Chapter 74: Chapter 74, Dilemma
“Why has no one stopped them?”
Located in the outer city, guarding the gate, and presiding over the military, Mondok had just been woken up when he received the news, and he already felt very anxious.
Yesterday, after the arrival of the Governor’s troops, although his deployed nephew failed to return, the Governor’s forces had indeed stopped outside, honestly not moving an inch. This satisfied him; his tough stance seemed to have been effective. The next step was to consider how to negotiate with the Governor.
But who could have expected that early this morning, he would hear such shocking bad news!
With the escort of seven Star Realm warriors and eleven Battle Nuns, the Governor strolled through his army and was now walking on the main road, heading towards the inner city.
And throughout the process, the interactions between his army and the Governor’s guard were very ‘peaceful.’
It was said that an officer who tried to block the way had his head crushed with a single punch.
But besides that, not a single shot was fired, not a single cannon was shot.
His soldiers just let the ‘enemy’ walk right through.
Why is that?
Could it be that all my troops have mutinied?
This was the source of Mondok’s anxiety.
Because it wasn’t impossible.
He was a general, a commander, but nominally he was a subordinate to the Governor, who was the supreme commander. The ordinary soldiers didn’t understand the twists and turns above them and wouldn’t easily categorize the Governor as an enemy.
To some extent, if the soldiers really ‘rebelled,’ what could he do?
Mondok even couldn’t help but look around, fearing that the next moment, before the Governor’s people arrived, his own soldiers would bind him, chanting something like ‘lending General Mondok’s head for use.’
But fortunately, that situation did not happen. His personal guard was still loyally guarding outside.
The adjutant who came to report responded to his earlier question, “Indeed, no one stopped them. I inquired about it, and it is said that you might have allowed the Governor’s troops to pass, so the soldiers did not dare to block or open fire…”
Not to mention others, even he himself thought so.
“Bullshit!” Mondok bellowed!
“Er… You never issued such an order, Sir?”
Faced with this question, Mondok instead calmed down.
He composed himself and quickly analyzed the current situation in his mind.
The situation might not be as bad as he had initially thought.
Right now, the soldiers were just confused, bewildered, and at a loss; they had not yet shown any intention of mutiny.
The prestige Mondok had established within the troops was still intact; the soldiers would still consider him the highest commander of the forces.
And more importantly, the propaganda that they had been doing within the alliance authorities, the troops, and the whole city, was still effective.
The era of the brutal rule of the second governor had only ended six years ago, and the memories were still fresh in people’s minds; no one wanted to return to those times. It was with the help of this public sentiment that they, over the past six years, had puppetized the governor on one hand, making sure his decrees could not leave his office, let alone affect the broader lands beyond Revival City. On the other hand, they had also silently shifted the blame for many of their own misdeeds onto the governor.
In Rage Owl Star and Era City, despite some still cherishing the gubernatorial revival led by the first governor, people now held not too much affection for the governors sent by the Imperial Faction.
Hatred was perhaps an overstatement, since the new one had not had enough time to commit bad deeds. But the lingering fear and resentment had not diminished in the slightest.
After Gu Hang arrived, the fact that he ventured beyond the confines of Revival City to meddle in external affairs was beyond the expectations of the alliance’s upper echelons, but it was a development they were happy to see.
If he wanted to play some construction game, then let him play by himself. No one believed he could survive the imperial tax two years from now by starting from scratch with external construction. Once the governor was executed two years later, the top brass of the alliance would simply scapegoat some members of the Governor’s Government, have them finished off together, and then just wait for the arrival of the next governor—all to endure another two-year cycle.
Because of this, they had recently loosened their smear campaign against the new governor.
Not to mention, amongst them had emerged a traitor like Hodgson!
Unintentionally, the news of the new governor’s thriving activities outside had spread among the poor outside Revival City.
It was only recently that they realized the seriousness of the problem. Not only had they executed Hodgson, but they had also made it clear to the governor that they were ready for confrontation. Under these circumstances, they restarted a round of urgent propaganda, attempting to mold Gu Hang into a new “second governor,” claiming he would return to seize power and sentence half of Revival City’s population as tribute for the imperial tax, and portraying how tragic it would be to be given as human tribute…
But in truth, if the poor were taken as human tax… it might not be such a bad thing. Working as slaves on starships might be better than living as poor in Rage Owl Star.
Of course, there was also the chance of being sent to the Star Realm Army as slaves, cannon fodder, or to the front-line logistical transport team… That could be slightly worse. Though they would have enough food, the average lifespan measured in hours was a downside.
However, in their propaganda, they would neither mention having enough to eat nor discuss issues of glory and honor—only the short life expectancy.
Their propaganda was somewhat effective.
Previously, Gu Hang’s construction projects outside had been vibrant and absorbed many refugees. Henry and Hodgson hadn’t held back with their positive promotions, which greatly boosted his reputation.
Now, as they began to speak ill of Gu Hang, the effect was somewhat limited. But at the very least, they had managed to dilute his previously good reputation, reigniting the fear of being ruled by a governor in the people’s minds. Attitudes that had begun to lean a certain way became uncertain again.
Reflecting on this, Mondok couldn’t help but feel relieved. It had been a good move; otherwise, he might truly have faced the scenario where the soldiers might have defected en masse at the governor’s call to arms.
Having analyzed the situation, Mondok had a rough idea of what he needed to do.
He needed to personally step up and, with his own authority, strengthen the soldiers’ resolve, helping them understand the situation clearly and distinguish who was the “enemy” and who was the commander.
Even at critical moments, he needed to further maintain his tough stance, inspiring his personal guard to decisively prevent Gu Hang from advancing, thus influencing the entire army.
But at this thought, he hesitated again.
Rationally speaking, there was no issue; but to confront star realm warriors personally?
If the governor really acted recklessly, ordering a sudden assault, could a few hundred men from his personal guard hold them back?
He feared that before the army could react, and the heavy artillery could be deployed, his own head would be rolling.
Mondok found himself caught between a rock and a hard place.