Gu Hang is going to Sacred Terra.
This matter is not yet confirmed, but it is basically unavoidable.
He also fully recognized that this trip was inherently dangerous.
He said nice things, like he wanted to hear the Alliance leader and Spiderweb Space Chairman's thoughts on the next steps, and that the war hero had to make a trip to Holy Terra so that the people and high-ranking officials of Terra could all meet Gu Hang.
But actually...
What kind of agreement requires Gu Hang to be present in person to sign?
Holy Terra is so kind as to encourage Gu Hang's reputation?
On the contrary, it was more like an invitation to a treacherous banquet.
Especially given that the previous assassination assignment remains a Rashomon-like mystery, with no certainty as to who actually carried it out.
If they lure Gu Hang away from his most loyal alliance and take him to Holy Terra, to where their power is strongest, then Gu Hang will become the fish on the chopping block.
If someone really wants him dead, or won't let him come back, then it will be really difficult to handle.
There's nothing to fear about assassinations carried out in secret.
But what if it's an open, political demand that Gu Hang not leave and that he be imprisoned in a black jail?
He couldn't openly rebel, or rather, he had no way to rebel.
His psychic power was immense, but alone in Holy Terra, he could not suppress everything with his personal might.
It could be said that his personal power wasn't great enough, not to the level of a God-Emperor. But even now, Gu Hang doesn't know how to reach the level where he could observe those four evil gods and the God-Emperor's kingdom in the subspace.
He called himself a 'secondary god,' but compared to those five great beings, he was like sand compared to the sun.
Conversely, if Gu Hangren is in the alliance, the imperial central government will be hesitant to act against him. If things really come to the point of a complete falling out, it will be difficult for the empire to organize a powerful expeditionary force to deal with him in a short period of time.
To beat the League, you'd need to use the same lineup you used against Ironclad before, at the very least, and that probably wouldn't be enough.
Even the empire has to think twice.
Therefore, the best way to eliminate the alliance is to kill Gu Hang, its supreme leader and core figure.
After all, it's clear to everyone in the alliance that they aren't the kind of entity that can remain unaffected without Gu Hang and can immediately replace him with someone of equal status and function. On the contrary, without Gu Hang, the alliance, if not falling apart, will at least be greatly weakened.
The best way to kill Gu Hang is to make him come to us.
At that time, he would be all alone, while the Holy Terra would have the Assassin's Court, the Inquisition, the elites of the Ministry of Justice, the Golden Knights... If all else fails, the Imperial Guard would not allow anyone to run wild on the Holy Terra.
Despite the countless dangers, Gu Hang still insisted on going to the meeting alone.
He knew all of this, and the gentlemen on Holy Terra were equally aware of Gu Hang's immense unease. But precisely because of this, they insisted on having Gu Hang come.
This is a loyalty test.
If you don't even dare to come, how can I believe you are truly loyal?
It is almost certain that if Gu Hang does not go, the relationship between the two sides will instantly enter a very delicate situation.
Gallardo thinks so too.
He didn't explicitly say it, but he earnestly urged Gu Hang to go.
The discussion on Holy Terra has essentially reached a stalemate.
Under financial pressure, the opposition has weakened. Even the most vocal opponent, Prime Minister Luo Fei, has had to consider the budget available to him for the next few years.
However, Prime Minister Qi Bodu, who truly has the power to make decisions on such important matters, has only expressed his opinion once so far: he hopes to meet with Gu Hang.
This is the most crucial point.
It can't be the prime minister coming to the local area to meet with Gu Hang, can it?
Then Gu Hang is the only one who can go to see him.
If we don't meet, we can forget about getting what we want; if we don't meet, we are destined to meet on the battlefield in the future.
Unless Gu Hang is prepared to go to war with the Empire within five or ten years, he has no choice but to go on this trip.
He spent a month arranging his funeral—it sounds ominous, but it was true.
Then he set off.
He wasn't the only one who set off; three other important figures were also present:
Ms. Wang Qi, General Ye Lixia, and Gu Hang's six-year-old son, Gu Jing.
That means Gu Hang's whole family came.
When expressing loyalty, it should be done clearly and cleanly.
Qi Bodu wants to see me, so I will go.
I also brought my whole family along.
The idea was to allow wives, mothers, and sons who had never been to Holy Terra to broaden their horizons. But the political implications were more obvious than anything else.
If an accident were to occur, and a situation that Gu Hang absolutely does not want to see happen... then to be honest, if something were to happen to him, none of his mother, wife, or son would survive; conversely, as long as he himself is safe, the three of them would be safe.
Moreover, with Gu Hang's protection, this might be the safest environment for the three of them.
...
With Gu Hang's departure, the alliance entered the era of the 'Big Three'.
Apart from Gu Hang himself, the normal operation of the alliance mainly relies on three high-ranking officials.
First, there is Ossena Chenko, as the head of government.
Secondly, there is Justice Lambert Hodgson, who is in charge of the coalition's legal affairs center, which includes the Legislative Committee, the Enforcement Committee, and the Disciplinary Committee.
In addition to legislative work, the Legislative Yuan also has a judicial system, which is the alliance's trial system.
Under the Enforcement Commission are the Chief Police Officer and the Security Department.
Under the Disciplinary Committee are the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), the Audit Commission, and so on.
In general, it exists as a legislative, law enforcement, supervisory, and oversight body. For the coalition government represented by Osena, the Legal Center's work serves as a check on its power.
The third major figure was the Ministry of Military Affairs, represented by Thadius.
He will represent the military, overseeing the entire Alliance's army and navy, including Space Marine chapters, in day-to-day operations. He can refuse any orders to mobilize troops; he has the highest personnel authority within the military; he has the mission of building the army…
However, he was also subject to constraints. He did not have the authority to mobilize troops unless ordered by the head of government; he did not have the authority to command operations, which was the responsibility of the Army and Navy General Staff; and he did not have the authority to formulate operational plans, which was the responsibility of the General Staff.
This is the alliance's temporary structure while its supreme leader, Gu Hang, is away from home.
In fact, the alliance operates the same way whether Gu Hang is there or not. Theoretically, the alliance's structure will not change at all without Gu Hang.
It's impossible for something that manages thousands of worlds and trillions of people to stop functioning just because one person is missing.
However, Gu Hang's departure has had a real and tangible impact.
People are no longer at ease.
And it was even more obvious than when Gu Hang went to Sacred Terra last time.
The "Big Three" could only do their best to hold on, hoping that Gu Hang could return soon.