Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 768

Chapter 763, Disarmament

After Osena’s report on the Alliance government’s work concluded, Gu Hang had another meeting.

The presenter was Thaddeus, the Alliance’s Chief Political Commissar of the Military and Political Department, who was also responsible for military development.

While the Alliance’s political and economic development and expansion had been rapid over the past two years, the Alliance’s military hadn’t been so comfortable.

During the Ironclad War and the Zerg War, the scale and intensity of the wars had forced the Alliance’s entire system to serve the war effort.

The military expanded significantly, not only to the front lines, but also to a large number of reserve forces, constantly on standby, ready to be deployed to frontline headquarters. This was necessary to form new armies and deploy them in the event that an entire army was easily destroyed.

But now, such extreme measures were undoubtedly unnecessary.

The war was over, and disarmament had become the mainstream.

Of course, while it was said to be over, the reality was that the wars on the 7,109 worlds controlled by the Alliance would never truly cease.

On a larger scale, the Zerg Swarm, now without a central command, is spreading throughout the Spider Web Universe. While their threat is diminished, they still need to be eradicated. It might take at least a decade, and it’s

unlikely to be completely eradicated. The aftermath of war is always like this. The main battles of the Irontooth Orc War were fought years ago, and now the four northeastern star regions of the Dragonhawk Sector, the areas formerly controlled by the Irontooth Orc Empire, have become a major food source for the Alliance. But truly, it’s hard to say whether the Orks have been completely eradicated. On many planets, Ork tribes still appear in large numbers; even in areas that have been cleared, small Ork tribes occasionally reappear.

This has been the case for over a decade or two.

Clearing out the Zerg Swarm is much easier than clearing out the Orks, but the scale of the devastation left behind is far greater, and the time required is no less.

While these require military intervention, a decisive battle army of that magnitude isn’t enough.

During the war, at its peak, the Alliance’s army comprised over 350 Army Groups, with seven billion Alliance troops on the battlefield, fighting for the Alliance or constantly ready to fight for it.

The Alliance’s annual maintenance costs for this effort exceeded one hundred billion.

The Alliance Army was now incredibly expensive. By Astra Militarum standards, a single Army Group of 20 million men would cost just over 1.2 billion, already meeting the standards of the Astra Militarum.

Many so-called Astra Militarum troops didn’t even have equipment worth that much.

Yet, the cost of a single Alliance Army Group had soared to three billion.

Heavy bolter machine guns, plasma anti-armor guns, and individual missiles were distributed down to the squad level. Many of these items were only seen at the company or at least platoon level in the Astra Militarum

. Exoskeleton armor coverage generally reached around 5-10%. At the regimental level, specialized assault companies could be formed, equipped entirely with exoskeletons and equipped with individual missiles and bolters. They were crucial in forcing or defending positions.

A special commando unit equipped with feedback-type power armor could form an entire spearhead battalion at the division level, while an ordinary Astra Militarum Army wouldn’t even be able to muster that many sets. The disparity

in firepower and vehicle quality between armored, artillery, and aviation units is even greater, with a massive gap in both quantity and quality.

Why is the Alliance Army so effective?

Gu Hang is undoubtedly responsible. He has expended countless grace points over the years to train elite T5 and T4 troops. Combined with the morale boost provided by the military and political commissars, they are the key to the Alliance Army’s formidable combat capability.

However, morale and tactical prowess alone don’t entirely determine a force’s combat effectiveness.

Money is also crucial.

The exceptionally high quality of the troops, coupled with an investment in equipment exceeding three times that of an ordinary Astra Militarum Army unit, is even more crucial.

Since the Alliance is pursuing an elite force strategy, it’s better to be decisive.

However, the cost of maintaining such elite units is enormous.

The maintenance costs, exceeding one hundred billion, are just for maintaining the army’s presence and training during peacetime.

If war breaks out, the costs will be outrageous. The rain of shells and the fuel consumed on countless battlefields would fill an ocean; the costs are enormous. Not to mention the casualties, the costs of compensation, replacement troops, vehicles, and equipment…

The total cost of a single Ironclad War for the Empire exceeds one hundred trillion, a testament to this.

