The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

2799. The Power of the Company
"Destroy the main force of the Twelfth Army?" Upon hearing this order, Lin Nan was stunned for a moment, then felt it was utterly absurd. "General, the Twelfth Army of the Galactic Empire is stationed on Chalos IV, and part of the Fourth Army's fleet has already come to reinforce them. Their forces far outnumber ours, and they have chosen to remain inactive. Under these circumstances, there is no way we can destroy their main fleet."

"Hahahaha! No, no! Destroy the Twelfth Army's fleet this time!" General Grievous roared with laughter. "I will crush them one by one like bugs!"

Griffiths raised his hand and made a grasping motion, and a powerful Force gathered in his palm. Lin Nan felt as if the air around him was being continuously sucked away by the power in his palm, which was extremely terrifying.

Suddenly, all the pressure vanished, and Grievous's voice calmed as he said, "It is indeed very difficult, but not impossible. I have brought reinforcements from the Protoss. The next step is to figure out how to lure out the Galactic Empire's fleet."

"Protoss reinforcements?" Lin Nan thought of that mysterious race he had only heard of. He quickly replied, "We have already taken effective measures and are stabilizing the supply routes at the front. I believe that when we launch another attack, there won't be any major logistical problems."

Lin Nan was somewhat smug, believing his previous decision to outsource security to some planets was both correct and timely. Ensuring logistical support would be crucial in this attack. He was confident his actions would earn General Grievous's approval.

However, Griffiths simply nodded and said, "The Protoss fleet does not require heavy logistical support; I have my own arrangements."

After saying that, he turned and walked away.

General Griffiths disappeared behind the door, and Lin Nan stood there, staring at the closed metal door, his brows furrowed.

The following day, the Supreme Military Council convened again, and General Grievous attended. However, he did not say much, only stating that he had no intention of participating in the current administrative affairs of the Eastern Territory and that everything should proceed as usual.

At the same time, General Grievous did not reveal more details about the Supreme Command's instructions. He only mentioned that he had brought the Protoss fleet, which would have a greater range of maneuverability and would not need to rely on too much logistics.

As for the main fleet of the Twelfth Army, which is holed up on Chalos IV, the main strategy is to lure them into engaging in battle and then annihilate them once they leave the planet's fixed defenses. General Grievous stated that specific operational plans still require further deliberation.

After saying this, General Grievous left the meeting room, making it clear that he would not interfere too much with the existing administrative system.

Although General Grievous's attitude was very cold, Lin Nan felt a chill rise up his spine. He always felt that a pair of eyes were watching him, watching the whole game in the Eastern Territory.

At this point, Governor Hilka of Given asked, "Since General Griffiths said that not much logistical support is needed, does that mean we can suspend the plan to allow those companies to enter the site?"

“This is a bit of a problem… We just signed contracts with several companies, are we going to breach them and cancel them now?” said King Karl-Vinga of the Quarun.

"So what if they breach the contract? So what if they cancel? These companies should serve the greater good! We don't even need to pay them penalties!" said Epsi-Guitt, a representative of the Semirs council.

“However, General Grievous’s statement that minimal logistical support is needed doesn’t mean it’s completely unnecessary. And, in any case, stabilizing our rear in the East is a good thing,” Carl-Vinga said. “I’ve had enough of those traitors!”

Lin Nan said in a deep voice, "That's enough. Now that a decision has been made and a contract has been signed, going back on our word would damage the image of our Dawn Kingdom government. Let those companies get started. Just send people to keep an eye on them and make sure they don't act recklessly."

The others hadn't initially been too keen to object, and after hearing Lin Nanyi's words, they all nodded in agreement.

In the following days, Lin Nan wanted to talk to General Griffith about the affairs of the Eastern Territory, but the other party left the planet Losar the next day and went to the front-line planet for inspection alone.

Lin Nan felt that General Griffiths seemed to be hiding some secret this time, and he also sensed that even the other party's temperament had changed somewhat.

Compared to the fiery and tyrannical general of the past, the current Grievous, while still incredibly domineering, has become much more restrained.

Moreover, General Grievous's indifferent attitude towards Eastern Territory affairs was completely different from the past, which made Lin Nanyi even more uneasy. In addition, the Protoss fleet had not appeared, and its whereabouts and number were unknown.

Although Lin Nanyi was appointed as the temporary governor of the Eastern Sector, in charge of administration, he also temporarily assumed the position of the sector's highest military commander due to General Grievous's serious injury.

Now that General Grievous has returned, the highest military command naturally falls to him. Lin Nan has no objection to this arrangement, but he is very puzzled by the current development of the situation.

……

General Grievous did not interfere in the administrative affairs of the Eastern Region, so under Lin Nanyi's leadership, several super-enterprises signed outsourcing contracts with the government of the Eastern Region.

Several companies, including Solar Dynamics Energy, United Mining Group, Saab Standard Light Industry, Giant Security, Retail Group, and Trade Alliance, received this contract.

According to the contract, the government of the Eastern Star Region of the Dawn Kingdom will outsource the development of 80 planets to these companies, which will be responsible for the construction, security, and escort of these planets. The companies will deduct a portion of the planets' fiscal revenue as profit, and the remaining revenue will be turned over to the Eastern Star Region's finances.

The 80 planets are categorized according to their types. For example, planets rich in resources are handled by the United Mining Group and Solar Dynamics Energy Company, planets with certain industrial capabilities are handled by Citadel Standard Light Industry, and planets with relatively developed commercial logistics are handled by the Trade Federation and Retail Group.

Giant God Security Company is responsible for building the overall security and defense system, and its mission covers the military security and order maintenance of all outsourced planets.

