Chapter 789, Ten Years
Ten years passed in a flash.
During these ten years, excluding those small-scale ones that were resolved within the stars, the Alliance experienced three relatively large-scale wars.
Fortunately, none of these three wars was fought against the central government of the empire.
It's rare.
Although a series of new treaties were signed between the Empire and the Alliance ten years ago, pulling both sides back from the brink of war when bilateral relations were at their most critical state.
However, any discerning person can recognize that the contradiction between the alliance and the imperial center has not been resolved. The series of agreements are full of compromises, which essentially ease the contradictions slightly, but do not solve the fundamental problem.
The core contradiction is still there. It has been suppressed this time, but when it can't be suppressed next time, it will only erupt in a more violent way.
It seems that only war is the ultimate means to end all conflicts.
However, it should also be recognized that given the current state of the Alliance and the Empire, a war between the two sides would be extremely destructive and would bring a crisis of destruction to both sides.
No one can afford to fight.
I don’t know how long this fragile balance can be maintained.
In fact, in recent years, the problem has once again gradually become larger and more serious.
Objectively speaking, both sides are responsible.
In the alliance, there are also hardliners. The alliance has made a lot of money from the escrow taxation and trade in the Eastern Universe. Under such circumstances, naturally, a considerable number of people hope to expand similar models.
They believe that the Magre Universe to the west of the Spider Web Universe and the Star-Swallowing Universe to the north can both reuse the model of the Eastern Universe and indirectly control them through economic and cultural influence, and even colonize them.
Of course, it is not that simple. There are many innate factors that make the Eastern Universe controllable.
During the ten years or so when Zuo Zhaofeng was the chairman of the Universe Domain, he provided many conveniences to the Alliance. The Alliance's most core territory, which is also the best developed territory, the Dragon Eagle Star Domain, is located within the Eastern Universe Domain, very close.
However, these conditions do not exist in the Magre Universe and the Devouring Star Universe.
The two presidents of the universe domains were actually newly appointed after the Iron Armor War. Before they came, they were all warned by the central government of the empire about how terrible the alliance was, and that when they were in power, they must be very careful about the existence of the alliance and must avoid the alliance's influence on the universe domain.
However, despite this, the economic and cultural strength of the alliance is still too strong. Relying on this hard power and hard influence, even with the strict defense of those local politicians, the nearest two or three star regions will still be affected to a considerable extent.
The presidents of the two universes took the corresponding lawsuit to Holy Terra. Holy Terra would also use it as an excuse to attack the alliance and rebuke the alliance again and again.
At the same time, in recent years, taxes have been gradually increased, with an increase of 50 billion per year. It is expected that by this year, the Union tax will be increased to 3 trillion. However, in the past ten years, the Union's rapid growth has never slowed down. Even if the growth rate has slowed down a bit, it is also due to its large size. In terms of absolute increase, it is still a very terrifying number.
Under such circumstances, the Empire very much hopes that the Alliance's tax revenue will continue to grow.
The first idea proposed by the Empire was to extend the agreement to increase tax revenue by 50 billion per year for another ten years.
The alliance rejected it harshly.
Good man, you still want to collect 50 billion more from me every year for countless years to come, right?
What does this mean? Every four years, the central government of the empire will expand its tax base by one universe?
Where can I expect such a wonderful thing?
As for the Empire, it is normal for them to have similar thoughts.
Your alliance earns so much money every year, can't you get a little more?
According to the standard imperial tax of 10% of annual output value, you will have to pay 7 trillion!
Now the empire only asks you to pay an extra 500 every year. In another ten years, it will only increase from 3 trillion to 4 trillion. Why not?
The tax increase plan was not passed smoothly, which became the root of all contradictions.
At the negotiation table of Holy Terra, the diplomats of the Alliance and the officials of the Imperial Taxation Department would gather together every once in a while to discuss these issues. In addition to discussing tax issues directly, the Empire would always try to find some things in other directions to put pressure on the Alliance.
The alliance was not to be trifled with. The alliance government, which had originally maintained a certain degree of restraint in encroaching on other cosmic regions, later eased its control over the hardliners. In the name of alliance caravans and investment institutions, they began to enter those star regions to a greater extent.
The game is going on all the time.
…
As for the three wars that the Alliance actually participated in in the past decade, they had little to do with the Empire.
These three wars were a war with the Orcs, a war with the Dark Eldar, and a war on Solaria.
In the third year after the signing of the Supplementary Agreement of the Alliance Plan, a large orc force gathered in the Eastern Universe. That area was already affected by the orc disaster, and it was very likely that the energy gathered by these local orcs was transmitted outward, attracting a powerful orc warlord from outside the empire.
In terms of its strength, it is even more serious than the threat faced by the Iron-Tooth Orc Empire in the Dragon Eagle Universe.
But it doesn't matter.
With the current strength of the alliance, such a war is not difficult to handle.
Since the Eastern Universe has been considered as their own territory, the Alliance will certainly not ignore them.
Led by the New World Torch and Raging Flame regiments, the Alliance Army and Navy went out together. At the "invitation" of the Cui Ru government in the Eastern Universe, the Alliance joined the war and destroyed the orc army in three years.
There is actually no need to say much about the war in Solaria. The Alliance has been involved in the war in Solaria for 25 years.
As early as twenty-five years ago, when Gu Hang became the High Lord and signed the "Alliance Plan", one of the conditions was that the Alliance had to send troops to help the Empire fight the rebellion in Solaria.
The Alliance has been fulfilling this responsibility and has sent more and more troops over the years.
At first, the imperial central government was quite happy about this.
But now, I am a little bit worried.
The Solaria space domain is in the southern border of the empire. Logically speaking, it is quite far away from the alliance. It is impossible to expand its cultural and economic influence. Why not just use military force to project and expand it?
(End of this chapter)
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