Starting from the Planetary Governor

Chapter 915: Chapter 493, The Enemy is in Terra!_2

But Erso’s current expression could hardly be considered happy.

Because Paul had ordered him to retreat, to give up the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and with his Battle Group, which had now actually grown to around sixteen hundred men, to circle back to the Meng River Star Domain, located north of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and then return to the Princess Star Domain.

The reason for doing so was also clearly explained by Paul.

Erso knew about the events that had transpired on Holy Terra. After this information was relayed to Erso by him, Erso could understand why it was necessary to consolidate their forces.

Because war was upon them.

Because the Empire could no longer accommodate them.

To be honest, upon realizing this, Erso felt somewhat bewildered, to the extent that he was initially unable to accept it.

He had led the Fury Flame Battle Group, and for the past century or so, had always stood together with the Iron Armor Battle Group, committing many heinous acts.

However, every single act was done in the name of loyalty to the Emperor and patriotism.

Deceiving others is certainly important, but perhaps deceiving oneself is even more so.

From birth, he believed in The Emperor; after becoming an Interstellar Warrior, that belief was further reinforced with the genes of The Emperor. Aside from training, the most common aspect of his daily life was prayer; in the midst of war, the most frequently heard battle cry was ‘For the Emperor!’.

Who would have thought that one day they would become traitors?

“No, we aren’t traitors,” Paul said, as if he could see right into his heart, “How much have we sacrificed for this Empire? Our Battle Groups fought in the Princess Star Domain’s ‘Abyss of Nothingness’ for a hundred years, countless Iron Armors and Fury Flames have given their lives; in recent years, your Battle Group has battled the Green Skin Orcs in the Dragonhawk Star Domain, with innumerable sacrifices. Everyone says that Gu Hang was the one who killed Titus in the end, but who can deny the contributions of the Fury Flame on the frontlines? Without your steadfast defense on the frontlines, the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain would have fallen long ago; how could it have been Gu Hang’s turn to steal the final fruits of victory?”

“But how does the Empire treat us? Distrust, vigilance, oppression… Has it ever lessened over the past century? The blood we’ve shed appears rightful in the eyes of those on Holy Terra; but the resources we should receive for the war effort are seen by them as if we were cutting flesh from their bodies!”

“In the past, we might have harbored illusions, but now Norberto has been finished, and the Central Empire can no longer hear a single word from us, nor do we have anything left to discuss with those bureaucrats idling on Holy Terra. We have bent over backward for the Empire, and that will not change in the future. Only now, we’ve come to realize that the greatest crisis facing the Empire doesn’t come from external enemies, be they Aliens or Demons. Instead, we must awaken to the fact that the greatest crisis of the Empire comes from within! From Holy Terra itself!”

“The enemy lies at the heart, and as Angels of The Emperor and loyal guardians of the Empire, it’s our duty to eradicate this greatest of foes!”

Paul’s words were so resolute and compelling that they stirred Erso’s blood!

This resolved a major worry for him: becoming a traitor.

But according to this, they were not traitors!

Although he could vaguely feel that this argument wasn’t entirely solid, he was very much willing to believe it.

Whether a claim is believable hinges greatly on whether the listener is willing to believe.

If one is willing to believe, then even the most absurd lies can deceive.

And Erso was someone who was very willing to believe this argument.

Moreover, he had figured out many of the implications behind these words himself without Paul needing to say anything.

The ultimate goal to save the Empire was to ascend to Terra and usurp the throne, but that wasn’t something that could be immediately achieved overnight. What they needed to do now was to hold their base, strike at the forces that have been misled by Holy Terra, and continue to expand their foundation in the midst of the war, eventually amassing enough strength to conquer Holy Terra.

It was not something that could happen overnight.

However, after believing in this, and dispelling the psychological resistance to the upcoming war, he naturally developed another concern that mattered greatly to him:

“Then, why retreat from the Dragonhawk Star Domain? Why can’t we make the Southern front, the Dragonhawk Star Domain, or even the entire Eastern Cosmos Domain, our primary or at least a secondary target?”

“Because we don’t have enough power,” Paul patiently persuaded, “I understand your feelings, Fury Flame has invested a lot in the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and it’s hard to pull back without reluctance.”

Erso didn’t speak because it was indeed true.

“But we have to think about the overall situation. The Void Black Hole still needs forces to defend, and if we’re the main offensive, our discussions have concluded that we would have an advantage operating within the entire Spiderweb Starfield, which we have managed for many years. Yet there are many challenges, and we need as much military force as possible. Before Holy Terra’s preparations are complete, we need to strike first and expand our power as much as possible. Inside the Spiderweb Starfield, right by our bed, there are six Battle Groups with unclear attitudes, and many forces that may not necessarily be willing to stand with us.”

“We must achieve an undisputed, overwhelming, heart-shaking victory, like a whirlwind sweeping away fallen leaves, to cover as much ground as possible. A powerful, irresistible victory is essential as a great start. Compared to the forces controlled by Holy Terra, we are ultimately at a disadvantage; our strength lies in having significant superiority in localized areas.”

“We must leverage these advantages, using such a victory to deter all the waverers, and sweep as many of them as possible under our banner.”

“Our time window is short. To create that kind of earth-shattering momentum, we must employ every power we can. So, I need you, more than ever before.”

“Do you understand?”

Paul’s persuasion was akin to heartfelt advice.

After listening, Erso sighed deeply.

“Alright, Paul, I understand your point, and I agree with your plan. I will withdraw my Battle Group as soon as possible. I still have a hundred warrior brothers in the hands of that Alliance, waiting for me to negotiate a prisoner exchange plan, to get them back before withdrawal.”

“Good, the sooner, the better.”

…

At this moment, the Alliance had also learned of the changes in Holy Terra’s political situation.

It was Gu Hang who informed them.

If the many changes that occurred on Terra were still somewhat distant news to the Alliance officials, in reality, they had a very direct impact on the layout of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and they could feel it very clearly.

The most direct manifestation was the withdrawal of the Silver Tribunal.

They had been in the control area of the Alliance for a full year.

During this year, they had caused not a few troubles for the Alliance.

The Alliance’s various intelligence agencies had exhausted all sorts of means, entangling with these Judges.

The opposition was roughly divided into overt and covert fronts.

The covert aspect was actually easier to handle.

The Silver Tribunal had dispatched many spies to quietly infiltrate the areas controlled by the Alliance, especially in the core ruling worlds of the Tianma Star Sector, to collect intelligence and even fabricate charges.

These spies would of course not notify the Alliance; otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to find anything out.

But this played right into the hands of the Alliance.

If you don’t say anything, that’s just fine.

All with illegal identities, the intelligence agencies of the Alliance would directly take extreme measures.

They were all treated as enemy spies, subversive elements; caught one, processed one, and had to be quick and strict.

The Judges of the Silver Tribunal often couldn’t react in time, couldn’t rescue their people, and those spies were either executed or disappeared before they had the chance.

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