After discussing with his mother, Gu Hang decided that he could dispatch a force of about 30,000 people to accompany the mission to Heijian Star.
The reason for this number was mainly due to consideration of loading capacity and delivery ability.
They would stay inside the starships in the capacity of sailors and crew members.
It was not that they couldn’t carry more people; in fact, Dennison Henry’s fleet that was conducting the operation consisted of nine starships, among which four were ‘Big Belly’ transports.
This thing was quite famous in interstellar trade. It wasn’t fast, it had no heavy armor, and it didn’t even have designed ports for weapons, lacking the potential to be modified into an armed merchant ship.
But it had two advantages that made it dominant in interstellar trade: 1. It was big and could carry a lot. 2. It was cheap.
A ‘Big Belly’ could carry a population limit of up to twenty million people—though that would mean a very poor quality of life, treating people like cargo, but it could indeed carry that many.
However, aside from loading capacity, delivery ability also needed to be taken into account.
If Gu Hang really gave Dennison Henry a force of 100,000, with the delivery ability of this merchant fleet, it would take a long time to get the people to the ground.
Thirty thousand was the limit.
The troop Gu Hang selected included the 34th Motorized Division and the 37th and 38th Mechanized Brigades.
Three division and brigade-level units, totaling more than 28,000 people. Gu Hang also dispatched a few hundred of the 10th Brigade’s special forces elites, along with some civilian military officers, amassing a total of thirty thousand.
Gu Hang hoped they wouldn’t be needed, that they were just there to stage an armed march, and, at best, to hold a small parade at Heijian Star to display the demeanor of Rage Owl Star.
If it came to a point where they were needed, things could become very troublesome, and the worst-case scenario Gu Hang anticipated might occur.
He really didn’t want to witness that scene, but he was indeed preparing for it.
…
The fleet led by Wang Qi had just departed from Flying Wing Star.
Generally speaking, the quickest route from Flying Wing Star to Heijian Star would be through two Star Realm Tunnels, first traveling from Flying Wing Star to the Korolya III Star System, then on to the Heijian Star System.
However, since Wang Qi had decided to visit Rage Owl Star first, she could travel from Korolya III to Rage Owl Star, and then use the Star Realm Tunnel to Heijian Star.
Within the Rage Owl Star System, there were a total of three Star Realm Tunnels; two of them led to Korolya III and Heijian Star, respectively, and the third exited the Tianma Star Sector, heading to Orange Chrysanthemum Star in the neighboring Amber Star Sector.
Based on calculations, it would take her fleet about half a month to reach Rage Owl Star.
In that case, no special preparations needed to be made, just ensuring that the troops were fully equipped would suffice.
During this half-month, several things happened.
Matters among our own people.
…
Just as Gu Hang had decided which troops would be sent to Heijian Star to serve as guards for his mother, a senior official from the Alliance came to seek an audience.
He sat in his office chair, listening expressionlessly as Dennison Henry rambled on with his complaints.
Speaking of him, he had also joined Gu Hang’s power early on. Initially just a merchant from Rubbish Town, he had not even managed to secure the position of Rubbish Town’s representative, but he had invested in Gu Hang early on and provided some help.
This investment brought him enormous returns.
Now, he had become the Governor of Alliance High Tower Province, fulfilling his initial investment.
Back then, his goal was to have the Governor support him in becoming the head of Rubbish Town. Today, not only is Rubbish Town under his control, but the broader region surrounding Rubbish Town and Gaota Ruins had been incorporated into Gaota Province, all under his jurisdiction.
Previously, Gaota Province had been the smallest of the central three provinces, both in terms of population and area.
Recently, when Yan Fangxu led the Central Group Army to pacify the eastern provinces, a large amount of border territory and settlements were planned into Gaota Province’s jurisdiction.
This expansion increased the area of Gaota Province by more than threefold; its population grew from the original 300,000 to 1.4 million, almost four to five times the original.
Not only that, the exploitation of Low Energy Storms inside Gaota Ruins was also leading across the entire Alliance. Solely from that industry, the output of Compressed Energy Crystal Blocks was sufficient.
With this contribution, coupled with being one of the founders of the Alliance, Dennison Henry could easily rely on old relationships and the close proximity to the energy source, and since Gaota Province was near to Weixing City, it was easier for him to acquire those relocated industrial lines.
In principle, Dennison Henry should have been satisfied.
His job was only to manage his province well,
But he wasn’t.
He was still after one thing: he hoped that the ground portion of the Starport to be built on Rage Owl Star could be located within his jurisdiction.