Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 831

Chapter 826: Expansion and Seriousness

Honestly, Gu Hang is somewhat disappointed with recent events.

Many of those caught up in this political turmoil aren’t simply self-serving “traitors.” Many have even undergone training as political commissars.

However, training alone only affects loyalty, but human minds are diverse and ever-changing.

Sufficient loyalty can significantly reduce the likelihood of certain malicious acts. Cases like betrayal, dereliction of duty, and rampant corruption are indeed rare. However, for seemingly less egregious offenses, the situation is different.

My brother was also serving the Alliance on the Western Front, so why did he have to go to the Northern Front?

My grandson is an outstanding naval officer, and the environment on the Northern Front wouldn’t suit him. The military is messing around.

My friend was originally assigned to the Western Front, but after the Military and Political Department discussed the matter and decided to assign someone to the Northern Front, he wasn’t assigned. Then, some idiots messed around and assigned my friend a Western Front position instead. How can this be allowed? I must set things right!

…

Thoughts like these, if you really counted them, wouldn’t seem to be the most egregious offenses—especially the third one.

Gu Hang understood that many things were simply human nature.

No matter how loyal someone is, they still consider their own interests.

Even if that doesn’t take personal interests into account, loyalty can be different. You think this is better for the Alliance and the greater good, while I think that’s better…

Gu Hang understood all of these situations.

But no matter what, there’s always a limit.

A mutiny is already a serious matter.

Even if these so-called “mutinies” didn’t seem to be acts of rebellion against the Alliance, Gu Hang, or the Ministry of Military Affairs, many of the troops involved simply felt betrayed and sought justice.

Others, aware that certain units might be in trouble, felt guilty about squeezing out their own troops, even though they had no orders to suppress them. They were taking preemptive action, trying to control friendly forces, frame them, and send them north.

…

But no matter the situation, military action without orders is a red line, a dead end.

Before a determination is made, there might be some wiggle room; after that, there’s no room for negotiation.

All sources of unrest have been completely suppressed.

Any unit that moves without orders, regardless of the reason, will be court-martialed and face a swift death sentence, regardless of the reason.

Some, despite receiving orders from their superiors, knowing they were illegal, will still cooperate. They will be dealt with in the same manner. Others, despite receiving orders from their superiors, knowing they were illegal, refuse to carry them

out, and have their superiors arrested. These individuals, after careful scrutiny, are returned to their original positions, but receive no reward. There are also

some cases where there’s a bit of room for negotiation. For example, as a junior officer, they genuinely don’t know anything. The division commander wants to transfer troops, and he’s just a company commander. How could he possibly know so much? He simply goes along.

These cases also require careful scrutiny.

In short, we will carefully investigate these individuals’ specific roles, contributions, and actions in the incident. Those without serious problems won’t be implicated; however, those with problems won’t be let off. The punishments range from death to imprisonment, exile to the Penitentiary Corps, demotion, and so on—there’s always an appropriate one.

This is a screening process starting with those found guilty of “unauthorized troop movements.”

While a wide range of individuals are implicated, it’s a relatively easy task. The crimes are clearly defined, and there are documented precedents for handling them in military tribunals. The only difference is that the severity of the punishment will be determined based on the particularly severe political impact of this incident.

However, screening higher up the chain of command is more difficult.

Many of these individuals are powerful figures within the Alliance’s military, government, or legal affairs centers.

When the matter reaches these so-called “bigwigs,” the difficulty increases.

However, the biggest problem lies elsewhere.

No matter how powerful they may be, how big can they be? The Alliance’s top decision-makers aren’t likely to get bogged down in such an unresolved matter. They were simply figures capable of calling the shots within a single sector or region. To ordinary generals, they were high-ranking figures, but within the larger Alliance framework, they were merely mid- to high-ranking officials.

Gu Hang was the one who decided to conduct a thorough investigation.

Who could possibly outsmart him?

