Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 755

Chapter 751, False Fame

. Qi Bodu had no doubt about the truth of Gu Hang’s words.

Even though these statements were merely Gu Hang’s own words, the result of his interrogation, Qi Bodu believed them.

It wasn’t that he trusted Gu Hang; he simply believed him to be no fool, unable to fabricate such lies.

Everything he said was verifiable, and he would turn around and ask the Imperial Guards about the situation.

No matter how arrogant the Imperial Guards were, they couldn’t conceal such information so closely related to the Prime Minister.

Assuming the information was true, Qi Bodu did have to consider who would take over the position.

The acting Prime Minister from the Ministry of Justice was too inexperienced, and Qi Bodu didn’t favor his ability or loyalty.

He preferred to choose someone like Yasdai from among the Cosmic Domain Presidents who obeyed him. He

had many candidates in mind, and for a moment he hesitated, unsure of which one to choose.

But no matter what, it wouldn’t be Gu Hang.

What did it have to do with Gu Hang?

He certainly wanted Gu Hang to be his loyal and devoted subordinate. However, that state was still a long way off. Gu Hang, as it stood, was far from being trustworthy.

As for the exchange of benefits?

In Qi Bo Du’s view, the Alliance’s future total tax revenue of 2.1 trillion coin per year was already draining them dry. Beyond that, what else could be squeezed out of them?

The Alliance’s considerable military might was certainly valuable, and several chapters were, in fact, controlled by them.

The navy and army, along with a few Space Marine chapters, were certainly formidable. If they could be mobilized at will when needed, their value would be immense.

However, Gu Hang held the power to mobilize these forces, and their value lay not only in their personnel and equipment but also in the logistical support provided by the entire Alliance.

Warfare hinged on logistics.

If the Prime Minister had to pay for the deployment of these forces, the value of the army would be halved.

So, would the Alliance be willing to hand over all control of its military, including its supply chain, to the Prime Minister?

Of course not.

Even if they were willing, Qi Bo Du doubted it.

They say they have handed it over, but what if the alliance makes excuses when the time comes to use it?

This matter requires trust.

But it is obvious that there is a lack of trust between the two sides.

And apart from the alliance, what kind of exchange of benefits can Gu Hang provide?

The sixth rejuvenation operation that can be performed is what Qi Bodu cares about very much. However, this thing has been exchanged for the approval of the “Alliance Plan”. Is

Gu Hang going to use the rejuvenation operation to force Qi Bodu to change his position as a high lord?

Qi Bodu will not give in.

Now, he is only about to undergo the fifth operation. He still has at least sixty to one hundred years of life left, so it is not so urgent.

In sixty years, he may be forced to compromise.

Now, don’t even think about it.

But something Gu Hang proposed changed Qi Bodu’s mind a little.

“If I am elected by the High Lord as President of the Spider Web Universe and Chief Mentor of the Psychic Order, could Your Excellency, the Prime Minister, recommend a talented individual to serve as my permanent representative on Holy Terra?”

Upon hearing this, Qi Bodu was moved.

The position of High Lord’s representative wasn’t actually important. It essentially carried out the High Lord’s will. All the power of this representative came from the High Lord himself, and they couldn’t act independently of the High Lord’s will. The High Lord would never tolerate such behavior. Therefore, the selection of representatives, regular reporting and review, and periodic rotations were all standard procedures.

Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to steal the High Lord’s power by bribing representatives.

But what if the High Lord himself cooperated?

This was the point Gu Hang made, and Qi Bodu understood it.

He was quite interested.

In the past, the High Lords he had trained, whether serving as Cosmic Domain Presidents like Yasdai or as department heads, had reached the position of High Lord. No matter how obedient they were, they all possessed dignity, boundaries, and even… hidden ambitions.

They were willing, and in most, if not all, cases, they aligned themselves with Prime Minister Qi Bodu. Internal factional struggles were one thing, but when Qi Bodu made a decision, no matter how unhappy they were, they would suppress their feelings and obey his leadership. However

, this was their own decision.

Qi Bodu didn’t just vote for it outright.

