Chapter 337, The Pill for Imperial Sustainability
Gu Hang didn't even dare to answer the question regarding Koroja No. 3.
Lao Yisi seemed to be observing Gu Hang's expression. She smiled and said, "Don't get me wrong. I was just saying it casually and complaining..."
Then, as if she were chatting with an old friend, she began to complain about her work situation.
The general content is that the tax collection work was not completed smoothly, and the star government is worried about the future situation of Korojia.
The former really surprised Gu Hang.
"How can it be that the imperial tax collectors are not doing well when collecting taxes? If the taxes cannot be paid, wouldn't it be enough to just shoot the governor?"
"Is this the only impression you have of the Imperial Taxation Department?"
"Uh..." Gu Hang found that he seemed to have accidentally told the truth, and now felt a little embarrassed.
But he felt that it was not his fault. Who else had the same impression of the tax collector?
"If only it were that simple." Laois sighed, "I can execute the governor-general who fails to pay the imperial taxes in full and on time. But please note that it is only 'can'. In some particularly strict documents, it is at most 'suggested', never 'must'."
"The situation is always complicated. Take your Wrathful Star as an example. I signed the execution orders for several of the previous governors, and they were executed by agents from the Ministry of Justice. Why did I treat Wrathful Star like that? Because I knew that no matter whether I gave them a chance or not, they would not be able to collect the imperial tax. Not only this time, but also the next time. So, executing that person and replacing him with another one can at least strongly maintain the dignity of the imperial tax and urge the next governor to do his job well."
Gu Hang understood.
In fact, it was nothing more than the fact that the tax on Angry Owl Star was too low, only five million per year. Anyway, if they couldn't pay it in full, they would just kill him. This was to maintain the dignity of the imperial tax and to use the death of the governor of Angry Owl Star as a warning to all the governors of the empire to do their job well. The importance of this point might be higher than the tax on Angry Owl Star.
But that's clearly not the case with Koroja.
"Every time I come to Korojia 3, I have to collect 8 billion tax coins. Feiyi Star also provides 8 billion tax coins. These two planets are the most important tax bases not only in the Tianma Star Region, but also in several surrounding star regions. The nearby Fox Ear Star Region, Longyan Star Region, Feizhou Star Region and the like, all add up to nearly 50 planets, and they can only pay more than 10 billion tax coins a year. From this comparison, you will know how important the two pearls in your Tianma Star Region are."
"Korojia is the most important source of human resources in the entire star field; Feiyi Star is one of the important shipyards."
"These two places are extremely important assets to the star region. The star region government is very dissatisfied with Koroja's current state."
"But we can't act rashly. Ivan Fachs said that the tax can't be paid on time and in full this time. He said that it's okay to pay it anyway, there are enough people on Koroja 3. There is a hive city with more than one billion people, all given to us, so we can let our tax fleet go down and recruit people ourselves."
"What kind of attitude do you think this is?"
"But...I really can't help it."
"Can I really shoot him? Things are never that simple."
"It's very troublesome to go through the whole process to dismiss a planetary governor. It's not appropriate to get the consent of the Star Domain Government or the Space Domain Government. The documents need to be sent directly to the center of the empire. I don't know how long it will take to go back and forth. When dealing with planetary governors who can't pay taxes, we usually go through a fast-track procedure. The chief tax officer like me submits the documents, the chief legal officer signs and confirms, and the agent just needs to do the job."
"This is a quick procedure. The full set of legal procedures still needs to be completed afterwards. But if you encounter a case that the Ministry of Justice agents cannot handle, what's the point of judging the governor as a traitor? You can't kill him. At that time, you either compromise or judge him as a traitor to the Empire. Generally speaking, compromise is the way to go."
"Judged as a traitor to the Empire... It's easy to say, but how do you suppress the rebellion? Mobilize the Astra Militarum, mobilize the navy, mobilize the Space Marines to deal with it? Then let me ask you, if your alliance rebels now..."
Gu Hang quickly waved his hands: "No, no, don't give me an example like that, I am extremely loyal!"
