The Five Hundred Worlds controlled by the Ultramarines could be said to be the most brilliant jewel of the Imperium.
Their public order was good, and the living standards of the people were generally among the forefront of all planets in the Imperium.
During the Horus Heresy, when the loyalist forces were scattered throughout the galaxy,
Guilliman even considered making the Five Hundred Worlds a second base for humanity to resist Chaos, and forming the Second Imperium with two other Primarchs: the Primarch of the Dark Angels Legion Lion El'Jonson, and Sanguinius, the Primarch of the Blood Angels.
Of course, this idea had not yet been realized when they discovered that the Emperor was not dead.
The three Primarchs then disbanded the Second Imperium, led their forces to reinforce Terra, and sealed all related records of this matter.
Even though it wasn't realized, it still showed the potential of the Ultramar Sector.
The Five Hundred Worlds were Guilliman's foundation and could not be lost.
Upon hearing of his recovery, some planetary governors whose situations were not too bad, and rogue traders with agile minds, had already arrived.
Others were either trapped by the current dire situation, or were unwilling to respect the orders of a recovered Primarch and come to Macragge.
The Emperor and the Primarchs had long become legends in myths; ten thousand years were enough to change many things.
The Imperial Truth of days old was swept into the dust of history, and the disliked Ecclesiarchy became a councilor in the High Lords of Terra.
The Adeptus Mechanicus became increasingly insular and conservative, and the Terra Council became increasingly ossified.
After the Cadian Gate fell, the vast Imperium was bleeding rapidly like a wounded zombie, and was even slow to react.
Ten thousand years of nurturing had created a complex web of forces, deeply embedded within the Imperium, constantly siphoning its lifeblood, intending to swallow it completely.
Those who were unwilling to come were in a wait-and-see state; they did not want their power to be taken away by a suddenly recovered Primarch.
Centuries, even millennia, of rule had already led them to believe that the power in their hands was their birthright, a symbol of their superiority.
Anyone who challenged this point had undoubtedly become their enemy.
Guilliman temporarily had no time to deal with them; he had to first deal with the worlds that were still willing to offer him support.
He had to reform and revitalize the existing system, building the Five Hundred Worlds into a solid rear support, only in this way could he support his subsequent plans.
Optimize the population structure, provide conscription, re-establish the wealth distribution system, and stimulate people to produce more food and weapons.
The bloated administrative departments and the noble system must be streamlined to reduce financial burdens and improve efficiency.
It was also necessary to further promote universal education and establish research structures independent of the Adeptus Mechanicus, to provide more military strength and reserve technical personnel for his upcoming crusade.
The Adeptus Mechanicus and the Imperium were only allies, holding a seat in the Terra Council.
Guilliman was not the Emperor; he could not guarantee that the Adeptus Mechanicus would not suddenly break free from his control.
He also had to consider one point: if the Emperor were to recover and declare Guilliman a traitor to the Imperium, which side would the Adeptus Mechanicus choose??
Would they choose the Omnissiah, the Holy Machine God?? Or would they choose the recovered Thirteenth Primarch??
This question was obvious; perhaps some members of the Adeptus Mechanicus would choose him, but they would definitely be a minority.
He must have his own research institutions with a complete research system to digest the various knowledge within the database.
To achieve all of this, he needed the help of these planetary governors.
Souls born under the red light should not have allowed the existence of these families who lorded over the common people.
But the complexity of this world far exceeded that of his original world.
Even though he was a transmigrator and a Primarch, with the help of the governance template, he could gain unimaginable abilities.
Yet, he had no way to completely control every single world.
The Imperium was too vast, and communication and navigation methods were too inefficient.
There was also no sufficiently powerful artificial intelligence available for use.
The Chaos Gods could not only corrupt flesh and blood creatures, but also invade networks.
This world could not use an intelligent system to manage the world.
Nor could a single intelligent system be allowed to control too many combat units.
Blindly pursuing the path of intelligence, once invaded by daemons, the intelligence-controlled units would also be corrupted by flesh and blood, and thus turn their guns on humanity.
Under the command of the Chaos Gods, there were truly many viruses and daemons that could be used for intelligence and networks.
Developing large-scale intelligence in this universe and entrusting the entire world to one intelligence was simply courting death.
