Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 735

Chapter 732, Terra Red

The triumphal procession, led by Terran celebrity Gu Hang, marched across the vast, complex, and bloated lands of Holy Terra.

The places they passed through were diverse in style.

Some were ancient Gothic hive-city complexes, their spires piercing the sky; others were streamlined skyscrapers imbued with a modern, technological feel, their glass curtain walls reflecting the sunlight, stacked like modern hives like building blocks; and there were vast factory complexes lying on the surface, like steel behemoths…

Each area was home to a vast population.

On Holy Terra, a trillion people resided on the home planet. The ocean had long since dried up, and every inch of land was densely populated with hives.

This meant that wherever the triumphal procession passed, there were huge crowds!

Every place they passed was already filled with cheering crowds.

Some lined the streets, while others gazed down from the upper floors of buildings.

Children rode on adults’ shoulders, waving small flags; young girls tossed flowers to the troops; and elderly men, with tears in their eyes, silently blessed the returning heroes…

Meanwhile, every moment of their actions was captured and broadcast live by hundreds of camera crews aboard hovercrafts and airships. To ensure sufficient viewing angles, hundreds of crews weren’t enough; a vast number of servo skulls operated the cameras, following the action.

The broadcast signal could be received across Holy Terra, and indeed throughout the entire Solar System.

People could freely choose any angle to view the triumphant warriors.

Among them, the most viewed and popular channel was the one capturing Gu Hang from every angle.

The primary reason, of course, was that Gu Hang, as the war’s greatest hero and commander-in-chief, naturally commanded the most attention.

But there was another equally important factor:

the people of Holy Terra viewed Gu Hang as a savior.

And this was inseparable from the work of Salihović.

…

At this moment, Salihović, in his rented penthouse villa on the edge of the Imperial Palace, sipped a drink and watched the Governor’s prowess with a satisfied look.

Beyond this main screen, numerous secondary screens displayed a wealth of data.

Viewership, popularity, field visits by Alliance Embassy staff, and firsthand intelligence relayed from various offices…all these things reflected the support and affection the people of Holy Terra held for Governor Gu.

As the Alliance’s ambassador and the most prominent diplomat of the Alliance government, Salihović had been assigned to Holy Terra early on.

Naturally, for the Alliance, the most important diplomatic relationship was, of course, with Holy Terra.

With Gallardo’s help, the Alliance’s massive investment of manpower, resources, and funds, and most importantly, the Alliance’s immense strength, he had established a firm foothold in Holy Terra.

The Holy Terra branch of the External Intelligence Department, which he led, possessed a power nearly equal to that of Alliance headquarters. It collected all valuable intelligence from the Imperial Center and regularly reported it to the Alliance. It also disseminated messages the Alliance wished to convey to the people and officials of the Imperial Center.

Salihovich himself, in turn, cultivated connections with high-ranking Imperial officials and tirelessly championed the Alliance.

Visits, conversations, local rallies… these were only one of the means.

More importantly, the Alliance’s External Intelligence Bureau and embassies fully utilized the media.

Serious academic research reports, artistic paintings, and themed music compositions, as well as musicals and stage plays, based on

the Alliance’s excellent model, were produced to promote the work to a high-end audience. Films, simple storybooks, and popular novels based on

the Alliance’s story were created to reach the broadest audience. Every year, countless artists, novelists, and media professionals funded by the Alliance produced

a vast output of works promoting the Alliance and Gu Hang. These efforts were initially initiated by Galardo, but after Salihovich’s arrival, this work was intensified.

His work was fruitful. All that was happening was the culmination of years of work by him, his Foreign Affairs Department, and the embassy staff. People knew the Alliance, not as a distant, unrelated stranger who had won a war, but as a familiar, “big IP.”

But this was only foundational work.

It merely helped the people of Holy Terra, from the common people to lower-level officials, understand that in the distant East lay a beautiful, hopeful, ideal place bathed in the glory of the Empire—the Alliance.

But this understanding was somewhat vague, not solid, and not deeply rooted.

The opportunity that changed everything, the moment of quantitative change leading to qualitative change, came from the assistance of Prime Minister Zilberd.

Honestly, did the Iron War truly pose a threat to Holy Terra’s security?

Those with insight knew it was far from certain.

At its peak, the Iron War had barely broken through the Maegray Space. While it’s true that their forces penetrated the central empire, the distance from the Tianwang Realm, the outermost boundary of the central empire, to the Sun Realm is still vast.

The Iron Armor Rebellion had a significant impact on the empire, that’s for sure. The unrest in the Eastern Frontier, the immense financial pressure, the impact of local separatist factions on the empire’s central authority…

However, these impacts on the people and mid-level officials were not that significant.

The more knowledgeable people understood that while the Iron Armor were a major problem, the idea that they could reach Holy Terra and overthrow the empire was a pipe dream.

However, in Holy Terra, a world with a population of trillions, while highly knowledgeable individuals are numerous, their proportion is not significant.

Of course, without a source of information, the uninformed lower classes wouldn’t know so much.

But one person who assisted them greatly was Prime Minister Zibodu.

For political reasons, Zibodu exaggerated the threat of the Iron Armor Rebellion to garner support for the war.

Repeated radio and television broadcasts repeatedly emphasized the severity of the Ironclad War; newspapers reported relentlessly; and the repeated defeats on the front lines… all of this stirred a profound stir among the lower classes.

The Empire was constantly at war, but on Holy Terra, many had never in their entire lives experienced such repeated reports of a war, making them feel so close to home.

Even those so-called elites who could see the truth dared not publicly claim that the war was insignificant.

Wouldn’t that be a thorn in the Prime Minister’s side?

