Chapter 576: Chapter 336: The Empire’s Sustainability Pill_2
Gu Hang pondered for a moment, it seemed…reasonable?
The situation of Korolya III was already quite dire, fitting the criteria to apply as a warzone, so why not let them apply? If things calmed down and they could consistently pay taxes in the future, it would be better than forcing them to pay now and end up in a total collapse, resulting in not being able to pay a single penny.
Seeing Gu Hang’s expression, Lois smiled, “You’re thinking this might be a possibility? Actually, it isn’t… As I mentioned earlier, Korolya III is the most important source of human resources throughout the Star Sector. If we only consider Korolya itself, or the Tianma Star Sector, this plan might work. But, the Star Sector faces threats at the Star Sector level. The Plague Cult problem in Korolya, no matter how troublesome, is currently confined to just one planet.”
“Look at the Iron-Tooth Clan’s Green Skins, occupying a full four Star Sectors. The Green-skin Plundering Fleet constantly engages in battles with the Fleet of the Star Sector; swathes of Green-Skin Army frequently invade planets, and the Star Realm Army is also engaged in brutal combat with the Green Skins on many worlds, hoping to take back some Empire Worlds…”
“Under the leadership of the one known as the ‘Iron-Tooth Great Chieftain’, the Iron-Tooth Clan is the largest and most festering wound on the level of the entire Star Sector. While we’ve been talking, it’s possible that on some warzone planet, countless Imperial soldiers and civilians have already perished under Green Skin artillery and blades.”
“Now, the Empire’s approach to the regions occupied by the Iron-Tooth clan is to steadily march forward, sweeping through one planet after another. Once an area is secured, a vast number of humans are deployed for colonization to consolidate the gains. To maintain that long battle line stretching over a dozen planets needs a massive influx of humans, whether for the Imperial Navy, the Star Realm Army, or interstellar colonization. Korolya is the largest source of this human pool. Without the hundreds of millions of people transported from Korolya every two years, the Star Sector’s strategy against the Iron-Tooth Clan cannot continue.”
“Giving Korolya a few years to recuperate and resolve internal issues would mean letting the vast wounds of the Iron-Tooth warzone bleed uncontrollably. So which is more important?”
“That’s the reality of the situation. Politically speaking, even inside your own Tianma Star Sector, there are those who don’t want Korolya III to become a warzone. The current head of Tianma Star Sector, Ivan Martinelli, and the people behind the so-called ‘Parliamentary Faction’, have repeatedly told the Space Domain Government that Korolya is an internal affair of the Star Sector, believing the Fatches Family can handle it. They are trying hard to prevent warzone status, sabotaging the Fatches Family every step of the way, waiting for them to cause an uncontrollable chaos, and then overthrow Ivan Fatches.”
After listening to all that Lois had said, Gu Hang had only one thought: just how extensive was the Empire’s power to remain strong despite powerful external enemies, incessant internal strife, and leaks springing everywhere?
Why does it seem like everywhere is riddled with a mess? Isn’t there a single place that can be considered peaceful?
So much for sustainability, huh?
Having reached this point, Lois also appeared somewhat fatigued.
Finally, she stopped beating around the bush and seriously said to Gu Hang, “I have high hopes for you, Gu Hang. Your achievements on Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star show that you’re a very capable person. Galaraldo, that guy who saved his own skin, has been touting everywhere that you’re an excellent governor, who consolidated resources and created a legal ‘alliance’ mechanism for you. He’s doing quite well in the Space Domain Government now, and with his willingness to help you, you could receive a lot of support from higher levels; moreover, you have the support of Gu Commercial Firm behind you…”
Lois listed Gu Hang’s advantages and then concluded, “If you’re willing, I can help you. As long as you can reach an agreement politically with your current Star Sector head, Martinelli, and Pei Desi and their group, follow their advice and let the Parliamentary Faction support you, I can also mobilize the power of the Star Domain Government to support you, including integrating Korolya III into your ‘alliance’.”
“Your current situation is still insignificant—controlling two planets with a combined population of less than five hundred million doesn’t count for much in Imperial politics. If you can successfully manage a few years, take control of Korolya, and stabilize those forty billion people, you’ll have truly made a name for yourself in the entire political scene.”
