, this would still require over 1,500 Space Marines.

The Blood Sharks and Phoenixes totaled only 2,000.

This left Martins with only a limited number of troops to counter the rebel attacks.

He found it difficult to abandon his suppression of the numerous worlds in the Nepeta Sector. This was especially true for worlds facing danger; withdrawing forces from them would negate all previous efforts.

For example, he had personally led the battle to eliminate the planetary node creature, the Tingzhen IV. While the situation had improved significantly, if one or two of the remaining army groups were withdrawn, along with the fifty Phoenixes who remained, the remaining forces might not be able to suppress the Zerg and the cult. Perhaps, after a while, the Zerg could quietly create a new node creature capable of global domination, rendering all previous efforts in vain.

Martins’s original plan was to set up layers of checkpoints, using a small force and a stubborn defense to delay and prolong the battle as long as possible, looking for an opportunity. Once the enemy truly entered and a gap was revealed in the long front, he would resolve to suddenly mobilize troops from various planets for a swift, decisive assault, aiming to inflict devastating damage in a single blow. Even if that failed, the next best thing would be to inflict pain, terrify, and disable the enemy’s offensive capabilities.

But no matter what, the action had to be swift. The mobilized troops had to return to their original battlefields as quickly as possible to fulfill their unfinished duties.

In this plan, both the initial delay and the subsequent rapid assault were expected to be difficult battles.

Who knew how many lives would be sacrificed, how much would be paid, and how many worlds occupied by the enemy during the delaying operation would suffer worsening Zerg infestations due to lack of suppression.

And now, he was telling him there was no need to worry about any of that. Surrender before the battle even began?

I could capture it just by going there?

The Dragon King’s Spear wouldn’t resist?

That Alliance agent named Amanda… was so powerful?

One man is worth a thousand, right?

If that were truly possible, it would certainly be something to celebrate.

But as the commander-in-chief of the Jingjie Star Region, the general entrusted by Gu Hang, Martins couldn’t afford to be careless.

What if Amanda was deceived?

What if Amanda was turned against him?

What if the Dragon King’s Spear changed his mind?

…

The possibilities were endless.

Martins didn’t dare to take a big gamble.

But he also wouldn’t let an opportunity slip away due to excessive caution.

He formulated a thorough “occupation plan.”

First, the mobile main force was assembled. Five hundred Space Marines, along with the flagships of the Phoenix and Blood Sharks Chapters, had arrived. They would proceed toward the target system, but at a moderate pace. They would inspect the situation in each system along the way, even leaving observation posts and patrol fleets to ensure safety and avoid enemy ambushes.

The entire main fleet would operate in a concentrated manner to avoid being defeated piecemeal.

Before entering the target system, Martins relegated the Blood Sharks to the rear. These killer gods were not very good at communication, and politics and diplomacy were of little concern to the Blood Sharks. Two hundred Blood Sharks, along with their flagship, the Ghost Shark, would remain in a separate system under the command of Chapter Master Ewing.

If things were fine, they would proceed as planned. If anything, they would immediately utilize the Blood Sharks’ superior speed to swiftly intervene and support Martins.

Martins, in his capacity as Front Commander, Chapter Master, and Gu Hang’s representative, would contact the Dragon King’s Spear. Occupy the target system and disarm the Dragon King’s Spears. Further actions await further orders from Governor-General Gu.

Martins was extremely cautious during the capture and takeover of the planet.

The Burning Feather cautiously approached the planet’s perimeter. They observed that none of the Dragon King’s Spears’ fleet had escaped, including their flagship and a battle barge, all remaining anchored in the starport.

An Alliance destroyer extended its reach and cautiously approached the starport.

They encountered no attack.

Fifty Phoenixes and over a thousand Marines boarded the boarding craft and entered the starport. They

encountered no interception.

They encountered Dragon King’s Spears’ Space Marines but did not attack them, not even raising their weapons.

This was the first time the Phoenixes had faced such a situation, and they maintained a relatively good attitude—in fact, they were surrounded by Dragon King’s Spears, who were overwhelmingly outnumbered. Just because they weren’t attacking didn’t mean they couldn’t be defeated.

