Chapter 171, Mother (7000 words plus updates)
Not long after chatting with Yelicia about her stay, news from Leader Pedes came in.
The captain's cabin of the female captain has an interface for communication devices. From here, Gu Hang can directly see the virtual scene of the star sector leader generated on the device.
The image is not stable, with flickering ripples, but it is able to communicate in real time with the Flying Wing Star, which is countless light years away. This is already an out-and-out black technology.
This can only be accomplished with the help of special psychic devices, an array of advanced meditators that can only be configured at the cruiser level, and advanced navigators.
In Gu Hang's sight, he saw a calm-looking middle-aged man wearing rimless round glasses, his hair and short beard carefully groomed, and he looked quite elegant. Wearing a simple suit, he doesn't look luxurious, but he has many medals hanging on them, which shows his noble status.
Even though he was separated by countless light-years and there was some noise when he spoke, he could still convey the gentleness, magnetism, and charm in his voice to the people who heard him.
"Good evening, it's the night of the Winged Star. What time is it there? In any case, I want to congratulate you for winning another victory for the empire. This is your honor. Please allow me to represent the imperial sector government, Express my gratitude to you.”
Mr. Leader's opening remarks, coupled with his voice when speaking, are very contagious.
Gu Hang nodded slightly: "Thank you, Mr. Leader."
Yelicia didn't speak, but stepped aside.
Her action made it clear that this conversation was between Gu Hang and Peddes.
Pedes also understood. He faced Gu Hang with a smile and said, "Gu Hang, the last time we met was before you rushed to take up your post. I had unlimited expectations for you, but despite this, I still didn't expect you to be able to do this. So good.”
That's a polite thing to say.
By so good, I mean that only one city has been recovered on the entire planet, right?
Of course, what rank is Pedersi? He won't let his words appear to be nonsense. Just listen to him continue: "Although I don't know how far you have re-established the ruling order of the Raging Owl Star, I can see a powerful planetary force that is no worse than the main force of the Astra Militarum; I can see that even the Space Marines are working for you; I know that the limited land you control on the planet bursts with infinite life."
"Honestly, when I learned that you arrived on the surface of the planet, you chose to start everything over, slowly seize control of the political power, and choose to completely reshape the alliance order established by the governor of Angry Owl Star decades ago, I was I don't think much of you. But now, the facts seem to prove that you are right, at least you are on the right path. Maybe the governors in the past lacked the same courage and action as you. Hope, the hope that the glory of the Emperor fills the land of Angry Owl Star.”
"Every governor in the sector must take a look at your deeds. I'm not kidding. Those people have a noble status and rule hundreds of millions of people, but they have never encountered anyone as difficult and difficult as you. situation. If you put them in the same position, they will not do as well as you.”
After hearing these words, Gu Hang had to admit that Leader Pedes was really a powerful person.
A dignified leader of the Star District, the supreme leader of Star District Securities, faced with a guy like himself who could only be regarded as a 'little person' so far, he was able to look down and brag.
None of the eight governors of the Raging Owl Star can compare with you, they all have to look up to you; it is because of you that the glory of the Emperor has shrouded the land of the Raging Owl Star again...
But paired with his mellow voice and his sincere attitude, it's not offensive at all.
Praising is one thing, but the key is to praise with examples, which can really scratch the itch in people's hearts.
If Gu Hang's resistance wasn't high enough, he would have been knocked unconscious.
However, he still showed a slightly complacent but at the same time grateful to Leader Peters, saying: "I am where I am today thanks to Mr. Leader's appreciation. I will never forget this grace in my life. However, , our business on Raging Owl has reached the current stage, and some crises are also emerging. Blackbird Heavy Industries does not obey the governor's orders. Even after I arrived on the planet, it never contacted me. There is a risk of rebellion. ; Inside the planet, a large number of mutated monsters have appeared, which has extremely troubled the food-producing areas of the planet; not to mention, now there is the threat of green-skinned orcs. After the Iron Teeth clan suffered a big loss, with their blasphemous and alien temperament, they will definitely I won’t let it go..."
"Countless risks surround the Wrathful Star. There is an urgent need for the power of the Astra Militarum to help me suppress the planet."
It doesn’t count as editing either.
According to Gu Hang's information, Blackbird Heavy Industries is entrenched in the west of the mainland, and there is really no room for him further west in the Western Desert. There is also the shadow of the Fachers family behind this company. They are Peders' enemies. Treating them as rebels has no psychological barrier at all.
