Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 374

Chapter 373: The state religion also needs to be controlled by the alliance

of the alliance. The reform of Koroja continues to advance.

Although there are many difficulties, Gu Hang actually did not have any particular worries from the beginning.

Guns, money bags, and pens, holding these three things, things will not be difficult.

Guns are what Gu Hang has always valued the most, which goes without saying. Not to mention his own direct troops, the Dragon Eagle Legion controlled by Lieutenant General Hans seems to be obedient at present; there should be no problem with the local defense army of over 100 million in hand.

So far, the “guns” have been stabilized.

There is no need to mention the purse. Koroja is as poor as a ghost. The economic assistance, industrial reform, and imperial tax reduction of the alliance are all in Gu Hang’s hands. There is also military guarantee, and the purse is also stable.

With these, the reform is only difficult to promote, and the probability of failure is not high.

The last item, the role of the “pen” cannot be ignored.

This is public opinion, the right to speak, and ideology… You can call it anything, but in the end, it is the people’s heart.

In fact, it is very important, in a sense, more important than the previous two.

It is not enough to just have guns and money without the support of the people. Society will operate in a high-consumption mode, which cannot become the norm.

But fortunately, the ruling system of the alliance has always had a good grasp of the people’s hearts.

The development of productivity and the improvement of living standards will directly gain the most basic people’s hearts; the propaganda and mobilization departments of the alliance are also doing their work. The most important thing is to bind these good changes in the former to the alliance and Governor Gu, and naturally be able to win the hearts of the people.

But this alone is not enough.

Especially the place of Korojia.

In the past, a point that Gu Hang had never had time to care about has become increasingly important recently.

That is the state religion.

The state religion is a force in the empire that is easily overlooked, but in fact should never be ignored.

They have some dark history, and under the strict laws of the Empire, their power has been greatly weakened. They can’t even have an armed force. They can only set up a rather weird Battle Sisters, not to mention that one-third of the Battle Sisters obey the Inquisition, and another one-third obey the Empire directly. Although the remaining one-third obey the State Church, half of them are still very independent.

However, they still cannot be underestimated.

The most important point is their influence on people’s hearts.

The entire human empire believes in the Emperor. From peddlers to fearless heroes, from the poor people at the bottom to the upper dignitaries, from psychic scholars to the minions of the Inquisition, who doesn’t say “Emperor bless”?

Even the group of crazy people in the Mechanicus who dare not change their brains and want to replace everything else with mechanical parts, shouting “God of All Machines”, they also admit that it is the incarnation of the Emperor.

The influence of the Emperor is everywhere.

And Koroja is the core area of the State Church in the recent star regions. The reason is nothing else, that is, there are many people here, and the state religion needs to expand its influence here, so a few hundred years ago, a diocese was established, a cathedral was set up, and even a combat nun called the Holy Mercy Lily was sent to stay here.

Although the scale of the Holy Mercy Lily is small, it is also a serious nun.

In Korojia, the pastors of the state religion really go to the lowest level. Some of them, ascetics, dressed in the simplest and tattered cloth, go to the lower-level areas to treat illnesses and save people, distribute food, and act as arbitrators to resolve disputes… Of course, these things are secondary, and the most important thing is to preach and appease people’s hearts.

In Gu Hang’s observation, many of these members of the state religion, especially the upper class, are also very extravagant, which conforms to Gu Hang’s stereotype of corrupt religious forces. But objectively speaking, what they have done in Korojia over the long years has played a role in stabilizing society, and has also been widely recognized by the people.

But Gu Hang has always been less interested in religion, and even has a faint feeling of rejection. Moreover, in the highly centralized political system of the Alliance, there was no place for the state religion from the beginning.

This is not the case in Koroja.

If the state religion is not handled well, the reform policies implemented by the Alliance in Koroja will not be easy to implement, but will at least be ineffective.

After several rounds of internal discussions, Gu Hang and his officials had a plan.

However, before meeting with Zhao Qinghong, the bishop of Koroja, Gu Hang met another person first.

Under the introduction of his old acquaintance, Sister Gorette, Gu Hang personally visited the leader of the Holy Mercy Lily, the head nun, Ms. Medici.

