Chapter 459, You dare?
Larin Ulrich's face looked rather grim.
A planetary governor, especially a small, poor planet like Hippogriff III, is certainly not a big shot in the political arena of the entire empire and the entire star sea. Anyone can come and step on him.
But he is a planetary governor after all.
Generally speaking, he was not exposed to the political situation outside the planet very often - except for the imperial tax collection every two years.
The rest of the time, he is the 'emperor' of the planet, the kind who has the final say.
It was very rare for him to meet someone who would speak to him in such a blunt and slightly threatening tone.
So, he looked unhappy.
However, no matter how ugly it was or how annoying it was, he still didn't dare to say "no" if he had to.
The head of the Zima star zone and the governor of Baishuo star, their endings are still vivid in our memory.
He still remembered clearly the might of the Alliance army when the Orc War was still going on.
How dare I show you a bad face?
But if he really had to accept these terms, he felt a little reluctant.
Unlike the Seven Horses Agreement, that thing still has its own independence and is a treaty of alliance nature. But now, if we sign this Union Act, it is not joining the alliance, but it is better than joining.
The economic lifeline is completely controlled by the Alliance, and political power will also expand as the Alliance's economic influence on the planet expands. Ultimately, it won't be long before the Alliance's system will be able to completely replace the responsibilities of the original planetary government.
From an objective point of view, it is not a bad thing for the people on the planet.
At least that's how it is for the poor folks at Hippogriff III.
The 'tax coin' set by the Empire is not set randomly. Normally, if the per capita output value of a planet can reach 1 tax coin, it means that it has reached the imperial standard. On this basis, 0.1 is paid as tax, and the planetary government takes another 0.1. The remaining 0.8 is enough for a civilian to live a pretty good life.
That's more than just food and clothing, it's even better than a comfortable life.
However, this is always just the ideal state.
The imperial government does only want 0.1, but doesn’t the collection cost money?
Will the planetary government honestly keep the tax rate at 10%?
Aren’t corruption in the government or similar government agencies, or normal administrative expenses, and poor tax collection efficiency all additional costs?
The output value of 1 tax coin per capita does not mean that everyone can have this income. The gap between the rich and the poor exists in any society. The rich must have much more than this income, and the poor are probably far from this income level.
What's more, the per capita output value of 1 tax coin is far more than any other planet can achieve.
Eagle Horse III could not reach that level. Even before the war, the highest rate was only 0.9 per capita.
On the planet, a normal worker, whether a farmer or a miner, can only spend about 0.4 yuan a year on his own consumption, which is barely enough to make ends meet. If one is a little poor, he may not even have enough food to eat and may be insecure from day to day.
For these ordinary people on the planet, their lives became better with the arrival of the Alliance.
Ulrich knew what the living standards of the Alliance's civilians were like. Even if it was the lowest, as long as one had a job, no matter what it was, one could reach the most basic E5 level.
The living standard of an E5 person is at least 0.4 tax coins per year.
This would be enough to meet the standard of food and clothing, no worse than the formal employees on Eagle Horse III. Moreover, under the alliance system, eliminating unemployment is a very simple and quick matter, which means that a considerable number of people at the bottom of society who do not have formal jobs will benefit from this. They will become strong supporters of the alliance.
For those who have formal jobs, even if their job levels do not increase, their living standards will at least remain the same as now.
Even more.
This brings us to the question of what the alliance's rank means to an ordinary person.
After obtaining a rank in the alliance, your personal income each year is composed of two parts: benefits and allowances.
Welfare is divided into basic social welfare and personal welfare. The former includes basic medical security and basic education security, which are the foundation of the alliance.
For the former, although the alliance will not provide resources that can really guarantee that you will not die from any disease, at least there is basic protection, which can cure headaches and prevent the disease from getting worse. Even if you really have an incurable disease, you can take enough painkillers, at least you can go through the last journey of your life comfortably.
This is already a remarkable thing. A considerable number of poor people, no matter what disease they have, can't expect to see a doctor. In the alliance, these basic medical insurances are free for all people.