Marshal Thaddeus, Prime Minister Ossena, and nearly twenty other high-ranking Alliance officials gathered, only to be chastised by Gu Hang.

Each one left dejected and went back to work.

From this perspective, anyone with a genuine case could handle it.

The will for a thorough investigation was undeniable, and the Alliance’s various internal intelligence and espionage agencies were mobilized. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Security, the Anti-Corruption Agency, and the General Military Police were all swamped.

Concerned that these agencies, already affiliated with the government, military, and legal center, wouldn’t properly handle the situation, Gu Hang even brought in the Demon Hunters, who operated entirely outside the Alliance structure, to investigate.

However, as the matter progressed, it encountered some practical complications.

Most importantly, many of the actions were difficult to define.

Those so-called “bigwigs” weren’t fools.

Some foolish individuals were indeed involved in this matter, and there was clear evidence and evidence, so it goes without saying.

But there were also some more astute individuals.

They often used very precise words when addressing the relevant departments.

“I’ve noticed that Comrade XX has been assigned to the Northern Front Legion’s support list. Please let me know the specific reason.”

“Comrade XX has been assigned to the Northern Front. I believe he’s more suited to the Western Front. I suggest further consideration of the specific circumstances. I fully respect the outcome.”

“Comrade XX is my nephew. Please ensure fairness in making relevant arrangements.”

…

With all this talk, how can one arrest someone?

The person speaking could be a lieutenant general in the military and political affairs department of a certain star region. Seeing a change in the Northern Front support list, isn’t it normal duty to inquire about the reason?

As for other matters, the speaker may not be from the military, but they were offering “good-faith advice,” asking you to “re-examine” the matter, and stated they “respect the results.” Does this mean they’re arresting him and stripping him of his official rank?

And while it’s true that he’s a nephew, they clearly stated they must “follow the principle of fairness.” They’ve told you to be fair, fearing you might abuse your position and bend the law.

Yet, these seemingly high-sounding words reveal their true meaning.

If you truly want fairness and impartiality, why mention the names of the comrades involved? And even point out their relationships? And because someone was transferred, you’re re-checking the list?

What’s the point? Isn’t that crystal clear?

In practice, this is how things often unfold.

While they may not be your direct supervisor, and may be separated by several departments, they are still high-ranking officials, and their opinions and suggestions must be addressed.

If they’re truly stubborn and refuse to act, they won’t say much, but often, within their purview, they’ll introduce difficulties. Or perhaps, during a meal with your direct supervisor, or your supervisor’s supervisor, or during a personnel transfer, they might mention that your comrade’s ideological awareness is somewhat lacking.

These are two separate matters, and they haven’t claimed any connection to the previous one.

However, even if they know the ins and outs of the matter, when it comes to arresting someone, they’ll frankly say they have no such intention. Whether in official documents or verbally, the meaning is literal.

Does this mean that a high-ranking official with extensive achievements and a prominent position should be punished?

They won’t accept it, and they’ll likely file a complaint.

Moreover, to deal with these people, it’s often possible to report them to people like Ossena and Thaddeus.

Even to Gu Hang.

They’re all old comrades, old brothers who’d worked hard during the founding and defense of the country, had made contributions, and many had even been personally commended by Gu Hang.

I just said something unambiguous, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs wants to deal with me, and the witchers want to arrest me. Is that reasonable?

Gu Hang told everyone, “Yes.”

That’s it!

But we won’t engage in widespread purges without evidence.

Whether it’s the witchers, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or the General Military Police, if they come to you, just tell them what you were thinking at the time, and they’ll handle it normally.

If you’re not satisfied, you can file a complaint. Gu Hang actually took time out of his busy schedule to meet with each one. Those far away could also chat via interstellar communication.

They were all high-ranking officials, and they were high enough for Gu Hang to make time for a meeting.

Gu Hang, however, had a hundred ways to discern whether the person on the other side was telling the truth.