This was their second meeting.

Ms. Medici looked very old. According to her own words, she was already 128 years old this year and had never undergone any life extension surgery.

This is rare, and has almost reached the theoretical limit of human life span.

Gu Hang believes that this may really be the blessing of the emperor. After all, he had seen that when Grit was fighting, illusory golden wings stretched out from behind her, and she killed the enemy as easily as cutting melons and vegetables, no worse than the next-door chapter leader Martins.

Medici was once a member of the Blood Rose Order and a combat hero with outstanding achievements. Later, due to some differences in ideas, she no longer agreed with the Blood Rose’s overly intense and cruel ideas. She and some like-minded people established the Blood Rose’s lower order, and then became independent, which is now the Holy Mercy Lily.

Anyway, now Gu Hang can’t tell what the kind-looking old lady in front of him has to do with the Blood Rose, the executioner of the Inquisition that countless people are afraid of.

“Sister Medici, I’m glad to see you’re in good health.”

“Thank you, Governor Gu.” The old lady said with a smile, “But let’s stop with the pleasantries. Just tell me why you came to me. If it’s about the state religion, then there’s no need. You should go to Bishop Zhao for all matters concerning the state religion. We, the Holy Lily, only do what we should do and never interfere in other matters.”

Hearing this, Gu Hang felt relieved.

Although Medici seemed to see that his governor cared about the influence of the state religion, so she pretended to say something ugly in advance, but in fact, this was exactly what Gu Hang wanted.

“If that’s the case, it would be great. I have always admired the philosophy of the Holy Mercy Lily, to do what should be done and to do the right thing. The warriors of the Sisters are not afraid of sacrifice. They have helped me a lot on the Angry Owl Star and have made outstanding contributions on the battlefield of Korojia. I also know that when there is no war, the nuns of the Holy Mercy Lily who are not in the combat sequence will go down to the bottom nest to preach. In the future, I still hope that the Holy Mercy Lily will play a corresponding role, which will be of great help to the recovery of Korojia.”

“We will.” Medixi responded.

But in fact, she was a little unsure of what the Governor meant.

Did they come to visit in person just to say this?

Then they would do so without the Governor telling them.

They have been doing this for thirty years.

And Gu Hang was still talking.

He said: “I will give the Sisters all the necessary help. Your development in Koroja and even in the entire Alliance will be strongly supported by the Alliance government. We will provide all the necessary conditions to help the missionaries of the Sisters; the Sisters can further expand their scale, and you can recruit everyone you want to recruit; you can open a class for nuns in our academy;”

“If your Sisters have the need for customized power armor, I can find a way to provide it for you. You have also seen my soldiers. The performance of the ‘Servant of God’ series of power armor is more suitable for nuns than the ‘Universal’ series commonly used by Holy Mercy Lily. If the Sisters lack funds and corresponding support, the Alliance can even provide it in the form of donations…”

“Wait a minute… wait a minute, Mr. Governor.” Medixi hurriedly stopped.

Although Governor Gu claimed a series of help, why did she sound so scared?

At her age, she no longer believed that there was a free lunch in this world. Of course,

if you take these things, you have to pay the corresponding price.

“I’m old, Mr. Governor.” Medixi said, “It’s hard for me to think about the twists and turns behind many things. Let’s be more direct. Frankly speaking, the things you provide are indeed what the Sisters need and care about the most. What do you want the Holy Lily to do?”

Gu Hang smiled and said, “It’s very simple. You just need to do what the Sisters did in the past. Help the sick and weak, punish evil and spread the gospel. Isn’t this the purpose of the Holy Lily?”

“Is that it?”

“That’s it.” Gu Hang’s smile became brighter, “‘Just’ do these, and there is no need to intervene in other things that the Sisters shouldn’t do. What do you think?”

Medixi understood.

She couldn’t help asking, “Are you going to attack Bishop Zhao?”

“Of course not.” Gu Hang said, “I am an extremely loyal governor of the Empire. How could I be an enemy of the state religion? I have always respected the role of the state religion in planetary construction. However, the state religion should play its role under the system of the alliance, so that we can work together better. What do you think?”