"It's just an example." Laois said with a smile, "If your alliance is declared a traitor to the Empire, what will happen next? The Pegasus sector is in such a mess right now, where can I mobilize the forces to quell the rebellion? At most, the navy can seal off two planets. If we go to the ground to quell the rebellion, the entire sector will not be able to spare the forces to do this."
"And that's even though your two planets have less than 500 million people combined. If you declare Ivan Fatsos a traitor, and the Ministry of Justice fails to deal with the governor and the assassination fails, and he's not willing to die like Akuna and Pedes, then won't the entire Fatsos family be sentenced next? Four worlds, with a combined population of 50 billion, how can you put down such a behemoth?"
“It’s unrealistic.”
"Ivan Fachs is not completely refusing to pay taxes. He is going to apply for 'war zone treatment'. If Koroja III is included in the war zone, it will be calculated according to the war zone standards. Although the tax to be paid will not be less, it can be fully used to suppress the rebellion of Koroja III itself. The star field will even provide support materials and troops to help them suppress the rebellion."
Gu Hang thought about it and it seemed... reasonable?
The current situation of Koroja 3 is already very bad, and it meets the conditions for applying to become a war zone, so let them apply. It is better to settle things down and pay taxes steadily in the future than to force them to pay for a few years, and then collapse in the end and not be able to pay a penny.
Seeing Gu Hang's expression, Lao Yisi smiled and said, "Are you thinking that this might work? Actually, it's not possible... I said before that Korojia 3 is the most important source of human resources for the entire star field. If we only focus on Korojia and the Pegasus star field, this might be feasible. However, the star field also has its own threats. No matter how serious the plague cult problem in Korojia is, it is currently limited to one planet."
"Look, the group of greenskins from the Irontooth tribe have occupied four star regions. The greenskin plundering fleet is constantly fighting with the fleet of the star field, and from time to time they invade a planet with a large number of greenskin troops. The star field's interstellar army is also constantly engaged in brutal battles with the greenskins on many worlds, hoping to recapture some of the empire's worlds..."
"Led by the huge orc warlord known as 'Warchief Irontooth', the Irontooth Clan is the largest and most festering wound on the entire star field. In the short time we are talking, countless Imperial soldiers and civilians may have died under the artillery and machetes of the greenskins on some war zone planet."
"Now, the Empire is taking a step-by-step approach to the areas occupied by the Iron Tooth Clan, sweeping through one planet after another. After conquering a place, a large number of manpower will be invested to colonize the local area and consolidate the occupation results. To maintain the long front spanning more than a dozen planets, whether it is the Imperial Navy, the Astra Militarum, or interstellar colonization, a huge manpower pool is needed. Korojia is the largest source of this manpower pool. Without Korojia transporting hundreds of millions of people every two years, the star field's strategy against the Iron Tooth Clan will not be able to continue."
"Giving Koroja a few years to recuperate and solve internal problems means that the huge wound in the Iron Teeth War Zone cannot be stopped from bleeding. Which is more important?"
"This is still a practical problem. On the political level, there are people within your Pegasus sector who don't want Koroja 3 to become a war zone. The current head of the Pegasus sector, Ivan Martinelli, and the so-called 'parliamentary faction' behind him have repeatedly told the star region government that Koroja is an internal matter of the sector and that they believe the Fats family can handle it. They are trying their best to prevent the war zone from happening and to hinder the Fats family, just waiting for them to cause a mess that cannot be cleared up, and then get rid of Ivan Fats."
After listening to what Lao Yisi said, Gu Hang had only one thought: How big and powerful must the empire be to be able to remain strong despite powerful external enemies, endless internal strife, and leaks everywhere?
Why is it that no matter where you are, there are always terrible things happening? Is there really no place that can be considered peaceful?
Sustainability pill huh?
At this point, Lao Yisi looked a little tired.
She finally stopped talking about other things and said to Gu Hang seriously: "I am very optimistic about you, Gu Hang. I think your achievements on the Angry Owl Star and the Black Arrow Star show that you are a very capable person. After escaping with his life, that guy Gallardo also spread the word that you are a very good governor. He integrated resources for you and created the legalized "alliance" mechanism. He is doing well in the Cosmic Domain Government now. If he is willing to help you, you will be able to get a lot of help from higher levels; you also have the Gu Company to support you behind you..."