To tell the truth, Lois patiently explained so much from start to finish, all with one clear purpose in mind: to give Gu Hang a “boost.”
Of course, this so-called “boost” wasn’t free.
On one hand, her praise of “you did well” is based on reality, but it’s still too small on the scale of the entire Star Sector. Managing a village well doesn’t mean you can manage a province well.
On the other hand, the support of the Gu Family isn’t that decisive either; the Gu Clan might be wealthy within the Star Sector, but this wealth is still insignificant on the scale of the entire Star Domain.
These two factors are somewhat useful, but they’re not critical.
What truly mattered was the step Gu Hang had previously taken as a casual move: sending Galaraldo back. That individual who regarded Gu Hang as his ‘best friend’, ‘a partner who would never betray’, seemed to be making quite the splash, at least having some influence at the Space Domain level.
Lois, and the people she represented, have already shown that they are unable but willing when it comes to Star Domain affairs. Bringing Gu Hang into the fold is likely an attempt to leverage the influence of that War Apostle, to see if they could get some benefits from an even higher government level, that is, the Eastern Cosmos Domain, and address the many real issues facing the Dragonhawk Star Domain.
And indeed, Gu Hang was moved by everything that Lois had said.
Korolya III, forty billion people!
How immense was such a force?
If he could replicate the alliance system on Korolya and truly harness the strength of those forty billion people—developing at a rapid pace like Rage Owl Star—Gu Hang would immediately become one of the top political leaders.
Just as Lois had said, a Nest Capital World with several hundreds of billions of people like Korolya was extremely rare and unusual across the entire Star Domain. The Tianma Star Sector, ranking among the top sectors within the Star Domain, relied on Korolya and Flying Wing Star for support. The population of many ordinary star sectors combined didn’t even match that of a single planet like Korolya III.
Securing those forty billion people meant, among other things, that Gu Hang’s monthly point income from benefactions would explode.
But, despite being tempted, Gu Hang’s head wasn’t entirely turned.
The Rage Bear Legion had over a hundred thousand people engaged in ongoing combat there; Gu Hang was acutely aware that the current situation on Korolya III was akin to a cesspit.
It was hoped that with Fatches taking over as governor, gaining the support of the three Fatches planets along with the all-out support of the Dragonhawk Third Legion, the Cult problem on Korolya III could be solved. Yet, reality proved to be contrary to wishes.
The situation in Fino City, located in the occupied territory, hadn’t improved in the slightest; multiple major Nest Capitals reported disturbing occurrences of Plague Sorcery, with infections showing a trend of further expansion.
The Dragonhawk Legion had nearly emptied its nest, with the Star Realm Army fighting on Korolya reaching a force of twenty million. Additionally, the Fatches Family had put in an extra five million of their own troops and were widely conscripting local Planetary Defense Forces on Korolya.
This created an excessive demand for munitions, which Korolya III itself definitely couldn’t satisfy. Even the three Fatches planets combined weren’t enough. Rage Owl Star had strong production capabilities, but its small size meant that it couldn’t keep up with the explosion of arms orders.
The Gu Commercial Firm sprang into action, taking on a large volume of trade orders and reaching out to other star sectors and even some Foundry Worlds to purchase munitions.
According to Governor Ivan Fatches, he intended to expand the existing one hundred million Planetary Defense Forces on Korolya to a massive ten billion.
Gu Hang thought he was purely bluffing.
With the economic state and administrative capabilities of your Korolya III, not to mention the current challenges you face, maintaining a hundred million defense forces is already straining, let alone a billion soldiers? Impossible.
And indeed, that was the case.
Until now, the local Defense Forces of Korolya had only expanded to a little over one hundred and twenty million, far from the boastful claims of Ivan Fatches.
Even with the Fatches Family and the billion-strong population of the three worlds they controlled as the most solid rear guard, Ivan Fatches was still unable to stem the worsening situation on Korolya. Gu Hang didn’t think he could do any better.
The disparity in size was too great.
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