Starting from the Planetary Governor

Chapter 1575: Chapter 892: The Sluggish Holy Terra (Part 2)

Under the leadership of Holy Terra, they might have opened up communication and navigation between the surrounding Sun Star Domain and even the Sun Zhou Domain. However, as the area under Terra government’s control grew larger, they not only failed to gain more strength, but instead acquired more burdens.

This stark contrast is like the Dark Side Expedition.

The more the Dark Side Expedition fights, the larger it becomes. Every captured location, with slight development, becomes a supply source rather than a burden in most cases. In rare unfortunate cases, it doesn’t affect the overall situation. In such circumstances, naturally, the more they fight, the more it flourishes.

But for Holy Terra re-expanding the Empire’s scale, perhaps at first, it could rely on the immense wealth accumulated in Terra to support it; but if most newly captured worlds are a burden, even Holy Terra cannot bear such a load.

What’s even scarier is that the Central Empire was still executing the old policies with massive inertia.

The governance line of Star Domain Head, Star Zone Leader, and Planetary Governor continued to prevail.

Though the Alliance here also uses this system, it’s only similar in name, completely different inside. Each level of government has clear work objectives and assessments, following direct arrangements from the Alliance Central Government. Officials are appointed by the central authority with terms; they get promoted if they do well and dismissed if they do poorly.

But in the Empire? The Planetary Governors are still like those local emperors; the Central Empire only collects taxes and doesn’t care about specific governance and development. Only when the problems on a planet are so big that it cannot solve them by itself and requests aid from the Empire, does support possibly arrive after long administrative approvals and preparations. Perhaps with luck, some problems can be solved, but the world, suffering from a disaster, is severely damaged. How can it continue to provide the same resources to the Central Empire?

In Gu Hang’s view, in such a catastrophe era impacting the entire Empire, the Central Empire cannot cling to that outdated system from the past.

Perhaps in the past, that system barely operated. In scenarios where the Central Empire didn’t need to manage so many regions directly, though slow and inefficient, it managed to steadily rule vast territories.

But in this unprecedented critical situation in ten thousand years, doing so certainly won’t work.

Gu Hang, with the Alliance, in a hundred-year expedition, had almost conquered one-third of the Dark Side of the Empire, while Holy Terra on the other side couldn’t even handle issues right at its doorstep.

Gu Hang expressed great disappointment.

Those who held positions without contributions on Holy Terra were truly incompetent.

What Prime Minister Qi Bodu and the like, were all useless.

During conflicts, everyone seems more aggressive than the last, but in essence, is there anyone worthy? In such crucial times, they possess neither the vision nor the capability to lead the Empire towards necessary reform, pulling it out from the quagmire.

Gu Hang found it challenging to manage the other side of the Scarlet Scar. He and his Alliance still need to focus primarily on the Dark Side Expedition.

But he can’t just watch the other side of the Empire rot away.

He needs a role that can turn everything around in Holy Terra.

Son of God, Robert, is just such a role.

Besides him, perhaps no one else can do it.

He’s the strongest in internal affairs among the Sons of God.

The Empire doesn’t necessarily need a powerful warrior or commander. The Human Empire, even to this extent, doesn’t lack absolute strength.

But it desperately lacks someone who can integrate and make use of the Empire’s strength.

Robert has this capability.

And his identity as a Son of God gives him the prestige.

Prime Minister Qi Bodu and other High Lords on Holy Terra couldn’t do a few tasks well; they lacked the resolution and ability to lead the Empire in reform. However, asking them to straightforwardly relinquish their power was extremely difficult.

They are themselves the resistance to reform.

And wishing to swiftly change everything through a non-violent way, borrowing Robert’s identity as Son of God is the only option.

Only he can have sufficient prestige to change everything.

But the premise is that he must safely reach Holy Terra.

About this, Gu Hang indeed had some concerns.

The current war facing the Infinite Starfield is not small in scale, though, Gu Hang believes Robert is about to win.

But afterwards, how will he reach Holy Terra?

The distance from the Infinite Starfield to Holy Terra is not short.

Does Robert have to initiate a campaign like the Dark Side Expedition? Step by step, starting from the five hundred worlds of the Infinite Starfield, heading towards Holy Terra?

Fight for another hundred years until reaching Holy Terra?

The situation will have long deteriorated by then!

It’s difficult for Gu Hang to directly interfere with Robert’s decision, but even so, once Robert starts moving, launching from the Infinite Starfield, then let it be, at least the other side of the Empire can see hope.

…

Compared to Gu Hang’s focus on the Infinite Starfield, currently, an important war of the Alliance itself is underway.

In the direction further west from the Skywatch Starfield, Yan Fangxu, leading the Western Expedition Army, had entered the Great Vortex Cosmic Domain.

And here, they discovered a world named Guard Star.

Its most distinguishing feature lies in its back, where there is a stable Star Realm Tunnel, which can penetrate the Scarlet Scar to reach the other side.

This is a ’corridor,’ with Guard Star located on the Dark Side of the Empire. From Guard Star, heading northwest on the star chart, the next world is Red Glory IV, followed by Red Glory III and Red Glory II, then Yiling III and Yiling II, and finally Valley Star.

In total, these seven star systems form such a corridor.

Passing through the corridor is essentially crossing the Scarlet Scar.

Furthermore, most importantly, these seven worlds remain under human control.

On the side of Valley Star, it belongs to the Godelia Cosmic Domain, Mercifat Star Domain. In this star domain, there exists a famous battle group — the Saints Battle Group.

This is currently one of the Empire’s nine remaining original Battle Groups, the direct lineage battle group reformed from the former Saints Legion.

The lineage of Saints, second only to the Infinite Warriors in number within the entire Empire.

After the catastrophe, the situation in the Mercifat Star Domain was stabilized, largely due to the Saints’ contributions.

After stabilizing the star domain’s situation, they also discovered the existence of the ’corridor.’

The leader of the Saints, declared a Living Saint by the National Church, Percy Remonvis, keenly recognized the corridor’s significance.

He rallied many Saints sub-groups, persuaded the National Church, leveraging their influence, jointly forming a massive force, maintaining the stability of the Mercifat Star Domain and extending arms to sustain this corridor.

The entire process was quite arduous.

They have nearly fought here for over thirty years. The seven worlds in the corridor, though considered stable, are only so compared to other impassable areas of the Scarlet Scar. Sandwiched between the Scarlet Scar on both sides, the pressure on these seven worlds is quite intense. Chaos enemies continuously attack from various directions, crazily assaulting everywhere.

The Saints, along with the most steadfast Holy War Army of the National Church, stand at the forefront here.

Every one of these seven worlds has been lost at least three times, but within a few years, they would be reclaimed.

As an Interstellar Warrior who has been titled a Living Saint, Remonvis is epitomized for his resilience.

Yet after thirty years of war trials, even he began to feel somewhat disoriented.

Why do the reports submitted to Holy Terra always disappear without a trace? Occasional replies bring no good news.

Can’t the High Lords see how vital this corridor linking the two sides of the Empire is?

Support is delayed indefinitely, and the expected Expeditionary Force is nowhere to be seen.

Amid brutal warfare, with soldiers continuously sacrificing, he’s forced to question whether the Saints’ persistence here has any true significance?