Mutated monsters are real, and the Qinggu area is suffering.
The green-skinned threat is real. Twelve battleships are coming. Doesn't the threat have to be very terrifying?
It is a matter of course that we should garrison troops!
After listening to Gu Hang's words, Pedesi frowned slightly and sighed in embarrassment: "I completely understand the difficulties you are encountering now, but the mobilization of the Astra Militarum is very difficult and is not something I can decide. I will definitely work hard for you. Fight for it, but please hold on for a while and be sure to wait for support.”
The words are beautiful, but there are no real promises, it's just procrastination.
As the head of the sector, he does not have the power to mobilize the Astra Militarum, but he definitely has a way. He just doesn't want to pay the price.
The Imperial Navy has sent you a ship in orbit, and has sent you dozens or millions of Astra Militarum main force. Do you want to give you another amount of reconstruction supplies?
I might as well be the planetary governor.
But Gu Hang would not let Mr. Leader go so easily.
He took advantage of the situation and put forward his previous idea, which was to form a new Astra Militarum force to be stationed on the Raging Owl Star with money from the imperial tax on the Raging Owl Star.
Of course, the high-sounding statement is that I am a loyal minister of the empire. I feel the difficulty of the current situation, the worries of the leader, and the threats facing the sector. I am impassioned and willing to help others. If the empire collects taxes and then builds the army, there will inevitably be losses in the process; if it sends additional troops, it will be difficult to mobilize them. Then it would be better to simply convert the tax revenue from Nu Xiaoxing directly into the cost of building an army. Don’t give up the preferential tax rate for the first period promised by the leader, just give it to me directly. For 10 million tax coins, I will pull out an Astra Militarum force for you, one that is guaranteed to pass the inspections of the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Ministry of Taxation.
In the dark, Gu Hang emphasized three points: first, he must decide the commander of this Astral Army; second, the location of this new Astral Army must be the Raging Owl Star; third, , the long-term mission of this Astra Militarum should be to ensure the safety of the Raging Owl, including suppressing rebellions, pacifying mutant monsters, and resisting aliens.
Peddes pondered for a moment and said that he supported this plan in principle, but there were many difficulties.
First of all, there is no money. Secondly, the three points required by Gu Hang are difficult to handle, especially the third point.
The first point is okay, who is not sent by the commander?
The second point is that even though the Astra Militarum has moved to fight in the Star Sea, there are still dozens or even millions of people who can eat, drink and sleep in a relatively fixed location. It is not impossible to fall to the Raging Owl Star.
But the third point is the most difficult. It is not an easy matter to ensure that the Ministry of Military Affairs will not transfer this legion casually. Normal Astra Militarum troops are adjusted as soon as there is a war. This is directly under the control of the Ministry of Military Affairs. In theory, no one can stop it.
Of course, there is actually a way. Emphasizing regional threats, emphasizing the role of guarding, and being able to find substitute teams from other places when the Ministry of Military Affairs needs them...
But this requires a lot of political costs, and Peters is not willing to do it.
Of course Gu Hang didn't give up that easily.
Debate and bargaining are the basics.
Later, Gu Hang vaguely raised two points:
I can give up this plan, but without enough pressure, I have to have a good talk with Blackbird Heavy Industries and the Falches family behind them. It just so happens that our Gu family is still repairing relations with them. Think about it from another angle, they want Nu Xiao Star. Now I am the governor of Nu Xiao Star and I am from the Gu family. I will help them solve this problem. There is nothing wrong with being a puppet governor who doesn't care about anything. It is better than being ruined. .
Or, I can stop engaging in all the fuss and tell the Ministry of Military Affairs exactly what happened in the previous naval battle. The vanguard fleet of the Iron Teeth Clan and the large-scale invasion were thwarted in the early stage. It was just an accidental group of pirates. Originally, the Quintet was planning to run away, but I fought this battle with force.
Hearing the meaning behind it, Ye Lixia, who was sitting nearby and watching two men, one old and one young, going around and eating melon with gusto, was dumbfounded.
Why does it still have to do with me?
You Gu Hang, you just kept saying that you couldn’t bear to leave me, now you are digging a hole?
Pooh! Scumbag!
She glared at Gu Hang, but saw Gu Hang wink at her.
Her teeth were itching with anger, and if it wasn't in front of the leader Peddes, she would have wanted to bite him.
Gritting her teeth, she had to speak and expressed what she meant: the war situation was a determined fact, and there was no need to discuss it.