Did the Ministry of Justice, now practically the Prime Minister’s lackeys after the purge, really just sit there doing nothing?

Meanwhile, Salihovich keenly recognized this as a prime opportunity for publicity.

He capitalized on Prime Minister Zilberto’s “Ironclad Threat” theory and aggressively reinforced it.

With the support of the Imperial central government, the propaganda was effectively multiplied.

He then spared no expense, hiring the best teams and producing a series of high-budget films. The theme revolved around the Alliance, led by Gu Hang, as they fought against the Ironclad traitors and the Zerg.

Soon after, news broke that the Alliance had officially joined the war, marching north to form the Southern Front Legion.

Salihović capitalized on this opportunity and released the first film in the series.

Thanks to its excellent production, the Gu Hang IP, and his experience on the front lines of the Ironclad War, which closely reflected the realities of the situation, the first film received a very positive response.

Then, with the Alliance’s decisive victory over Alfonzo’s fleet, the second film became an instant hit across Holy Terra!

The third, fourth, and fifth films followed…

During the fifteen-year war, the “Alliance” series released five films that became huge hits on Holy Terra, and even throughout the Solar Segmentum and even the entire Empire. Spin-off series and merchandise quickly gained popularity, catapulting

Gu Hang, the star player, to immense fame.

Gu Hang himself was only aware of these events, but had no idea of their true significance. During the war, he devoted the vast majority of his time and energy to the war itself. There was some extra information, too, to keep tabs on the Alliance’s developments. Sometimes, fringe intelligence like this wouldn’t even reach his desk. Even if it did, he’d just glance at it and call it a day.

So, when Gu Hang, amidst the triumphant procession, was greeted with unexpected enthusiasm by the people of Holy Terra, he was momentarily unable to connect the dots, leaving him perplexed.

And it wasn’t just Gu Hang; even Salihovich, the instigator, and even many high-ranking officials on Holy Terra hadn’t anticipated this.

Who could have foreseen this?

Under the Imperial system, the entertainment industry was underdeveloped. Internal factors included the repressive social system, the manipulation of public opinion, and the diversion of resources towards industrial production and the military. Externally, the ongoing war and the intense military pressure also hindered the stable development of the entertainment industry.

Beyond these practical factors, there was also a surreal one: Slaanesh’s corruption spread easily through a flourishing, hedonistic, and licentious environment.

From the Inquisition to the Ministry of Justice, efforts were underway to suppress such behavior—though, among some upper classes, this suppression proved ineffective, unable to prevent the wealthy and those with connections from indulging in extravagant pursuits. However, when it came to controlling the entertainment pursuits of the lower classes, the regime was quite effective. Anything that disobeyed would require a license for film and television productions, literary publications, and commercial entertainment venues.

This became a profitable outlet for the Ministry of Justice and a powerful tool for well-connected producers, distributors, and casino owners to establish a monopoly.

Of course, the Alliance Ambassador was no lowly figure. Backed by the Prime Minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs and High Lord Gallardo, he was undoubtedly a top-tier figure.

Furthermore, he possessed a vast budget and commanded a commanding lead in all aspects of the film and television industry.

In the past, it wasn’t unheard of for people to exploit this method to gain recognition. In fact, Gallardo had once done something similar for Gu Hang, albeit on a smaller scale.

And now, not only was the scale of the event massive, but the film was a hit. Not only was the film a hit, but Gu Hang’s achievements were also substantial.

Who could lead the team at the forefront, marching to the Arch of Triumph?

A truly extraordinary hero!

Combining these two identities to such a high degree is incredibly rare.

And to achieve both to such an extent is truly remarkable.

A mere film star? Even reaching the pinnacle of fame is meaningless.

In the minds of ordinary people, the recognition of film and television actors differs significantly from the feelings expressed towards truly admired heroes.

A mere hero? While they may enjoy widespread fame and adoration, they also lack the endearing appeal of a deliberately crafted celebrity persona. Furthermore, heroic deeds are often only shared through written word and media, unlike the carefully packaged and dramatic narratives of film and television.

The combined power of these two is truly awe-inspiring.

At this point, Salihovic smiled.

He even dared to make a bold statement: In terms of popularity, none of the High Lords of Holy Terra could rival Mr. Gu!

Mr. Gu is more popular than the High Lords!

I, Alliance Ambassador and media tycoon Salihovich, said so!

After a month of continuous observation of the triumphal parade, all the statistics confirmed this.

The peak of popularity was, of course, the day they crossed the Arc de Triomphe in space; the second was the first day of the live broadcast of the triumphal troops landing.

The subsequent peak in popularity certainly declined. But overall, this event continued to dominate the hottest news throughout Holy Terra, and in almost every class. Especially when Gu Hang’s triumphal troops passed through a certain area, the triumphal ceremony would quickly capture the entire area’s attention. Those who could see it in person would flock to it; those who couldn’t would also gather to watch or listen to the live broadcast on television or radio.

Ultimately, all the excitement would culminate on the final day of the triumphal procession, when the triumphal procession would rendezvous with the Imperial Guards, who had left the palace earlier. With a company of one hundred Imperial Guards leading the way, they would make their way to the main gate of the Imperial Palace.

From there, Gu Hang would deliver his triumphal proclamation from the top of the palace gate tower to the triumphant soldiers, high-ranking officials of the Empire, representatives from all walks of life in Holy Terra, and television and radio reporters.

With his speech, the grand ceremony, nearly two years in preparation, costing vast sums of money, and lasting over a month, would be a complete success.

That day arrived, as promised.

Salihovic chose not to attend the event, but instead remained at the Alliance Embassy, monitoring various data points and watching the live broadcast.

However, an unexpected accident happened.

(End of this chapter)