Chapter 578: So, what is the price?

Chapter 578: So, what is the price?

Ewing has already silently readjusted his judgment of the alliance's strength in his heart.

It cannot be taken lightly.

He must consider how to deal with the relationship with the alliance in the future.

Since the Blood Sharks have accepted the call to join the rebellion started by the Iron Armor Legion and seek revenge on the Iron Armor Legion who had caused the Legion a loss one hundred and thirty years ago, it is obvious that they will need to cooperate with the Alliance for a relatively long period of time.

It doesn't look like this counterinsurgency war will end in a short time.

Gu Hang, a powerful psychic, an alliance ruler who should not be underestimated, and the commander-in-chief of the Southern Theater of the Counterinsurgency War, is a person who needs to be dealt with for a long time.

As the captain of the Blood Sharks, Ewing must of course respond carefully.

Ewing, who was quite worried, worked with the Phoenix and the allied forces to complete the mission of capturing the entire battleship.

The Alliance advocated a policy of accepting prisoners and even treating them well; led by the Space Marines, coordinated by the Sisters of Battle and with the Glory Guards as the main force, they repeatedly defeated some of Alfonzo's diehards on the ships, who tried to damage the ships when they were dying.

Eventually, the Retribution-class battleship was completely controlled by the Alliance.

Crew members and even the entire command system entered the ship and began debugging work.

Soon, the Retribution-class battleship, which originally belonged to Alfonzo's fleet, was started again.

But now it belongs to the alliance.

As per convention, the Alliance named this class of giant ships after a star region in the Dragonhawk star field: Iron Horse.

Its condition was not very good. The previous space naval battle had caused some damage to it. At the same time, the boarding operation launched by the Blood Shark, Phoenix and the Allied Forces was not too gentle, causing some damage from the inside.

The Alliance's engineers and the Ming Yang Sect's technical priests accompanying the army have been conducting a comprehensive inspection of all aspects of the ship.

For now, the situation is still optimistic.

At least the Iron Horse does not need to be sent back to the factory for an overhaul.

By sailing the ship to a starport with relatively better conditions and spending a few months, it should be possible for it to restore its normal combat effectiveness.

At this point, the Space Marines' mission was completely completed.

Ewing was about to take his battle brothers back to his flagship, the Ghost Shark, but at this moment, he saw a red-armored warrior wearing an Iron Cavalry Terminator walking towards him.

Ewing knew him.

His name is Carduso, and he is the captain of the Phoenix Regiment and the commander of the three hundred Phoenixes operating on the ship.

This fierce-looking Space Marine actually left a deep impression on Ewing. He would always subconsciously evaluate the gap between others' strength and his own through their performance. In his opinion, this Carduso was still a little worse than himself, but he was almost as good as Blood Shark's own captain.

Very rare.

Some leaders of war groups that are not well-known and have average strength may not have this ability.

Criticize Xinshi Torch by name.

However, the Phoenix's captain didn't look very happy, and there was a hint of hostility in his eyes as he looked at him.

why?

Ewing soon figured it out: they had no hatred towards the Phoenix, but the Phoenix did not have that hatred towards them.

During the Bauhinia Rebellion one hundred and thirty years ago, although their main target was the Bauhinia Regiment, they also killed quite a few Phoenixes in the process.

But he didn't feel any guilt or apology about it.

Back then, the two sides were at war, and the Phoenix was identified as a traitor by the Empire, so it was only natural and reasonable for the Blood Shark to suppress the rebellion and kill the Phoenix. Fighting on the battlefield was like this, life and death, no room for negotiation.

If the Phoenix has any hatred, they should go after the people who labeled them traitors to the empire, not themselves.

Even if we look at blood feuds, the number of phoenixes killed by Blood Shark back then was definitely not as many as that killed by Fury and Iron Armor.

But no matter what, if the Phoenix insisted on treating them with hatred, he would have nothing to say. If Governor Gu Hang made some choices because of his closer relationship with the Phoenix, then it would be a pity to declare that the two sides had become enemies.

With this mentality, Ewing calmly met Cardoso.

Cardoso stood in front of him and looked him up and down. His expression was still unpleasant, and he even snorted coldly from his nose.

But in the end, he did not do anything radical, and said in a muffled voice:
"The Governor invites you to meet him."

……

Ewing did not struggle or hesitate. As soon as he received the invitation, he boarded the spaceship and arrived at the Alliance aircraft carrier 'Hawkhorse' where Gu Hang was, to meet the governor.

Gu Hang is not like Cardoso, who only has a sour face.

He greeted Captain Ewing with a smile and a gentle attitude. A simple refreshment for just the two of them was brought up by the attendant, and Gu Hang invited Captain Ewing to taste it.

You Yin was unmoved by this, and even showed some discomfort with the environment, the etiquette, and the greetings from Gu Hang.

To be honest, Ewing had no experience in dealing with the situation. He was neither good at it nor liked it.

Gu Hang soon realized this as well.

He chuckled. This was quite expected.

Precisely because he had made an estimate in advance, Gu Hang did not ask anyone to make a big fuss.

After some initial greetings, he quickly got down to business: "I hope that the Blood Shark Regiment and the Alliance can become closer allies."

"Not just this war, but also the future after the war."

"I know the traditions of the Blood Sharks, and I also know the existence of the Gray Tax and the Blood Tax. There is nothing wrong with these, and I fully agree with them. But I want to say that the Alliance cannot allow the Blood Sharks to directly collect the Gray Tax and the Blood Tax by violent and unnegotiable means. At the same time, I also think that this is a very inefficient and wasteful thing."

