Chapter 79:, The Situation is Set
The overall situation had been decided.
Gu Hang also breathed a sigh of relief.
He had reason to be happy, his prepared ultimate measure had not been used.
His actions today involved some risk, but not a large one. Under the dual protection of the star warriors and the battle nuns, and being a rather powerful spiritual energy practitioner himself, he was not too likely to run into trouble. Moreover, his authority as the governor acted as a deterrent, rendering the Alliance soldiers indecisive, fearing to damage valuable equipment, and unable to commit fully to battle—adding another layer of protection.
It was with these advantages that he dared to come and behead Mondok, and subsequently subdue the entire army.
And the greatest risk was simply the failure of the operation.
At this moment, the goals he had set had been achieved.
Of course, he had also considered the possibility that this venture could spiral into complete chaos.
In that case, he might have to face being trapped in the midst of an army ten thousand strong with only nineteen people. But on one hand, he was confident that in such a scenario, he still could manage a full-force breakout; on the other hand, he had the ultimate measure to completely resolve the problem.
In space orbit, the Quintet was already on full combat readiness, the starship’s Colossal Cannon ready to rain orbital strikes down on the ground at a moment’s notice.
If the situation completely spiraled out of control, Gu Hang would leave a mark and break out with all his might. The team led by Yan Fangxu would also provide cover outside and build defensive lines to blockade the Alliance Legion outside Revival City.
After he had broken out, the starship’s cannons would commence orbital bombardment, striking the Alliance Legion stationed in the outskirts of the city with relatively precise, smaller-scale attacks.
An orbital strike wasn’t completely unbeatable; if those under bombardment had dug deep enough air-raid shelters and tunnels, complemented with strong bunkers specifically designed to withstand orbital strikes, then the destructive power of the bombardment could be greatly reduced, minimizing damage.
But clearly, the Alliance Legion had not prepared for this, and hastily digging in was impossible.
Once the orbital bombardment had ended, Gu Hang could then lead his forces to sweep the battlefield and achieve the goal of destroying the Alliance Legion just the same.
But that was a last resort, a final measure.
Orbital bombardment couldn’t be completely precise, and it was inevitable that some of the shells might fall on Revival City’s inner city, or non-combat areas of the outer city, causing severe collateral damage; the fear of orbital bombardment would spread through Revival City. This panic could potentially assist Gu Hang in his subsequent actions, but it might also intensify the resistance of the city’s residents.
If it came to that, the troubles ahead would be numerous.
But if it did reach that extent, Gu Hang would not be merciful. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made such contingency plans.
But of course, it was better not to resort to such measures if possible.
The current outcome was much better than paving the way with orbital cannon fire.
The Alliance Legion was now his.
These ten thousand fully armed legionnaires, to completely control and turn them into reliable subordinates, that would certainly not be enough. Even just disarming them and taking them into custody had already taken quite an effort. After executing Mondok, disarming and settling these soldiers had taken up almost an entire day.
Mainly because among these soldiers, although most had accepted their fate, there was still a small minority who refused to surrender their weapons, resulting in conflicts with the infantry brigade led by Yan Fangxu, with incidents of bloodshed occurring.
At the same time, a considerable number, while they didn’t dare openly resist, took the opportunity to flee with their weapons.
Gu Hang’s direct troops, totaling just about fifteen hundred soldiers from five battalions, were somewhat stretched thin. Although they did their best to prevent such events, a significant number of Alliance soldiers still managed to escape with weapons.
These fellows would likely become troublesome in the future. If they hid in the slums of the outer city, they could become future security risks; if they fled outside the city, they might become bandits.
Troublesome as it was, this was just a minor irritation, not a major issue.
Excluding those who died and those who fled, about seven thousand soldiers ended up being taken into custody.
Next, Gu Hang did not rush into the city.
The situation in the city, the problem with Hodgson, were no longer the main issues. After the army had been disarmed, the city had become prey easily seized, unable to move, just waiting for Gu Hang to harvest it.
Actually, what Gu Hang was facing now was far from the full military potential of Revival City. This operation couldn’t even be considered a ‘war’.
If Gu Hang were to name it himself, it should be called a ‘special military operation’.
Gu Hang’s keen judgment had discerned that although Hodgson’s disappearance meant that the Alliance authorities had declared war on him, in this ‘war’, his enemies were not the entirety of Revival City.
On the contrary, that city should be his; the people in it and the army defending it should not be his enemies, but rather his subjects.
Clearly understanding who the real enemy was, and who should be persuaded to join him, was the core reason why Gu Hang was able to achieve such significant results at such a small cost. It was only by understanding this that he could achieve maximum effect with minimal effort and avoid foolishly treating the entire city as the enemy, which would have resulted in a pyrrhic victory.
With the question of strategy resolved, what remained was how to execute it.
With star warriors, battle nuns, starship Colossal Cannons, and his governor’s status… the means to solve the problems were not a big issue.
After dealing with the Alliance Army, Gu Hang sent people to split his forces in five directions.
Four infantry battalions, each took charge and closed off one of the four gates to the inner city. Those in the inner city who had protected themselves behind high walls now found, to their astonishment, that the walls had become their prisons, and the four exits were no longer passable.
Thus, the elites of the inner city, and the one hundred thousand residents living there, were locked inside, isolated from the eight or nine hundred thousand people outside.
Another battalion was guarding the seven thousand disarmed, captured Alliance soldiers.
Gu Hang was there as well.
These seven thousand were critical.
Gu Hang didn’t delude himself into thinking he could turn them into his subordinates immediately, but in the future, they would become an important component of Gu Hang’s military force.
He could not afford to ignore these seven thousand.
Even though he had the system’s training capabilities, good sources of troops were still important.
But before he could incorporate this army, Gu Hang still had a lot of work to do.