Starting from the Planetary Governor

Upon hearing Gu Hang say that he would at least deploy some troops and take some actions no matter what, Galaraldo had basically no objections left.

Preserving strength and showing attitude, what's not to like about that?

Even the old timers on Holy Terra, if they want to criticize, they would have to consider what the others are all about.

With all other imperial regional forces in disarray and everywhere being severely rattled, it's rare to find a direction without major incidents; they should be content and not force others into a death trap—Is Galaraldo, the newly appointed head of the Military Affairs Department, incapable of wielding a sword?

Even now, his thinking was beginning to shift:

"We should probably pay attention to risk management, right? What if we lose..."

"Don't worry," Gu Hang said, "On one hand, I won't be reckless; on the other hand, the troops heading north won't be our main force. For now, my forces can't reach the Spiderweb Domain yet. The primary target is the Menghe Star Domain in the north, where we will stop the influence of Tie Nu Shi from spreading in the Menghe Star Domain and completely eliminate their influence to avoid what has happened in the Spiderweb Domain."

"Next, we will strive to fortify the Copper Bottle Star Region, which is the northeastern gateway of the Eastern Cosmos Domain. Under the current circumstances, our initial focus will be on defense, cutting off the southward advance of the Iron Armor Battle Group—this too represents a significant accomplishment."

"I believe the various powers of the Empire will understand. On every other front, the Empire is in retreat, only we have held the southern part of the Spiderweb Domain, yet now we are the ones blamed, which is unreasonable."

"If everything goes smoothly, our vanguard forces will attempt to scout into the Spiderweb Domain, starting from its southeastern corner, to launch some attacks on the actual control area of Tie Nu Shi."

At this point, Gu Hang felt the time was ripe.

He said, "I also need your help here."

Galador quickly responded, "You say, whatever help I can provide, definitely!"

"I wouldn't be polite with you," Gu Hang said with a laugh, then his tone became serious again, "Frankly, the performance of the Spiderweb Domain in this catastrophe has been too terrible. Overall, with Melandri's fleet and the accompanying Star Realm Army, as well as multiple Battle Groups collaborating with the Tribunal and Battle Nuns, along with a vast number of Native Defense Forces and thousands of worlds as support, it shouldn't have ended up like this."

"The problem lies in the fact that this force is issuing orders from different quarters, each faction is very independent. When facing the strong force led by the Iron Armor Battle Group, which now already has six Battle Groups combined, the fragmented forces cannot be united; it is inevitable that they will be defeated one by one, eliminated one by one."

"Moreover, I don't trust any of the other Imperial generals at all; I will not entrust the precious power of the Alliance to others for command—that's out of the question."

Galaraldo's voice came through, "I understand, and placing a Supreme Commander above you wouldn't be conducive to establishing your position."

Hmm, it wouldn't be convenient for claiming credit afterwards either.

"I will endeavor to obtain a position for you as the Supreme Commander in the Southern War Zone. Although there isn't such a war zone yet, once you engage the Iron Armor Battle Group in the southeast of the Spiderweb Domain, I will fully promote the establishment of this war zone, and you will be the top responsible person here."

This was exactly what Gu Hang wanted.

But it still wasn't enough.

Gu Hang said, "Galaraldo, my brother, just being a Supreme Commander is not enough. Take for example what has happened over the past year, isn't there unified command among those forces gathered in the Spiderweb Domain? It's not the case, for instance on Tianyuan VI, it was the Grand Judge of the Heretic Tribunal who was in charge. But this kind of leadership is too weak, more like a coordinating alliance, at most a general commander in battle, barely able to mobilize the forces of each side..."

Galaraldo seemed puzzled and asked, "Isn't that enough?"

"Not enough," Gu Hang said, "Absolutely not enough. How can such a situation ensure that my commands as the overall responsible person and Supreme Commander of a war zone are fully implemented? An organization whose decisions need to be discussed and agreed upon by everyone, where a commander's orders can be discounted and even rejected, cannot fight a war effectively. What I need is to truly integrate all forces, twisted into a single rope. Every troop, regardless of its origin or identity, must resolutely carry out my orders once received."

"This requires that, in addition to having the nominal title of a Supreme Commander, I also need stronger measures. Any troops allotted under my command, I demand absolute control over them. Not only must they obey my military orders, but I also need the personnel authority to appoint officers in these troops; I also need the power to discipline, and even execute anyone in these troops."

Upon hearing this, Galaraldo found it a bit tricky.

"This..."

Gu Hang was not finished yet.

"It's not just the military, you know that the military is only part of the war. Under such large-scale total war, we must fully rally all forces, implementing a grand strategy. This requires that if a Southern War Zone is established, then at least the entire Eastern Cosmos Domain should be fully prepared for this war. These preparations involve everything from start to finish. The entire domain's resources should be available for my use, and I should also have direct control over the administrative power within the domain."

Having reached this point, Gu Hang was almost laying all his cards on the table.

"This..."

Galaraldo continued to hesitate.

The command of the military forces, he could manage.

But the matters that followed, those were a bit beyond reach. When it comes to appointing and disciplining military personnel, for instance, if Gu Hang were to demote or even execute a general of the Star Realm Army, technically as a Supreme Commander, that wouldn't be acceptable.

The Military Affairs Department couldn't grant Gu Hang that power either. That power resides within the Star Realm Army or naval system.

Not to mention possibly reallocating other forces, like a troop from the Tribunal; the Military Affairs Department granting Gu Hang the authority to demote or execute a Judge, what about the Starfighter Battle Group?

Impossible, the Military Affairs Department doesn't have that authority!

And when it comes to the matter of local governments later, that's even more so the case—it's the job of the Administrative Department.

Gu Hang, puzzled, asked, "Isn't it supposed to be like this? Hasn't there been such a precedent within the Empire?"