Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 677

Chapter 675, Internal Conflict

. Qin Zhiping’s words were sincere.

He fully understood their sentiments.

If the Northern Front Army was defeated, and its remnants were incorporated into the Southern Front Army, and the war ultimately ended in victory, what would they gain?

Hardly.

At best, they would be rewarded according to their military achievements, but they would also have to shoulder the responsibility for the previous defeat. With that reduction, there would likely be nothing left.

But if the Northern Front Army could be “rebuilt,” things would be different.

While the previous defeat still left an indelible stain, they weren’t completely annihilated. Instead, they were established as an independent army, playing a crucial role in the subsequent war. When it came time to award merit, being an independent front would undoubtedly offer far more advantages than a remnant of a defeated army.

But the only problem was: could they still win the war if they engaged in internal strife and ulterior motives before the battle?

Even now, with only a remnant army left, they were still engaging in such a messy affair. It truly disgusted Qin Zhiping.

He sincerely believed that the Northern Front Legion’s previous defeat was due to a lack of strict organization, a lack of unity, and too many half-hearted personnel.

Otherwise, if they had truly held on to the end and fought with all their might, the Northern Front Legion wouldn’t have collapsed and lost in the naval battle.

At least, they wouldn’t have lost so miserably.

To put it bluntly, they deserved this.

How could they defeat a bunch of bugs with these bugs?

If they wanted victory, if they wanted to wash away the shame of defeat, they should have obeyed Commander-in-Chief Gu’s orders and fought well under the command of the Allied Forces.

Qin Zhiping highly respected Gu Hang.

Even earlier, after hearing so many rumors, especially Marshal Leroy’s comments about Gu Hang at the “Oath-taking Ceremony,” he actually didn’t like Gu Hang very much. He

even had some ill will towards him.

After all, the Tiekai they were here to fight was a series of problems caused by the development of local separatist forces. Although Commander-in-Chief Gu was an ally fighting alongside them on the southern front, this didn’t change the fact that Gu Hang’s so-called “Alliance” bore a strong undertone of regional separatism.

Furthermore, were it not for its recent development and initial weakness, the Alliance would be even more suspicious than the Iron Armor.

This was Qin Zhiping’s perspective from his own Inquisitor’s perspective.

The Iron Armor, after all, was a Chapter, inherently powerful within the Imperial political landscape and customs. Their homeworld was theirs; they held high command authority, able to assume command of various Imperial forces in battles without other Space Marines. Add to that the pretext of fighting a “Void Black Hole,” and their expansion and growth seemed quite legitimate.

The Alliance, on the other hand, seemed much less legitimate.

As an Inquisitor, he was naturally skeptical of such a situation from a professional perspective.

But now, he no longer held such views.

The fact that the Alliance had saved his and his men’s lives wasn’t the crucial factor. More importantly, the nature of this behavior suggests that Gu Hang cares little about personal honor and disgrace, and doesn’t mind his previously strained relationship with the Northern Front Legion. He’ll act for the ultimate goal of the Empire’s victory, the victory of humanity.

Such loyalty!

Furthermore, he’d been with the Alliance for several months since his rescue, and had seen much.

He believed Gu Hang to be deeply loyal; his management and governance of the Alliance, at least in terms of the military, was thorough and reliable, far superior to any other army he’d personally witnessed. Even at his level as Chief Judge, he hadn’t noticed any corruption within the Alliance’s ranks…

Compared to the Northern Front Legion, which had been forcibly joined together without any prior affiliation, the Alliance was far more reliable.

While the tide might have been turning in their favor, the difference became apparent when the tide turned against them and they needed to persevere.

Qin Zhiping now believed that the only way to win the war was to follow the Alliance and Commander-in-Chief Gu.

These losers were now trying to use Xi Rui to stir up trouble, which was directly crossing Qin Zhiping’s line.

He’d have to deal with them!

If it were just those insects, Qin Zhiping wouldn’t even bother wasting time with them. He’d report directly to Gu Hang and suggest: arrest them all. Then he could have a good talk with their deputies and mid-level officers. The disloyal ones could be dealt with, and the remaining wavering ones could be persuaded to be more loyal. Then, the Alliance could send in some mid-level and senior officers to take over these forces.

However, there was a major variable, the most difficult figure to deal with: the Black Crusaders’ Marshal, Xi Rui.

If he weren’t also dependent on Xi Rui’s ship, he could have scolded Xi Rui as well.

But wouldn’t that be a problem?

He also had to worry that Xi Rui had three hundred swordsmen stationed nearby, waiting for the signal to smash the cup and come in to take him down.

That would be the end of the matter.

No matter what, Xi Rui wouldn’t kill him. He could simply imprison him, then leverage his position as “Northern Commander-in-Chief” to act as the backbone, creating a split, establishing a separate command system outside the Alliance and standing on equal footing…

that was a real possibility.

He had no doubt the ultimate victor would be Commander-in-Chief Gu, whom he had observed to be incredibly capable. However, internal unrest before a major war was never a good thing.

He had to prevent it, and the key figure in this was Xi Rui himself.

His earlier exhortation was more about Xi Rui than about the others.

“The course of the war is now a fait accompli. But failure isn’t the only thing to fear; the further disgrace that follows is far more terrifying. If a situation we all wish to avoid were to occur, the consequences could impact not only us, but also everything behind us.”

His words were already a warning, practically a directive: Xi Rui, if you act rashly, it will not only be you who will suffer, but the entire Black Crusade as well.

He believed Xi Rui understood.

At this moment, Xi Rui sighed and shook his head, ignoring Qin Zhiping. He said to the others on the communication line, “Do you all want me to stand up and talk to Gu Hang about the unified and independent command and operation of the Northern Front Legion?”

“Yes,”

many people responded.

“I object!” Qin Zhiping’s pale voice seemed very isolated.

“Then let it be.” Xi Rui said, “I’ll think about it, and you all should be prepared.”

After that, he closed the communication.

Turning around, he faced Qin Zhiping.

Qin Zhiping had already taken out the plasma pistol he carried with him.

————

Hey, I wrote the second chapter before going to bed!

(End of this chapter)