Starting from the Planetary Governor

Chapter 1082: Chapter 590, Please Call Me His Excellency High Lord_2

“If executed, with elite reinforcements on the western battlefield, Battle Group Leader Su Lie likely wouldn’t have lost the decisive battle.”

“However, Prime Minister Ou Juren’s delays have caused the fleet to still be unable to depart.”

“If anyone on Holy Terra must bear responsibility for this failure, it has to be Ou Juren!”

“Nonsense!” Ou Juren growled, knowing he could no longer remain silent. He had to defend himself: “Preparing the fleet isn’t as simple as you think! The Navy, Mars, and the Legal Department—three entirely independent forces—require an immense amount of coordination! Is deploying the fleet all that’s needed? The accompanying forces are equally crucial, yet negotiations with the Star Realm Army remain incomplete, and the Legal Department hasn’t been able to gather sufficient accompanying units. Not to mention, the commander of the United Fleet has yet to be confirmed…”

Mid-defense, he abruptly stopped speaking.

Cold sweat dripped down his forehead.

Was he really defending himself?

Of course he was.

Providing a support fleet and reinforcing the western front was a decision discussed in the Supreme Council; who wouldn’t execute it?

But matters like troop assembly, hierarchical relations, determining who contributes the most, and who will command the fleet—aren’t these critical issues? Bringing together forces from diverse origins meant facing various problems, just as Ou Juren himself had mentioned.

This wasn’t his fault.

Or at least, not entirely his fault.

Yet, such a defense was inappropriate at this moment.

The current Supreme Council had three others present: two Grand Marshals from the Imperial Navy and Star Realm Army, and the Mars Representative.

When combining three fleets and requiring accompanying forces from the Star Realm Army, conflicts and disputes were all but inevitable.

To be fair, the slow troop assembly and delayed departure meant that despite Su Lie’s urgent, relentless calls for aid, the reinforcements failed to arrive in time. The primary responsibility likely lay with the Imperial system itself; secondarily, it was the four sides—Navy, Legal Department, Mars, and Star Realm Army—mutually hindering and blaming each other, with their accountability roughly equal.

And frankly, didn’t the Military Affairs Department, tasked with integrating these forces, bear any responsibility?

Everyone held some blame.

But should this really be said now?

Shifting blame might seem acceptable for now, but pushing it onto two opposing factions would create major problems.

The Prime Minister’s intent to oust him meant Ou Juren would need to rely on those High Lords not aligned with the Prime Minister to stand up for him. What he should have done was stoke their apprehensions toward the Prime Minister rather than trying to absolve himself by throwing mud on the other two factions.

But the words had been spoken—what now?

He abruptly switched gears, intending to change his argument, but one of the rarely vocal High Lords finally spoke.

The speaker was Jean Rousseau, a Battle Group Champion from the Death Angel Battle Group, representing Grand Instructor E’er Ganglong and acting on his behalf in High Lord duties.

“Grand Instructor E’er Ganglong is deeply concerned about the western campaign. Battle Group Leader Su Lie’s whereabouts and the fate of the Phoenix weigh heavily on all Battle Groups, regardless of their lineage. The sluggish response from the Central Empire caused what should have been swift reinforcements to fail in arriving on time, leading to the defeat of the Lord of the Phoenix. This is something no Battle Group can accept. Someone must take responsibility for this!”

Galaraldo’s smile grew more radiant.

Jean Rousseau’s remarks appeared to broadly assign blame, merely expressing dissatisfaction as a representative of the Interstellar Warriors and showing sympathy for the Phoenix’s plight. Yet, in truth, they served as a masterful maneuver.

If someone had to bear responsibility—then who?

The Navy? The Star Realm Army? Mars?

That was obviously impossible; these three High Lords would never accept the blame. The overall discontent of the Interstellar Warriors might be exaggerated, but the fallout was inevitable. The Phoenix was a Battle Group of great renown and historical significance. Their plight due to delayed reinforcements was bound to infuriate those who learned of it.

No one wanted to be the target of the Interstellar Warriors’ grievances.

Conveniently, wasn’t there a ready scapegoat available in Prime Minister Ou Juren, a High Lord already under fire?

The Prime Minister aimed to bring him down; his faction faced serious internal issues—not just dealing with Galaraldo as a turncoat, but the fact that many signatures on the accusatory documents came from individuals originally aligned with Ou Juren.

Facing external attacks, internal discord, and the dissatisfaction of the Interstellar Warriors—combined with the Navy, Star Realm Army, and Mars deflecting responsibility—the factors added up to an overwhelmingly dire situation for Ou Juren.

The arguments and chaos at the meeting would not end easily. But once the Navy, Star Realm Army, and Mars Representative—the three High Lords—voiced statements like ’the slow reinforcements integration isn’t our fault but due to other reasons,’ the votes Ou Juren could secure were dangerously compromised.

He had no choice but to personally engage in verbal sparring with Galaraldo.

Prime Minister Zebert and his allies, the Taxation Minister and Administrative Minister, remained silent. Galaraldo, as their stand-in, wielded their backing to launch eloquent and aggressive attacks with the ferocity of a fighting rooster.

Both men were skilled orators. While Galaraldo spoke sharply, Ou Juren was no less adept.

But verbal equality only signified utter defeat for Ou Juren—a High Lord sparring with a non-High Lord in the Council Chamber demonstrated a significant lack of decorum and amplified his decline.

Ultimately, the meeting progressed to a vote.

The topic was the motion proposed by Interstellar Warriors representative Jean Rousseau: “Who should bear responsibility for the failed reinforcements?”

Although the extent of the penalty wasn’t specified, the implications were clear.

Galaraldo had neither voting rights nor observer privileges; he was escorted out of the room.

He left triumphantly, like a victorious rooster.

…

“Do you know what the final outcome was?”

“You definitely won,” Gu Hang asserted straightforwardly.

“Hahaha!” Galaraldo burst into laughter. “That’s right! I won! From now on, you should address me as ’High Lord Galaraldo!’”

“Salutations to High Lord Galaraldo!” Gu Hang obliged his friend.

Thirteen days had passed since that meeting.

The result was sealed then. The Supreme Council passed the motion with 7 votes in favor, 3 abstentions, and 3 against, holding Ou Juren accountable for the delays in the United Fleet’s deployment, which led to insufficient reinforcements. It was confirmed that Ou Juren, as Minister of Justice, delayed and pursued personal interests when mobilizing the Judicial Department Fleet and accompanying forces, causing the United Fleet’s failure to unite promptly.

No immediate decisions were made at the meeting, but subsequent outcomes were set in motion as mere formalities.

A series of scandals under Ou Juren’s tenure surfaced, accumulating into damning evidence. Ou Juren attempted to resist but was soon subdued.

Through a series of political negotiations, Ou Juren conceded, opting for a dignified exit.

In a second Supreme Council vote, the results were 9 votes in favor, 4 abstentions, and 0 against, confirming Ou Juren’s removal from his High Lord seat and his position as Minister of Justice. Ou Juren participated in the vote and abstained.

Subsequently, a third vote passed with 6 votes in favor, 3 abstentions, and 4 against, narrowly approving Galaraldo’s elevation to High Lord through his appointment as Minister of Military Affairs.

Thus, the political faction once led by Ou Juren within the Central Empire collapsed.

The disjointed political influence was divided—half assimilated under Galaraldo as he joined Prime Minister Zebert’s faction, and the remainder was fragmented among various parties.

After his confirmation, an elated Galaraldo immediately contacted his confidant, Gu Hang, via stellar communications to share the good news.

——————

Still owe 108

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