Chapter 1, My Proclamation
"In this world, just survival is already incredibly difficult."
"We live in mine pits abandoned even before the war, digging up minerals with the simplest tools, even bare hands, to trade for scraps of food from other survivor camps. We haven't harmed anyone; we just want to live, but even so, some people still set greedy eyes on us."
The thin, dark man kneeling before Gu Hang and recounting his suffering is named Patel. He is neither tall nor robust; beneath his dirty, thin clothing is rough skin. Judging by his appearance, he is indeed, as he claims, a man digging for a living in an abandoned mine.
Patel continued: "Eight days ago, a group of wasteland bandits calling themselves the 'Doomed Captives' killed seventeen of our people and kidnapped forty-two. By the Divine Emperor, the youngest among them is only four years old! They demanded a ransom, and we paid it, but they became greedy, not only refusing to release anyone but demanding more."
"I went to Revival City and found officials from the Alliance, begging for their aid. They sent someone to issue a paper warning to the 'Doomed Captives,' telling them not to cause trouble..."
"Heh, a warning... The day before yesterday, those bandits slit the throats of two children right outside our home and tore that useless paper to shreds with the blood. They declared that we must produce double the ransom within three days, or they would attack our mine pits, kill everyone, and take everything we own."
"We are desperate. Some people say we should flee; others say we must fight those bandits with guns and cannons, even if we only have hoes and fists. But I know we are not out of options. Now there is a new Governor in this world. I had to come to you for help, Your Excellency the Governor. I beg for your assistance; I pray you save us."
Patel bowed his head, his attitude sincere. From his perspective, he could only see Gu Hang's boots. They were soft leather boots, with silk-like ribbons connected to golden clasps, appearing elegant and elaborate.
These boots, he thought, must cost the nine hundred-plus people of the Waste Pit Society a great deal of time working themselves to death without food or rest.
The boots moved in front of him. Gu Hang crossed his legs, asking him a question in a more comfortable posture:
"Before you sought the Alliance, why didn't you come to me first?"
Patel was stunned for a moment and could only mumble a reason: "We are members of the Alliance. The Alliance is logically supposed to manage this matter..."
Gu Hang shook his head and said: "You thought you were a member of the Alliance, and the Alliance would protect you. You thought I was just an air-dropped Governor who might not last two years in this position, and like the Governors before me, would be executed for failing to pay the Imperial Tax. In your heart, you considered me irrelevant until the Alliance also abandoned your cause, leaving you with no choice but to come to me."
"I absolutely did not think that way!" Patel denied, terrified. He clenched his back teeth, making a monumental decision: "If you can save us, we are willing to pay anything! For the Imperial Tax two years from now, we will pay at a higher standard!"
Gu Hang sounded more disappointed: "Let me put it this way, Patel. You knew that I arrived on this planet a month ago, and my camp is right here, not far from you. Yet you never paid me a visit until trouble struck. Now you kneel before me and say, 'Your Excellency the Governor, please save us,' but deep down, you don't regard me as the true Governor. You weren't even willing to believe the proclamation I made on my first day here."
"I said I want to rebuild this entire wasteland world and allow everyone who submits to me to live a good life. But you didn't believe it. Many of you never believed it, seeing me only as a bothersome tax collector. You offer to pay tax in exchange for me saving your people. How exactly do you plan to pay? Based on the Imperial Tax standards, all the people in the Waste Pit Society could work themselves to death in the mines and still not afford it."
Patel's somewhat dark, yet capable face looked incredibly tense: "Your Excellency the Governor, I believe your words. Please save us."
Saying this, he was about to heavily knock his head on the ground.
But Gu Hang stopped him.
A pair of hands gripped his shoulders, lifting him up to his feet with an irresistible force.
Gu Hang wrapped an arm around Patel's shoulder, not showing any aversion to the oil and dust on him:
"No need to kowtow, no need to kneel. I will definitely help people like you, who work diligently and honestly. Those predators who do not produce anything are our common enemies. But they are a small problem; rebuilding the world is the big one. This is not empty talk. Since you seek my help, I will save you completely—not just eliminating those 'Doomed Captives.' I will also help you develop your territory and ensure you have abundant food and clothing. Now, I ask you, do you believe me?"
Tears streamed down Patel's face. It was unclear how much was genuine emotion, how much was relief, and how much was an act: "I believe! I completely believe! From this day forward, the Waste Pit Society will strive for your ideals!"
"These should be our common ideals."
Gu Hang patted Patel's shoulder: "Go and rest for a while. It won't be long before I personally lead my troops to rescue your compatriots."
"By the Divine Emperor, my compatriots and I thank you immensely for your help!"
Watching Patel follow a guard out of the barracks while profusely thanking him, Gu Hang turned his gaze to the man in the stiffly standing military uniform behind him: "Captain Yan, your eyes tell me you have some doubts."
Yan Fangxu saluted him, then hesitantly spoke: "Do we... really have to help the Waste Pit Society? Similar incidents happen almost every day on this wasteland planet; we can't manage them all."
Gu Hang lamented: "It seems, Captain Yan, you also don't believe my proclamation."
"I dare not," Yan Fangxu said, but his heart was indeed full of doubt: "But... with all due respect, Your Excellency the Governor, you only have two years. Within two years, we must pay at least the minimum standard of the Imperial Tax for the entire Wrath Owl Star. Otherwise..."
Gu Hang finished his thought: "Otherwise, I'll be removed from office and executed. I know that, of course. But, Captain Yan, we've been on this planet for a month, and you've seen what it looks like. This is a place that endured an apocalypse. Most of the land is uninhabitable, wasteland storms still rage, and the place is filled with mutated alien monsters and predators who have nothing to lose and turn to banditry. The remaining survivors hide in various settlements, struggling for survival."
"It's already extremely difficult for them to live; they simply cannot afford such a high tax. Collecting that tax is effectively taking their lives. The conflict between the Imperial Tax and planetary development is the primary contradiction on Wrath Owl Star. Past Governors focused only on taxation; the biennial Imperial Tax was like a death warrant that ultimately claimed their lives. But I am different. I will change the approach: development is the absolute principle. If Wrath Owl Star is built to be more prosperous, the tax will be a small burden, and we will succeed."
Yan Fangxu sighed: "You are right. Development is the righteous path. But development takes time, and time is precisely what we lack most. Your first term is only two years, and you need to pay at least a quarter of the Imperial standard tax. Wrath Owl Star has historically only managed one-eighth, leaving half the required difference. Doubling the planet's output in two years... this..."
"That will depend on my ability," Gu Hang smiled. "As it happens, I have some confidence in that area."
As he spoke, a translucent message, visible only to him, popped up before his eyes:
1st Servitor Light Infantry Battalion (300 people) Training Complete, Unit Level Increased to T5.
Limited by equipment level and personnel quality, this unit cannot be further trained or upgraded.
Gu Hang's smile widened. He patted the shoulder of the still-worried Yan Fangxu and said, "Gather our troops. It's time to bring justice to our neighbors."
(End of Chapter)