That would be too unethical.

But Gu Hang seemed unconcerned.

If Qi Bodu were to choose his representative, wouldn’t that mean he only needed to follow his orders? Then, if anything happened, sending Gu Hang a report would be considered a good thing.

Even Qi Bodu’s most familiar dog had never shown such an attitude.

He couldn’t help but look at Gu Hang with a different eye.

After pondering for a moment, he said, “Then let’s discuss the Alliance Army. Can we…”

…

The terms hadn’t been agreed upon. Qi Bodu wanted command of the Alliance Army and the placement of numerous generals and officers, and Gu Hang was determined not to let him succeed.

He’d rather give up his position as High Lord.

If pushed further, he wouldn’t even sign the Alliance Plan.

Military and political power—that was Gu Hang’s bottom line.

But in truth, he wasn’t too disappointed. Even if

the deal hadn’t been reached, as long as there was something to talk about, there was hope.

The bottom line Gu Hang would accept was that the Alliance Army could travel abroad and fight for the Empire. However, all the terms would be the same as for any Imperial Legion conscripted by the Empire: the Empire would pay for the war and offer bounties. The Alliance would cover logistics, but everything would be paid for.

Furthermore, the Alliance Army would have complete operational autonomy. While they could accept orders from higher-ups in joint operations, they would make their own decisions regarding operational command. And if the battle was to be led by the Alliance, then all other Imperial military units would also obey the Alliance Army’s command. If

they couldn’t reach an agreement on this point, there was no point in discussing it.

And as long as they could reach an agreement, in Gu Hang’s opinion, it would be like taking the position of High Lord at no cost.

He could accept the Alliance’s armies going out to fight for money, acting like mercenaries. Even without the High Lords, he would have to actively promote it.

After all, war had accounted for the vast majority of the Alliance’s thirty or forty years of development. The Alliance had rapidly expanded and developed while fighting wars.

Apart from war, nothing else could have allowed a force to grow from a planet to a universe in less than forty years.

But in the future, there should be no major wars within the Alliance. However, during the past development process, a huge army and military industry had been accumulated.

The military industry was not a big deal; the products it produced were quite popular, whether as imperial taxes or as trade goods.

In the unstable empire, arms were hard currency.

But the army itself was a more difficult matter.

Maintaining a massive army while not fighting was highly uneconomical and would severely hinder the Alliance’s economic development,

especially given the immense tax burden.

Using the Alliance’s elite soldiers to offset taxes?

Gu Hang wouldn’t do that.

He’d rather downsize the army, allowing the soldiers to retire, which would also increase the labor force. Using taxes to offset taxes for the Empire would be a massive loss.

But if they really did downsize… not only would it be painful, but the prophecy of the Final War was also a constant thorn in Gu Hang’s heart, a constant source of unease.

Who knew when that prophecy would come true?

What if they downsized the army and then a major war broke out?

Using war to support war was a good option.

Send troops to fight for the Empire. As long as the war could be won, there would be profit, not to mention losses.

Gu Hang didn’t care how much he made. As long as the Empire could support a significant portion of the Alliance’s army and serve as a training ground for rotational battles, that was all very well.

On this basis, being able to use this matter as leverage and reap additional political benefits would be a net profit.

The promise to the Executive Council that the Alliance would send troops to intervene in Solaria’s chaotic war was driven by this very consideration. The promise

to the Prime Minister to participate in wars across the Empire at his request was also a matter of fact.

It all depended on whether one could earn the position of High Lord.

The representative was to have Prime Minister Qi Bodu “recommend” a candidate, effectively handing over power. Yes, but…

firstly, otherwise, Gu Hang wouldn’t even be eligible to participate.

Secondly, if I used the person you recommended, it would be my right to replace him after a few years if I wasn’t satisfied.

Of course, the second point couldn’t be made lightly, only when someone was already strong enough.

Why hadn’t Qi Bodu considered this? It was simply that, as soon as Gu Hang broke the tacit agreement and replaced the representative, Qi Bodu would have the power to replace the High Lord in the Supreme Council.

