Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 919

Chapter 911: More than a decade has passed

. Gu Hang had no desire to provoke any conflict with the current Custodians on Terra.

The Custodians’ strength was one factor, and opposing them would be fraught with danger.

But most crucially, the Custodians held immense political significance.

Speaking of the many things within the Imperium that held great political significance, for others, this might be more of a description, an emphasis. But for the Custodians, it was a reality.

They were indeed isolated, generally remaining aloof from external affairs. However, their status was exceptionally high. According to Imperial law, in the absence of the Emperor, any of the Sons of God, or the First Chancellor, the Grand Marshal of the Custodians held full authority to represent the Emperor.

In the current Imperium, the Emperor had ascended, and the Sons of God were either dead or missing. Only the term “Chancellor” could be debated, but unfortunately, the Imperial decree clearly stated it was the First Chancellor. This position specifically referred to the Chancellor during the Emperor’s mortal state, not the later Chancellor of the High Lords, the head of the Council of High Lords. There was a difference between the two.

Of course, some of the later Imperial Prime Ministers were powerful enough to seek to change the status quo, but none succeeded, and some even died at the hands of the Imperial Guards.

This illustrates another point: rules and laws aren’t inherently binding; they require safeguards. Within the Empire, the only thing guaranteeing the implementation of Imperial laws is Imperial power. And the only thing guaranteeing these laws from being tampered with by high-ranking officials is the Imperial Guards themselves.

While the Imperial Guards may be aloof from worldly affairs, they possess sufficient power, with allies and influence beneath the surface to enforce their will.

With the legitimacy embodied by power and laws, the position of Grand Marshal of the Imperial Guards is more than just a title; it carries real meaning.

He can even override the Council of High Lords and issue orders.

They choose to remain within the Imperial Palace, ignoring external affairs. But if they learned that Gu Hang was out there, building his own Imperial Guards, they might well choose a different path.

Maintaining confidentiality, using the unusual appearances of Space Marines and Primaris transformations as an excuse, disguising themselves as a unique Chapter, carrying out highly classified operations and meticulously recovering every corpse…

This should be enough to fool people for a while.

As for the future…

if time can drag on until Gu Hang has bred thousands, or even tens of thousands, of Custodes.

Or perhaps until the Dark Side Crusade has conquered half the Empire, then what’s there to fear?

Imperial law? Are the Custodes a means of v*olence to enforce the law?

Sorry, the Alliance possesses the true means of v*olence, and Imperial law should be determined by the Alliance.

…

A dozen years passed.

The situation in the Empire had undergone significant changes.

First, the most significant event—the resurrection of the Son of God—had spread almost throughout the universe.

Of course, “spread” was merely an adjective. Worlds in relatively good condition, still able to communicate with the outside world, naturally received the news easily and were filled with excitement. Those Imperial worlds that received the news eagerly awaited the Son of God’s salvation.

But just as well-informed worlds naturally exist, so too do less so. These worlds certainly didn’t know about the Son of God’s resurrection. However, even if things got worse, they weren’t any worse than before; they simply remained the same.

Among those who did receive the news, there was a particularly large and unique region.

This was the area covered by the Alliance’s Dark Side Crusade.

The people of the Empire, or rather the Alliance, in these regions were naturally delighted to hear of the Son of God’s resurrection. They frequently discussed history, mythology, the changes it would bring to the Empire’s current state…

everything, but rarely the benefits it would bring to them, or the changes it would bring to their own worlds.

What was there to talk about? They had been liberated, their lives were the same as before, or even more promising than before, so they didn’t need the Son of God to return.

As for the differences between the Alliance and the Empire, Gu Hang, known as the “Dark Archon,” and even, in some unofficial settings, private conversations, and even in some daring tabloids and radio broadcasts, as the “Dark Prince,” how would he and the Son of God coexist within the Empire?

This was actually something they had discussed at length.

But that fell under the purview of “keyboard politics.” Furthermore, the population under the Alliance’s rule had now reached a terrifyingly astronomical number, and it was impossible for everyone to agree. The forest was vast, and there were all sorts of things to discuss, no matter how, and even the most perverse and insane ideas would exist.

However, there was always a dominant trend.

The dominant trend among the Alliance regarding the Son of God was: Your return was great, your ability to save the Empire was even better, and it would be best if you didn’t come to the Alliance. Let’s all live our own lives. The Son of God is great, and so is Gu Hang. We’re living a good life now, and the Dark Expedition is progressing well. Let’s all use our abilities to save the Empire together.

With this mindset, when the Alliance heard that the Children of God had completed the consolidation of their forces and officially launched the Terran Crusade, they supported it.

Furthermore, the Alliance announced that the Western Expeditionary Force had officially begun operations, collaborating with the Children of God to launch the campaign to liberate Holy Terra. This

further fueled Alliance support.

This aligns perfectly with the current mainstream thinking.

However, the Terran Crusade was initially promoted with considerable fanfare, but once that initial hype faded, it seemed to fade away.

It’s said that the Son of God led his expeditionary fleet, embracing ancient interstellar technology popular only ten thousand years ago, and plunged headlong into the vast universe, heading for Holy Terra.

For nearly a decade, no news had emerged, and people gradually lost interest.

After all, while most human worlds might not be what’s called an “information society,” they at least had newspapers and radio stations. And within the Alliance, there was still plenty worth reporting.

Ultimately, people were most concerned about matters that affected them personally. What was happening in their town, neighborhood, or city? Have prices changed? Who was the new manager? Adjustments to rank, salary, and benefits? Announcements of promotions? New jobs?