If it was the truth, and there was no original intention, then the accusation was wrong, and all penalties would be waived.

If there was a genuine problem, and Gu Hang exposed it, then the offense would be aggravated, and the punishment would be severe.

A normal punishment might be five consecutive years of being barred from evaluations, denied promotion, or even demoted, or even removed from the position. But in Gu Hang’s case, the punishment was severe and drastic, whether it was a complete dismissal, imprisonment, or exile to a remote area.

At this point, Gu Hang showed no mercy to anyone.

There was also a lucky twist. Gu Hang’s closest relatives didn’t get so reckless as to get involved. Otherwise, whether it was Ye Lixia, Gu Hang’s biological mother, or that kid Gu Jing, if the problem truly arose from them, Gu Hang would be hardened and put his family aside for the greater good, no matter how difficult it was.

Fortunately, no such dilemma actually occurred.

After so many unfortunate individuals had fallen on hard times, the remaining members were no longer willing to put up a fight.

If the internal audit department came to them, they’d just honestly say so. Only those with no real guilt would dare to appeal.

Those who weren’t high enough to approach Gu Hang or a senior leader would have to wait on the internal audit department’s decision. They also didn’t dare approach their superiors or senior leaders.

Senior leaders were afraid, too. Only when they were truly certain their subordinates were innocent and had a strong opinion of them would they even dare to raise their concerns.

It wasn’t a purge, not a counter-revolutionary campaign—it wasn’t. After all, it wasn’t so severe that the slightest mistake, without any evidence, would result in execution or exile.

Still, the incident was like a storm, sweeping across the entire alliance political landscape,

causing widespread panic.

Was it necessary?

Gu Hang sometimes asked himself this question.

But he quickly came to his senses.

It was necessary.

Perhaps the necessity wasn’t so high, in and of itself. The reluctance to go to the northern front stemmed from the innate tendency to seek profit and avoid harm. Those mutinies were relatively small, and most didn’t even require bloodshed; a high-ranking officer, showing up and slamming the table with a fierce expression, could have calmed things down. The urgently needed reinforcements for the northern front weren’t delayed; they were dispatched as scheduled.

However, Gu Hang wanted to use this incident to escalate and exacerbate the situation. This was a campaign to overhaul internal morale.

The Dark Side Crusade had been going on for decades—a long time, indeed—but it was also true to say it had just begun. This massive undertaking, with the grand goal of saving half the empire and tens, even hundreds, of thousands of worlds, was destined to last for dozens of generations. If certain tendencies weren’t curbed at this stage, how would they be addressed in the future, when they became irreversible?

This wasn’t just a one-time effort; Gu Hang would have to do it again.

He is the founder and forerunner of the Alliance, possessing unparalleled prestige. Only with him at the helm can these initiatives be driven forward. Once he’s no longer in charge, any successor attempting to push forward similar initiatives will face far greater difficulties than they currently do.

Fortunately, Gu Hang estimates that even if he isn’t immortal, his lifespan will be incredibly long, so he needn’t worry about the collapse of the government upon his death.

As long as his resolve is strong, he will strive to ensure the purity of the entire system as much as possible during his long life.

Within the Alliance, the annual campaign against corruption and malfeasance, along with various efforts to monitor and improve government efficiency, is essentially Gu Hang’s concern that concentrated government power will breed significant problems.

This is almost inevitable, but Gu Hang is working hard to at least prevent these problems from excessively impacting the Alliance’s development.

Self-cleansing government mechanisms is one aspect, and training political commissars is another.

Gu Hang calls this aspect “control.”

However, control alone may not be enough.

Beyond control, Gu Hang also needs to work on other areas.

He sees these as positive incentives.

The most important thing is to ensure a smooth upward path for the alliance from top to bottom.

Relying solely on high pressure will either lead to unstable rule or, if stability is forced, it will easily lose its vitality.

We need to do both.

(End of this chapter)