Just kidding, I will be a rising star soon, how can I have such a stain?
Pedes must consider Yelicia's attitude, or he must consider the Fofana family behind her. The Gu family in the Iron Triangle is already unstable. If Fofana is still unstable, his leader will really be in turmoil.
He talked to Gu Hang again and basically agreed to the matter, but many details still needed to be discussed further.
In the next three months, the district government will successively allocate a total of 2.5 million tax coins; plus the 2.5 million tax coins due when Gu Hang takes office as governor for two years, all of this will be invested in military construction. . At that time, the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Ministry of Taxation will inspect the Raging Owl at the same time. Can his new army be worth five million tax coins in all aspects?
The other five million tax coins will still have to wait two years and be paid to the Raging Owl Star as the imperial tax paid by the sector.
The reason why I don't give it all to Gu Hang now is obviously because I don't want to give it to him. Two more years in hand is two years, and the district government is not well-off.
Gu Hang could basically accept the plan that was finally discussed.
The tax that will be paid after a year and a half will be saved. All we have to do is wait for the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Ministry of Taxation to come down and inspect the army to see if there are enough people, enough equipment, and whether it has reached the value of 5 million tax coins.
In addition, in three months, Gu Hang will get an additional 2.5 million tax coins.
This is a very large sum of cash!
With this money, he can buy a lot of goods that are now in the belly of the beautiful girl.
When he had no money before, he only ordered a small amount of things, and when waiting for the transaction, Gu Hang had to think carefully about what to pay for.
Now, there is no need to worry.
Two and a half million tax coins can buy a lot of things.
At this point, Gu Hang has initially obtained his share of the benefits from this war.
It’s not much, at least compared to Ye Lixia and compared to Wang Jiarong, it’s not much.
But Gu Hang is still satisfied. People who have boats can make a lot of money, but he can make so much without a boat, so that’s it.
Using the lives of more than 4,000 soldiers in exchange for five million tax coins, even if these five million tax coins have an additional price, it is still a big profit.
Although it is a bit cold-blooded to say this, the fact is that the lives of more than 4,000 soldiers and the annual interest of 5 million tax coins are more than that.
Now, Gu Hang can think about what he wants to buy from the Beautiful Girl; he can also start thinking about how to spend the more than 4,600 gifts on his account in the most effective way.
……
The Winged Star countless light years away. This is a garden world, the administrative center of the star region, a commercial and trade center whose influence extends to many surrounding star regions, and has developed productivity. Although the overall production capacity is not as good as some foundry worlds and hive worlds, it can ensure that a total of nearly four billion people can obtain a favorable average quality of life and living environment.
The lower limit of the empire is very low, and most of the population lives in hardship. The slave workers who have been lobotomized or not but are similar in the forge world are living machines on the production line; in the hive world, tens of billions of people are crowded together on a planet, and people are like pigs. The resources are raised; the serfs in the agricultural world live the life of ancient medieval farmers in the interstellar era; in the death world and the wasteland world, people are struggling on the edge of life and death; the people in the fortress world have been brought up by their ancestors for generations. They themselves are facing war from birth to death...
But again, the upper limit is quite high. People in the civilized world can work nine to five wearing a tie, and drink a cup of coffee or indulge in a bar after work; people in the garden world, with advanced technology and extremely high resource rationing, can live an almost lifeless life. A carefree life... These two worlds are usually the administrative planets and commercial centers of the empire. The accompanying manufacturing capacity is not that significant.
Flying Wing Star is one of the latter. It has not even been directly exposed to war in the past five hundred years.
Pegasus Palace is the most important functional building complex on Feiyi Star. It is like a legendary paradise.
Pure white marble constructs almost all the buildings here. There are masters who are skilled in design in the building. They have planned a wide or narrow, rapid or gentle water system, which looks harmonious and energetic from a distance. Green plants are dotted throughout the building, paired with various flowers, making it colorful. The colorful and intense lights illuminate the entire Tianma Palace as if it were daytime at night, and it is even more exciting than during the day.
The highest point of the palace is Peter's office.
At this moment, he had just hung up the interstellar call with Gu Hang and stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, staring at the entire Tianma Palace.
A slightly drunken voice came from behind him: "Why did you agree to that boy from the Gu family? The Gu family has already done it with him, and their own mother has nothing to lose, so why are you trying to get more? Are you not afraid of this now? Is all your investment wasted? ”
The person speaking was a man who looked quite similar to him, but was thinner and had a more frivolous and unrestrained temperament.