These were the most important things.

And looking further afield, what were the major policy changes in their own worlds? Any changes to conscription policies? Have official Alliance procurement prices been adjusted? What were the main unit numbers formed by the soldiers conscripted from their own worlds? What direction were they fighting? What were the results of that battle?

These were also of great interest to everyone. While these were some “cosmic trends,” they were, after all, deeply personal. Perhaps someone’s family, friends, or even a son, father, or husband, was serving in the forces in that direction.

Newspapers and radio broadcasts provided updates on numerous events. The Terra Crusade, which had been silent for a long time, had gradually been forgotten.

However, regarding the Darkside Crusade itself, there was also much good news.

After the Blood Angels, a founding Chapter, announced their participation in the Darkside Crusade, the Alliance immediately established a new expeditionary force, the Angels Front. This

force, independent of the Southern and Eastern Fronts, stood between them.

Currently, the Alliance’s Darkside Crusade, having advanced westward from the Spider Web and Eastern Space Realms, has essentially reached its limit, encountering the Scarlet Scar to the west. Having crossed the Scarlet Scar and, reinforced by the Saints Chapter, the Western Front has aggressively advanced towards the Imperial Holy Territory. So far, they are said to have recaptured half of the region and are also working to open a passage to Holy Terra.

This strategy combined steady progress with a full-throttle charge.

The Western Expeditionary Force was responsible for this steady progress. They employed the Alliance’s old strategy from the Dark Side Crusade: conquer one world at a time, manage one.

If the latter wasn’t possible, they would either issue an extermination order or, if assessed as salvageable, adopt the old safe zone strategy.

In short, it was a matter of not rushing ahead.

Meanwhile, the Terra Expedition – Alliance Vanguard, led by Raymond Vess, with eight chapters as its core force, diligently advanced towards Holy Terra.

As Chapter Master of the Saints, Raymond Vess gladly accepted this glorious crusade mission towards Holy Terra, the undisputed Imperial sanctuary. The Saints Chapter was naturally the core of this force. After reinforcements from the Alliance, they were now fully staffed, with over three companies comprised of newly transformed Primaris recruits. Among them was a special company, the Glory Guard of the Blessed Sons, a hundred of the most elite warriors, who served as Raymond Vess’s escort, accompanying him through the most arduous battles.

Of the other seven Chapters, four were Successor Chapters of the Saints.

The other three consisted of two Successor Chapters of the Infinite Warriors, and one, the Scorched Earth Heralds, was a Successor Chapter of the Punishers.

In addition to these eight Chapters and their respective Chapter Fleets, Marshal Yan Fangxu, Commander of the Western Expeditionary Force, also provided them with a formidable expeditionary fleet and a substantial ground force.

Their overall strength was formidable.

They didn’t need to manage or maintain a presence along the way. They simply needed to attack, confirm the location’s safety, and ensure it could serve as a resupply station, and then continue their advance.

These conquered worlds formed a path on the star map towards Holy Terra. Yan Fangxu would dispatch follow-up troops to guard this passage and, if necessary, expand it.

The most important objective of this passage was to ensure the rapid and worry-free advance of the Crusade Vanguard led by Raymond Weiss. They would be continuously supplied with supplies, rotating out those who had been fighting on the front lines for too long and bringing in new troops, fleets, and supplies.

Free from worries and driven by a desire to forge ahead, Raymond Weiss was now filled with high spirits.

While each battle proved arduous, he and his fellow warriors relished the challenge.

They had a lofty goal, and they fought for it, unencumbered by any constraints. The Alliance forces represented by Yan Fangxu were their strongest support, responding to almost every request.

This kind of battle was exhilarating!

And Yan Fangxu was thrilled too.

Raymond Weiss could only press forward, tackling the toughest obstacles one by one. He followed behind, expanding the passage into a surface, or even a vast region. The battle would be much easier and faster.

It was all a military achievement!

…

While the Western Expeditionary Force was truly advancing westward, on the Dark Side of the Empire, both the Southern and Eastern Fronts, as well as the newly formed Angel Front, were essentially advancing southward. However

, the Southern Front was advancing southward along the Scarlet Scar, the westernmost region of the Alliance. Their offensive area and direction essentially took over the responsibilities of the Western Expeditionary Force. They had now entered the Central Territory, another region on the Dark Side, the Weir Space.

The Eastern Front, on the other hand, was advancing southward along the easternmost edge of the Alliance, siding with the Dark Outer Realm. They had now entered the Karlolia Space, the southeasternmost region of the Eastern Territory. After completing the conquest of Karlolia, they would enter the Empire’s newest territory, the vast Solar Territory named after the Sun Lord, “Solaria,” conquered by the Solar Expedition.

The Blood Angels and their descendants, now fully equipped and largely recovered, have assembled over 30,000 Blood Angels and 10,000 Space Marines of other bloodlines. Under the command of the legendary Imperial hero Dante, they are fighting southwards between the Eastern and Southern Fronts.

Their primary target is the Mailiang Space Domain, the most southwestern of the Eastern Fronts. At the same time, they have three detachments, led by three different Chapters, that have already entered the Dingyuan Space Domain in the Southern Fronts of the Empire.

Although this is the newest Front, the Blood Angels’ descendants have demonstrated tremendous momentum after their bloody rebirth. They are now the furthest-reaching force in the Dark Side Crusade.

(End of this chapter)