Chapter 979, Without Bloodshed?

Chapter 979, Without Bloodshed?
Gu Hang has enormous ambitions.

But he actually prefers to call it determination.

He now roughly understands his role in this universe. Having reached this point, he has no room to run away.

So, if we're going to do it, we have to do it well.

Preserving the mess left by the old empire and then spending countless efforts and resources on it doesn't guarantee a good outcome.

Why bother?
As for Robert, Gu Hang knew he would have some difficulty accepting it at first.

On the one hand, there is concern about Gu Hang's 'ambition' and a lack of trust.

On the other hand, there is also concern about whether this approach will work.
Gu Hang believed that Robert would eventually understand the latter.

If a country is truly destitute and has nothing, relying solely on brute force to overthrow the old empire's system and then rebuild from the ruins, it will cause huge problems. The empire's territory is too vast, and the difficulty of governance is too high. Even a flawed old order is still an order. Once that order is destroyed, any slight problem during the reconstruction process will lead to enormous chaos.

The difference is that Gu Hang didn't rebuild the empire empty-handed; he had alliances. The efficient administrative system he had built over a century was sufficient for a swift takeover.

As for whether the Alliance government has the capability to take over, and whether the Alliance Central Committee can manage such a vast human empire well after replacing the Imperial Central Committee, Gu Hang believes that Robert, known for his rationality and wisdom, is fully capable of discerning the truth.

Of course, the league is not perfect, and no one can be perfect.

Even the emperor himself couldn't do that.

As long as it is stronger than the old system, and much stronger, that's enough.

As for Robert's first possible concern, that's up to him to decide.

We need to see if Robert has enough wisdom to build mutual trust with Gu Hang.

And, more importantly, whether Robert truly upheld the ideals of 'empire first, humanity first' and was free from personal desires.

If he harbors a lust for power and values ​​the immense power represented by the position of 'Regent,' then no matter what the honeymoon period was like, the two will likely have to part ways in the end.

But if he is truly both intelligent and selfless, then no matter how much friction there is, he will eventually see that letting Gu Hang take complete control of the empire is the best choice.

Gu Hang once said that the mutual trust between him and Robert was the cornerstone of the new empire's eternal stability. But he never said that this cornerstone was the 'dual-headed system'.

Of course, it's still a bit far off before we talk about these things now.

The Holy Terra hasn't been taken down yet.

Until we have the heart of this empire in our grasp, everything we talk about now is just wishful thinking.

The distribution of post-war benefits is contingent on winning the war.

Without Terra, what's the point of talking about kings and ministers?

And this war is already underway.

Currently, the situation is progressing smoothly.

After Robert finished his 'discussion' with Gu Hang and roughly determined the future distribution of benefits, he immediately began to prepare for the war against Holy Terra.

To be honest, Robert never imagined that he would one day be on the offensive in the Battle of Holy Terra.

However, he still has advantages.

He knows a lot about the Holy Terra.

He was fully aware of all the defensive facilities in the human empire's capital, including many of its hidden trump cards. After all, he was the regent of the human empire, having ruled for over a century in the era following the emperor's ascension and the Pyrrhic victory in the civil war.

He had been worried that the defensive railguns, defensive strategies, and various trump cards on Holy Terra might have changed. After all, ten thousand years had passed.

However... based on current observations and intelligence, there is none.

Humanity has made absolutely no progress in these ten thousand years.

Not only did they not make any progress, they even regressed quite a bit.

This is what the Imperial Guards told him.

They were, of course, quite familiar with the defenses of Holy Terra. The largest, strongest, and most fortified fortress on Holy Terra was undoubtedly the Royal Palace. The Royal Guard, of course, knew best the defenses within the Royal Palace.

Furthermore, they should then forcefully take over the entire palace.

In the past, not only the Imperial Government, but also many important Imperial departments operated from the Terra Palace. Now, they intend to seal them all off. The palace will be under martial law, and the Royal Guard will take over completely. The Palace Guard is a mortal force completely under the Royal Guard's command, and their loyalty and integrity should be beyond question. However, the Royal Guard will still exercise caution and thoroughly re-examine the reliability of the Palace Guards over the following period.

All military forces other than the Royal Guard and the Royal Palace Guard will be removed from Terra Palace.

The various defensive structures of Terra Palace would naturally no longer be an obstacle to Robert's attack.

This relieved Robert of his biggest worry.

If the firepower of Terra's deep walls were directed at the heavens, it would take an immense sacrifice to control the planet's orbital region.

Of course, the orbital defenses on Holy Terra are not limited to the Royal Palace alone. After removing the Royal Palace, approximately 70% remains.

Robert also raised this point, hoping that the Imperial Guard could take the initiative and help control the situation if they had the capacity.

It's not simply a matter of letting them do it. After all, while the Imperial Guard is powerful, their numbers are still too small. Subsequently, Robert's expeditionary force will risk an airborne operation, attempting to land a decent number of troops and drop them into the landing zone established inside Terra Palace.

At that time, they will be led by a group of Imperial Guards soldiers to attack those strategic points.

These matters have been settled, and the Imperial Guards have agreed.

That would partially solve the problem of controlling the orbit of Holy Terra.

The other threat lies with the Solar Fleet.

Part of this navy was on the moon—the very unit to which many naval commanders bowed and knelt.

They are now able to follow Robert's orders and are no longer an obstacle.

However, they only account for a maximum of 10% of the entire Solar Fleet.

Moreover, it's unrealistic to expect them to turn their guns on their former colleagues in the present.

Firstly, they are prone to provoking rebellion. Secondly, their internal situation is complex, and loyalty has not been monitored, so their reliability is uncertain. If they were to turn against them at a crucial moment on the battlefield, it could be quite fatal.

However, on the other hand, they can also take advantage of the fact that they are one with the Solar Fleet to reach out to more fleet commanders and captains of the Solar Fleet and try to win more people over to their side.

This is already underway, and many captains have expressed their willingness to participate.

For this reason, Gu Hang and Robert were in good spirits and felt that things were progressing smoothly.

Even more optimistically, is it possible that we could take over Holy Terra without bloodshed by simply using political and diplomatic means and leveraging our prestige?

(End of this chapter)