The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

Chapter 2669 The Emperor's Counterattack

2669. The Emperor's Counterattack
Logically, the elite in the inner circle and the rebels should not be equated. This is because most people who rise up in rebellion are ultimately fighting against exploitation and oppression, and striving for freedom. The aristocratic families in the inner circle, however, are, in fact, among the exploiters.

Often, when the Galactic Empire cruelly exploits and oppresses a planet, it is ultimately the noble families who carry it out.

For example, the uprising on the agricultural planet Rafa, which Ahsoka-Tano experienced, was caused by the Galactic Empire's Ministry of Agriculture's ruthless exploitation of the local labor force in order to grow high-energy crops on the planet. At the same time, it was unwilling to provide fertilizer and instead allowed the high-energy crops to destructively consume the nutrients in the planet's land.

In this matter, it seems that the Imperial Ministry of Agriculture was the mastermind behind it all, and the Imperial Stormtroopers carried out the suppression. However, if we think about it more deeply, what did the Imperial Ministry of Agriculture do with these high-energy crops after obtaining them? Did they process them themselves? Obviously not. In the end, weren't these requisitioned high-energy crops sold to processing companies, processed into high-energy military rations, and then sold to the Imperial military through military orders?
And aren't those processing enterprises just subsidiaries of the powerful elites in the inner circle?
However, despite this, the rebels and the aristocratic class were actually entangled together.

The ideological foundation upon which the rebels were born was liberalism. This liberalism arose partly from the democratic parliamentary system implemented by the Galactic Republic, and partly from the fact that the core aristocratic class directly monopolized almost all avenues for upward mobility.

Therefore, if ordinary people wanted to rise in rank and achieve upward mobility, they could only rely on the aristocratic class, work for them, and eat scraps from their hands, except for praying for a good birth in their next life.

Coupled with the brutal oppression of those corporations, under such circumstances, everyone naturally fantasizes that one day their planet can be self-sufficient and no longer be affected by those intergalactic super-capital.

However, in reality, ordinary people are still dependent on the enterprises of the aristocratic class, and those who can truly run smuggling independently are still a very small minority.

Therefore, once the core aristocratic class wants to resist the Galactic Empire's suppression of them, they will naturally rally their employees to rise up in rebellion.

At this point, their goals became aligned again.

Moreover, civilians who rise up against the Empire can only harm it by relying on the power of their own bosses. In this interstellar age, a rebellion by civilians alone might not even be a match for a light cruiser.

So ultimately, the main body of the rebel army was not the oppressed common people, but the core aristocratic class who wanted to rebel against the empire. At most, it can be said that these aristocratic classes were relatively more enlightened.

And what were the goals of those noble families who rose up in rebellion? What they really wanted was to establish a regime that could maximize their own interests—that's right, to rebuild the Galactic Republic.

Although the idea of ​​rebuilding the Galactic Republic is a taboo subject within the rebel leadership and absolutely cannot be discussed, that is essentially the case.

Those who truly stand at the top of the power structure in the rebel army—Mon Mosma from Chandrila, Bel Organa from Audralon, and Gam Bel Iblis from Corellia—aren't they all top-tier noble families?
Understanding the relationship between the aristocratic families and the rebels provides a more comprehensive understanding of the struggle between the Galactic Empire and the rebels.

On the surface, it appears to be a desperate people rising up against the Galactic Empire, but in reality, it is a group of oppressed noble families who are using the rebellious sentiments of the people in their own territories to incite an organized riot and confront the Galactic Empire.

Even if people like Mon-Mosma and Bel-Ogana genuinely wanted to benefit the galaxy and save its inhabitants from their suffering, their own class position ultimately prevented them from transcending that class to address the issues.

At the same time, while they may be of high moral character and have a broad vision, there is no guarantee that others in the rebel army will be the same. The fruits of the uprising will ultimately fall into the hands of aristocratic families, who will then eventually lose the support of the people and thus lose the very foundation of their existence.