The latter, namely education guarantee, is even more advanced. The Alliance particularly emphasizes educational equality - although it is impossible to really achieve the ideal state of equality. After all, how can we expect people on Hippogriff III to get the same educational resources as people on Wing Star?
But at least, the system is trying to ensure fairness. Six years of primary education is compulsory education, free of charge, and all children must attend, and schools are arranged nearby. After that, there are four years of secondary education, which is not compulsory and requires tuition. As long as you reach a certain level in the primary education exam, you can be promoted; the top students will have their tuition reduced or exempted; and the top students will be provided with scholarships.
After secondary education, students will apply for higher education. Although it is a bloody road that requires fighting for one's way out, it at the very least provides a path to upward mobility for people from all walks of life.
These are the two basic social benefits that all Alliance citizens of any level can obtain.
Just these two things, how could the lower-class people on Eagle Horse III dare to think about it in the past?
Personal benefits are linked to job level. This includes food security, housing security, and personal medical security, which means that as long as you reach this level, you will have all these things. The alliance will be responsible for rationing food and housing, and provide better medical services based on personal job level.
As you get higher in rank, the food you eat is no longer synthetic starch or simple grains. There will be more refined processed foods, meat and vegetables...
Housing will also change from cubicles of several square meters where people live together to individual houses, or even better.
Medical services will also change from the most basic to some medicines being free and some diseases being free to treat. If you don’t have a high-ranking position, you can only pay for it.
If you are more advanced, you will get even more vacation time and more transportation subsidies.
These are just benefits, not including allowances.
Allowances are equivalent to wages, and are directly issued in alliance currency. This money can be traded and used to purchase all legal goods. It can be used to pay for secondary education and above, to pay for additional medical treatment costs beyond the rank medical benefits and basic medical benefits, to purchase food above the rank, to improve meals, and to purchase furniture, appliances, cars, clothes...
By this calculation, although an E5 citizen has welfare and allowances, which means he spends 0.4 tax coins a year, and his food, drink, and clothing may be similar, but with the two benefits of medical care and accommodation, he is much more secure than the non-Alliance poor; not to mention the benefit of education, which is a channel for upward mobility for oneself and future generations, and one can also upgrade with years of work and contributions.
For the general public on Eagle Horse III, once they experience the policies of the Alliance, who would want to go back to the old days?
The planetary government is really finished!
Ulrich was worried.
But he still didn't dare to refuse directly.
"Give me a little more time..."
"I told you, today is the deadline."
"I understand, but today isn't over yet, right? Two hours, just two hours. At least give me one last chance to discuss this with you."
"Okay, then I'll give you these two hours. I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay here and wait for good news."
…
After saying goodbye to Wu Yang, Ulrich wiped the sweat from his forehead and went to another meeting room not far away.
Several big guys on Eagle Horse III are waiting here.
He is the planetary governor, but no ruler can rule by himself. Of course, there are various interest groups on Hippogriff III.
Mainly united farmers, big landowners, and bosses of mining groups.
They are supporters of the planetary government, and Ulrich is actually one of them. The agricultural and mining group he controls is the largest landowner on the planet and the fourth largest mineral owner.
They are the real masters of this world.
The economic union of the Alliance is meant to take this world away from them.
They feared the alliance's strength, were greedy for the alliance's aid, and resented the alliance's plunder.
Seeing Ulrich coming back, someone asked, "How did the talk go?"
"Nothing has changed. The alliance has left us no room for bargaining. The only options are to accept or reject."
Hearing this, someone shouted angrily, "Then we won't do it! Let's go our separate ways! I don't believe that this alliance really dares to kill all of us."
Someone taunted him, "Why not? And why kill people? They want to take the land and minerals, what can you do? Who can handle the Alliance division? The Planetary Defense Force is already under their command, do you still dare to rebel?"
"Then what else can we do? Are we going to give away the inheritance accumulated by our ancestors to them for nothing?"
"Isn't there a way to redeem, convert equity, or recruit management on the spot? I've always thought this is actually not a bad idea..."
"Bullshit! I just robbed your property and gave you some melons and dates!"
