Starting from the Planetary Governor

Chapter 931: Chapter 500, Alliance World 400_2

However, one should be a bit more cautious regarding the actions of the Sect of Mechanics.

These Oil Heads are not easy to deal with.

But under normal circumstances, they seldom pose a threat.

These two Star Sectors, along with the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector directly controlled by the Mingyang Sect, can be left alone for now. Later on, Gu Hang already has a travel plan in mind, to personally visit Jindi Star and have a thorough discussion with the Mingyang Sect.

By then, the remaining issues should all be resolved.

After all, among the senior levels of the Mingyang Sect, there exists an ‘old acquaintance’ of Gu Hang: Wu Jiarong.

A lot of things become much easier to handle when one has an insider.

Gu Hang had not anticipated that his casual act from the past would now provide such ample shade.

For now, let’s put aside the matters regarding the Sect of Mechanics. Inside the Dragonhawk Star Domain, the remaining 34 Star Sectors have all fallen into Gu Hang’s hands.

In total, not one more or less, exactly 400 worlds.

The total population has reached 8.2 trillion people.

Gu Hang’s assets have become much richer in a flash!

Moreover, different from the territories Gu Hang obtained during the previous wars, the western part of the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain, in overall terms, is actually somewhat more prosperous than the east.

Previously, the population in the areas Gu Hang occupied totaled only about 3.4 trillion; whereas the west has a greater total population of 4.8 trillion.

And leaving aside Yunluo Star, a Starfield Capital even more developed than Flying Wing Star, the entire Yunluo Sector is radiating influence to many worlds from Yunluo Star at its center, strongly driving the economic development of these worlds, unlike the previous situation with Flying Wing Star, which stood alone in its splendor while the other worlds in the Tianma Star Sector were as poor as beggars.

At the same time, in the Fire Eagle Sector, Xiong Hun Sector, and Gu Totem Sector, these three Star Sectors which were completely untouched by the flames of war before, have a combined total of over forty worlds. Due to the war, they became a strong support for the Star Domain Government at the time.

A massive amount of resources gathered from the Cosmos Domain and other regions of the Star Domain were stockpiled here. This place was also developed into some production bases as much as possible, to provide resources for the front lines.

At the same time, there was also a considerable transfer of population from the worlds that were in a state of war along the front lines.

War, objectively, has provided a very good development opportunity for the forty-plus worlds in these three Star Sectors.

These three Star Sectors, together with the Yunluo Sector, have become a relatively developed economic engine for the western part of the Dragonhawk Star Domain.

Currently, the Dragonhawk Star Domain has roughly formed a general situation of ‘three cores, vast ruins’.

The so-called three cores refer to one centered around Yunluo Star, with Gu Totem, Xiong Hun, and Fire Eagle as the three major attached Star Sectors in the southwestern core, which is also the largest gain obtained by the Alliance this time.

Just these four locations alone have a population of 2.5 trillion, with a total output of 6.3 trillion. The annual Imperial Tax paid reaches 67 billion, but even so, the financial surplus left for the Alliance after taxes is also 100 billion.

Such a financial surplus represents almost the cost of two Battle Cruisers per year with some left over!

Rich lands!

And the other core, naturally, is centered around Gu Hang’s old base, the Tianma Star Sector, uniting with the surrounding six Star Sectors to form the Seven Horse Territory. This area has a population of 1.7 trillion and a total output of 3.6 trillion.

To tell the truth, it’s a cut below the Yunluo Center. After all, the Seven Horse Territory Center is a late-developing area, one that only began to grow in the last eight years under Gu Hang’s rule. Moreover, the regions that have developed well are mainly within the Tianma Star Sector. The Tianma Star Sector has been fully exerting its economic influence on the other six Sectors, but given the short time frame, its development is still relatively limited.

And speaking of total population, that’s not ample either. It has reached 170 billion, but that’s only due to the recent policies encouraging childbirth, coupled with the influx of people migrating from several other war-torn Star Sectors.

But overall, it still has significant potential for development, and under the guidance of the Alliance, it is indeed on the fast track of rapid growth.

There’s also a third core area, the Steel Fire Dragon Center, which is a collective of industries that have built up around Jindi Star, the Foundry World of the Sect of Mechanics. But given it’s not entirely under the control of the Alliance, it’s not worth mentioning in detail.

Besides these three cores, the other 23 Star Sectors have a total of 258 worlds, yet the aggregate population is just 388 billion, and in terms of output, it’s even less impressive; the total output is barely over 300 billion. After paying the Imperial Tax each year and subtracting local consumption, there’s a deficit of 11 billion remaining.

This means that the accession of these worlds is a loss-maker for the Alliance.

A loss of 11 billion a year is no big deal; the Alliance can afford it. To the Alliance, which has acquired the whole Star Domain, this is a minor issue that can be easily fixed.

But the crux is that this deficit only accounts for resident consumption and the Imperial Tax.

If one were to include the costs of maintaining rule, the deficit would grow even further; moreover, many of these worlds have been ravaged by the Green Tide war and need post-war reconstruction. Investing more in humanitarian aid is necessary; otherwise, not only will it take a long time to get better, but there’s also the possibility of further deterioration in the short term.

Establishing governments, building up military forces, deepening rule… When you add up all types of investments, the Alliance estimates a fiscal deficit of about 60 billion pouring in every year!

That’s no small sum!

By way of comparison, the theoretical annual Imperial Tax for the Dragonhawk Star Domain is just over 120 billion!

The heavy economic burden these worlds impose has begun to weigh the Alliance down.

The Alliance’s fifty Army Groups and ten billion Land Forces cost less than 15 billion a year to maintain!

An annual figure of 60 billion is indeed too exaggerated.

In fact, after Gu Hang returned to the Dragonhawk Star Domain and met with many people on Yunluo Star, the first internal governmental conference of the Alliance was convened to address this problem: What exactly should be done about those 258 ‘deficit worlds’?

Currently, there are three broad directions of discussion among the officials within the Alliance.

The first is to continue maintaining a high level of centralized rule, with an investment of 60 billion a year, which is not even enough; they’ll need to continue pumping money in, up to 70 or even 80 billion. This is not a loss that needs to be sustained over the long term; a high level of initial investment will deliver future development of these worlds. After one to two years of investment, the cost should be able to reduce by more than half; meanwhile, the output of these worlds will be fully revived under the stimulation of substantial investment.

It’s estimated that within four to five years, this could turn a loss into a profit.

But another faction is strongly opposed to this plan.

It’s too extravagant. Even if everything goes according to their estimates, the total investment in five years might need to reach over 250 billion. Yet what they achieve is just not bleeding out anymore; as for developing to the point where they can be a financial asset to the Alliance, or even earning back the 250 billion invested, it’s uncertain how many years that would take.

Now, it’s true that the wars can be considered temporarily over. But the Alliance still faces tremendous external threats. The ‘evil neighbor’ next door, the Iron Armor Battle Group, might act out at any time; after the Fury Flame Battle Group returns and licks its wounds, will they forget the humiliation and pain inflicted by the Alliance?

The Alliance cannot shift all its focus to economic construction.

Spending so much money on the recovery of these ‘deficit worlds’ will severely hinder the military buildup of the Alliance.

If the enemy attacks before the construction yields results, the home front might be pounded into ruins.

As for the third faction, they don’t have any particular insights; they just represent the centrist stance between the other two.

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