Starting from the Planetary Governor

Chapter 1383: Chapter 786: I Don’t Want to Be the Sun Lord

The increase in tax rates is probably inevitable, given that the Alliance also does not want a fallout.

However, the raised taxes need to be exchanged for tangible benefits.

For example, even without incorporating the Eastern Cosmos Domain into the Alliance system, the Alliance’s influence over it could be further expanded, with more significant investment and construction, and even special cooperation established within a treaty framework.

For instance, not only will the Empire tax that the Eastern Cosmos Domain is about to pay not decrease, but the Alliance could even collect this tax on its behalf.

“It’s time to give our Prime Minister a way out,” said Gu Hang, drawing a new strategic arc on the star map.

Since the Empire does not dare to overturn the table, the Alliance should transform this table into its own throne.

The tax collection rights for the Eastern Cosmos Domain are merely an appetizer; the Empire can also reap benefits from it.

Before the upheaval, the annual Empire tax for the Eastern Cosmos Domain was about 1.6 trillion, which isn’t too far off from the Alliance’s 2.1 trillion either.

But the issue is that the Central Empire can only get 40% of that, approximately 640 billion.

Then, during the tax collection process, another 60%-70% is lost, leaving barely over 200 billion in hand.

And this is still considered a somewhat above-average Cosmos Domain.

Under the Alliance’s collection, there is definitely no way to guarantee the whole 1.6 trillion will reach the Empire—unless the Empire allows the entire Eastern Cosmos Domain to be incorporated into the Alliance, which is obviously impossible.

But the Alliance can guarantee that the whole 640 billion will reach you. The losses in the middle are covered by the Alliance.

This increase itself is quite a considerable amount.

In return, shouldn’t the Empire reciprocate? The actions of Yinbasim should be defined as regional riots caused by incompetence, acknowledging the legitimacy of the Cui Ru Government, shouldn’t they? The demise of the Light of Dawn Sword should be considered a pacification action, right?

For the Alliance, although this matter seems unprofitable, the real feast lies in how to turn ’tax collection assistance’ into ’de facto management.’

When the Alliance’s tax task force enters those riot areas that even the Empire’s tax officials dare not set foot on;

When the Alliance’s settlement system replaces the decayed Empire tax system;

When hired Alliance-origin officials occupy a proportion of the Eastern Cosmic Realm Government, Star Domain Governments, and Planetary Governments;

When Alliance investment projects become the economic lifeblood of individual planets…

When all these are realized, the blood vessels of the Eastern Cosmos Domain will further grow into the economic heart of the Alliance.

Does the Empire know this is a poison pill?

With so many smart people, they must be able to see it.

But the reality is already like this, should they continue to resist, or drink the poison?

An additional revenue of over 400 billion per year is quite sweet.

In the “Alliance Plan Supplement Agreement,” Gu Hang can also generously agree to increase the annual tax, according to the Central Empire’s requirement, to 2.5 trillion. Moreover, each year for the next ten years, an additional 50 billion can be increased, ultimately reaching 3 trillion.

This can even meet the ’punitive taxation’ standard proposed by Xu Fuzhen.

This is the money spent to ’buy’ the Eastern Cosmos Domain.

But this alone is not enough.

Gu Hang issues a demand to the Holy Terra and Mars, stating that after the Spiderweb Domain has been cleared out, there are now only three battle groups: Phoenix, Blood Shark, and Spear of the Dragon King. The New Era Torch and Furyflame do not count, as these two groups are atonement groups and not stationed in the Spiderweb Domain; similarly, Yellow Springs Seagull does not count as, in name, they are a Ship-Based Battle Group.

Even if you count them all, there are only six groups in the fourteen Star Domains of the Alliance, which is somewhat lacking.

And in the Eastern Cosmos Domain, there were initially only four groups, not many to begin with, and the Alliance has wiped out one of them.

It is quite reasonable to build a few more battle groups in these two domains.

This requires approval from the Central Empire and Mars to establish troops, and Genetic Seeds need to be allocated from the Mars Genetic Seed Bank.

Genetic Seeds are not particularly important to Gu Hang, as he can exchange for them. However, his exchanges are limited by the number of battle groups he controls. Each battle group only has two thousand exchange slots.