He is the Governor of the Winged Star, Varga Peddes, also known as Little Peddes, and is the younger brother of Roan Peddes. The two are collectively known as the Peddes brothers, one is the governor of the Winged Star, and the other is the leader of the Pegasus Star District, controlling the highest power in the entire Star District.
Leon Peddes said to his brother: "What did we spend? 2.5 million tax coins? That was originally going to be handed over to the Imperial Taxation Department, but it was just given to him one year in advance."
Little Peddes was still puzzled: "But if he fails to complete the imperial tax and his newly built army fails the inspection, we still have to make up the extra difference."
"How much is that?"
"It's always me, Feiyi Xing, who will pay you this amount." Little Peddes muttered, took another sip of wine, and then said seriously: "Do you still have the idea of pulling the Gu family into the game? I advise you to admit it. It must have failed. As far as I know, the little girl Wang Jiarong went to Angry Star on her own initiative. Wang Qi didn't agree. She got angry when she found out. It wasn't the first time you met her. If she says she doesn’t care about her son, she really doesn’t care at all. We still have to think of other ways.”
"Alas..." Peddes sighed, "I know what you said, and I don't have any more hope. However, it's not bad to cut it cleanly. Gu Hang had resentment towards his mother, and that's why he He will be easily persuaded by me to enter the Raging Owl Star. But now, after his biological mother is completely cut off from him, the relationship between his mother and son will be even more broken, and he can only rely on me. .”
"You see, after he had an idea, the first person he contacted was me as the guide and supporter. He had no intention of communicating with his mother. The Raging Star always needs a governor. Since he is doing this now Now that they have made some progress, why not give them a little more confidence and maybe gain something new? They have already paid the cost and don't care if they pay a little more. This battle they have won is indeed true. Very useful. What if this kid really succeeds? Then he can only rely on me, and I will have a family man to serve him wholeheartedly."
Hearing this, little Peddes was silent for a moment, and suddenly he laughed as if he thought of something interesting: "If that's the case, it would be quite fun. I'm really looking forward to seeing that woman Wang Qi's son." , Kneeling down and kissing your boots, how will she feel when she sees it? "
Peddes was a little helpless. He turned around and stared at his brother without saying a word.
After a while, little Peddes finally spread his hands: "Okay, okay, I was just joking. I know that now is not the time to mess with that woman, and I won't ask for trouble anymore."
After finishing speaking, he added: "At least not recently."
Peddes was helpless. He shook his head and said nothing more to his brother.
……
Also in Winged Star, another place.
This is a manor, the property of the Gu family, and Wang Qi now lives here.
It's not as graceful and luxurious as Tianma Palace, just like heaven, but it's also very interesting.
At this moment, the hostess Wang Qi is reading a letter:
"Mother, I wish you well."
"When I left in anger, I wanted to make a career."
"Now, it has been half a year since I left home. Fortunately, with God's help, I have achieved some results."
"You must have heard about the Star Wars. Although I don't have strong ships or guns, I relied on what I did on the Raging Owl in the past six months to bring out a reliable army. I defeated the orc warlords, reversed the tide of the war, and established a solid foundation for the war. Victory. ”
"In half a year, although I have not completely controlled the planet, I have effectively ruled millions of people and established a hundred thousand legions. Under my rule, various industries are flourishing and prosperous; the system I established has also allowed people to attach themselves to me. Millions of people have no worries about food and clothing, and have income from work.”
“Since I started my business, I haven’t received any support from my family, but I won’t have to worry about the first tax payment in one and a half years. I believe that after three and a half years, I will have no problem paying all the taxes, and the Raging Star will gradually become a normal person. In the Imperial World, I will secure my position as the ninth governor of the Pegasus Sector.”
"But this is not the end, but the beginning. I once told one of my subordinates that I would make the Raging Owl as productive as the Forge World and as beautiful as the Garden World. This is my goal, and it remains firm today. , I wonder, mother, do you believe it?”
"Maybe the goal is still far away, maybe mother you still think this is just the wishful thinking of your incompetent and stupid son. But I am convinced that I am on the right path."
"I am not as good a successor as you think, like my father; I don't want to just settle for the family's wealth. Fortunately, my impulse half a year ago has allowed me to now have my own family. My career has nothing to do with the Gu family.”
"You may think that I am telling you this just to show off and to reply to what you said to me after the last meeting. I will not deny it."
