Starting from the Planetary Governor

The commendation letter from the planetary governor can indeed serve as a reference for military leaders to receive honors after actions. In other words, when Yelisia presents this commendation letter and reports it, the Imperial Military will recognize it.

However, the degree of recognition is uncertain.

For a strong governor, or even one of the Foundry Generals who build worlds, a letter is enough for a promotion; for someone like Gu Hang... it's not quite sufficient, lacking in value.

But if the commendation letter also carries the signature and the wax seal of a Starfighter Battle Group commander and a Mother Superior from the Sisterhood, then it's a different story.

Gu Hang wasn't sure just how valuable such a commendation letter was, but at least at that moment, seeing the smiling face of Yelisia, he knew it should be pretty good.

Of course, when the transport ship returned, it wasn't just going to bring up a letter. Although the commendation letter was the most important, it wouldn't do for the cabin to be empty, so it would be good to transport some rare logistical supplies as well.

Just to curry favor with the lady of wealth above.

Inside the package were some red wines, which had been confiscated from the homes of the nobility in Revival City, said to be crafted products from certain areas in Green Valley Region.

As for the steaks, they came from the wild oxen beasts. After the truck production in Weixing City had increased to nearly two hundred units per month, the demand for animal power had greatly decreased.

Not only did the wild oxen used by a large number of merchants in Revival City lose their value of service and were sent back to the pasture to be raised for beef and dairy purposes.

And the steak Yelisia was eating now came from those.

"Colonel, you seem to be in a good mood,"

"Indeed, not bad," Yelisia replied leisurely as she swallowed the beef and took a small sip of wine, then commented, "However, the quality of your beef is subpar, the texture is too rough; the taste of the wine is also somewhat inferior."

"Getting choosy, are we?"

"Just a reflection," Yelisia continued as a server took away the dinnerware, "This is the hardest time I've ever had in my life. Actually, I am still grateful for the supplies you sent up, otherwise my collected provisions wouldn't have lasted two years."

"..."

Gu Hang coughed lightly twice, not wanting to talk further with Yelisia about these corrupt luxuries, and turned to the matter at hand, "I hope to get support for an orbital strike."

"What scale?" Yelisia remained unhurried.

"Full force."

"What?" Yelisia was no longer calm, "What enemy on the surface do you need to face that requires me to carry out a full-force orbital strike?"

"Alien threat."

Gu Hang's answer was succinct, while Yelisia's frown deepened.

"Still those aliens? Has there been some particularly significant change?"

Yelisia asked this because she had been following the alien threat on Rage Owl Star before. Related intelligence, as the war progressed, would be compiled every so often and sent to the starship.

She was clear about the situation on the ground. It was for this reason that she questioned it.

According to the latest situation she had seen before, the fight was in a deadlock, but far from a major crisis.

Gu Hang coughed lightly and said, "We can't keep having a war of attrition here with those aliens. If we don't resolve the issue completely, after a while, when a new batch of aliens emerge, we'll have to face another war on a larger scale, with an enemy that has become even more troublesome, and by then we might not be able to win."

"I understand the principle, but... do you know how much it costs to fire the 'Quintet' at full specs once?"

Gu Hang hadn't expected Yelisia to bring up this question.

He waited silently for Yelisia to continue speaking. Clearly, this wasn't really a question aimed at him, but more of a rhetorical one.

Yelisia continued, "The last time you asked me to help with a precision strike, it was with the 'Scalpel' shipboard missiles from the 'Quintet,' the least powerful and most cost-effective attack method. The price of such a missile is three hundred tax coins; a full-scale barrage consists of over a hundred 'Scalpels.'"

"Going up one level, there is the 'Heat Hammer' Colossal Cannon, a small-scale Colossal Cannon. The cost of one round of ammunition is four thousand tax coins, and a barrage consists of twenty rounds."

"The highest level is the 'Wrath of Loyalty' Colossal Cannon, where a single round costs fifty thousand tax coins, and I have only two such cannons on my ship."

"Now do you understand how expensive it is?"

The more he listened, the uglier Gu Hang's expression became.

He knew it was expensive, but he didn't realize it was this expensive.

The so-called 'tax coin' isn't a conventional concept of currency. It is a tool used by the Imperial Taxation Department to measure the value of resources provided by planets during tax collection. One tax coin roughly equates to the minimum standard annual output of a population on an ordinary world, as valued by the Empire.

To surrender a healthy adult is worth five tax coins; a well-trained soldier with a full set of individual equipment is valued at ten tax coins.

In the Imperial records, Rage Owl Star was taxed at the minimum level — paying ten million tax coins every two years. Moreover, the preferential treatment Gu Hang received meant he only had to pay a quarter of that amount the first time, which was two and a half million tax coins.

And according to Yelisia, the total cost of such a barrage would be two hundred and ten thousand tax coins.

Firing fifty barrages would expend enough ammunition to pay for a full tax payment from Rage Owl Star; twelve barrages, enough for Gu Hang's first tax payment; four barrages would cost as much as the lives of all the soldiers from the nine division-brigade level units that Gu Hang commanded.

He understood the unspoken message of Colonel Yelisia: An orbital strike is possible, but after it's done, are the lives of the soldiers you saved worth the cost of my ammunition?

This is the 'stature' of a navy person: they calculate the cost of ammunition in terms of human lives.

A single barrage is worth the lives of twenty thousand well-trained soldiers. If you have a gap that can be filled with twenty thousand lives, then don't ask the esteemed navy masters to bomb it for you.

But...

All of a sudden, Gu Hang wore a smile, deeply understanding one truth: the navy's money is not my money, but the soldiers who die, those are truly my soldiers!

So he said, "We still need to bomb it."

Yelisia shook her head helplessly, "I knew you would say that. If you insist, then I'll help you."

After all, the navy's money is not my money either.

Of course, one shouldn't be too excessive.

Therefore, Yelisia added, "But... you have to agree to two conditions. First is to identify the target. I've looked at your original plans, and I can't let expensive firepower be wasted on an indiscriminate bombardment of the entire city ruins; that would be too costly. You need to give me precise targets to improve the efficiency of the strike; this is for your own good.

With such a level of targets, a full-scale attack can only happen once, so you should cherish this opportunity and strive to achieve the best combat results."

"Secondly, after the battle, you need to provide me a report of the effectiveness. Later, the Military Affairs Department will review these things; the combat results and expenditures need to have a reasonable justification. If the outcome is too outrageous, the Military Affairs Department will come looking for you, and you might be made to bear the costs of the used ammunition.

There have been precedents for this and I will be held responsible as well; don't make this difficult for me."

"I understand, thank you, Yelisia."

By thanking her this time, Gu Hang dropped the honorific, sounding more intimate.

He knew that Yelisia really had helped him.

Otherwise, if Yelisia truly treasured her own safety and was unwilling to take on too much responsibility, sticking strictly to regulations, it would be really difficult to get approval for the orbital strike; at most, he would probably be able to finalize some minor token action.

Since she had helped him, Gu Hang was not going to deliberately put her in a difficult position.

Accurately finding the target?

The brothers from the Phoenix Battle Group could lend a hand.

The Starfighters, more elite than any special forces unit, infiltrating behind enemy lines to designate important strategic targets for an easier orbital strike—wasn't that standard practice?