Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 791

Chapter 786, Broken Pottery Jar

Gallardo lowered his head, a shadow shrouding his features.

He could feel the Prime Minister’s gaze darting back and forth between the several important ministers, as if nailing each soul to the crossbow. When Xu Fuzhen proposed a tax increase, she didn’t even dare to look up at Qi Bodu—the Prime Minister of Taxation, known for his iron fist, now felt as if his spine had been torn out.

He sneered inwardly: “What the Empire needs is deterrence, not bluffing documents.”

Luo Xi’s so-called appointment of a new chairman and condemnation were nothing but drifting dust before Gu Hang’s psychic fleet. The merchant ships shuttling between the Alliance and Wuji Star had long since welded the economic arteries of the Eastern Universe to the Alliance. The officials sent by the Empire would become mere puppets, just as Yin Bashim faced. It wasn’t

corruption, but the entire star region had been melted into a sieve by the Alliance’s credit system, cultural infiltration, and economic coercion.

“But you don’t even have the courage to overturn the table!”

Gallardo stroked the golden eagle on his sleeve.

A holographic projection rotated in the center of the long table, looping the wreckage of the Battle of Liguang Star: Huangquan Gull’s Terminator trampled the emblem of the Liguang Sword, and the Blood Shark’s chainsaw axe split the bronze door of the Chapter Temple. Every frame slapped the Empire in the face, and Xu Fuzhen was still talking about punitive taxation—as if Gu Hang would give in for a mere 500 billion and ignore the fat meat he had just torn off in the Eastern Space.

“Prime Minister Yerol, what is your opinion?” The Prime Minister’s

sudden call made the air freeze.

The Prime Minister of Justice slowly rose, the Inquisition emblem on his deep purple robe gleaming coldly in the light. “According to Article 31 of the Imperial Emergency Law…”

His voice sounded like a court reading a verdict,

“The Alliance has blatantly interfered with the Imperial administrative system and assassinated the Imperially appointed Chairman. It must be classified as a rebellious entity.”

Idiot!

Gallardo almost sneered.

Yerol was still wielding the rusty legal cudgel, but what could the Ministry of Justice’s executioners do to the Alliance?

But was Yerol truly foolish?

It seemed not.

He simply understood Qi Bodu’s intentions and was complying with the Prime Minister’s orders.

Luo Xi and Xu Fu truly refused to shoulder that responsibility.

They both saw that if the Empire wasn’t determined to go to war, they would have very few options to suppress the Alliance.

So the question was, did Qi Bodu have that resolve?

At least not yet.

If he did, he wouldn’t be so exasperated, demanding advice.

It was precisely because of this that the opinions issued by the Executive Yuan and the Ministry of Taxation were insignificant. They were all feasible, but the ultimate impact on the Alliance was minimal, practically perfunctory.

This was precisely why Qi Bodu was so dissatisfied.

And now, Yerol had the audacity to directly label the Alliance a “rebellious entity,” taking such a hardline stance. He was either a fool or a gambler.

Would someone be a fool to reach a position like the Minister of Justice?

Probably not.

That would be a gamble.

This Yerol is quite ambitious, surely aiming for a high-ranking position? By removing Gu Hang and Gallardo, two positions would be vacant. As a loyal subordinate who supported the Prime Minister, Yerol’s position as high-ranking chairman seemed perfectly natural.

What a coincidence! I’m an expert at this.

Didn’t I rise to power by defeating two high lords?

He sneered inwardly, but his face grew serious.

Although the Prime Minister didn’t let him speak, he still said, “I agree with Prime Minister Yerol’s idea and issue an ultimatum to Gu Hang. He must unconditionally accept all demands of the Imperial Center, otherwise he will be committing treason! At the same time, I propose to initiate a full-scale war mobilization.”

“Mobilize the fleets of the nine cosmic domains of the central territory. Each cosmic domain must be required to dispatch no less than 500 warships, including 10 battleships. At the same time, the Solar Fleet must contribute half of its forces, organizing a total expeditionary fleet of more than 6,000 warships and more than 150 battleships. In addition, we need all cosmic domains and star regions across the Empire to be ready to provide fleets at any time.”

“We need to recruit 50 Class A Astralis Army Corps. The total mobilized force should reach more than 10 billion in the first phase. The Cadian Assault Corps must completely cease all missions within the Imperial territory and assemble. The Death Corps must assemble in full force. And all other S-class corps must send troops to fight.”

“We must issue a clear call-up order to one hundred Chapters, requiring at least 20,000 Space Marines, along with a full complement of Chapter fleets and armor.”

“The Inquisition and the Ecclesiarchy must jointly deploy the Storm Troopers and the Sisters of Battle, providing a total force exceeding 500,000. We also need Mars to dispatch a Skitarii and at least five more Titan Legions, and to open up the Forbidden Weapons Vault…”

Everyone, including Zipper, stared at Gallardo with unsettling eyes.

Gallardo, his expression calm, read his mobilization order.

He then added, “The hypothetical battle plan against the Alliance has always been the work of our Military Affairs Department. If we push for a resolution in the Supreme Council, this document will become a reality, and we can destroy the Alliance.”

He glanced around, taking in the expressions of the leaders.

He thought maliciously,

“Come on, show me your mettle.”

Gallardo didn’t mention the cost of mobilizing such a large force.

But these were all Imperial leaders, and who knew the current situation?

Everyone from the nine territories mobilized 500+10 fleets? Do you think the domain presidents would listen? What political price would that cost? Especially in places like the Ochre Domain, where the Ork warlords’ Waaagh power was accumulating, and the Inquisition’s early warning reports were still stashed in their drawers. In the northern Dujiang Domain, those outposts ravaged by the Zerg swarm were revealing a vast shadow, with multiple hive worlds reporting infestations…

Similar incidents were cropping up endlessly. You’re telling those domains to bring their main fleets?

They’re all still begging Imperial Central for help!

Come on, nod your approval, and let’s go big.

Xu Fuzhen also spoke up. “Prime Minister Gallardo mentioned that the plan is enormous. I can’t give a precise budget right now. I can only offer a provisional estimate based on my experience.”

“The initial start-up capital needs to be at least 100 trillion. The Imperial Central Government doesn’t currently have such a large fiscal reserve. Next year’s budget has already been finalized, so we must issue war bonds.” “

To maintain this scale, we may need more than 30 trillion annually. We can’t rule out the possibility that the budget will need to be increased if the war goes poorly.”

Luo Xi followed suit. “We can arrange for the major families on Holy Terra to share approximately 30 trillion of the 100 trillion war bonds. A family of Yinbarshim’s stature will spend approximately 5 trillion. I can cover 2 trillion on behalf of the Luo family…”

The Prime Minister’s tone was like bargaining at a market.

“We can also collectively package the agricultural planets in the Canaan region and mortgage them, then split and auction the maintenance contracts for the military’s equipment and personnel. The Ecclesiarchy and the Mechanicus should be interested, and this could also raise funds…”

The group of people seemed to be piecing together a broken pottery jar.

(End of this chapter)