Chapter 576: Chapter 336: The Empireâs Sustainability Pill_2
Gu Hang pondered for a moment, it seemedâŠreasonable?
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 Hangâs expression, Lois smiled, âYouâre thinking this might be a possibility? Actually, it isnât⊠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.â
âLook at the Iron-Tooth Clanâs 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 WorldsâŠâ
âUnder the leadership of the one known as the âIron-Tooth Great Chieftainâ, the Iron-Tooth Clan is the largest and most festering wound on the level of the entire Star Sector. While weâve been talking, itâs possible that on some warzone planet, countless Imperial soldiers and civilians have already perished under Green Skin artillery and blades.â
âNow, the Empireâs 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 Sectorâs strategy against the Iron-Tooth Clan cannot continue.â
âGiving 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?â
âThatâs the reality of the situation. Politically speaking, even inside your own Tianma Star Sector, there are those who donât want Korolya III to become a warzone. The current head of Tianma Star Sector, Ivan Martinelli, and the people behind the so-called âParliamentary Factionâ, 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.â
After listening to all that Lois had said, Gu Hang had only one thought: just how extensive was the Empireâs 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? Isnât 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, âI have high hopes for you, Gu Hang. Your achievements on Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star show that youâre a very capable person. Galaraldo, that guy who saved his own skin, has been touting everywhere that youâre an excellent governor, who consolidated resources and created a legal âallianceâ mechanism for you. Heâs 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 youâŠâ
Lois listed Gu Hangâs advantages and then concluded, âIf youâre 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 âallianceâ.â
âYour current situation is still insignificantâcontrolling two planets with a combined population of less than five hundred million doesnât count for much in Imperial politics. If you can successfully manage a few years, take control of Korolya, and stabilize those forty billion people, youâll have truly made a name for yourself in the entire political scene.â
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 âboost.â
Of course, this so-called âboostâ wasnât free.
On one hand, her praise of âyou did wellâ is based on reality, but itâs still too small on the scale of the entire Star Sector. Managing a village well doesnât mean you can manage a province well.
On the other hand, the support of the Gu Family isnât 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 theyâre 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 âbest friendâ, âa partner who would never betrayâ, 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 peopleâdeveloping at a rapid pace like Rage Owl StarâGu 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 didnât even match that of a single planet like Korolya III.
Securing those forty billion people meant, among other things, that Gu Hangâs monthly point income from benefactions would explode.
But, despite being tempted, Gu Hangâs head wasnât 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, hadnât 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 couldnât satisfy. Even the three Fatches planets combined werenât enough. Rage Owl Star had strong production capabilities, but its small size meant that it couldnât 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 didnât think he could do any better.
The disparity in size was too great.
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