Amanda stepped in at this moment. Along with several Dragonspear captains, she urged the Dragonspears to lay down their weapons, remain safely within their respective areas, and refrain from any actions. The Phoenixes and Marines, respectively, took control of the starport’s firepower systems and the ships docked there.

They also immediately requested reinforcements from Martins.

Controlling those strategic points with just this limited force was definitely not enough, and

Martins was decisive.

At this point, the possibility of a trap was minimal. He was more cautious, deploying only a hundred more Space Marines. However, the elite Marines and the larger Army forces were deployed in greater numbers.

Not only did they send in ten thousand elite Marines, but they also sent in over two hundred thousand soldiers. The first wave arrived at the starport aboard landing craft, with second and third waves following…

ensuring control of key points within the starport and several starships. The more troops deployed, the better.

And the more difficult it would be to overthrow the enemy.

By the end, the entire starport was essentially under control. Nine hundred Dragon King Spear warriors were counted, completely disarmed within the starport.

Out of respect, they were not allowed to remove their armor.

A hazard check confirmed the absence of any self-destructing explosives within the starport, eliminating any potential risks.

Martins then personally led the remaining Space Marines into the spaceport. His first act was to have a cordial meeting with the Dragon King Spear captains. But before that, he met Amanda.

Amanda led him to the meeting and quickly briefed him on the situation.

By the time they met, Martins had a good idea of what to say.

He avoided any mention of surrender or betrayal, which might have irritated the Dragon King Spears. Instead, he emphasized their loyalty to the Imperium and their loyalty to the Emperor. Their actions had indirectly saved countless lives. The entire Nepeta Sector, potentially hundreds of billions of people, would benefit indirectly from this.

These words reassured the Dragon King Spear warriors.

No matter how many excuses they offered, they ultimately failed to conceal the fact that they surrendered without a fight. This was a disgrace to the Space Marines, who always valued honor above all else. Shameless individuals like the old New World Torch were a minority.

Emphasizing their loyalty to the Imperium and humanity was a greater honor and would effectively alleviate their resentment.

After reassuring the Dragon Spears, Martins learned that Chapter Master Taishichen was still on the planet’s surface. He was accompanied by two hundred Dragon Spears.

The Dragon King’s Spears totaled only 1,100 men.

At their peak before the war, they numbered 1,400. They didn’t consider themselves violating Imperial Codex regulations, as they had 400 reserve recruits, a normal practice to replenish the Chapter’s losses.

Over the years of the war, they had lost 300 warriors, leaving them with only 1,100.

When Martins landed and found Taishichen on the planet’s surface, they were engaged in a battle.

It was a remarkable raid against the Insect Cult.

The planet’s insect infestation wasn’t particularly severe to begin with, with no large-scale swarms seen. The main problem was the parasite-infested infestation in the city.

Tai Shichen led a surprise attack on the leaders of the local faction colluding with the cult, eliminating the infected rulers. They then quickly destroyed the cult’s headquarters, rescuing a large number of people.

Martins, after a moment’s deliberation, led his troops into the fray.

Although the Dragon Spears didn’t need help, Martins saw it as a valuable opportunity to build closer ties between the two sides.

Following Amanda’s advice, Martins generally considered the Dragon King’s Spears as allies, not surrendered enemies.

In fact, if they simply surrendered, Martins would have only addressed one potential external threat to the Nepeta Sector.

Furthermore, these 1,100 captives comprised a full complement of Space Marines! Even if their weapons and power armor were removed, they would still be a significant source of instability, requiring numerous personnel to monitor them.

If they could be smoothly treated as allies, even if they were unwilling to turn against Iron Armor and become defectors or backstabbers, it would be a huge help in dealing with the insect crises on various planets in the Nepenthes Star Region, directly freeing up manpower for the Phoenix and Blood Shark regiments.

Martins was working towards this goal.

And Taishichen’s actions to combat parasitic corruption on the planet were, in a sense, a statement of support.

…

When Gu Hang, two star regions away, received the news, he could hardly hide his joy.

Another regiment gained, and for free!

(End of this chapter)