Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 703

Chapter 701, Military Merits

The main topic of the War Merit Conference concluded.

Cleanup work had been arranged, and each unit received its corresponding combat mission.

These orders were jointly issued by the three commanders of the Southern, Western, and Northern Fronts:

Gu Hang, Lu Salilius, and Xi Rui.

Gu Hang’s name was at the top, symbolizing his supreme position within the combined forces. Furthermore, the orders signed by the three commanders-in-chief carried the highest authority within the entire Imperial Alliance.

The troops receiving the orders had no further comment; they simply went to work.

However, at the end of the meeting, Gu Hang mentioned another matter.

Although it was only a preliminary and brief mention without further elaboration, this matter alone was already of great concern.

Gu Hang’s mention was about submitting a battle report to Holy Terra.

Translated, it meant reporting on achievements.

This was the matter that everyone valued.

When they came to the battle, they claimed to accept the Empire’s call and serve it loyally. But in reality, they all had political agendas.

Whether it was the Space Marines, the Navy, the Astra Militarum, the planetary defense forces, or the Imperial Chamber of Commerce’s escort fleets…

it was the same for all.

To participate in war, gain merit, and accumulate prestige… to return to their own turf and claim what was their due—that was everyone’s aspiration.

Whether it was official positions, concrete resources, or political status… in short, it was what these political creatures longed for.

However, Gu Hang always understood one thing: victory and the fruits of victory are not the same thing.

Heroes shedding blood and tears are commonplace in every place and every era.

Whether those who won battles truly achieved what they desired upon their return, Gu Hang had no idea.

Since they were not his people, he had no control over them, nor did he want to.

All he could do was to faithfully and impartially record every battle in the battle reports he submitted to Holy Terra: who participated, what results were achieved, and how much sacrifice was made…

That was all.

As for the specific benefits they would receive from this officially recognized military achievement, that depended on their individual luck and means.

Gu Hang could only manage himself.

He had a clear idea of what he wanted,

and it was quite earthy and primitive:

population, resources, and land,

in that order of importance.

Specifically, in this war against the Iron Armor, which escalated into a war against the Void Zerg, all territories conquered by the Alliance would be placed under its control.

This included the Menghe Star Region, which had been under the Alliance’s custody in the early stages of the war; the Proud Claw Star Region, captured in the middle stages; and the Jingjie and Alfonzo Star Regions, which fell under the Alliance’s control in the latter stages.

By then, the Alliance would have direct control over five star regions, spanning two cosmic domains.

Nearly four thousand worlds and ten trillion people.

This was Gu Hang’s ideal territory.

With the [Tech Tree] panel and sufficient time, Gu Hang could elevate the region’s development to a considerable level.

Only then would he have the confidence to become a powerful lord.

He hadn’t quite decided what he would do with this confidence. However, farming and providing a good life for ten trillion humans were inherently beneficial. As for the powerful military, supported by a developed productive force, it was intended to ward off external and internal threats and would in no way threaten the stability of Holy Terra or even the entire Human Empire. On the contrary, a strong alliance would be a powerful pillar of support for the Empire’s stability. Hmm

… the only question was, did Holy Terra believe this?

Objectively speaking, Gu Hang wasn’t optimistic.

For ordinary local forces, as long as they dutifully paid Imperial taxes, the Empire generally wouldn’t interfere, allowing them to do as they pleased.

But that was for ordinary forces.

The Alliance was no ordinary force.

If the occupied territories spanning five star regions were all given to the Alliance, the scale of the unified political entity would be enormous.

Wouldn’t Holy Terra be worried?

After all, the Iron Armor case was still fresh in their minds.

How large was Iron Armor’s core territory?

Just one star region, over seven hundred worlds.

With this alone, they were able to continuously expand their influence into the surrounding areas, instigate rebellions, and ignite a war that engulfed four cosmic realms.

The Empire twice established a Western Front Legion, repeatedly sent reinforcements to the Northern Front, and, with the addition of a rising Alliance to form the Southern Front, finally managed to crush Iron Armor.

If the Alliance truly controlled four thousand worlds, how far would Gu Hang extend his influence?

If the Alliance ever rebelled like Iron Armor, how much effort would it take to quell it?

Or even… could it be quelled at all?

After this war, the Alliance’s wartime strength and potential were widely recognized. With Space Marine Chapters closely aligned with the Alliance, its own starship production capabilities, the support of two Mechanicus Orders, and an army with the highest levels of training and equipment among the Astra Militarum…

wouldn’t that be a massive Iron Armor?

If such a powerful alliance were to use its military and economic might to expand its influence, much like the Iron Rage Stone had done before, how many worlds would be willing to collude with it?

To put it bluntly, if an alliance of that magnitude were to rebel, and the initial wave of Imperial troops sent to suppress the rebellion failed to defeat it, the Alliance could easily push back to the Magre Realm and then push into the Central Territory.

Is it likely?

Perhaps not, but the rulers of Holy Terra, having just endured a bloody war, certainly don’t want another major one.

Even the risk is unacceptable.

They claim to pay Imperial taxes on time and in full, but who can say for sure?

