Chapter 1, My Declaration
"In this world, just living is difficult enough."
"We live in a mine that was abandoned before the war. We use the most rudimentary tools, or even our bare hands, to dig for minerals, and exchange them for leftovers from other survivors' camps. We have never hurt anyone. We just want to survive. But even so, some people have set their greedy eyes on us."
The dark-skinned man who knelt in front of Gu Hang and told him about his suffering was named Patel. He was neither tall nor strong, and his skin was rough under his thin, dirty clothes. From his appearance, he was indeed, as he said, a man who made a living in an abandoned mine.
Patel continued, "Eight days ago, a group of wasteland bandits who called themselves 'Prisoners of the Dead' killed seventeen of us and kidnapped forty-two people. God-Emperor, the youngest among them was only four years old! They asked us to pay a ransom, and we did it, but they went even further. Not only did they not release us, they also asked us to pay more."
"I went to Renaissance City, found the officials of the Alliance, and asked them for help. They sent someone to send a warning to the 'Prisoners of the Dead', telling them not to mess around..."
"Haha, a warning... The day before yesterday, those robbers cut the throats of our two children at the door of our house and tore the piece of paper into pieces while bleeding. They demanded that we pay twice the ransom within three days, otherwise they would attack our mine, kill everyone, and take away everything we have."
"We are in a desperate situation. Some people want to escape, while others say that we should fight with guns and cannons even with hoes and fists. But I know that we are not without a way out. Now the world has a new governor. I must come to you for help, Your Excellency the Governor. I beg for your help. I beg you to save us."
Patel lowered his head, his attitude sincere. From his perspective, he could only see Gu Hang's boots. They were a pair of soft leather boots, with satin-like ribbons and golden buckles, which looked elegant and complicated.
I wonder how long it would take more than 900 people in the Caidong Society to work hard without eating or drinking to buy this pair of boots.
The boots moved in front of him. Gu Hang folded his legs together, in a more comfortable posture, and asked him:
"Why don't you come to me first before looking for an alliance?"
Patel was stunned for a moment, and could only think of an excuse, and stammered: "We are a member of the alliance, and the alliance should be in charge of this matter..."
Gu Hang shook his head and said, "You think you are a member of the alliance and the alliance will protect you, but I am just an airdropped governor who may not be able to stay in this position for two years. Just like the previous governors, they were executed for failing to pay taxes to the empire. You think I am insignificant in your heart, until the alliance no longer cares about your affairs and you have no other choice, then you come to me."
"I absolutely don't have such an idea!" Patel denied in panic. He gritted his teeth and made a great resolution: "If you can save us, we are willing to pay everything! In two years, we will pay the imperial tax at a higher level!"
Gu Hang became even more disappointed: "Let me put it this way, Patel, you know very well that I came to this planet a month ago, and my camp is here, not far from you. But you never visited me until something happened. You knelt in front of me and said, 'Governor, please save us.' But you didn't regard me as a real governor from the bottom of your heart. You didn't even want to believe my declaration on the first day I came here."
"I said I would rebuild the entire wasteland world and let everyone who submits to me live a good life. But you didn't believe me. Many of you never believed me and only regarded me as an annoying tax collector. You pay taxes in exchange for me saving your people, so how do you want to pay taxes? According to the imperial tax standards, all of you in the Wasteland Society can't afford to pay even if you work yourself to death in the mines."
Patel's dark and capable face looked extremely nervous: "Your Excellency the Governor, I believe you, please save us."
As he said this, he was about to knock his head heavily on the ground.
But he was stopped by Gu Hang.
A pair of hands grasped his shoulders and lifted him up without allowing him to resist.
Gu Hang hugged Patel's shoulders, not caring about the oil and dust on his body at all:
"No need to kowtow or kneel. I will definitely help those of you who work diligently. Those unproductive plunderers are our common enemies. But they are just a small problem. Rebuilding the world is the big deal. This is not an empty talk. Since you beg me, I will save you completely. Not only will I eliminate the 'prisoners of the dead', I will also help you build your territory and have enough food and clothing. Now, I ask you, do you believe me?"
Patel's tears fell, and he didn't know how much of it was because he was moved, how much was because he was saved, and how much was just acting: "I believe it! I believe it completely! From now on, Feidong Society will fight for your ideals!"
“This should be our common ideal.”
Gu Hang patted Patel on the shoulder and said, "Go and have a rest. It won't be long before I personally lead my troops to rescue your compatriots."
"God Emperor, my compatriots and I are extremely grateful for your help!"
After watching Patel leave the barracks with a guard and thanking him profusely, Gu Hang turned his gaze to the man in military uniform standing upright behind him: "Captain Yan, your eyes tell me that you are a little confused."
Yan Fangxu saluted him, then hesitantly said, "Do we...really want to help Feidong Society? On this wasteland planet, similar things happen almost every day, and we can't handle it."
Gu Hang said regretfully: "It seems that you, Captain Yan, don't believe my declaration either."
"I dare not." Yan Fangxu said this, but he was indeed hesitant: "But... Excuse me, Governor-General, you only have two years. Within two years, we must at least pay the "Imperial Tax" of the entire Angry Owl Star according to the minimum standard, otherwise..."
Gu Hang continued his words: "Otherwise I will be dismissed and executed, of course I know that. But, Captain Yan, we have been on this planet for a month, and you have seen what it looks like. This is a place that has experienced a doomsday disaster. Most of the land is not suitable for survival. The waste energy storm is still raging. There are mutated alien monsters and predators who can only become bandits everywhere. The remaining survivors are hiding in various settlements, struggling to survive."
"It's already very difficult for them to survive. They simply can't afford such high taxes. Collecting taxes is tantamount to taking their lives. The contradiction between the imperial taxation and the development of the planet is the main contradiction of the Wrathful Owl Star. In the past, the governors were all in charge of taxation. The imperial taxation every two years was like a death warrant, and in the end they all took their lives. But I am different. I want to change my mindset. Development is the hard truth. If the Wrathful Owl Star is built to be more prosperous, and taxation is just a small burden, we will succeed."
Yan Fangxu sighed: "You are right, development is the right way. However, development takes time, and what we lack most is time. Your first term is only two years, and you need to pay at least a quarter of the imperial standard tax. However, Angry Owl Star has always only paid one eighth, and there is still a difference of half. In two years, you want to double the output value of the planet, this..."
"That depends on my ability." Gu Hang smiled, "Coincidentally, I have some confidence in this aspect."
As he was speaking, an illusory message popped up in front of him that only he could see:
[1st Mecha Servant Light Infantry Battalion (300 people), training completed, troop level upgraded to T5. ]
[Due to limitations on equipment level and personnel quality, this unit can no longer continue training and improvement.]
Gu Hang's smile got even bigger. He patted Yan Fangxu's shoulder, who was still worried, and said, "Gather our troops. We should go and seek justice for our neighbors."
————
New book is coming!
ps: It’s not a hammer, at least not completely.
(End of this chapter)
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