Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 747

Chapter 743, Unprecedented Legitimacy

. The Alliance’s participation in the war against Solaria certainly wasn’t free.

The Executive Council had to pay, the Astra Militarum General Headquarters had to pay, and the Ministry of Military Affairs had to pay as well.

The Alliance Army already had an Astra Militarum Legion, the Raging Bear Legion, which could be utilized at this time.

Since they were fighting as Astra Militarums, they needed all the necessary benefits.

Equipment replacements, and the entire Legion’s funding… all required.

Furthermore, the Alliance’s price tag was even higher.

On the one hand, the Empire had to cover the costs of the war. The Alliance Army now had a large number of armored vehicles, artillery, reconnaissance systems, and command vehicles. Even individual soldiers carried more than just a gun and protective gear. They also had a large number of individual firepower reinforcements. Squads were equipped with numerous individual missiles, rockets, and heavy-bolter machine guns for positional warfare…

more than the average unit.

While this equipment didn’t cost the Empire, it inevitably wore out. Fuel, ammunition, and various consumer goods… the Alliance Army uses more than ordinary troops.

This is the most expensive part of the military budget.

Another part is the manpower cost.

The benefits of Alliance Army soldiers, from daily allowances to combat allowances to pensions, are higher than those of ordinary Astra Militarum soldiers. This is also a considerable amount of money.

In addition, there is the payment of the Alliance Corps’ departure expenses.

For ordinary Astra Militarum Corps, this money goes to the Corps. For the Alliance Army, it is of course paid to the Alliance.

These three amounts, added together, roughly represent the cost of recruiting the Alliance Army for war. It is

much more expensive than recruiting ordinary Astra Militarum Corps, and it is comparable to recruiting those famous Astra Militarum Corps.

However, Luo Fei still does not feel that he is losing out.

The money is not a problem, after all, it is not his alone. Solaria has a sufficient budget. All parties are not afraid of spending money, but they are afraid of spending money ineffectively.

Rather than recruiting a large number of subpar troops and wasting money on paying pensions and arming cannon fodder for low-level troops, it would be better to hire truly elite troops to quell the rebellion. By conquering a planet or a region, they could stop the bleeding and begin reconstruction, which in turn could generate taxes and provide a lifeline for the empire.

The difference between the two was enormous.

Luo Fei wasn’t afraid to spend, but the empire didn’t have that many elite troops to simply spend money on and use to wade into the muck of Solaria.

Any more would be a good thing.

After all, now that he couldn’t oppose or stop Gu Hang, he could shift his mindset and turn his efforts to Gu Hang’s success into something beneficial for himself.

For now, that was a good start.

…

With Luo Fei dealt with, the final obstacle would be removed.

But the empire’s efficiency remained low.

The “Alliance Plan” document still needed further review, involving multiple departments.

After that, it would be formally submitted to the Supreme Council for further discussion.

Following this discussion, the Prime Minister would seal it, and Gu Hang would sign it. According to Prime Minister Qi Bodu, they would also have to hold a ceremony, broadcast live, with at least ten High Lords in attendance.

This entire process would likely take at least a month and a half, or even two months.

Gu Hang was genuinely anxious.

On the one hand, he feared the dangers of further trouble. The political landscape of Imperial Holy Terra was always treacherous and unpredictable. Who knew what unexpected events might arise in a month and a half or two months?

But there was nothing he could do; he could only wait patiently, reassuring himself that the wait would be worth it.

The more standardized the process, the stronger the “Alliance Plan” document would be.

From the multi-departmental review, to the Supreme Council discussion, to the fully broadcast ceremony, with more than ten High Lords in attendance,

the Alliance’s rule over the East and its future expansion into the Spider Web Universe would gain unprecedented legitimacy.

He could even take this document and declare to any surrounding faction, “I have the full support of the Imperial Center, I am the legitimate legitimacy of the Empire!”

Then wait.

While waiting, Gu Hang didn’t waste any time.

Coming to Holy Terra wasn’t easy; the journey from Eastern Frontier to the center alone would take nearly two years. Since everyone was already here, Gu Hang sought to meet with as many people as possible. He

sought cooperation where possible, established connections where possible, and even, if that wasn’t enough, simply making a name for himself was essential.

Gu Hang had long understood the importance of connections in the Empire.

Not only was he on the ground, but his wife, Ye Lishiya, as the First Lady of the Alliance, accompanied him to various events and even on solo trips.

A month passed in this whirlwind of drinking and revelry.

During this time, two matters warrant mention.

As scheduled, Gu Hang met with Yan Xinzhen, the Grand Marshal of the Imperial Guards, leader of the Ten Thousand Men, and a figure of immense power within the Empire.

He was still quite nervous about meeting him.

At the Psychic Order’s exchange venue, unleashing his full psychic energy and displaying his strength, he was deeply concerned about the potential negative impact: trouble from the Imperial Guards.

Fortunately, the Imperial Guards were dealt with immediately, but Yan Xinzhen invited him instead.

He genuinely feared that if he attended this Hongmen Feast, he would be imprisoned in a dark cell by the Imperial Guards, to be studied as a special specimen.

Within the imperial palace, the Imperial Guards were always secretive. They seemed indifferent to outside affairs, as if no matter how chaotic the fighting in other parts of the empire, as long as the invasion didn’t reach Holy Terra, or even the imperial palace, they would be indifferent. They

spent their days secluded within the palace, researching some mysterious and unfathomable contrivances.

Fortunately, the meeting didn’t turn out as badly as Gu Hang had anticipated.

Yan Xinzhen amiably discussed psychic matters, how to deal with high-level psychics, and how to cultivate psychic abilities.

He also touched upon the current situation within the empire.

Gu Hang discovered that the Imperial Guards Marshal actually had a good understanding of the current state of the Empire, unlike the popular perception of complete ignorance of the outside world.

This conversation left Gu Hang somewhat baffled.

It felt like casual conversation, but was the Imperial Guards Marshal simply seeking him out for a simple chat?

He felt something was amiss.

Marshal Yan Xinzhen’s attitude was truly as if they were strangers, but now they’re getting to know each other. It was quite baffling.

However

, so far, this incident had no negative consequences.

On the contrary, it had helped Gu Hang ‘s situation within the Imperial Palace

. It felt as if being able to speak privately with Yan Xinzhen was a privilege

, a privilege not even the high lords within the Imperial Central Government could afford.

His status had, unknowingly, risen even higher.

Furthermore, another noteworthy development was that Qi Bodu would regularly call Gu Hang over to discuss the development of the Sixth Rejuvenation Surgery and confirm details.

This was quite predictable.

A month passed slowly, with no unexpected incidents.

Until one day, an unexpected visitor suddenly arrived.

It was a great sage from Mars – Kaul.

(End of this chapter)