Chapter 731, Gate of Triumph

On Holy Terra, a grand triumphal ceremony is unfolding.

This ceremony is not just to welcome Gu Hang, but Gu Hang is definitely the most important guest in the triumphal ceremony.

It has been eight days since he arrived at Holy Terra, but he has not been to the ground. Instead, he was arranged to visit and wait on the natural satellite of Holy Terra, the Moon.

Here, Gu Hang met many comrades who had parted before.

There were those from the Western Front and the Northern Front.

Space Marines, Navy, Astra Militarum, Inquisition... all were there.

Marshal Leroy, who had entered the Dreadnought Mech - oh, he has now removed the title of Marshal of the Second Fleet of the Black Crusaders, and the current Marshal of the Second Fleet is Marshal Xi Rui.

Xi Rui's Fourth Fleet was all merged into the Second Fleet.

It is said that the two fleets were crippled in the last war, and even Leroy was put into the Dreadnought Iron Coffin. The Second Fleet was already in name only, with only a few cats left.

The Fourth Fleet is a little better.

In this case, it is meaningless to keep two organizations. They will be merged together, and their battle histories will be merged together. Marshal Xi Rui, who should have been rewarded but had some flaws in his record, will be promoted two ranks to lead the Second Fleet.

Even after the merger, the new Second Fleet is not yet fully staffed.

However, the Black Crusaders are replenishing their personnel very quickly. They will soon have enough troops to fill the Second Fleet, and the troops and fleet will be fully staffed. At the same time, a new Fourth Fleet will be established.

Su Lie of the Phoenix Regiment is also there.

The internal communication of the Space Marines has been completed. He has basically confirmed that he will replace Organron of the Death Angels Regiment and become the new Space Marine representative. This will help him to obtain resources from the Empire and restore the vitality of the Phoenix more quickly.

Lu Salilius of the Ortopis Regiment is also there, as well as several generals and admirals of the Astra Militarum who participated in the war, generals and admirals of the Navy, the sages of Mars, and the battle sisters and judges of the Inquisition.

Many people were waiting, some had arrived several months ago, and some had just arrived.

But no matter who they were, there was only one person to wait for: the undisputed commander-in-chief, the first hero, and the leader of the Alliance in the Iron Armor War and the Zerg War, Mr. Gu Hang.

On Gu Hang's side, there were not only him and his wife's family, but also the two warband leaders of Phoenix and Blood Shark.

Not to mention Martins, the warband leader of Blood Shark, Alma Ewing, could hardly contain his excitement.

In the past, their Blood Shark was a warband walking in the dark, unknown and disdainful of being known. But since he was determined to change the current situation of the warband and return to the glory of the empire, then today's occasion was what he had dreamed of.

The warband became famous in one shot, and with the Alliance as a very good partner, it can now play a role on the most upright and glorious stage of the Holy Terra Triumph.

Of course, it is not the protagonist, but it is not light.

How can he not be excited?

This triumphal ceremony was held for them to celebrate the victory of the Iron Armor War.

It's a bit embarrassing to say that the news of the victory of the Iron Armor War has been reported back for two years, but the triumphal ceremony has been delayed until now.

But there is no way.

There is no set time for holding the triumphal ceremony. In fact, after the news of the victory of the war was reported earlier, the masters on Holy Terra did not want to hold it for a while.

It costs a lot of money to hold such a grand ceremony. Moreover, the army that has won merits has to go to the capital of the empire for the triumphal ceremony. It is impossible for the central government to return with honors without any expression, right?

Although it is necessary to give enough rewards, the replenishment of personnel and equipment of each unit, promotion, resettlement of retired soldiers, and additional rewards for active soldiers...

However, if these troops do not come to Holy Terra and return to their own homes, these rewards, reinforcements, supplies, and appropriations... When will they arrive? There is a question.

I didn't say I won't give them!

It's just that the central government is indeed in a difficult situation now. Wait a minute, and you will get them.

It's normal to delay war rewards, especially in times of financial difficulties.

However, the masters on Holy Terra still have to have some dignity. You can't come to Holy Terra to hold a triumphal ceremony without paying, right?

Earlier, it was because of these considerations that I hesitated between holding it or not.

