Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 886

Chapter 879, Keep Moving Forward! (End of this Volume)

On the eve of the grand ceremony, when everyone was toasting, Gu Hang was listening to reports from two people.

The first one was Tek Hainot.

This person was from the Eastern Universe. He was originally just a planetary governor, but when the power of the Alliance expanded to the Eastern Universe, the governor actively approached the Alliance and, with the help of the Alliance’s resources, made his planet prosperous.

In the subsequent political changes, he also stood firm.

He has a firm stance and is quite popular. In addition, his ability is indeed good, and he has been rising rapidly.

In terms of contribution, his most outstanding performance was in the Magre Universe, where he served as a deputy. His main job is the safe zone policy.

To put it bluntly, the world that implemented the safe zone policy is a bit half-abandoned. Planets are left to fend for themselves, with the Alliance sending only special envoys for contact and guidance, and limited supplies. The native inhabitants of these planets must fend for themselves and raise their planetary safety levels above standard before they can establish a government recognized by the Alliance. Only at this stage will a full-fledged Alliance military arrive to resolve remaining issues and begin significant investment in rebuilding the world.

After that, conditions improve. But before that, the Alliance’s support is, to be honest, quite limited, leaving the world largely to self-reliance and self-rescue.

This policy is a necessary evil due to resource constraints.

If the Alliance government had any other choice, it would certainly not choose this approach. The Alliance is a classic centralized regime that aspires to be a large government. With power comes corresponding responsibilities, and in the process, it seeks greater rewards and creates greater value.

Therefore, if possible, the Alliance does not want any world to implement the Safe Zone policy.

But there is no other way. While the Alliance is large, the Dark Side Crusade is equally massive. Once embarked on this journey, there is no turning back. These worlds designated as safe zones were originally military-assessed and deemed beyond redemption. The military’s goal was to issue an extermination order, eradicating any future threats. The risk of implementing a safe zone policy was that many worlds would be unable to save themselves, or the recovery process would be extremely long, posing the risk of Chaos or alien invasions.

However, the Alliance government took the risk and enacted the safe zone policy, hoping these previously hopeless worlds could recover. While the Alliance claimed they didn’t provide much assistance in this process, they did in fact do so.

Tek Hainot was responsible for this task in the Magre Universe. He received a budget from the Alliance government and was specifically responsible for managing these safe zone worlds. Furthermore, a portion of the local army, originally intended for the Dark Side Expedition, was diverted from the local army and assigned to him to implement the safe zone policy.

He managed it with considerable success.

On the one hand, he was able to secure additional resources from above.

He always succeeded, not because of his connections, but because he had the resources—whether it was money, supplies, or troops—to truly achieve results.

He meticulously assessed the specific circumstances of each world implementing the Safe Zone policy and issued specific instructions to Alliance envoys entering the Safe Zone, developing tailored plans to help them establish provisional governments in advance. They always prioritized mobilizing the safe areas and personnel on the planets, promoting local economic development, retaining a larger population, and protecting the vital forces.

Military matters were a secondary consideration.

He set effective, achievable, and specific performance targets for these provisional governments, providing guidance on how to achieve them and further supporting them with resources.

Under Technion’s implementation, the Magre Space Safe Zone policy performed much better than expected.

Originally, it was estimated that only 20% of all Safe Zone worlds would emerge from the Safe Zone policy within ten years and become normal worlds under Alliance management. At the same time, 30% of worlds would eventually fall below the threshold set by the Safe Zone policy—meaning the Alliance’s military would arrive and destroy them. The remaining 50% would continue to suffer under the Safe Zone policy.

However, during Tek Hainot’s ten years in power, the number of worlds that ultimately escaped the Safe Zone policy reached 40%, double the expected rate, and the percentage of worlds destroyed dropped to 20%.

This was a remarkable achievement.

If he had continued to work diligently in the Magre Domain, he might have been promoted to Vice Chairman, overseeing Safe Zone policy while also taking on greater economic and political development responsibilities.

His future was bright.

However, Gu Hang decided to give him a better and greater opportunity.

Tek Hainot would next assume the position of Chairman of the Forward Domain, leading its political and economic affairs.

He had been here for two years, during which time he had been conducting research, establishing his own governing team, and establishing connections with various local dignitaries within the domain.

Right now, Gu Hang was listening to his report.

He talked about his previous work achievements, but more importantly, what he would do next.

Overall, Gu Hang was quite satisfied.

Mainly, Gu Hang was satisfied with this person.

In the Magree Universe, he was dedicated to saving worlds that were previously difficult to save, allowing them to return to normalcy. Some of these worlds had even begun to generate positive returns, providing a transfusion to the Alliance.

Gu Hang believed that he was a man of passion, in line with the overall policies and spirit of the Alliance, and his abilities had been proven.

Of course, if all of this were viewed in the system’s [Hero] interface, it might be more intuitive: he was an SSR-level, LV8 character, with all his abilities basically focused on governance and economic development.

Gu Hang carefully explained some of his own views.

Compared to the Magree Universe, the situation in the Forward Universe was very different.

There were more difficult aspects.

For example, the war damage here was exacerbated by the spillover from the Omgerian War.

The Alliance’s approach to reclaiming the Advance Space relied primarily on the immense prestige gained from a key victory, allowing for a swift reorganization of all parties, without any military cleansing of the planetary regimes. The local elites are more powerful than those on the worlds of the Magre Space, which were subject to widespread military repression. These elites are temporarily compliant, but in the long run, implementing the Alliance system elsewhere will likely encounter significant resistance.

However, there are also positive aspects.

The immense prestige and legitimacy the Alliance gained from the Omgerian War would prove to be a powerful weapon in Tekhainot’s future. Sometimes, when dealing with a local dignitary, he wouldn’t have to resort to force, as he did in the Magre Realm. He could simply invoke the Alliance’s banner and force the opponent into submission.