Ultimately, the tragic ending for the rebels and the new republic in the original storyline becomes easy to understand—it was the inevitability of history.

……

Bel-Ogana's tough stance in parliament demanded the immediate release of Mon-Mosma and other members of parliament by the Imperial Intelligence Service, or they would take more drastic measures, including strikes, demonstrations, and impeachment proceedings within parliament.

He rallied thousands of lawmakers to jointly petition for the establishment of an investigation team to re-examine recent events and to carefully consider the final course of action based on facts.

Now, the Imperial Intelligence Agency has arrested Mon-Mosma and others based solely on some indirect deductions, which is a blatant violation of Imperial law!

However, Bell-Ogana's protest had no effect.

The Imperial Intelligence Agency, led by Aysani Isaad, became increasingly brazen in its operations. Three days after Mon Mosma's arrest, Senator Gam Bell Iblis of Coreria was attacked by Imperial Intelligence Agency agents near his residence. During the firefight, Senator Iblis's daughter was accidentally killed.

She was taking cover inside her hovercar when, during the firefight, a rocket accidentally hit the vehicle.

Afterwards, in despair, Gam-Bell-Iblis gave up resistance and was arrested by agents of the Imperial Intelligence Service.

Just as things were about to spiral out of control, Emperor Palpatine finally appeared. He participated in the Imperial Diet meeting via remote communication and told everyone that the crux of the matter lay in the annihilation of the Imperial Thirteenth Army, an utterly disastrous event.

Because the fleet that destroyed the Empire's Thirteenth Army belonged to the Empire itself, the army belonged to the Empire itself, the officers belonged to the Empire itself, the people belonged to the Empire itself, and the funds belonged to the Empire itself!
This was essentially a force within the Galactic Empire, which ultimately led to the fall of the Thirteenth Army's capital and the capture of Governor Birull.

If the Thirteenth Army can be destroyed like this, what about the Twelfth Army? What about the Tenth Army? Even worse, what about the five major legions in the core circle? Aren't these legions also living in fear, afraid that one day they will be stabbed in the back by their own people? Especially since the Empire is currently in the midst of a brutal war with the Kingdom of Dawn, such betrayal is even more unacceptable.

Therefore, this matter must be dealt with seriously!
While there is no direct evidence of Senators Mon-Mosma and Gam-Bel-Iblis's collusion with the rebels, there is still circumstantial evidence and reasonable inference. Therefore, their suspicion cannot be dismissed, and they must be interrogated and investigated. Palpatine also promised that this incident would not involve any family or planet, but only individuals. The political structure of the Galactic Empire will not change now, nor will it change in the future; it will remain a political system centered on the Imperial Council. He will also gradually decentralize power to ensure fairness and justice in Imperial politics.

Palpatine's speech had a very clear effect.

There's a misconception that Palpatine had low approval ratings... but that's not true. Emperor Palpatine actually had very high approval ratings within the Imperial government!
why?
As mentioned before, in the political environment of the Galactic Empire, the general public and legislators are completely separated. The Galactic Empire's approval rating for the Emperor does not take into account the opinions of ordinary civilians at all; the only reference is the opinions of officials at all levels and those in the Imperial Council.

Palpatine, during the Galactic Republic era, rose through the ranks from a senator on Naboo, working his way up through the ranks for twenty years before becoming Speaker as a hero who resolved the crisis on Naboo. As Speaker, he overcame opposition to rebuild the Republic's army and led the Republic through a difficult victory against the Confederation of Independent Systems.

Even Dawn, the most powerful planet in the Independent Star System Confederation, once surrendered and became part of the Empire.

Then, after Palpatine became emperor, his authoritarian rule often aligned with the interests of the aristocratic families, and some nobles actually endorsed the empire's power. This was because only in this way could they obtain more privileges.

Therefore, as Aisani-Isard said, although Palpatine's ultimate goal was to reduce the power of the inner circle of nobles, he adopted a gradual approach, like boiling a frog in warm water, and cleverly disguised many of his actions within a strong imperial administrative and military system. As a result, a considerable number of nobles still supported him.