Soon, these companies began their work. Giant God Security Company first issued mercenary recruitment orders on various planets, formed joint defense groups composed of local residents, and issued underworld bounties for all personnel and groups involved in the uprising, resolutely hunting them down.

Compared to the government, they don't need to conduct trials at all; as long as they catch someone, they kill them without hesitation.

These companies, with their strong capital, rapidly advanced the development process. Once they entered these planets, they immediately and brutally took over the planet's administration, implementing a cruel and oppressive rule.

Among the contracts received by Solar Dynamics was the development of a planet called Gand. After the company's representatives moved in, they quickly and forcibly acquired all the energy, fuel, and power companies on the planet, monopolizing its energy system in a short period of time.

Next, Solar Dynamics forced all the acquired employees to sign new contracts, which imposed extremely strict restrictions on every aspect of their lives, from work to personal life.

Not only that, they also raised energy prices and monopolized the entire energy supply, causing the planet's local government to quickly fall into a financial crisis while the cost of living for its citizens skyrocketed.

They systematically destroyed the planet's original economic system, using the energy industry as a foundation to expand their acquisitions and establish a completely monopolistic, cross-industry conglomerate on the planet. Within just a few months, key industries on Gander Planet, such as agriculture, transportation, and construction, were successively brought under the group's control, making more than half of the planet's population their employees.

Then came the brutal exploitation and oppression! Workers worked more than fourteen hours a day, with only four hours for rest and meals, and were punished with electric shocks for the slightest slackness. Medical rations were deliberately reduced, and the injured were immediately dismissed.

The company also established loyalty scores linked to food rations and created internal surveillance and whistleblowing mechanisms. In the name of efficiency, they turned people into cogs and gears in the entire economic system, extracting the last bit of value in an endless cycle.

What's even more disheartening is that if they rise up in rebellion, Lin Nan's rapid reaction fleet will arrive immediately and swiftly suppress them. General Grievous has no objection to such military mobilization; he continues to survey the battlefield.

These mega-corporations all operate in much the same way; they are a mature, efficient, and replicable system that has instilled in the inhabitants of these planets the terror of being ruled by these mega-corporations.

What's more, among these companies entering the Eastern Territory are the Trade Federation and the Retail Federation! The Trade Federation, in particular, although it has long lost its former glory as the largest economy in the galaxy, still evokes terrible memories of the Outer Rings.

Meanwhile, these companies have also deployed large numbers of combat robot armies across various planets, patrolling every city day and night. These robots are equipped with stun guns and restraint devices to disperse any gatherings of people. Surveillance cameras cover every inch of public space, analyzing speech, movements, and spending records in real time, marking any anomalies as "potential threats" for strict control.

What's the difference between companies developing planets and nations developing planets?
For companies, the prosperity of a planet is not what they want—that's too slow. They just need the planet to be integrated into their supply chain in a short period of time; nothing else matters.

For nations, this means gradually developing the planet's economy and industry, enabling its inhabitants to truly live and work in peace and contentment, raising the overall level of civilization, and incorporating it into a long-term strategic development framework.

The nation pursues stable and sustainable progress, while businesses only care about efficiency and return cycles.

But the effect was immediate.

The areas surrounding the planets selected by Lin Nanyi quickly stabilized. The rebel armies and pirates that had been rampaging around these planets found it difficult to resupply, and their operational space was drastically reduced. It became extremely difficult for them to launch attacks on the shipping lanes around these planets again.

Feng-Lis reported this fruitful result to Lin Nanyi, her lips curving into a smile. "It seems our work has been very successful, Your Excellency."

She handed the documents to Lin Nanyi, then came up behind him and gently massaged his tired shoulders with just the right amount of pressure. Lin Nanyi closed his eyes, enjoying this moment of relief, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, his gaze still fixed on the turbulent star systems marked with red circles on the star map.

“What I’m worried about now is General Greaves,” Lin Nan said. “He’s been here for a month, but he hasn’t done anything. In fact, I’ve rarely even seen him. Logically speaking, the Supreme Command has given clear instructions, and it’s such a huge target as destroying the Imperial Twelfth Army. General Greaves should have discussed and consulted with us thoroughly.”

"Regarding this, we can only assume that he wants to fully investigate the front-line battlefield before discussing his conclusions with us," Feng Lisi said.

Then, the two fell silent.

“Don’t you think General Griffiths has changed?” von Liss suddenly said.

“Indeed… he feels like a completely different person to me.” Lin Nan frowned. “If I could feel his violent, oppressive aura before, now the pressure he exerts on me seems to come from my very spirit and soul. Moreover, I believe he’s hiding something from me…”

“Is it possible that he’s blaming you?” von Liss said. “Perhaps… he’s blaming you for the serious injury he suffered last time.”

Lin Nan lowered his head and remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "He and I have a clear division of labor. Whether he blames me or not doesn't matter. As long as we can complete the mission in the Eastern Territory, then this will be a great achievement."

“But how can we defeat the main fleet of the Galactic Empire that is holed up and unable to come out?” von Liss said. “If General Grievous continues to hide his reinforcements, I think he is making things very difficult for us.”

"Stop talking!" Lin Nanyi said, somewhat displeased, and gently patted the back of von Liss's hand. "General Griffiths and I share the same goal, even if our methods differ, but I trust his loyalty!"

“Okay.” von Liss smiled and said no more.

Just then, Lin Nanyi suddenly received a message. He looked down and saw it was from General Grievous! It contained only one sentence: "[Immediately lead the main fleet to Bonta Planet!]" (End of Chapter)