Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 1

Chapter 1, My Declaration

“In this world, just living is already difficult.”

“We live in a mine that was abandoned before the war, using the most rudimentary tools, or even with our bare hands, to dig for minerals, and exchange them for scraps from other survivors’ camps. We have never hurt anyone, we just want to survive, but even so, there are people who look at us with greed.”

The dark and thin man who knelt in front of Gu Hang and told him about his suffering was named Patel. He was not tall or strong, and his skin was rough under his dirty and thin clothes. From the outside, he was indeed as he said, a man who made a living in an abandoned mine.

Patel continued, “Eight days ago, a group of wasteland bandits calling themselves ‘Prisoners of the Dead’ killed seventeen of us and kidnapped forty-two. God-Emperor, the youngest among them was only four years old! They asked us to pay a ransom, and we did. But they went even further, not only did they not release us, they also asked us to pay more.”

“I went to Renaissance City, found officials from the Alliance, and asked them for help. They sent a warning to the ‘Prisoners of the Dead’, scolding them not to mess around…”

“Haha, warning… The day before yesterday, those bandits cut the throats of two children at our doorstep, and tore the piece of waste paper into pieces with blood. They declared that we must pay twice the ransom within three days, otherwise they would attack our mines, kill everyone, and take everything we have.”

“We are in a desperate situation. Some people want to escape, while others say that they will fight with guns and cannons even with hoes and fists. But I know that we are not without a way out. Now the world has a new governor. I must come to you for help, Your Excellency the Governor, I beg for your help, beg you to save us.”

Patel lowered his head with a sincere attitude. From his perspective, he could only see Gu Hang’s boots. They were a pair of soft leather boots, with a satin-like ribbon and a golden lock, which looked elegant and complicated.

I don’t know how long it would take more than 900 people in Feidong Society to work hard without food or drink to get these boots.

The boots moved in front of him. Gu Hang crossed his legs and asked him in a more comfortable posture:

“Why didn’t you come to me before you went to the Alliance?”

Patel was stunned for a moment, and could only think of a reason. He stammered, “We are a member of the Alliance, and the Alliance should be in charge of this matter…”

Gu Hang shook his head and said, “You think you are a member of the Alliance, and the Alliance will protect you, and I am just an airborne governor. Maybe I can’t sit in this position for two years, just like the previous governors, who were executed for failing to pay taxes to the empire. You think I am insignificant in your heart, until the Alliance doesn’t care about your affairs anymore, and you have no choice but to come to me.”

“I absolutely don’t have such an idea!” Patel denied in panic. He gritted his teeth and made a great resolution: “If you can save us, we are willing to give everything! Two years later, we will pay the imperial tax at a higher level!”

Gu Hang became even more disappointed: “Let me put it this way, Patel, you know very well that I came to this planet a month ago, and my camp is here, not far from you. But you never visited me until something happened. You knelt in front of me and said, ‘Governor, please save us’, but you didn’t regard me as a real governor from the bottom of your heart. You didn’t even want to believe my declaration on the first day I came here.”

“I said I would rebuild the entire wasteland world, so that everyone who submits to me can live a good life. But you don’t believe it. Many of you never believe it, and you only regard me as an annoying tax collector. You use taxes to exchange for me saving your people, so how do you want to pay taxes? According to the imperial tax standards, all of you in the Wasteland Society can’t afford it even if you work yourself to death in the mines.”

Patel’s somewhat dark and capable face looked extremely nervous: “Governor, I believe you, please save us.”

As he said that, he was about to knock his head heavily on the ground.

But he was stopped by Gu Hang.

A pair of hands grabbed his shoulders and lifted him up without resistance.

Gu Hang put his arm around Patel’s shoulders, not at all bothered by the oil and dust on his body:

“No need to kowtow, no need to kneel. I will definitely help those of you who work diligently. Those unproductive plunderers are our common enemies. But they are just small problems, rebuilding the world is the big deal. This is not an empty talk, since you beg me, then I will save you completely, not just to eliminate the ‘prisoners of the dead’, I will also help you build your territory and have enough food and clothing. Now, I ask you, do you believe me?” Patel

‘s tears fell, and he didn’t know how much of it was because of being moved, how much because of being saved, and how much because of acting: “I believe it! I believe it completely! From now on, Feidong Society will fight for your ideals!”

“This should be our common ideal.”

Gu Hang patted Patel on the shoulder: “You go and have a rest. It won’t be long before I personally lead my troops to rescue your compatriots.”

“God Emperor, my compatriots and I are extremely grateful for your help!”

After watching Patel leave the barracks with a guard thanking him profusely, Gu Hang turned his gaze to the man in military uniform standing upright behind him: “Captain Yan, your eyes tell me that you are a little confused.”

Yan Fangxu saluted him, then said hesitantly: “Do we… really want to help Feidong Society? On this wasteland planet, similar things happen almost every day, and we can’t handle it.”

Gu Hang said regretfully: “It seems that Captain Yan doesn’t believe my declaration either.”

“I dare not.” Yan Fangxu said this, but he was indeed hesitant: “But… Excuse me, Governor, you only have two years. Within two years, we must at least pay the “imperial tax” of the entire Angry Owl Star according to the minimum standard, otherwise…”

Gu Hang continued his words: “Otherwise I will be dismissed and executed, of course I know. But, Captain Yan, we have been on this planet for a month, and you have seen what it looks like. This is a place that has experienced a doomsday disaster. Most of the land is not suitable for survival. The waste energy storm is still raging. There are mutated alien monsters and plunderers who can’t survive and can only become bandits everywhere. The remaining survivors are hiding in various settlements and struggling to survive.”

“It is already very difficult for them to live. They simply cannot afford such high taxes. Collecting taxes is tantamount to taking their lives. The contradiction between imperial taxation and planetary development is the main contradiction of Angry Owl Star. In the past, the governors were all in charge of taxation. The imperial taxation every two years was like a death warrant, and in the end, it took their lives. But I am different. I want to change my mindset. Development is the hard truth. If Angry Owl Star is built more prosperous, taxation is just a small burden, and we will succeed.”

Yan Fangxu sighed: “You are right, development is the right way. However, development takes time, and what we lack most is time. Your first term is only two years, and you need to pay at least a quarter of the imperial standard tax, but Angry Owl Star has always been able to pay only one-eighth, and there is still a difference of half. In two years, if you want to double the output value of the planet, this…”

“That depends on my ability.” Gu Hang smiled, “Coincidentally, I have some confidence in this aspect.”

As he was speaking, an illusory message that only he could see popped up in front of him:

[The 1st Mecha Servant Light Infantry Battalion (300 people), training completed, unit level upgraded to T5. ]

[Limited by equipment level and personnel quality, this unit can no longer continue training and upgrading. ]

Gu Hang’s smile got bigger. He patted Yan Fangxu’s shoulder, who was still worried, and said, “Gather our troops. We should go and seek justice for our neighbors.”

————

New book is here!

ps: It’s not a hammer, at least not completely.

(End of this chapter)