Various limiting conditions meant that every human-colonized planet had a certain degree of autonomy, and the position of planetary governor was unavoidable.
Besides this, another important role was that of the Rogue Trader.
The history of rogue traders was also very ancient, dating back to the Great Crusade ten thousand years ago; since the Emperor issued the first rogue trader charter, this role had stepped onto the Imperial stage and played an extremely important part.
They were responsible for trade between various star systems, and even had the right to trade with xenos, possessing unimaginable wealth.
Some rogue trader families' influence could extend to dozens, or even hundreds, of star systems, which shows how terrifying they were.
Where the Imperial Navy went, rogue traders would go.
Where the Imperial Navy wouldn't go, rogue traders would go even more.
Salvaging war wrecks, exploring places not illuminated by the Astronomican, and searching for lost ruins and civilizations from the Human Golden Age.
Staying away from the Emperor's light and trading with xenos.
This group served as a catalyst for the Imperial economy and also provided vast amounts of tax revenue to support the enormous legions and bureaucracy.
Without the help of this group, Guilliman estimated he would have to raise funds himself.
After all, his Ultramarines didn't have time to make money.
Just dealing with xenos and Chaos already consumed all of their energy.
In the grand hall, Ziller and many governors and rogue traders, dressed in splendid attire, expressed their loyalty to Guilliman.
Guilliman, sitting at the head of the round table, showed no excitement at their words.
He tapped the table in front of him before slowly speaking.
"I need a council; this council will help my policies be implemented and my will be carried out. I wonder who among you is willing to serve me."
Guilliman looked at the people before him, just as he had said.
He needed a council to help him formulate policies and spread his will and beliefs.
This time, when he went on crusade and reclaimed every world, all worlds must be reformed according to his wishes.
Not left to their own devices.
This action would incur the hatred of many opposing forces within the Imperium.
The Terra Council, the Adeptus Mechanicus, nobles and merchants from various sectors, and so on, would all hate him for touching their interests.
But Guilliman had no choice; in this era where the Four Gods had recovered and the Emperor was still sleeping,
It was absolutely impossible to let each planet continue as before.
The public order of many worlds was extremely chaotic, with rampant gangs, a large number of the lower class being used as expendable resources, and the powerful acting tyrannically, even abandoning their posts and fleeing at critical moments.
The average lifespan on some worlds was as low as thirty years!!
Think about it, what a terrible situation this was.
There were too many such situations; living in such a world, with such injustice and cruelty, why wouldn't people accept the power of Chaos??
They had already reached the bottom of the abyss; even if Chaos was worse, how much worse could it be??
He must control and reform every world, establishing a relatively equal system where everyone had a chance to advance, only then could he have no worries.
Only then could the worlds that were rescued continuously provide him with talent and soldiers, thereby saving the Human Imperium.
Ziller and the others couldn't help but look at each other; these words were already somewhat over the line.
Was this gene-primarch going to follow in the footsteps of his brother and rebel against the Emperor's rule?
They didn't know if the other party was being truthful or if it was a fishing attempt to test them.
Guilliman saw their hesitation, "This is not an act of betrayal. Although I have just awakened, I have already seen through the entire Imperium. Ignorance and foolishness have filled every corner of the Imperium; the former glory and rationality are gone.
If we just patch things up, it can certainly extend the life of the Imperium, but it will deviate further from my father's dream.
Necessary reforms can strengthen our power, and only in this way can we fight against Chaos and the rampant xenos."
After speaking, Guilliman looked at the governors and rogue traders and asked in a deep voice, "Are you willing to serve me? You can make a decision that follows your heart, and I will never harm you because of this matter, but I still have something to tell you.
The power of Chaos is already incredibly strong, and on our side, the Imperium is torn apart by the Great Rift; nearly half of human territory has lost the protection and guidance of the Imperial Astronomican and has been ravaged by xenos and daemons.
The Terra Council is so bloated and corrupt, and the Adeptus Mechanicus is so insular and rigid; you have all seen it with your own eyes.
If we do not make changes, the Emperor's dream will be shattered in our hands, and even humanity will face extinction because of us.
As the Lord Regent of the Imperium, Lord of Ultramar, and Primarch of the Ultramarines Legion, I sincerely hope that you can aid me."
As soon as Guilliman's words were spoken, the many planetary governors and rogue traders looked at each other.