The meeting room was in chaos, and Ulrich had a headache listening to it.
This is not the first time.
In fact, when Wu Yang first proposed the economic union bill to him, he called together various "lords" to discuss the matter, and the scene was roughly like this. Later, he held discussions several times, and the results were all similar.
Failure to reach a consensus.
There are not many who are really that tough. Most of the people who are making trouble are just trying to encourage others to make trouble together, hoping that the law will not punish the masses. Don't look at how fierce they are now. If they are really asked to be the first to make trouble, they will all shrink their necks.
Most of them are timid and dare not make any noise.
But there is one basic psychological feeling that everyone, including him, shares: unwillingness.
No, except for one person.
Ulrich's gaze was directed at a young man who had been silent, smoking silently, with a playful expression on his face.
This person is the second largest land owner on Eagle Horse III and his status is not low.
Ulrich knocked on the table: "Stop, stop!"
After the meeting was quiet, he looked at the young man again and asked, "Adam Shannon, I noticed that you have been silent and you rarely expressed your opinions before. Tell me, what do you think?"
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the young man, and many of them looked at him with a hint of contempt.
Adam Shannon is not a self-made man, and judging by his age, he is not very experienced. He is a successor, and has only recently taken over his father's business.
I don’t know what old Shannon was thinking when he let this inexperienced young son take over.
Adam Shannon himself turned a blind eye to these looks. He just smiled and said, "What can a young man like me say? Just listen to the seniors. But..."
After a pause, he continued, "Whatever the decision of the seniors is, it has nothing to do with our Shannon Group. Our Shannon Group has already made a decision. We will fully accept the assistance of the alliance and access the management from the alliance. All employees will be managed according to the alliance system."
His voice was quite soft when he said this.
But these contents were like throwing a huge rock into a calm lake, causing huge waves in an instant!
"How dare you, the Shannon Group, negotiate with the Alliance alone without telling our allies?!"
"How dare you, young man?"
"Is this your decision or your father's? Get old Shannon out!"
"traitor!"
…
After a brief silence, many accusations were thrown at Adam Shannon.
Ulrich once again tried to control the situation and calm everyone down.
But his face also looked very bad.
He stared at Adam Shannon's overly young face and asked, "Can you tell me what your Shannon Group thinks about this matter? Are you really willing to hand over all the land accumulated by four generations?"
Adam Shannon spread his hands and said, "It doesn't count as handing it over, does it? Didn't the Alliance say..."
"Alright!" Ulrich interrupted Adam Shannon's hypocritical words, "This may be the last time we hold such a meeting. No matter what conflicts and dirty things we had in the past, at least we have the friendship of being from the same world. Just tell us what you really think, and let's be frank. Otherwise, if you are the only one selling, we can work together to make sure you can't sell or sell comfortably!"
"Hahaha!" Adam Shannon laughed, with a hint of sarcasm in his words. "But it doesn't matter. We have already made this decision. Whatever you do in the future has nothing to do with us. You can go and make trouble with the alliance. But... you guys? How dare you?"
Ulrich was held back.
Do you dare?
If you dare, why are you still pretending to be strong but being weak?
Adam Shannon stopped smiling and looked serious. "However, you are right about one thing. Considering that we come from the same world and the friendship between our ancestors, I would like to give you a piece of advice:"
"If you regard this as plunder, then you will lose everything. The Shannon family is different. We regard this as an opportunity."
"Chance?"
"Can you tell me a little more?"
Adam Shannon waved his hand, refused to say more, and turned away.
The people in the room were left looking at each other in bewilderment.
…
Shannon signed, and many others also signed.
I wonder how many people have figured out what Shannon meant by "opportunity". Some people signed mainly because of pressure.
But Ulrich finally figured it out.
In other words, he visited old Shannon at the last minute, and after a conversation, he was convinced.
He finally signed on behalf of the planetary government.
In fact, the reason is not complicated.
First of all, this thing is not really preventable. Even if the entire planet unites as one and blocks the alliance, then what?
The alliance will not take action, as that would be too ugly and would be detrimental to the unity of the entire Qimadi.