Now that the war is over, the continued cost of a hundred billion is simply unsustainable.

Disarmament is inevitable,

and some units do need to be reduced.

Seventeen years have passed since the Ironclad War, marking the beginning of the massive military expansion. That’s not just two, but three generations of youth, spent in war and military service. Some veterans, who haven’t yet reached the rank of officer or sergeant major, can retire.

Of course, some core members, all veterans of battle, must remain.

Furthermore, the laid-off soldiers and retired officers won’t be wasted.

They won’t actually become farmers or laborers—it’s not that some don’t, but their skills aren’t necessarily suited to their profession. At least retired soldiers have served in elite forces like the Alliance Army. Once on planets, they’ll be needed in planetary defense forces, police departments, merchant ship escorts, and even professional bodyguards at security companies. Their abilities

might even be better than they would be in the military.

The Alliance’s military isn’t limited to just the Alliance Army. It

consists of four main components: the Alliance Army, the Alliance Navy, the Alliance Defense Force, and other specialized units.

This structure actually bears some similarities to the Empire’s. The Alliance Army rivals the Astra Militarum, the Navy goes without saying, and the Alliance Defense Force rivals the planetary defense forces of various Imperial worlds.

The number of defense forces is far greater than the Alliance Army’s.

With a population of 12 trillion and 7,000 worlds, the Alliance can’t rely solely on the Alliance Army to defend them. The mobilization ratio is less than 0.6% of the total population, and each planet is only allocated one million soldiers. What good is that?

Don’t laugh at the Empire. The Alliance will also delegate military power to planetary governments, allowing planetary governors to independently organize defense forces. At the same time, the cost of these defense forces will be borne by local governments.

Of course, there are also many similarities and differences. The Alliance’s star district and star region governments are not allowed to organize interstellar forces. The Alliance Army and Alliance Navy are solely responsible for all interstellar operations. If necessary, the star region government can mobilize the planetary defense force for interstellar operations, and the planetary governor has no right to refuse.

Planetary governors in the Alliance don’t have the same power as their Imperial counterparts. Imperial planetary governors are local tyrants, free to do as they please after paying taxes. Alliance planetary governors are mere bureaucrats, subject to oversight and performance targets. Good work leads to promotions, bad work leads to dismissal. Planetary defense forces can be transferred at the whim of higher military authorities.

Furthermore, the military systems of the Alliance and the Empire differ in that the Alliance Army and the Defense Forces are closely connected. A large portion of the Alliance Army is drawn from the Defense Forces, and retired personnel return; the Alliance Army has full authority to mobilize the Defense Forces. Even the overall command of the Defense Force system rests within the Army.

Beyond the army’s downsizing and personnel being transferred to local governments for resettlement, only a small portion of the remaining equipment has been allocated to the Defense Forces. The bulk of the remaining equipment has been paid as Imperial taxes, effectively relieving the burden.

While relieving fiscal pressure is the primary motivation, some older equipment models could also be retired.

Anyway, the Imperial Tax System won’t refuse any of these items—the Empire is so vast, there are plenty of places to absorb the Alliance’s unwanted equipment.

What might be considered obsolete for the Alliance Army might become coveted elsewhere.

Disarmament will continue over the next two years, ultimately reducing the Alliance Army’s total military expenditure to under 80 billion per year (out of wartime). The military equipment and supplies that could be used to offset the Imperial Tax System could exceed 100 billion.

Needless to say, the Alliance Defense Force. While the central government doesn’t regulate local governments, economic development is currently the top priority for local governments. If it weren’t for central government regulations on the number and quality of their defense forces, they would be eager to maintain as few as possible. Defense Force expenses fall on local governments, not the central government.

The Alliance Navy faces a similar situation.

It now boasts over 2,000 warships. All the armed merchant ships requisitioned during the war have been repatriated.

Of these 2,000 vessels, the majority are undoubtedly smaller patrol vessels and frigates. Destroyers and cruisers are much fewer in number, while battlecruisers, battleships, and aircraft carriers total only 21.