Lao Yisi enumerated Gu Hang's advantages, and then concluded: "If you are willing, I can help you. As long as you can reach a political agreement with your current star zone leaders, Martinelli and Little Pedes and his gang, and listen to them and get the parliament to support you, I can also mobilize the power of the star zone government to support you and let Koroja 3 join your 'alliance'."
"Your current situation is still too small. You have two planets with a total population of less than 500 million. You are nothing in the political arena of the empire. If you work hard for a few years, control Koroja, and stabilize those 40 billion people, you will be considered a big shot in the political arena."
To be honest, Lao Yisi patiently explained so much to Gu Hang from beginning to end, and the core meaning was actually very clear, that is, he wanted to "help" Gu Hang.
Of course, this so-called "support" does not come in vain.
On the one hand, although it is true that people praise you for doing a good job, the size is still too small for the entire star field. Being able to manage a village does not mean that you can manage a province.
On the other hand, the support of the Gu family is not so decisive. After all, the Gu family's wealth is only within the scope of the star region, which is still not enough when compared with the size of the entire star field.
These two factors are only somewhat useful, but not critical.
The real key was the idle move Gu Hang made earlier, which was to put Gallardo back. The guy who regarded Gu Hang as his "best friend" and "partner who would never betray him" sounded really successful, at least he made a splash at the cosmic level.
Lao Yisi, and the group of people behind her, have already shown their inability to handle the affairs of the entire star region. Pulling Gu Hang in might be an attempt to use the influence of the war apostle to see if he can get some benefits from the higher level government, that is, the Eastern Universe level, to solve the many practical problems facing the Dragon Eagle Star Region.
Gu Hang was indeed moved by what Lao Yisi said.
Koroja 3, 40 billion people!
How powerful is this force?
If he could replicate the alliance's system in Korojia, and make those 40 billion people truly work for him, and develop it as rapidly as the Angry Owl Star, Gu Hang would immediately be able to become the top political leader.
Just as Laois said, a hive world like Koroja with tens of billions of people is extremely rare in the entire star field. The Pegasus star region is one of the top star regions in the star field, relying on Koroja and Feiyi Star. Those ordinary star regions, often several combined, do not have as many people as Koroja 3 alone.
If he gets those 40 billion people, apart from anything else, Gu Hang’s monthly gift points income will explode.
However, even though he was moved, Gu Hang was not immediately overwhelmed.
The Angry Bear Legion has more than 100,000 people fighting there continuously. Gu Hang knows very well that the current situation on Koroga 3 can be described as a cesspool.
I thought that by replacing Fats as governor, I could get the full support of Fats' three planets and the 3rd Dragon Eagle Legion, and solve the cult problem on Koroja 3, but the reality was the opposite of what I expected.
The situation in the occupied city of Fino has not improved at all; in many other large hives, worrying reports of plague and evil magic have appeared, and the infection has a tendency to spread further.
The Dragonhawk Legion was almost out in full force, and the Star Army fighting on Koroja had reached a size of 20 million. In addition, the Fachers family had invested an additional 5 million of their own troops and had recruited a large number of local planetary defense forces on Koroja.
This created an excessive demand for arms, which Koroja III certainly could not meet on its own, and the three planets of Facheras combined would not be enough. The productivity of the Angry Owl Star was strong, but after all, it was too small, and even if the arms orders exploded, it would not be able to produce enough.
Gu's Trading Company started to operate at full speed, accepting a large number of trade orders and going to other star regions and even some forging worlds to purchase arms.
According to Governor Ivan Fachs, he wants to expand Koroja's original planetary defense force of 100 million to 1 billion people.
Gu Hang thought he was just bragging.
Given the economic situation and administrative capacity of Koroja 3, as well as the current difficulties it faces, it would be difficult to maintain a planetary defense force of 100 million. A billion troops? Impossible.
This is indeed the case.
Up to now, the defense force of Koroja has only expanded to more than 120 million, which is far from what Ivan Fachs boasted.
Even with the Fats family, and the three worlds and tens of billions of people they control as the strongest backing, Ivan Fats was unable to stop Koroja's situation from getting worse, so Gu Hang didn't think he could do it.
The size difference is too big.
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(End of this chapter)
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