Chapter 127: Ideals and Unforgiveness
Gu Hang’s speech ended amidst a roaring sea of “Long live the Governor.”
That last part of his speech might be called idealistic, but in such a setting, it came across as a straightforward political commitment, genuinely inspiring hope for the future.
The residents of the outer city looked forward to seeing the Governor fulfill all the promises he had made for the future.
Reflecting on recent events, the activities carried out by Miss Osena’s officials, along with the propaganda of those Red Hats, helped them believe that these changes weren’t far off.
The flames of hope blazed brightly on this land for the first time.
Even the residents of the inner city couldn’t help but feel moved.
Regardless, the Governor’s speech conveyed a clear message: he wasn’t like the previous Governor, who only knew how to exploit mercilessly.
They felt they wouldn’t have to worry about endless, grueling labor in factories to pay their taxes.
Nor would they fear that countless people would be shipped off as tribute on imperial transport ships, taken to distant stars, never to return, or be heard from again.
If that were true, supporting this new Governor didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
Yes…that’s how people’s bottom lines gradually get worn away.
A hard slap, followed by a little sweetness, and suddenly, the situation becomes more tolerable.
…
Was this public trial, execution, parade, and ceremony a performance?
Of course it was.
But who could deny the importance of propaganda in politics?
The inner city residents, after watching familiar faces publicly executed, received a minor reprieve. The fearful atmosphere that Lambert had cultivated in recent days might ease up somewhat after this.
Meanwhile, the outer city residents got nothing but a sweet reward.
There was no need to slap them; they’d already endured more than enough blows in the past.
The invigorated populace now eagerly anticipated the promises made by the Governor, dreaming of a better life and even putting more energy into their work.
However, slogans are just slogans. Implementing these changes wouldn’t simply happen by broadcasting them through loudspeakers.
Things would have to be done one step at a time.
How would schools be built? Where would teachers come from? How would resources be allocated? The same questions applied to hospitals.
The so-called welfare policies were tied to Gu Hang’s previously conceived forty-five job ranks, but what specific benefits and material allocations corresponded to each rank?
How long could Revival City’s current resources support these plans?
Where would the shortfall come from? How would they ensure ongoing production would keep up?
And to top it off, they couldn’t consume all of the output; imperial taxes were due in two years, and preparations had to start now.
These specific issues didn’t need broad publicity, and many of the methods couldn’t be disclosed.
After the conferment and awards ceremony, Gu Hang held a closed-door meeting.
This meeting contained the real substance and crucial details.
The meeting lasted two full days.
…
When Lambert left the conference room, it was already the morning of the third day.
The early morning sunlight wasn’t harsh, yet it still stung Lambert’s eyes.
The last two days had been spent in complete darkness, literally.
He had been eating and sleeping in the meeting room and even pulled an all-nighter yesterday.
Though the Governor himself always seemed to be in high spirits, Lambert was a mortal man and couldn’t withstand such an intense schedule.
At this moment, he was utterly exhausted.
Yet, excitement bubbled within him.
An essential part of the last two days of meetings involved personnel appointments.
He was now the head of the Supreme Legal Committee, serving as the Alliance’s Chief Justice. His next key responsibility was to draft laws based on the Governor’s directives from the meetings.
For this, he needed to establish a Legislative Council for drafting laws, a Judicial Council for enforcing them, and a Disciplinary Council to oversee, audit, and supervise government officials and factory managers.
Right from the beginning, the new Alliance government had emphasized vigilance against corruption and bureaucratic stagnation. Lambert was charged with rigorously enforcing these controls.
This mandate aligned well with the work he’d been doing in recent times.
Legislation, justice, oversight, and auditing…all these powers were now consolidated under his authority. Essentially, as the Alliance’s Chief Justice, he now held a position on par with the head of government—the Prime Minister of the Alliance.
Currently, the Prime Minister of the Alliance was still the Governor himself.
This practically made Lambert the highest-ranking official in the new Alliance.
The Hodgson family’s early investment in the Governor had paid off.
Of course, it was impossible for such immense power to remain concentrated in one person’s hands for long; this was only a temporary measure until more suitable candidates could be appointed. After all, when the positions were initially structured, slots had already been reserved, and someone would eventually replace him.
But so what?
Lambert would train these future successors, and even if he were no longer in this position, his influence would remain significant.
However, personal glory was not the source of his excitement.
For him, these things were not worth risking his family’s life for.
If he’d had a choice, he would never have taken this path.
But his grandfather had chosen it, and by the time he understood, it was too late to turn back.
When he decided to come to the Governor’s camp to offer his assistance, he knew that his decision publicly represented the Hodgson family’s stance. But at that time, the worst he imagined was his grandfather facing immense pressure in Revival City and the family being oppressed.
Yet all that could be recovered once the Governor succeeded.
He hadn’t foreseen that the Speaker of the Alliance would die in the capital.
But Old Hodgson had probably foreseen this and simply hadn’t told him.
Was this sacrifice made for him?
Was it for the Hodgson family?
Lambert didn’t think so.
If it were for such reasons, they wouldn’t have needed to go this far. What was left of the Hodgson family now? Only he had survived.
Then, what was it for?
He remembered the conversation he’d had with his grandfather before he left Revival City to join the Governor.
“The entire planet longs for revival, the sooner, the better. I’m willing to contribute to that rather than continue waiting in silence. Being a catalyst of change is far more meaningful than scrambling to catch up when the tide shifts.”
This declaration had cost a political family in Revival City but also ignited the spark that allowed the Governor to seize control sooner.
No matter the twists and turns, it had become a reality.
Why did people say only the Governor could save the world?
The question was better framed as: What had the Empire brought to Fury Owl Planet?
History spoke for itself.
The Empire’s taxes were indeed a heavy burden, but had Fury Owl Planet fared any better during the century following the war and before rejoining the Empire?
No, it had been a complete mess, even worse than during the reign of the Second Governor.
When the first Governor established the Alliance, Fury Owl Planet had a population of barely over twenty million; after seventeen years under his rule, that number had risen to nearly fifty million, more than doubling. Birth rates soared, death rates plummeted, and hidden populations re-emerged thanks to social development.
In the last twelve years, however, the population had dropped below forty million.
Rejoining the Empire had brought heavy taxation, but it had its benefits.
For planetary reconstruction, the Empire allocated financial aid, which was distributed through the sector government.
In the hands of the First Governor, this aid had fueled Fury Owl Planet’s development for seventeen years and served as a powerful engine of planetary recovery.
Without it, how could the First Governor have united various factions across the planet to form an Alliance?
Beyond reconstruction aid, rejoining the Empire had provided another crucial advantage: interstellar trade.