Having said that, Gu Hang paused for a moment and observed the expression of Ewing who was not wearing a helmet.

He had no expression.

Space Marines have always been like this, not to mention the Blood Sharks, who are considered to be relatively taciturn and do not show their emotions among the various chapters.

But Ewing did not leave the table in anger when Gu Hang said this, which was a very good result.

After all, Blood Shark had a criminal record. The conflict between them and Iron Armor happened here.

Even if there is a possibility of angering the blood shark, Gu Hang must draw this bottom line clearly first.

"Very good, it seems that we have reached a consensus on this most basic principle."

"I agree that the Blood Sharks have the right to collect blood and ash taxes. This is what you deserve after fighting alongside the Alliance and winning victories. You also agree that blood and ash taxes need to be provided by the Alliance, rather than being obtained through direct violence. With mutual respect, we have a basis for cooperation."

"Based on the results of the Blood Sharks' battles, the Blood Sharks have the right to make a series of demands on us for materials and personnel. Let's follow the tradition of the Blood Sharks. Let's talk about the gray tax first. What was the price when you traded with the Mechanicus in the past? The price that the Alliance pays for the technology and equipment recovered from the Blood Sharks will definitely be more than 20% higher than theirs."

"As for the blood tax, we can discuss it in two parts. The Blood Sharks need excellent reserve personnel to serve as a new source of blood for the development of the regiment. I promise that when the Blood Sharks are in need, there is no need for any military merits or results. As long as you need to replenish new blood, you only need to tell the alliance a number, and the alliance will provide that number of outstanding young people."

"The second aspect of the blood tax is that the Blood Sharks need ordinary mortals to serve as supplementary personnel for the Blood Shark Auxiliary Army, the Chapter Fleet Crew, and the Chapter Servants. The Alliance can also provide them, and it is completely free of charge. But on this basis, the Blood Sharks need to agree to a series of conditions from us: the mortals provided by the Alliance have a service period, basic treatment, and the right to basic protection. Their lives should not be trampled on at will, and they should be given basic respect."

"Wait..." Having said this, Ewing had to interrupt Gu Hang's speech.

He stared at Gu Hang without even asking his question.

He believed that Gu Hang understood what he meant.

Blood sharks never treat mortals as human beings.

Not just enemies, not just friendly forces, but also their own auxiliary forces and mortal servants.

This is not only a matter of tradition, but also a matter of concept. They don't care, and they also believe that only those who survive the trials of blood and fire are worthy of being their auxiliary troops, that is, to be high-level cannon fodder; if they fail to survive the trials, then it's just right that they sacrifice in the glorious cannon fodder work, which is their best destination.

Then, now Gu Hang asked him to respect these mortals?
And they also have to pay me? And they have to serve for a certain period of time, and then they can retire?
Ewing wanted to use his eyes to tell Gu Hang how ridiculous this matter was.

However, Gu Hang did not back down on this matter.

"As for the traditional blood taxes you want, it's not impossible. I can give them to you from the prisoner-of-war camps. However, every world that is declared as a territory by the Alliance will not provide these 'slaves' without rights."

"But please listen to me, this matter also has its benefits. You don't need to pay for the rewards, the Alliance will pay; but because of this, they are still part of the Alliance, so you can't trample on their lives and dignity. At the same time, I believe that during this period of time, you have also seen the heroic demeanor of the Alliance's mortal warriors. Allow me to say shamelessly that many of them, except for not having the opportunity to be implanted with gene seeds and not having superhuman bodies, are no worse than any Space Marine in terms of technology and mental will."

"Like your Honor Guards?"

"Yes, of course, I cannot guarantee that when I provide you with tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of manpower, every one of them will be of this level. However, I will guarantee that there will be such elites among them, and at the same time, their average level will not be inferior to that of the Imperial Astra Militarum. You should know what kind of value this is."

Ewing fell silent again.

This time, he was thinking.

Of course he knew what such value meant.

The Blood Shark Corps had been collecting blood taxes for so many years, and had gained a lot of experience. For those "slaves" they had forcibly taken in, if they could be trained to the level of auxiliary troops recognized by them through what they called "blood and fire training", it would be a good idea to say that only one out of ten would survive.

Therefore, they need to constantly collect blood taxes. On the one hand, they do need a considerable number of cannon fodder, but at the same time they also need a considerable number of cannon fodder to wash out a sufficient number of auxiliary troops.

But if the Alliance provided it directly, then why did they need so much cannon fodder?

What's more, the low-level cannon fodder is actually not that compatible with their fighting style. They are a regiment that is good at quick response and quick assault, so why do they need cannon fodder? Are they going to fight head-on and consume each other?

More elite auxiliary troops will obviously better assist them in combat.

Even if sometimes some ordinary troops are needed to help attract the enemy's attention on the front battlefield to create opportunities and space for them to quickly assault the rear, it is better to use elite auxiliary troops to hold the enemy at the front than to use cannon fodder.

It sounds like it would be very beneficial.

The only problem is that the regiment needs to change their traditions, their cognition, and their concepts.

This is a bit challenging.

"Let's put that aside for now." Ewing put aside the dispute and said, "Your terms sound good from beginning to end. There are more gray tax deals, and the blood tax is provided to me by the alliance for free..."

"So, what's the price?"

"What does the Alliance want from Blood Shark?"

Gu Hang gave a big smile and almost said "all this".

But he still held back.

He said: "Allies, we need a long-term, reliable ally, an ally that establishes a unified command system and acts for a unified goal."

"Just an ally?"

Gu Hang's smile remained on his face: "Of course, we are just allies. These are all the conditions of the alliance. Do you have any more questions after listening to this?"

(End of this chapter)