Yet, these 21 massive vessels account for nearly 70% of the Navy’s total expenditure.

The Navy is even more expensive than the Army.

The Alliance spends over 150 billion annually on maintaining the Navy. This figure also covers the cost of normal patrol operations during non-wartime conditions. In the event of war, the cost would soar to unpredictable levels, depending on the intensity of the conflict. The

Navy, too, needs to reduce some of its fleet.

However, this is much easier to do: simply relinquish the unused ships as Imperial taxes.

Furthermore, because the Alliance’s navy was underdeveloped in the past and lacked ships, during the war, they simply recruited whatever ships they could find, leading to some structural issues with the fleet.

This presents an opportunity for optimization.

At the same time, some older and less technologically advanced ships can be sold off.

For example, the Alliance intends to phase out the Musician-class and Serpent-class vessels from its fleet.

Of course, the relevant production lines will remain in place, as they represent a significant investment.

However, new ships produced will be taxed.

For example, the Alliance will retain the Moon-class and Grail-class vessels.

The size of the Alliance fleet will not decrease, and new ships will continue to be ordered. However, it is estimated that for every Grail-class vessel produced, a Serpent-class vessel will be withdrawn from its fleet and given to the Empire.

The Navy estimates that over 300 billion worth of warships will be eliminated within the next two years.

However, military maintenance costs likely won’t decrease significantly, remaining around 150 billion. Furthermore, due to the need to order new ships, military spending will also increase.

It’s the same as not cutting any naval cuts at all.

But there’s no other way.

The army is relatively easy to manage; if needed, it can be called up at any time. Equipment is produced quickly and inventories are plentiful. If

things really don’t work out, they can lower standards and still have something available. But the navy is truly unpredictable. Too many have been cut back now, and when they need it again, shipbuilding cycles can take three to five, six to seven years. Core vessels can’t be acquired instantly.

Overall, military spending is another area the Alliance must first “suffer.”

Wait a few years, when the Alliance’s financial situation improves, and then expand.

However, there’s one expenditure that continues to pour tens of billions annually, under the guise of a classified project.

Even amidst the Alliance’s immense financial pressures, this investment continues unabated.

Due to the high level of secrecy, almost no one knows what this project is, but Gu Hang certainly knows.

It’s actually an investment in the navy: the Glorious Queen-class battleships, under secret construction.

Once completed, each ship will be worth as much as the entire Alliance fleet; its combat effectiveness, protected by the Alliance fleet, will be unleashed to an incredible degree.

These are warships that even the Imperial Central Government doesn’t possess.

The existing Glorious Queens are all in the hands of the ancient Founding Chapters of Space Marines.

Forget about the potential troubles that would arise if the Alliance’s ability to manufacture Glorious Queens were revealed, or whether the Alliance would dare to publicly use the ship. But first, let’s talk about it.

The difference between having and not having is the biggest.

…

Overall, the Alliance’s military development has essentially come to a halt.

Making concessions for economic development is unavoidable.

But Thaddeus’s recent task isn’t so simple.

Disarmament is fine, but it shouldn’t cut into the core of the army.

Rather than disarmament, Thaddeus prefers to call his work optimization.

While maintaining the overall structure of the Alliance’s military, reduce costs and increase efficiency.

Team structure can be optimized, costs can be reduced, but there must also be room for maneuver. The existing framework should allow the Alliance to quickly rebuild its forces when needed, even becoming larger and stronger than before.

Gu Hang fully believes in his abilities.

He also has great faith in Ossena’s abilities.

Just go for it.

He’ll check the government and military reports for any updates.

At the same time, he also has the system’s [Soldier Card] panel and the monthly income panel of gift points to verify whether his officials’ reports to him are misleading.

This is where he cheats: the data-based panel faithfully reflects things that are difficult to count using normal statistics.

There is a certain deviation between the two, which Gu Hang can accept.

Statistics is a very profound subject, and deviation is very normal.

As long as the deviation is not too outrageous.

In addition, Gu Hang is not standing idly by for the development of the alliance.

He now has a large amount of gift points on hand.

(End of this chapter)