Moreover, this proportion is actually not low.

This time, Palpatine's explanation led many to believe that he was genuinely targeting only individuals, not families. Consequently, many began to back down, as nobility were unwilling to confront the Galactic Empire, with its powerful fleet, unless truly pushed to the brink.

Palpatine then reaffirmed arrest warrants for Mon Mosma, Gam Bel Iblis, and more than thirty other members of parliament involved in the annihilation of the 13th Army.

They will be held in a space station on the outskirts of the Empire's core, personally overseen by the Director of Imperial Intelligence, Aisani Isard, who will conduct rigorous interrogations "without breaching protocol." Meanwhile, the Imperial Intelligence Bureau will also release the investigation results to Parliament on a limited basis—limited to those members of Parliament with access to inner circle affairs.

At the end of the meeting, Palpatine stated that he was still stationed in the northern borderlands of the Empire, personally leading troops on the battlefield to defend the empire's frontier. His brief departure earlier was due to injuries sustained in battle. Therefore, at this critical moment for the empire's survival, he hoped that everyone in the Imperial Council would unite as one to fight against the external enemy.

This speech garnered another wave of support.

But visionary lawmakers like Bell-Ogana knew that Palpatine was lying. No matter how eloquently he spoke, he couldn't deny that their flawed policies and reactionary actions led to their inevitable decline.

To save the Galactic Empire from this crisis, Palpatine's rule must end, and a return to a democratic republic is necessary. Then, peace must be negotiated with the Kingdom of Dawn to temporarily end the war. Internally, the Empire should focus on benevolent governance, repairing the wounds of war, and rebuilding its collapsed economic system. After this, diplomatic means should be used to gradually discuss the future with the Kingdom of Dawn.

Palpatine, however, not only initiated wars but also continuously expanded their scale, exploiting the empire to the point of exhaustion, causing alienation and disloyalty among the various planets under his control, and plunging the people into misery. Furthermore, Palpatine allowed rampant corruption and bureaucracy within the empire, resulting in the loss of state assets through embezzlement and misappropriation.

In other words, Palpatine completely ignored the internal problems of the Empire, instead simply shifting the blame outwards. Whether he shifted the blame onto the Kingdom of Dawn or onto the people of his own outer and middle ring sectors, it was a wrong approach of shirking responsibility and resorting to violence to combat violence.

However, this did not gain the understanding of many. Too many people were intoxicated by the so-called privileges granted to them by Palpatine, and they were keen on abusing their power for personal gain and betraying their own empire, completely disregarding the future of the empire.

Such an environment is despair-inducing.

After the protest ultimately failed, Bel Organa was placed under close surveillance by the Imperial Intelligence Service. Even his application to return to Alderaan for medical treatment was rejected, and the Intelligence Service demanded that he not leave the Imperial Center.

……

Furthermore, Palpatine's statement in parliament did not deter the Imperial Intelligence Service's actions. While Aisani-Isard did indeed stop targeting members of the inner circle, her massive manhunt in the heart of the Empire showed no signs of abating.

Every day, large numbers of people are still being arrested, and in the Imperial Square, large numbers of political prisoners are still being publicly executed.

Just then, a Lambda-class shuttle approached the space station where Mon Mosma and others were being held.

The space station was heavily guarded by Imperial Intelligence Agency warships, with a very tight security system.

Security personnel from the defense fleet first sent the IFF code, but the feedback indicated that the shuttle's IFF code was indeed from the Imperial Navy, but it had expired.

Security personnel ordered the shuttle to immediately update its IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) code and then re-verify it.

Just then, the shuttle suddenly went berserk! It accelerated abruptly and charged straight toward the space station!
The surrounding Imperial warships reacted immediately, their point defense laser cannons opening fire! However, at such close range, the point defense lasers completely missed their targets!

The shuttle seemed to have known the direction of the defensive lasers beforehand and dodged them in advance!
(End of this chapter)