Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 746

Chapter 742: Arrogant at First and Respectful Later

. Luo Fei could no longer refuse.

Continuing to oppose the Alliance Plan would be like trying to stop a chariot with a mantis arm.

The Tax Department was already holding up his administrative budget, and he was already feeling uneasy. The other High Lords in the Supreme Council were relatively neutral, but when it came to budgets, they all wanted a piece of the Alliance’s promised annual tax revenue of one or two trillion.

Furthermore, Gu Hang had made quite a few friends during the last war. He had a number of people in the Astra Militarum, the Navy, the Space Marines, and the Inquisition who spoke to him, both openly and covertly.

And then there was Gallardo’s unwavering support…

He had been feeling quite sad lately.

Sometimes he couldn’t help but wonder if he was being too sensitive, too paranoid.

On a closer look, was there really any benefit to him from holding back the Alliance? Why bother fighting for the Spider Web Universe, a place that had been destroyed? Even if he won, all he could achieve was control over personnel appointments in that star system.

Based on past experience, those he appointed as Cosmic Domain Presidents and Star Domain Heads were initially relatively obedient and strong supporters of the Central Executive Council. However, over time, as local officials, already established and consolidated their own power, remained steadfast, it was unclear whether they would remain so obedient. This was possible

only if a system of regular rotations were implemented. However, given the current state of the empire, this was largely unrealistic.

Of course, overall, a new Cosmic Domain with so many positions was indeed a huge benefit. However, the political price he paid to secure all of this had dragged on until now, proving too high.

He was gradually starting to feel that the gains were not worth the losses.

Furthermore, he had a fundamental concern: allowing Gu Hang, the head of a regional separatist regime, to become Cosmic Domain President, while also unleashing the constraints on his separatist power…

was by no means a favorable outcome.

Whether Gu Hang was loyal or not, or whether he would ultimately rebel, was irrelevant. The system should have been designed to prevent such a scenario.

The safety of the entire empire cannot rest on the whim of one person.

As the Prime Minister of the Imperial Council, he always held this view. Therefore, he was extremely vigilant regarding Gu Hang’s current situation.

While it seemed that some in the High Lords’ Council shared similar thoughts, these sentiments were not usually at the top of their priority list when making decisions.

Sometimes he felt a bit tired: Why should I be the only one to think this way?

Of course, at these moments, he chose to forget what choices he normally made when departmental or personal interests conflicted with the interests of the Empire.

Anyway, he was tired now.

Since none of you want to, then neither do I.

Whatever happens, so be it.

From a profit perspective, the Spider Web Universe was no longer a sure thing; from the perspective of empire, it was no longer feasible.

But these were secondary considerations.

The most significant blow to him was the Prime Minister’s changed attitude.

The Prime Minister was the one who ultimately made all the decisions.

When he felt the entire world was against him, only the Prime Minister’s unwavering support could allow him to overthrow Gu Hang’s rule in the East.

In the past, the Prime Minister had been quite supportive of him.

Especially after he had clearly explained to the Prime Minister the threat posed by Gu Hang in the East, his potential disloyalty, and the negligence of the loss of tax revenue compared to the loss of the Prime Minister’s authority…

Through these remarks, he clearly sensed that the Prime Minister’s attitude was leaning towards him.

But for some unknown reason, the Prime Minister’s attitude suddenly changed 180 degrees.

This matter suddenly became impossible to handle.

When Gu Hang’s people sent him an invitation to meet him, he originally wanted to refuse.

However, an order from the Prime Minister forced him to lower his head and hold his nose to meet Gu Hang.

He had already accepted his fate.

However, his attitude was still not very good.

He made up his mind that he would never give Gu Hang a good face during this meeting!

…

“What?! That’s great!”

Luo Fei raised his glass to Gu Hang with a smile like a flower. Even this did not feel i*imate enough, so he simply sat next to him from the opposite side and put his arm around Gu Hang’s shoulder.

“I knew someone like Governor Gu Hang would be the Empire’s most loyal. Solaria is already the Empire’s greatest concern. The Sun Lord’s expedition back then certainly earned him great prestige and brought the Empire a rare opportunity to expand its territory, but it cost too much money, and now it’s in turmoil.”

“With your words, Governor Gu, I’m reassured.”

“The Alliance Army’s combat effectiveness, tested by Iron Armor and the Void Zerg, is truly the Empire’s elite. Those elite Astra Militarum legions with such grand titles are all boasts; they’re nowhere near as formidable as the Alliance Army.”

“And those other chapters have only seen a new lease of life thanks to the Alliance’s support. Before, who would have known what Phoenixes and Blood Sharks were?”

“With the Alliance’s help, Solaria is saved! Come on, let’s have another drink to the future of the Empire!”

…

Luo Fei’s attitude was a bit ridiculous, his arrogance and his subsequent deference to the Empire.

But Gu Hang didn’t underestimate him.

After Qi Bodu’s change of heart, the Alliance Plan’s implementation was a foregone conclusion.

Given that, resisting would be a complete loss. Luo Fei, if he wasn’t stupid, wouldn’t do that.

Furthermore, since the situation was already settled, why create an enemy like Gu Hang? He

was powerful, influential, and seemed to have some ambiguous connection with the Prime Minister, with extensive connections…

being an enemy was truly unbearable.

However, the previous conflict was there, and while he wanted to resolve it, he found no way.

However, during this meeting, Gu Hang didn’t act like a victorious figure. Instead, they spoke sincerely about future personnel appointments within the Spider Web Universe and his prospects for future development.

These were all empty promises. Even if Gu Hang had offered some positions within the Spider Web Universe, within the Universe government, and within the various star-domain governments, inviting the Executive Yuan to appoint personnel, the number would be small, marginal, and ultimately insignificant.

But it didn’t matter. Both of them understood it was a way to start a conversation.

At the very least, Luo Fei sensed Gu Hang’s overtures.

Okay, let’s do this, there’s a step that everyone can take.

But what Luo Fei didn’t expect was that Gu Hang then mentioned that the alliance army could enter Solaria to participate in the war.

This is a big surprise!

(End of this chapter)