Chapter 598: Chapter 347, I am the Korolya Governor.
“`
“You’re too impulsive,”
After the meeting, Wang Qi was criticizing Gu Hang.
But Gu Hang was still smiling, “I’ve gotten what I’ve dreamed of, Korolya III. No matter how much this place is a cesspool, how terrible the situation is, having forty-billion people in hand is everything. While everyone else is thinking about how important the position of Korolya Governor is, to me, it’s these forty-billion people who are the real opportunity to rise to great heights, the harvest I wanted most.”
Wang Qi certainly knew the value of Korolya, but what of it?
She emphasized, “This is a trap! Even Fatches couldn’t fill it!”
…
“You’re right, there are significant problems here now, and if they’re not handled well, everything could collapse. But on the other hand, if it weren’t for this situation, where would our opportunity come from? Moreover…”
“Hmm?”
Facing her son’s puzzlement, Gu Hang continued, “Treating Korolya as a pit to be filled is of course impossible. But…”
“Maybe Korolya itself doesn’t need filling at all?”
“Korolya III is a world with tremendous potential, where I see the most precious resource: people. People are more important than anything. First have the people, then you have everything. With such tremendous potential and abundant resources, Korolya actually doesn’t need anyone’s help. No matter the difficulty, it can cope. The premise is that no one holds it back.”
“But precisely, for a long time, there have been many things holding back the progress of Korolya. The Imperial Tax taking Korolya’s remaining wealth—even the wealth isn’t enough to satisfy the Empire’s appetite, as it requires population tributes; Korolya’s own bloated, yet incompetent and corrupt bureaucratic system, which doesn’t capitalize on its potential but is a major reason for its misfortune.”
“Just change these, and Korolya on its own power is sufficient to change the situation.”
“And I’m here to change these.”
Wang Qi sighed, “I won’t even say whether you can do it or not, you can’t even get past the first hurdle.”
“That’s the biggest difficulty,” Gu Hang knew his mother was referring to the problem of Fino City, “but I already have an idea for a solution.”
“Your Salt City decisive battle plan?”
Gu Hang ‘hehe’ smiled, “Yes, and no. As things stand now, the odds of winning such a decisive battle are too slim. But I have some other thoughts; if successful, the subsequent so-called decisive battle is just a showcase match.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“Even you, I cannot tell.”
Wang Qi looked deeply at her son’s face, helplessly saying, “Well, what can I say at this point? Whatever help you need, just tell me, the Gu family… the Gu family can only give our full support to our Family Head.”
“Mhm, I indeed have many things that require the help of the Gu Commercial Firm’s fleet. From Heijian Star, Rage Owl Star, there are massive amounts of materials and personnel that need to be transported. However, don’t worry, it won’t be for nothing. Now, as Battle Zone Commander, commandeering Empire Commerce Guild fleets to carry out military actions, the Military Affairs Department will foot the bill.”
Wang Qi nodded slightly.
She wasn’t worried about this at all.
No matter how the battle turns out in the end, for now, the Gu Commercial Firm stands to make a killing from military orders.
…
After finishing the conversation with his mother, Gu Hang took a landing shuttle heading for the planet surface, towards Mingyan City.
He needed to show his determination in this manner.
One couldn’t be like Ivan Fatches
A governor, upon hearing the news of the crawling Nest Capital, used the pretext of a meeting to swiftly board a starship, hiding in the planet’s orbit, too scared to go down…
Aside from his family background, a man of no merit, Gu Hang truly looked down on this Ivan.
On the shuttle, Gu Hang gazed at the increasingly enlarging view of Korolya III in front of him, filling his entire field of view, his mind teeming with countless thoughts.
In the meeting, he was fervent and impassioned in front of everyone;
With his mother, he appeared confident and sure of victory.
But, in truth, he himself knew, it wasn’t going to be that easy.
The final words of Lois giving him his orders actually implied a lot.
Firstly, they confirmed his position: Korolya Governor and Korolya Battle Zone Commander.
The latter was actually more significant—at least for the war at hand.
Military zone status meant, first and foremost, that Korolya wouldn’t have to pay taxes.
And as the commander, Gu Hang also meant that after the battle zone status of Korolya, he could decisively deploy all the Empire’s forces stationed in the Korolya Battle Zone. Military forces, as well as all manpower and resources, were at his discretion.
This power was quite substantial; with land, sea, and Planetary Defense Force, Gu Hang became the supreme commander of all three military branches, not to mention having control over administration and finance as well.
To cope with this disaster, the Star Domain Government and the Star Sector Government would continuously transport various types of materials according to the battle zone’s requirements. Gu Hang could even request further reinforcement of Star Realm Army forces.
Of course, this last part was only within Gu Hang’s right to ask, not necessarily to receive.
After all, the Empire itself was short on resources.
But at least for what was already present in the Korolya Battle Zone, Gu Hang could have complete control.
Of course, there was a caveat to all this.
Gu Hang and Lois were at best acquaintances, hardly even friends, let alone insiders. Four years ago, when she invited Gu Hang to replace Ivan Fatches, she had her own motives, and today was also the same. Her final support for Gu Hang was to solve problems, and the core goal was to quickly restore the Imperial Tax from Korolya.