Gu Hang immediately laid out his own demands.

He hoped to see the Forward Universe quickly integrated into the Alliance’s system, operational, and economically developed, enabling it to rapidly begin providing funding for the expedition.

Furthermore, Gu Hang saw the Ohmgeria star region, currently considered a wasteland with humanity nearly extinct, as a vast treasure trove waiting to be mined. It might be a blank slate, but its natural resources were still there, much like the dozens of worlds in the star regions once occupied by the Iron Teeth Empire during the Alliance’s early days, now serving as vital granaries. The

hundreds of blank sheets of white paper in Ohmgeria, ripe for painting, were a considerable asset.

Investing entirely in the Alliance might be too large a scale, but if necessary, these resources could be used as bait to pique the interest of local residents and persuade those powerful locals to willingly work for the Alliance.

Tek Hainot listened attentively and took notes.

After the briefing, he promised Gu Hang he would deliver a satisfactory report within the next decade.

…

Besides Tek Hainot, another person Gu Hang needed to report to was Yan Fangxu.

This grand ceremony of advancement was also held for him.

The next step, the advance into the Tianwang Realm, was imminent.

The Dark Side Expedition was about to enter its next phase.

After entering the Tianwang Realm, Gu Hang hoped that Yan Fangxu, in addition to the regular expeditionary plan to recapture each world, would focus on one key task: finding a passage through the Scarlet Scar.

Gu Hang’s calculations revealed that several areas along the Scarlet Scar experienced relatively calm subsurface turbulence.

In these areas, passages could exist that would allow normal fleets to pass through, either stably or unstably.

Finding a stable passage would be ideal.

Gu Hang wasn’t completely unconcerned about Holy Terra.

Honestly, the other side was the most valuable region of the entire Human Empire, both in terms of population and productivity. Regardless of

the future relationship between the two sides, finding and controlling such a passage was crucial.

Advancing would allow them to reach the other side, while retreating could secure the passage and isolate them.

Yan Fangxu understood his mission and assured Gu Hang that he would do his utmost to achieve it.

Overall, their conversation wasn’t very long.

Their friendship was that of veteran revolutionaries, and Gu Hang trusted Yan Fangxu with many matters.

Calculating the time, the ceremony was reaching its climax, and it was time for Gu Hang to make his entrance.

After tidying up his clothes, he boarded the car and headed to the main venue.

…

“Fellow countrymen, comrades, defenders of human civilization:”

“The world beneath our feet was once a scorched earth polluted by aliens, but now, it is a pure land exchanged for the lives and beliefs of tens of millions of soldiers! Three years ago, when the roars of the two aliens resounded through the starry sea and the human world of the entire star field was destroyed, it was countless warriors who built a line of defense with their iron bodies, and it was the workers, farmers, and mechanical priests who supported the front line with their sweat and wisdom! Many of them have been buried forever in this land. Let us pay the highest respect to all the heroes who have given their lives for the future of mankind – salute!”

“This victory belongs not only to the Alliance Army, but also to every world that holds on in the darkness. Fellow countrymen in the forward space, you have fought against the tide of greenskins in isolation and helplessly, and guarded the fire of your homeland under the fangs of the Zerg. You have proved that mankind will never kneel to despair! The survival of mankind depends on the blessing of the God-Emperor, but also on our own unity and struggle!”

“The Forward Domain has officially become an integral part of the Human Alliance. This is not conquest, but liberation; not the annexation of power, but the sharing of responsibility! The light of the Thunder Torch connects all star regions, and the technology of the Mechanicum will be open to every world. Those local governors, caravan leaders, and legion commanders who were once trapped on the lonely star, your fleets will sail to the prosperous market in the east, your engineers will participate in all great constructions, and your offspring will become the next generation of generals and governors in the Alliance’s academy!”

“Yes, I will not deny it, and I want to emphasize to you: the management of the Alliance does mean change.”

“But the pain of change will eventually be soothed by common prosperity. We don’t need separatist warlords and divided ideas. What we need is a unified market, efficient administration, and shared security! Those who worry about the loss of power, please look at the industrial clusters in the Magre Domain and the free trade port in the Adan Star Region – under the banner of the Alliance, local interests have never disappeared, but have been sublimated into the well-being of all mankind!”

“The Alliance will protect everyone who contributes to the Alliance, to humanity, and to the Emperor. No matter what kind of contribution you make, whether it’s planting a grain, tightening a screw, or managing a planet… whatever it is, it will be remembered.”

“However, the Dark Side Crusade is far from over.”

“The remnants of the greenskins are still in the starry sea, the shadow of the Zerg has never been far away, and all kinds of aliens are great enemies in this era of catastrophe, not to mention the whispers from Chaos that are still corroding people’s hearts… Our great cause is still continuing.”

“The main force of the expeditionary force has completed its preparations under the leadership of Marshal Yan Fangxu. After the celebration, they will set out again, marching westward and southward, entering the Tianwang Space, and reclaiming this world in the central territory.”

“And the reorganized corps in the Forward Space will also be reorganized within the next six months and join forces with the main force of the Alliance Expeditionary Force!”

“The scars of the Great Rift tore apart the empire, but allowed us to see the truth – only by abandoning partisanship and closely linking the destinies of every planet, every army, and every person, can humanity continue the flame in this dark galaxy!”

“Starting from Omgeria, the cheers of this grand ceremony will become the clarion call of an expedition. Wherever the Lightning Torch shines, it will be human territory; wherever the Alliance flag points, it will be the direction of light!”

“Forward to the universe, forward! For the Alliance! For humanity!”

(End of this chapter)