Later, didn't they discuss a new tax plan with the Alliance? It is expected that there will be a considerable amount of income. In addition, the war is over, and after a year or so, the central finances of the Empire have recovered a little.

My mind became active.

The headquarters of the two major forces, the Navy and the Astra Militarum, are urgently needed.

The Military Affairs Department also wants to do it.

The Space Marines also want to do it.

Secondly, the Inquisition, Mars, etc. also want to do it.

Those who have directly fought the war, paid huge sacrifices and won the war, always have to show their faces.

This kind of thing is a way to accumulate political capital and expand influence. What's more, it is also conducive to approving subsequent budgets through the triumphal ceremony.

They are naturally very active.

The Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Taxation, the Ministry of Justice, the State Church, and the Assassin's Court didn't mind it too much, and even had some opposition.

After all, these things had little to do with them, but they would cost a lot of money.

For Qi Bodu, who was in the middle of the decision, the attitude was the most important.

For the Prime Minister, holding a grand triumphal ceremony is also quite attractive. After all, in a sense, this war was also led by him. He even went against the public opinion and invested a considerable part of the power of the Solar Star Region centered on Holy Terra to carry out expeditionary operations.

At that time, in order to gain support for the war, he clearly told people from all walks of life on Holy Terra that this war was not a distant and irrelevant place. It was not only part of the Empire, but also related to the safety of Holy Terra itself.

If left alone, the enemy would have the possibility of breaking through from the east and hitting Holy Terra.

Originally, the people on Holy Terra were skeptical about this, but when the Western Front Legion collapsed for the first time, this threat seemed to become more substantial.

And the person who quickly led the reconstruction of the Second Western Front Legion and finally won the war, that is, Prime Minister Zibodu, could have led the victory as a wise leader, further consolidated his ruling position and strengthened his authority.

He was motivated to hold this triumphal ceremony.

Especially if the finances allowed.

In addition, he needed to meet Gu Hang to see whether this actual battlefield hero, the "big man" who rose in the east of the empire, was a "hero" who could be used by him, or a tyrant with two minds.

So, the triumphal ceremony was decided.

But there were problems after it was decided.

The overall preparation time for the triumphal ceremony would take a long time and cost a lot of money.

At the same time, as the protagonists of the triumphal ceremony, they did not get the news of participating in the triumphal ceremony at the beginning. Many people fought the final battle in the Spider Web Universe for several months, and some returned to their hometown. Now, this group of people have to gather all back to Holy Terra again, which must be very tiring and take a lot of time.

For example, Gu Hang, it took almost a year just to get here.

There are others who are farther away, and they will set off earlier than Gu Hang.

However, in general, most people are still willing to participate, even if they have to spend a long time on the road.

Putting aside all the practical interests, the sense of honor alone is enough to drive the soldiers to make a trip.

This is the honor they have won with their own hands, brought by the sacrifice of countless comrades. They must take a trip and pass through the most famous triumphal gate on Holy Terra, which was walked by the expeditionary forces led by the Emperor ten thousand years ago. That is not in vain.

Because of this, the soldiers who responded actively arrived at the location before the scheduled time.

Of course, it is impossible for all the participating troops to participate in the triumphal ceremony.

Otherwise, do all the billions of warships and hundreds of warships in the Alliance Army have to come?

How much money will it cost on the road? Who will guard the territory of the Alliance?

Even if these are not considered, will Holy Terra agree? Will the imperial guards responsible for security in the palace agree?

Gu Hang's family came, Martins came, Ewing came, plus some of the Alliance's army and navy generals, and some troops with outstanding representative contributions in the war, all in all, no more than 50,000 people.

For example, the Alliance Army can only send one representative per division.

The same is true for other troops.

Only the Second Western Front Corps, which was originally in the Solar Star Region, has more people.

There are about 300,000 people who will participate in the triumphal ceremony. Half of them are local people in the Solar Star Region.

In the days waiting for the ceremony to begin, the comrades who once fought side by side toasted together to celebrate.

Gu Hang is the absolute protagonist among them.

After reconnecting with these people, the grand triumphal ceremony officially began.