If a planetary governor suddenly declares they won’t pay taxes, Holy Terra won’t even need to know; the sector will handle it. If a sector unites and rebels, forming an independent force to resist taxes—there’s a term for this: a “pocket empire,” and the sector-level government has the power to suppress it.

So, if the future Perfect Alliance, controlling five sectors, rebels and says they won’t pay taxes anymore, what can Holy Terra do?

Can the sector government suppress it?

Impossible. The Spider Web couldn’t even suppress a rebellion within its own sector.

Expecting the future Spider Web and Eastern sectors to suppress the Alliance?

Nonsense.

By then, the Empire might not even dare to turn against the Alliance.

Whether or not they could win the war was a question of fact. Failure to pay taxes would result in the loss of tax revenue for four thousand worlds. With a population of ten trillion, roughly speaking, that’s about a trillion tax coins per year. But if war were to take place, how much would it cost to destroy the Alliance? A trillion? A quadrillion? And then,

if the Alliance-controlled territory were reduced to a shambles, tax revenue wouldn’t be collected, and massive reconstruction would likely be

necessary …

It would be better not to fight at all. With so many concerns, why not avoid these risks from the outset?

For this very reason, Gu Hang wasn’t optimistic about his ability to easily hold onto the currently occupied territory.

Even if one speculated on the thoughts of the masters on Holy Terra, let alone allowing Gu Hang to retain five star regions, even the Alliance’s original territory, the Dragon Eagle Star Region, would likely be dismembered after the war.

So what if Gu Hang was a war hero? So what if he was the greatest contributor to the Battle of Ironclad?

Had the Empire lost countless heroes and meritorious figures? In Holy Terra’s eyes, Gu Hang would likely be no different.

However, there’s also a flip side to this.

Precisely because Gu Hang could see this, he was even more determined to present his demands to Holy Terra and strengthen the power at his disposal.

Reasoning was futile. Trying to use his own achievements to demand what was due to Holy Terra was equally unfeasible.

The only way was to flex his muscles, appearing to possess sufficient “united front value,” to convince the Empire that attacking him wasn’t worthwhile. Considering the pain relief, he could then demonstrate his ability to steadily pay taxes, even steadily increasing the development and population of worlds within the five star regions—which meant paying more taxes.

Only then would the value of the latter be recognized by the rulers of Holy Terra.

Gu Hang was a man who could learn from history. The example of Iron Armor was just before him.

In his view, Iron Armor’s greatest mistake was that while they had essentially achieved the former, possessing “united front value,” they hadn’t demonstrated the latter, meaning they hadn’t provided Holy Terra with sufficient benefits. Furthermore, they were still expanding, devouring the resources of the central Empire.

That was unacceptable.

Of course, by now, Gu Hang knew that Iron Armor’s madness was due to their genuine madness, controlled by the Queen. This explained all their actions.

But for him, Gu Hang decided to follow a path similar to Iron Armor’s in the first half, but different in the second.

Gu Hang knew that the conflict between him and Holy Terra was like a chasm, blocking the Alliance’s path forward. He understood that if he didn’t find a way to resolve it, the Alliance’s future would be uncertain.

After careful consideration, Gu Hang considered several measures:

First, he must develop sufficiently strong local forces to make the Empire hesitant.

This was fundamental.

Otherwise, weakness would only become an excuse for exploitation.

Furthermore, Gu Hang would make many friends.

Iron Armor had done this before. Norberto, once the Chancellor of the Ministry of Military Affairs and one of the Thirteen High Lords, was a “friend” of Iron Armor.

This was similar to the relationship between Gu Hang and Gallardo.

However, that wasn’t enough. He

needed more friends.

His first thought was to strengthen cooperation with the Space Marines. These Chapters hold a special place within the Imperium. While their loyalty lies first and foremost with the Emperor, they have forged deep bonds of camaraderie through their long years of fighting alongside the Alliance.

This includes the Ortopis Chapter of Salilius, the Black Crusaders, and the Phoenix Chapter.

All three are large and influential Chapters. They are either direct descendants of the Terran government, top-tier Chapters “legally reborn,” or founding Chapters.

The Alliance has saved each of them. The Phoenix

Chapter’s debt is particularly profound.

Without Gu Hang, even if the Phoenix Chapter hadn’t perished, it would have been nearly as bad. The Chapter Commander would

have perished, two hundred warriors would have died, and even the Glorious Queen-class battleships left over from the Legion era would have been lost.

This debt of gratitude, not to mention the Phoenix’s servitude, would have allowed them to treat me like a close brother. Surely, it wouldn’t be a problem, right?

A founding Chapter’s voice is quite significant.

And as for friends, there are also the various ties forged during this war.

The Inquisition, the Sisters of Battle, the Imperial Navy, the Astra Militarum’s Solar Legion, the Legion of the Firstborn, the Legion of the Death Legion…

all of them will have some personal connections.

By then, the network of connections the Alliance has built within the Empire will undoubtedly be stronger than iron armor.

This means that if a true falling-out, rebellion, or war breaks out, and they’re forced to choose sides, these people will speak for the Alliance, acting as brakes, another dimension of the Alliance’s “united front values.”

(End of this chapter)