However, the alliance has too many ways to deal with them.
The Alliance controls the imperial tax, the power to set tax rates for the star region governments, and interstellar trade. Whoever the Alliance wants to bankrupt will go bankrupt. Food can rot in the barn or be bought at a very low price; minerals cannot be sent to the factory, and are just a pile of broken stones.
Moreover, is it really a bad thing to join the alliance system?
For the wealthy and wealthy like them, that may not be the case.
The Alliance gave preferential conditions to some, such as Ulrich himself. If he signed, he would be able to immediately receive B8 treatment as a planetary governor and a wealthy man.
Welfare plus allowances amount to six hundred tax coins a year.
Ulrich touched his heart and asked himself: When I was governor, did I spend 600 tax coins a year purely on my own personal consumption?
Of course not. If it's just about food, housing and entertainment, then it's not like that. He is still very self-disciplined, frugal and ambitious in his career.
Moreover, what advanced enjoyment can be enjoyed on Eagle Horse III?
Far from it.
If you use these 600 tax coins a year purely for your own consumption, you might even live a more comfortable life than before - and you don't even have to work.
Can this rich man who earns 600 tax coins a year be allowed to starve or die?
Judging from the current alliance market, this is the purchasing power of 10,000 tons of staple food!
This is enough for him to buy a mansion in the core area of Feiyi Star's capital city, hire a bunch of servants, eat delicious food and drink spicy drinks every day, and have fun!
Of course, he has personal pursuits, not personal enjoyment. Otherwise, as a planetary governor and a big capitalist, if he wanted to spend 600 tax coins a year on personal enjoyment, wouldn't that be easy?
However, does joining an alliance mean that you cannot have personal pursuits?
B8's rank was considered very high in the alliance. He was not too old, so he could continue to strive to manage the planet, participate in the new planetary government, and fully cooperate with the alliance's work. He might even be promoted in the future and join the alliance's central government.
In the past, as the planetary governor and big capitalist, he had already reached the ceiling of the entire Eagle Horse III. How could there be any room for him to move forward?
And now, there is a vast ocean and sky before his eyes.
After talking with old Shannon, he summarized it as follows: the alliance is coming, and it will be an irresistible wave.
It is better to be a trendsetters who ride the waves or at least follow the waves than to be a fool who resists the waves.
Perhaps, a senior official in the alliance in the future will have the surname Urich or Shannon.
Although Ulrich was still worried and confused about the future, this also injected an extra fire into his heart.
In the past, he was already a planetary governor. Was he really willing to be a planetary governor in a remote area for the rest of his life? Perhaps it was a good thing to have a further path.
…
"Governor, there are nine worlds in total that signed the Seven Horses Economic Union Act. According to your guidance, these worlds are relatively poor but have certain development potential. Our economic assistance, supporting industrial upgrading plans, and our management personnel will be in place soon."
Ossena reported the work progress to Gu Hang in a serious manner:
"The economic aspect is preliminary. Later, we will also use the job level plan to replace the original salary system of each world as a starting point, gradually build an organization to manage job levels, and eventually replace the original planetary governments. By then, in addition to the regular imperial taxes, these planetary production capacities should also have additional fiscal revenue similar to that of the Alliance, and the overall living standards of the residents should also be able to improve with the improvement of economic development."
"In this regard, the comrades in the Development Department have already given a specific forecast. We expect to continue to invest 2 billion tax coins in construction costs in the next two years. In these nine worlds with a total population of 10 billion, we can maintain a relatively high economic growth rate in the next two years. The Alliance will be able to obtain a stable additional fiscal revenue of about 1 billion tax coins every year in the future."
"We will observe in the next two years whether things develop according to plan. If everything goes well, we will start the second batch of worlds to join the economic union next year. The ultimate plan is to promote the economic union to the entire Seven Madi within ten years."
After listening, Gu Hang's brows relaxed slightly.
If that time really comes, the core territory of the alliance will be able to expand from the Tianma star region to the 88 worlds in the seven major star regions of the entire Qima land!
The alliance with a core population of 230 billion will be more powerful than it is now!
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