On the long red carpet, under countless cameras, with the Moon Defense Force standing on both sides, Gu Hang rode a chariot, half of his body was exposed, as the first line of the 300,000 expeditionary representatives being reviewed, and slowly drove forward.

He kept waving to the crowds on both sides. Every time he passed a place, the soldiers on both sides would put down their guns on duty and stand at attention to salute.

The crowds who were farther away, who could only see Gu Hang's figure and needed to watch him on a large screen to see a clearer picture, cheered.

In the life-support shield covering the entire moon, the sound was even more deafening than on a normal planet.

In this way, Gu Hang, as the first vehicle, entered the lunar orbital elevator, entered the lunar starport, and boarded an emperor-class battleship that was allocated as a vehicle.

The battleship sailed out of the lunar starport, and then more representatives boarded the subsequent warships. They circled around the human mother planet, Holy Terra, one circle after another, and each circle was closer.

In this picture, many warships of the Solar Fleet stood on both sides of the navigation track like guards, with their bows facing the fleet led by Gu Hang, showing boundless respect.

Whenever the ships passed by them, the artillery fired upwards and downwards, respectively, setting off grand fireworks in space.

The fireworks were so conspicuous that when people in the night looked up, they felt that the sky had become colorful.

When the Emperor-class battleship that Gu Hang was riding on gradually approached the low-Earth orbit, a magnificent triumphal gate came into everyone's eyes.

It was like a huge metal beast lying across the universe, made of a special alloy that shone with brilliant golden light, and was full of glorious power under the endless brilliance.

At the top of the Triumphal Gate, a huge energy crystal emits a dazzling light, which is like a beacon, guiding the returning heroes.

The two sides of the gate are full of reliefs, depicting the glorious journey of mankind in interstellar wars, from the initial difficult Terra Unification War to the Great Expedition led by the Emperor, and the bloody battles with various alien races; and then, some of the most significant battles are shown in it. Each relief is lifelike, telling those magnificent stories.

It is a megastructure built at the end of the victory of the Great Expedition led by the Emperor himself.

This is the [Triumphal Gate] of Holy Terra, and it is also a huge satellite-level defense platform on Holy Terra. Because it is a circular shape, even the largest Queen of Glory-class battleships can pass through the middle, so when triumphant, the victorious team will pass through it.

This has become the highest honor of the imperial soldiers.

And if there is anything more glorious than passing through this triumphal gate, it is to engrave your own glorious deeds on it.

The Iron Armor War has this honor.

Although there is only a relief of 80 meters x 30 meters, it is not very eye-catching on the entire triumphal arch. But at this moment, the 2,400 square meters of relief flashed the brightest light.

The battleship slowly passed the triumphal gate. Gu Hang stood at the bow, looking at the gradually approaching and more shocking building. Even he could not help but feel a surge of blood in his heart.

This is not only a magnificent building, but also a witness to the glory of mankind.

Not only him, but also every triumphant of the Iron Armor War who followed him and approached from behind, will be shocked by it and feel great honor.

Die for the empire, die for humanity, die for a good cause!

As the fleet continued to move forward, it finally arrived at the starport of Holy Terra. The huge starport was full of various warships, like a steel forest. When Gu Hang's car was parked steadily at the designated berth, the 300,000 expeditionary representatives quickly and orderly began to organize the team. The warrior representatives were dressed in brand new uniforms, and their armors flashed coldly under the lights of the starport. They were neatly arranged, and their footsteps echoed in the empty starport.

Gu Hang stepped off the warship and stepped onto the passage leading to the land. Behind him, the 300,000-strong army was like a giant steel dragon, slowly moving along the red carpet. On both sides of the red carpet were officials and representatives of the people who came to greet them. They held flowers and flags, and their faces were filled with reverence and joy.

From the starport, take the space elevator to the land of Holy Terra. The red carpet was laid for a distance of 5,000 kilometers all the way to the Terra Palace.

Under the leadership of Gu Hang, 300,000 people will take vehicles and cross a distance of one-eighth of the circumference of Holy Terra in about a month to reach Holy Terra.

They will not travel day and night, and the speed will not be particularly fast.

Along the way, they will pass through countless areas of Holy Terra, receiving the enthusiasm and cheers of the broadest masses of Holy Terra.