Chapter 1318 - 750: Empty Titles (2)

But in reality, he wasn’t too disappointed.

Negotiations may have broken down, but as long as there’s room to talk, it means there’s hope on the horizon.

The bottom line Gu Hang can accept is that the Alliance Army can go beyond borders to fight for the Empire. However, the conditions should be the same as any Star Realm Army Corps conscripted by the Empire, with the Empire paying the war expenses and granting rewards. The Alliance can handle the logistics, but everything must be paid for.

Moreover, the Alliance Army must have complete autonomy in operations. They can accept assignments from higher command in joint operations, but the operational command must be decided by themselves. And if the battle is primarily led by them, then all other Imperial military units must follow the Alliance Army’s command.

If this condition cannot be agreed upon, there’s no need to talk further.

And once agreed, in Gu Hang’s view, it’s akin to securing the High Lord position at no cost.

The Alliance Army going out to fight for money, in the manner of mercenaries, is acceptable to him, and even without the matter of the High Lord, he would proactively push for it.

After all, in the three to four decades of the Alliance’s development, war has taken up the majority of situations. The Alliance has both fought wars and rapidly expanded and developed.

Aside from war, nothing else could potentially allow a force to grow from a single planet to a Cosmos Domain in less than forty years.

But in the future, within the Alliance, there should be no major wars to fight. However, during past developmental processes, a vast army and military-industrial complex have been amassed.

The military-industrial complex is fine; its products, whether as Imperial Tax or as trade goods, are quite popular.

In the unsettled territories of the Empire, armaments are hard currency.

But maintaining the army itself is a problem.

Not fighting but maintaining a massive army is highly unprofitable and would severely hamper the Alliance’s economic development.

Especially under tremendous tax pressure.

Using the Alliance’s elite soldiers to offset taxes?

Gu Hang would not agree to that.

He would rather demobilize, let the warriors return to civilian life, which would add labor force. Paying taxes with soldiers would be an enormous loss.

But honestly demobilizing... not only is it painful, but the key issue is that prophecy of the final battle, lingering like a thorn in Gu Hang’s heart, always making him uneasy.

Who knows when that prophecy will come true?

What if demobilization happens just before a major battle breaks out?

Relying on war to sustain war is a good choice.

Deploy troops, fight for the Empire. As long as a battle can be won, not only would there be no losses, there would be gains.

Gu Hang doesn’t care much about how much he earns; as long as the Empire can sustain a significant part of the Alliance’s army while serving as a rotation-based training ground, it’s excellent.

On this basis, if this matter can be used as a bargaining chip to exchange for some political benefits, that would be a pure gain.

Promising the Executive Council that the Alliance will send troops to intervene in Solaria’s chaotic war situation came from this consideration.

Being able to promise the Prime Minister to participate in various Imperial wars per his requirements is the same intention.

It all depends on whether he can gain a High Lord position.

Letting the Prime Minister Qi Bodu ’recommend’ candidates, essentially handing over power, is true, but...

Firstly, without this, Gu Hang wouldn’t even have the qualification to enter the arena.

Secondly, if I use your recommended person and after some years I’m dissatisfied, replacing them is also my right.

Of course, the second point should not be used easily; only when the wings are well-prepared can it be done.

Why didn’t Qi Bodu think of this? Simply put, if Gu Hang breaks the tacit agreement and changes the representative, Qi Bodu would then have the ability to change the High Lord in the Supreme Council.

And to prevent such a thing from happening, the core lies in the time when Qi Bodu can’t replace Gu Hang’s High Lord position within the Supreme Council, which is when Gu Hang truly gains power.

This needs a process.

But even if it’s a titular High Lord, it’s still a High Lord, theoretically one of the thirteen most powerful in the Central Empire.

With this title, Gu Hang can have a lot of maneuvers to play, even if it’s just a name.

Whether locally or in Holy Terra.

Moreover, this is a matter of dynamic balance.

There is a transitional area between a powerless title and an empowered High Lord. It’s not about flipping from name to power in a moment; instead, as Gu Hang’s strength grows and the rivalry with Qi Bodu unfolds, mutual interest exchange, concession, and compromise will cause the whole power peace to keep oscillating.

The center of the Empire still revolves around Holy Terra.

When Gu Hang has secured a foothold in the eastern territories, with a solid and massive force locally, he could be considered an established player in the Empire’s political landscape, making his local expansion difficult to be as chaotic and aggressive as it was in the past.

He needs to find new paths.

At his level, new paths are only feasible in Holy Terra.

...

Subsequently, Gu Hang stayed calm for a few days.

Then, it was the signing ceremony of the "Alliance Plan."

The ceremony was held with great pomp, attended by people of quite high status.

On the signing side, of course, Gu Hang represented the Alliance; on the side representing the Empire Government, Qi Bodu ultimately didn’t appear, but the three Empire Prime Ministers and High Lords, Luo Fei, Xu Fuzhen, and Galaraldo were present, which was of high specification.

The signed document was lifted by the four together, shown to the cameras, and broadcasted live, with the images spreading everywhere.

This matter was considered conclusive.

A week later, within the Psychic Cultivator’s Association, Gu Hang received the title of Joint Great Mentor.

He didn’t directly take full charge of the Psychic Cultivator’s Association, but allowed the current chief, the elder Dou Zhao, to continue serving as the Chief Great Mentor and manage the association.

It was almost business as usual.

Gu Hang had many ideas for the Psychic Cultivator’s Association, but he couldn’t personally stay in Holy Terra to oversee their realization.

So, it’s better to leave it to Dou Zhao.

When Gu Hang obtained the title of Joint Great Mentor, and with Dou Zhao fully supporting him in advancing the reforms he wanted within the Psychic Cultivator’s Association, something unexpected happened; the system panel reacted.

In the [Vassal] interface, there was suddenly an entry for the [Psychic Cultivator’s Association].

It was indeed a pleasant surprise.

Although the current obedience level wasn’t particularly high, that’s okay. No matter how Gu Hang advocated within the Psychic Cultivator’s Association, saying he would lead it to greatness again, in reality, for him, the biggest value of the association was still its title.

Now that the system recognized it as a force and included it, investing a bit of resources was feasible.

According to Gu Hang’s original reform intentions, the future path of the Psychic Cultivator’s Association was to train more psychics, form its own armed force, and use this as a foundation to handle more psychic-related affairs within the Empire, gaining influence and funding... On this trajectory, to expand continuously, even to a revival.

When the Psychic Cultivator’s Association is strong enough in the future, it might regain the ’authority over all Imperial psychics’ that was lost.

At least to some extent.

The Storm Mage Corps under Gu Hang has already begun mobilizing their teams. Some construction materials are also en route.

The Psychic Cultivator’s Association has also selected a group of individuals to accompany Gu Hang back to the Alliance.

The Psychic Cultivator’s Association will focus on building branches in the East.

A ten-year plan has been set, including the construction of more Mage Academies in Holy Terra and throughout the Sun Star Domain.

With the support of the Alliance, the Psychic Troops will also establish themselves independently.

In the following stages, they will actively engage in all kinds of external intervention in psychic disasters, collecting psychics, providing psychic support in wars abroad.

Dedicated psychic troops will be able to openly demand payment from the Empire Government for their work.

At this point, the "Alliance Plan" is complete, the major strategy for the Psychic Cultivator’s Association is set, and Gu Hang’s main activities in Holy Terra have concluded.

He’s ready to go home.

However, before going home, he needs to wait for the latest discussion results from the High Lord Council.