The key to preventing this from happening is that when Qi Bo Du is unable to dislodge Gu Hang from his position as High Lord within the Supreme Council, that’s when Gu Hang can truly seize power.

This will take time.

But even if he’s a High Lord in name only, he’s still a High Lord, theoretically one of the thirteen most powerful individuals in the Empire.

Gu Hang holds this title, just a title, but there are countless ways to manipulate it,

both locally and within Holy Terra.

Furthermore, this is a matter of dynamic equilibrium.

There’s a middle ground between a powerless High Lord and a powerful High Lord. It’s not that one person is just a figurehead one moment, then powerful the next, and then they turn against each other. Rather, as Gu Hang’s power grows, the game between him and Qi Bo Du develops, and the mutual exchange of interests, concessions, and compromises will constantly shake the balance of power.

Ultimately, the center of the Empire lies in Holy Terra.

After Gu Hang had established himself in the Eastern Territory, wielding a solid and extensive influence in the region and becoming a prominent figure in the imperial political landscape, his previous chaotic and unruly expansion could no longer be achieved.

He needed to find a new path.

At his level, such a path was only possible on Holy Terra.

…

Gu Hang spent a few days in peace. Then

, the signing ceremony for the Alliance Plan took place.

The ceremony was grand and well-organized, with attendees of high status.

Of the two signing parties, Gu Hang was of course the Alliance’s signatory. On the Imperial government’s side, Qi Bodu ultimately remained absent, but the presence of Luo Fei, Xu Fuzhen, and Gallardo, the three Imperial Chancellors and High Lords, was a truly impressive achievement. The four of them held up the signed document and presented it

to the camera. This was broadcast live and the remaining footage was widely disseminated.

The matter was now finalized.

A week later, within the Order of Psychic Power, Gu Hang was awarded the title of Co-Grand Master.

He didn’t directly take over full control of the Order. Instead, he allowed the former chief, the elderly Dou Zhao, to continue as Chief Grand Master and oversee the Order’s management.

Everything remained largely the same.

Gu Hang had many ideas for the Order, but he couldn’t personally oversee their implementation on Holy Terra.

So, he left it to Dou Zhao.

After Gu Hang received the title of Co-Grand Master, and Dou Zhao fully supported him in pushing forward all the reforms he envisioned within the Order, he was somewhat surprised to see movement within the system panel. The

“Psychic Order” had appeared under the “Vassal” section.

This was a pleasant surprise.

While obedience wasn’t particularly high at the moment, it didn’t matter. No matter how Gu Hang declared within the Order, “I will lead the Order to greatness again,” the reality was that the Order’s greatest value to him was still simply its title.

However, now that the system had recognized it as a faction and incorporated it, a modest investment of resources wasn’t out of the question.

According to Gu Hang’s original reform plan, the future direction of the Order of Psychic Powers was to train more psykers and establish its own armed forces. Using this as a foundation, they would handle more psyker affairs within the Empire, gain influence and funding… along this path, they would continue to expand and even revive.

In the future, once the Order of Psychic Powers had grown sufficiently powerful, they might be able to regain their lost control over all the psykers in the Empire,

or at least partially.

Gu Hang’s Storm Mage Corps already had a team on their way, and some construction supplies were also on their way.

The Order of Psychic Powers had also selected a group to accompany Gu Hang to the Alliance. The Order

of Psychic Powers would focus on establishing branches in the East.

A ten-year plan had been established, and more mage academies would be established on Holy Terra and throughout the entire Solar Segmentum.

With the support of the Alliance, the psyker forces would also be independently established.

Subsequently, they would actively participate in various external interventions in psyker disasters, the collection of psykers, and the provision of psychic support in external wars.

Once their dedicated psychic forces had completed their work, they could openly ask the Imperial government for money.

At this point, the Alliance Plan was complete, the Psychic Order’s plan was set, and Gu Hang’s main activities on Holy Terra were complete.

He already wanted to go home.

Before returning home, he still had to wait for the results of the latest High Lords’ Council meeting.

(End of this chapter)