Medixi sighed, “If it goes too far, it won’t work.”

Gu Hang knew that the matter was settled.

She said “no”, but it was obviously a tacit attitude.

As long as it is not too much, isn’t it okay?

Gu Hang smiled and stood up: “Don’t worry. I sincerely hope that the Sisters will develop better and better in the future. After all, this cruel universe needs the light of the Holy Mercy Lily very much.”

…

As the saying goes, you should be grateful to those who have eaten your food, and you

should be grateful to those who have received your gifts. This is the case with the Holy Mercy Lily. After Gu Hang promised to provide various support and even various donations in the future, they probably tacitly agreed to what the alliance was going to do next.

And not only that.

After the Holy Mercy Lily accepted various assistance from the alliance, how could it stay out of many things?

One hundred sets of ‘Attendants of God’ in the Alliance’s inventory were quickly transported over, and they were painted in the white and green style of the Holy Mercy Lily when they were shipped out of the warehouse.

In addition, the promised nun class and the promised missionary protection were all in place.

What’s wrong with this?

Wearing my ‘Attendants of God’, shouldn’t you work for me?

The nuns who went down to preach were soon pulled together by the officials of the Alliance to work in various production teams, engineering groups, and factories. Preaching and spiritual comfort are of course there, and by the way, it is only natural to check on work injuries and boost the morale of the workers, right?

The nuns are working, and the combat nuns, as sisters who hold the power, can’t just watch, right?

With dozens of combat nuns stationed in a block, can a considerable part of the Alliance’s military control forces be withdrawn?

As Gu Hang said, he didn’t need the Holy Mercy Lily to do anything extra. As long as they do their job well, it would be a great help.

And the Holy Mercy Lily is the most important force controlled by the Korojia State Church. Not only the force, the Sisters have always played a great role in soothing people in Korojia, especially in Mingyan City.

And when they are not in trouble, Gu Hang will not have such a big scruple when he takes action against the state religion.

A series of decrees were promulgated.

Gu Hang certainly does not want to abolish the state religion, but the state religion under the alliance system should act under the management of the alliance.

They no longer have economic privileges, and cannot interfere with production; they

cannot force, semi-force, or induce donations;

non-public missionary work is prohibited, and secret gatherings are not allowed;

corrupt elements should be eliminated;

the alliance does not interfere with the funds and resources allocated by the superior state religion, but the use needs to be reported to the alliance for the purpose…

This series of measures almost stepped on the tail of the state religion. Zhao Qinghong was so anxious that he jumped and hurried to find Gu Hang.

He has no cards to play.

Even if he wants to confront, how can he do it? Without military power and finance, even if he wants to arouse people’s hearts, there are still Holy Lilies over there to help the alliance to stabilize people’s hearts, and the effect is greatly reduced.

Gu Hang’s attitude towards Zhao Qinghong was still very good, but the regulations mentioned above were iron laws, and Gu Hang was not going to compromise.

But he also relaxed some places. For example, in terms of missionary work, Gu Hang was willing to provide strong support to the state religion. Faith in the emperor can significantly inhibit the corruption of cults.

At the same time, the alliance is also willing to give a special religious grant.

Gu Hang essentially had one request: money can be given to you, support can also be given, but you just do your job honestly and contribute to the development of Korojia. As for economic privileges, which are abnormal means of making money, and holding religious gatherings to interfere in politics, they are not allowed.

Zhao Qinghong compromised on this.

Even the last one, “the funding from the superiors of the state religion also needs to be supervised by the alliance”, he accepted it.

In many worlds where the state religion is weak, local governments often have such requirements, which are not excessive. If

you don’t want to make trouble, then what funds are not good to talk to the government about?

————

I saw that there is an alliance leader!

Thank you!

Thanks to the support of the big brother [Axe of the Mountain Opener]!

Wait… Didn’t I say that the leader would have 10 chapters to go?

Ahem… I really don’t have any drafts left now, you can tell by the update time…

The promise will not change! I will fulfill it!

But let me owe it first…

10 chapters = 20,000 words, I will try my best to make up for it in one month!

(End of this chapter)