Regarding Interstellar Warriors, his unit production speed is limited by the battle group slots.

What he really wants are the battle group slots.

This time, he directly demands five new battle groups, ambitiously going for an ’Alliance Army Construction.’

However, it’s estimated that the Empire won’t approve so many.

The number that can actually be established will depend on future negotiations.

Gu Hang’s bottom line is two.

It doesn’t matter if Genetic Seeds are given, or even if the home planet is given.

Gu Hang is not short of those Gift Points to exchange seeds, nor does he lack setting up a tax-free home planet.

What he wants is the name of these battle groups. If the Empire agrees to five new battle groups, he can directly expand to 10,000 Interstellar Warriors!

According to the level of Interstellar Warriors crafted by Gu Hang, how many battle groups would the Empire need to draft to fight against these 10,000 Interstellar Warriors?

It becomes unfightable!

Upon thinking of this, Gu Hang expands his mind: when will there be Interstellar Warriors’ freedom?

He estimates that he needs complete Empire authority and authority over the Sect of Mechanics, allowing him to approve and independently establish battle groups and receive recognition. Then, he should be able to exchange without limit.

He grins, feeling it’s still a bit far.

Besides seeking battle groups, Gu Hang is also demanding another thing: his High Lord authority.

Although the new representative is still appointed by Qi Bodu, listening to Qi Bodu, Gu Hang plans to inch forward and request more information rights and advisory rights. He demands that his representative, when expressing opinions, listens more to his own opinions than before.

This means the High Lord authority has been partly claimed by him.

Even if it’s small, it’s a wedge opened.

It’s expected that this matter will also prick Qi Bodu.

But with the combined tax revenue increase of 1.3 trillion from the Eastern Cosmos Domain and the Alliance on the table, how Qi Bodu thinks will depend on his judgment.

Either way, the Eastern Cosmos Domain’s temporary tax law is a draft, and the first version of the Alliance’s tax hike plan will not directly lay out the baseline condition of 2.5 trillion, increasing by 50 billion each year for ten years.

Everyone battles on the negotiation table.

This shows that in the war, the Alliance has the capability to fight for what it wants, thus having the right to demand these things at the negotiation table.

…

The ensuing negotiations remained tense for a long time.

Indeed, at some point, the situation again developed new changes, leading to the nearby four or five domains beside the Eastern Cosmos Domain and Spiderweb Domain receiving Holy Terra’s mobilization orders, an Imperial Fleet already advancing into the southern border of the Eastern Cosmos Domain, and a Tribunal Fleet, under the pretext of thoroughly investigating the Eastern Cosmos Domain incident, was heading towards Wuji Star.

But the Alliance was also ruthless, with envoys going to the Infinite Starfield, engaging in secret talks with the Infinite Corps to ensure their silence regarding the extinction of sub-groups. This wasn’t difficult; although they all shared the same Genetic Seeds, since the Light of Dawn Sword was established by the Empire’s orders, throughout its thousand-year history, exchanges between the sides have been very limited. The Infinite Corps’ countless sub-groups could not be managed individually by them.

Additionally, a problem emerged at the starport of Lingze Star, in the tax system, causing the first tax delay since the signing of the “Alliance Plan.”

The Alliance accused this as a ’conspiracy by a small group of rebels within the Empire,’ who infiltrated the tax system and released demon code, causing the issue. The Alliance assumed no responsibility for this and also informed the Central Empire that the Empire tax would be delayed, with the repair time unknown.

Although it was said that there was a problem with the starport operation, trade on Lingze Star did not stop at all.

Xu Fuzhen was furious. A delay of one period meant 200 billion couldn’t arrive on time, already having a significant impact, much like a chain reaction on a transmission gear.

However, it could be barely managed, patching east and west to cover the gap.

But if the negotiations really drag on for several months, creating a shortfall of one trillion, or even two trillion, it would be a big problem.

In the meantime, after halting all grey arbitrage trades, the originally profitable businessmen suddenly started losing money—ships and personnel floating outside, all of which was money, with original commercial contracts potentially at risk of breach. They were not happy and were overtly and covertly following the negotiation’s progress.

In such a context, the negotiations finally concluded.