Galaxy Domination Guide

Guo Lingmei turned off the news; the holographic screen retracted into a single point of light.

"They really packed the day with so many events, making sure the whole Empire knows that their Chancellor is back," Guo Lingmei murmured to himself.

"That's necessary. Haven't you seen how jubilant the people have been these days? Some Administrative Stars even declared public holidays, and the most sycophantic Governors are even preparing to make the day of the Chancellor's return a permanent public holiday."

Guo Lingmei jumped in shock, but upon seeing that it was Zang Xingyan sitting on his sofa, he calmed down a bit. These past couple of days had him on edge, almost to the point of paranoia.

"Oh, my Lord Knight, what brings you here without so much as a greeting? Moving around like this, you know it's quite frightful, right?" Guo Lingmei and Zang Xingyan were acquaintances, and Zang Xingyan had even attended Guo Lingmei's classes, forming a teacher-student relationship.

Zang Xingyan smiled faintly and said, "Teacher Guo, you really don't need to be so jittery. Although you, as the Imperial Prime Minister, may not stand out as the most extraordinary throughout history, you are at least conscientious and upright. Even if His Majesty was looking for someone to punish, it wouldn't fall upon you."

Guo Lingmei gave a wry smile and said, "Then I thank you for your kind words."

The sudden downfall of the Xiao family had all the Iridium Star nobility on tenterhooks. Even a Knight of Destiny family, which subtly controlled a large portion of the Empire's power, couldn't turn the tables against the Chancellor, let alone anyone else.

Bai Zhongqi's reform of the structure of the United Empire went beyond the cabinet power, assuming control over the Privy Council, the Administrative Institute, and the Stellar Transmission Academy—seizing both military and intelligence power in one fell swoop. Not to mention, the Chancellor had brought hundreds of planets from another universe and placed them directly in a star region at the heart of the United Empire. These days, he had arranged for the cabinet to take over these planets, and except for Earth, all others were to be reorganized as new Administrative Stars of the United Empire, appointing Governors and establishing Governor's Mansions among numerous other matters.

Zang Xingyan then spoke seriously, "Among the twelve Knights, although some were born within the Empire, Wang Dong and Xu Lanzhou have a shallow understanding of Empire politics, so the Chancellor entrusted me with overseeing and adjusting the reform. The restructure is a major project, which actually has little impact on the cabinet's governance of various planets. The biggest issue lies in the three institutes. Setting aside the Administrative Institute, the adjustments and establishment of the Stellar Transmission Academy and Privy Council are tremendous tasks."

Guo Lingmei asked, "Are you afraid of resistance from those half-immortal types in the Stellar Transmission Academy?"

"His Majesty stripped away the Stellar Transmission Academy's air of superiority, so naturally, quite a few Star Warriors are unhappy. Especially the two Star Warrior masters who are particularly displeased, although they would not show it openly. If His Majesty were not worried that handling it too harshly could lead to instability, the Stellar Transmission Academy would have been the first to be purged, especially since one of their own, Nan Ma, was among the chief culprits of previous treasonous plots, and is still at large."

Listening to all this made Guo Lingmei's bones tremble. The Stellar Transmission Academy had existed for thousands of years and had become a behemoth, and the tens of thousands of Star Warriors of the Empire, accustomed to higher treatment and status, were rebelling at the thought of being turned into scouts. And to think that there were people in the Stellar Transmission Academy involved in treasonous crimes, if indeed there were to be a conflict between the Chancellor and the Stellar Transmission Academy, it would be quite an ugly sight.

"The people behind the Stellar Transmission Academy fail to recognize the situation and are courting their own doom. Aside from me, the remaining eleven Knights, each wielding a Divine Weapon, are masters among Star Warriors. Not to mention Miss Zero and the Chancellor himself, who are of this same caliber. The new cohorts the Chancellor brought back from the Second Universe include thousands of Star Warriors, and with or without the half-immortals from the Stellar Transmission Academy, the organization can still function," Zang Xingyan assessed.

Finally, he said, "To outwardly conform while secretly opposing, it seems these half-immortals think they have lives to spare. Do they really wish to rise up against the might of the Empire as a whole? Without a foothold, what could they achieve? To speak frankly, our Chancellor might not care much if those half-immortals from the Stellar Transmission Academy were to stir up trouble. He might actually prefer to uproot them and start anew, finding it cleaner that way."

Guo Lingmei understood Zang Xingyan's meaning and quickly said, "I'll communicate with the two masters of the Stellar Transmission Academy. Both are enlightened and will surely not act recklessly."

Zang Xingyan smiled and said, "That would be for the best."

"Yes, and another thing, more urgent than the Stellar Transmission Academy is the formation of the Privy Council. His Majesty is also waiting to deploy troops to the Second and Third Universes, and it has been many years since the Universe Army has been in a major battle. The Privy Council isn't just about simply transferring military units from under the cabinet; it needs structural optimization and adjustments. As the Prime Minister, you need to recommend a reliable candidate for the Privy Council's presidency."

Guo Lingmei gave a wry smile, "The president of the Privy Council is in charge of the Empire Army's major military affairs; the responsibility is immense. At the moment, there really isn't a suitable candidate—how about you take on the role for now?"

Zang Xingyan responded with a smile, not taking on the suggestion. He said, "The Empire Army has a million Warships, of which ninety percent are in storage. The Chancellor intends to activate all combat forces, assembling one hundred and twenty-two Strategic Fleet groups. The gap for that is now quite enormous."

Guo Lingmei shook his head repeatedly, "That would require a billion soldiers; how can one even dare to contemplate such a thing?"

There were 200 billion Iridium Star citizens, and other races under the Empire, like the Soma and Moon Pond, bringing the Empire's population to around 1425 billion. With the Star Alliance population integrated, another 202 billion were added, making the total population of the United Empire approximately 1627 billion. Despite the huge population base, Iridium Star never exceeded a military force of 70 million even during times of war, not to mention a billion.

Zang Xingyan waved his hand dismissively, "Alright, I was joking. Of the one hundred and twenty-two Strategic Fleet groups, more than seventy percent are AI-controlled unmanned fleets. The fleets that need to be staffed are only thirty Strategic Fleet groups. Additionally, in more densely populated star regions of each Administrative Star, a fleet group's garrison fleet will be set up under the command of the cabinet's defense department."

What Zang Xingyan left unspoken was that aside from the Empire Army's 122 Strategic Fleet groups totaling a million Warships, Bai Zhongqi also planned to have five Military Lords reach fleet (thousand ships and above) size. Along with his mad expansion of the Swarm Ships and the Silver Fleet numbers, the military forces under the Chancellor's control were truly astonishing.

The Privy Council would mainly command the Empire Army, with the five Military Lords retaining their independence, answering directly to the Chancellor. Needless to say about the Swarm Fleet, the Silver Fleet also began to be completely controlled by the Golden Great Sail Ship. Former Rebel Army members like Chi Jia and Cui Zhihao were reassigned to the Empire Army, with two Knights each becoming Commander of a Strategic Fleet group.