"But I would also like to say that I have experienced a lot in the past six months, and my thoughts have changed a lot. I will begin to look at the inaction and absurd nonsense in the first half of my life. Those complaints are essentially due to my incompetence and stupidity. Farewell ”
"Now that things have happened, I have come to realize that accepting the appointment and coming to the Raging Owl Star to be the governor will have a bad impact on the family. It will also be a major blow to the family business that you have worked hard for so many years to maintain the family business left by your grandfather and father. It is also a serious blow. Put yourself into a situation where you will have to pay a huge price if you save, and if you don’t save, you will lose your life.”
"But my luck lies in that a wrong decision made me open up a more correct path."
"Mother, I will not ask for your forgiveness. I am walking my own path. This is not a mistake and no need for forgiveness. But I have put aside my unfounded resentment and will look at the past events more calmly."
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"Your evaluation is correct for me in the past. But whether it is correct for me now and in the future, please look at it from countless light years away."
"Let's see if I can achieve a career that far exceeds that of my ancestors as I wish."
"When the time comes, I hope you can comment again, mother. I'm always here to listen."
"——Governor of Angry Owl Star, Gu Hang, your son."
……
The letter was not very long and did not mention anything specific, but Wang Qi still read it for a long time.
Between the lines, she could see in the first half, a young man was proudly showing off his achievements to his mother, saying that your previous comments of 'incompetent and stupid' were stupid.
But in the middle, she saw an adult who had become calm and stable. He was admitting his mistakes, but his back was straight. He was expressing his reflection on the past, admitting that he had not thought well and made the wrong decision, but he was also thankful for his good luck.
Being able to recognize mistakes and gain something from reflection is good enough. It was Wang Qi's highest expectation in the past.
But at the end, she saw changes again. She seemed to see a high-spirited entrepreneur telling her his lofty ideals, and then he turned around and left, resolutely following the path in his heart.
Wang Qi never expected that Gu Hang would write such a letter.
She knows her son better than her mother. Based on her understanding of her son, there is a high probability that Gu Hang will not be able to write any letters until his death;
If he wrote it, he would probably say something like, "You will be happy when I die," or "As you wish, there will never be a stupid, incompetent son to embarrass you in the future."
There is a very small chance that, faced with the fear of death, the son might cry and write a letter admitting his mistake and begging his mother to save him.
Although, no matter what, Wang Qi will eventually find a way to save her. That was her biological son, her only bloodline, how could she really not care?
But it can't change the disappointment in his heart. In the future, he may be put under house arrest, find a wife, and let them give birth to a grandson as soon as possible.
I have finished practicing the tuba, so I will try to practice the trumpet. When the time comes, my grandson will inherit the family business, and Gu Hang can just play.
She really plans to do this, and even her daughter-in-law is already looking for someone with good genes.
But this letter actually made her change her mind.
After reading the letter, Wang Qi couldn't help but feel the joy in her heart, which showed on her face and formed a shallow smile.
But in addition to being relieved, her mood was also very complicated.
After being immersed in conspiracies for a long time, she would instinctively wonder if this letter was written by Gu Hang himself? In other words, is what Gu Hang really thinks expressed?
Is it possible that the old fox Peddes made some strange trick and found an expert to trick her son into writing such a letter to deceive and sneak attack an old woman like herself? Using the emotions between mother and child to cloud her judgment?
But this possibility is not high, because along with the letter, there is also a letter from Wang Jiarong. In the letter, the niece described how her cousin had changed a lot, saying that the six months of experience in the Raging Star had made him a different person. Moreover, she watched her cousin write this letter without anyone teaching her.
But even if it was really a trick, Wang Qi had to admit that she would fall into it.
Where is the mother who is not relieved to see her son grow up?
————
This chapter has seven thousand three hundred words, which is equivalent to three and a half chapters.
I am not short.
I just wanted to add more, it would be better if I wrote this paragraph in one go.
Maybe some book friends will find it boring, but I feel it is important. In the content of the past two days, there was no fighting, but it shouldn’t be considered a tie, right?
Mainly writing, 1. Gu Hang strives for the results of the war, 2. Explains the interstellar background and the background of the protagonist. These have been in the outline for a long time, but they were not mentioned in the previous stories if they did not involve interstellar, so they have to be mentioned now. 3. Emotional communication.
Hope you all like it.
Starting tomorrow, the protagonist will go back to farming and start unifying the planet.
(End of chapter)