Starting from the Planetary Governor

Chapter 1261: Chapter 713, Population Dilemma

Except for the three Star Domains controlled by the Alliance, there is not a single good land left in the entire Spiderweb Domain.

No one can blame the Princess Star Domain; it’s beyond the point of being called rotten — it’s as if the entire Star Domain has been emptied out.

Approximately one-third to half of the worlds have been baptized by the Extinction Order, turning them worthless.

The remaining worlds have very little leftover population. Perhaps among three hundred or so worlds, only a hundred billion people are left?

On average, each planet holds thirty to forty million people.

This reminded Gu Hang of the Rage Owl Star when he first started out.

Relying on these local populations to rebuild one planet after another? Gu Hang is not keen on doing this.

It’s not that it’s impossible.

Back then, when rebuilding the Rage Owl Star, Gu Hang didn’t have such strong abilities; everything was built from scratch, and yet look how it turned out?

However, he knows better than anyone how much effort is needed for this.

The cost-effectiveness is too low.

It’s better to gather the population as much as possible and select a nearby world with a good natural environment, acceptable levels of destruction by the Insect Race, for uniform resettlement and development.

The other planets can be put aside for now.

Treat them as training grounds, slowly clearing them out, like the former Iron Tooth Orc occupied area in the northeastern part of the Dragonhawk Star Domain.

Over the past twenty or so years, it has done quite well under the policy centered on recolonization, assisted by long-term monitoring and military cleanup. Now, there’s basically no worry about the beastmen forming massive and unified tribes sweeping through a planet. With the Alliance’s armaments, the combat strength of the colonization groups is enough to counter those beastmen.

Four Star Sectors, forty or fifty worlds, under persistent immigration and encouragement for birth, the population has already exceeded six billion.

In the vast and sparsely populated plain regions, where the threat is relatively small, large farms have been opened. A family of two adults and maybe one or two elderly can give birth to three to five children. There may only be two or three laborers, but they can form a small farm, often having over 500 hectares of land.

There’s simply no need for intensive farming; using well-bred crops from the Alliance Biological Research Institute and advanced agricultural machinery for large-scale mechanized production is enough.

Even under these circumstances, it can be ensured that only truly fertile lands are cultivated.

These are all considered national farms of the Alliance. The produced grain belongs to the Alliance. The workers on the farms aren’t really farmers but agricultural workers with ranks and wages, and they also get a share of the farm’s yield. Due to high production, the speed of rank advancement is relatively fast, which allows their descendants, upon adulthood, to acquire more land — whether by expanding the family farm or by splitting off to open a new farm elsewhere.

Life is quite good.

It’s just a bit sparsely populated, with life relying on Alliance broadcasts, TV programs, and alcohol. But compared to their life before migrating, living on the lower strata in Nest Capital or the like, it is definitely much better.

There are worlds whose ecological environments are not suitable for large agricultural production, where mining is also pretty good.

In short, those four Star Sectors have long ceased to be a burden to the Alliance, instead becoming granaries and mineral resources, meeting the massive food demand of Seven Horse Territory and Yunluo, while also providing military rations and having surplus to be sold as goods or collected as taxes.

The successful experience in these four Star Sectors is what needs to be replicated in the salvageable worlds of the Princess Star Domain.

However, besides the Princess Star Domain, the Fox Moon Star Domain at the easternmost part of the Spiderweb Domain is barely considered a relatively better situation, similar to the Thistle Muster Star Field.

But, the former battlefields of North Line and West Line are a complete mess.

The West Line is relatively better; at least the West Line battle was won, and the Insect Swarm didn’t massively devour planets. The main issue is with infections, which can still be resolved through the ’Pest Control Office’ plan in the Thistle Muster Star Field.

It can be considered a worsened version of the Thistle Muster Star Field.

But the North Line is terrible.

The Northern Line Army really left Gu Hang with a huge hole. They let the infections spread and then lost the war.

There, it can’t be solved with a simple ’Pest Control Office’ plan; it requires recolonization.

However, there is slightly good news.

The Black Cross Legion feels a bit guilty about the mess they left behind. They will leave behind a force including 500 Interstellar Warriors, a large number of Mortal Troops, and a combat fleet centered around a battle barge to cooperate with the Alliance to gradually solve the mess in the North Line.

They don’t need Gu Hang to pay for their warfare.

However, although it saves a portion of military expenses, the larger cost still lies in reconstruction.

The North Line’s Lefo and Sword Gate Star Domains only slightly surpass the condition of the Princess Star Domain.

Conducting recolonization requires at least a decade of effort before results can be seen.

Moreover, there is another difficulty.

One reason recolonization was feasible in the former Iron Tooth Orc occupied area was the abundant population in the Dragonhawk Star Domain, with multiple Nest Capital Worlds with population figures exceeding Alliance estimates.

In those Nest Capital Worlds, population was already a burden, having long surpassed the ecological carrying capacity of the planet, much like the previous Korolya III, treating population as a resource to offset taxes.

This was clearly a huge waste.

By emigrating, it not only solved the major population requirements for recolonization but also relieved ecological pressure on the planet, moved people to better, brighter futures. Except for initial investments, the rest was all gain.

However, the devastated Spiderweb Domain truly lacks population.

Indeed, larger-scale immigration can be done from the Menghe Star Domain and Dragonhawk Star Domain to the worlds in Spiderweb Domain.

But clearly, such costs would be much higher.

Moreover, it may not be enough to meet demand.

Basic policy encouraging birth must be issued.

Aside from that, Gu Hang must come up with other ways to rapidly increase population.

Birth may not be enough or fast enough; immigration within his own territory may be insufficient; remaining options involve external immigration.

Purchasing can be done.

Surrounding Cosmos Domains, including other Star Domains in the Eastern Cosmos Domain, have Nest Capital Worlds that make money by selling population.

However, buying population is expensive. A basic price for one adult is 10 tax coins; Gu Hang’s desired additional population is calculated in hundreds of billions or trillions, which is too costly. The transportation cost of the population is also quite high.

There are many pitfalls.

Having Gu Hang take over the entire Spiderweb Domain, and then bear the heavy taxes, is really quite pressuring.

However, Gu Hang still decides to accept.

This is a good opportunity for lawful and reasonable expansion.

Let the pressure be greater, it can be borne.

And a huge territory, an entire Cosmos Domain, means enormous development potential. Suffering in the early stages, the future is bright.