NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 704: The 18th Army of the Galactic Republic
Eriadu, the Outer Rim of the Galaxy, the Capital of Greater Seswenna, and the Capital of the 18th Army of the Galactic Republic, Governor Wilhuff Tarkin.
This Planet is the Largest Trade Center within the Outer Rim, and it is connected to several Hyperspace Lanes. In addition to the most important Hydian Way and Rimma Trade Route, there is also the Lipsec Run and Yankirk Route, Nothoiin Corridor which passes here, and the traffic is very convenient.
Under the Prosperous Trade, Eriadu developed extremely fast, with a population of 22 Billion, second only to Christophsis with a population of 35 Billion in the Outer Rim.
However, unlike Christophsis, which is purely a crystal production place, Eriadu, which is a Trade Center, is obviously much more complicated.
Two years after Tang Xiao and the Fourth Civilization traveled to this World, in the Year 33BBY, Eriadu once became the center of conflict.
In that year, because the conflicts in the Outer Rim of ??the Galaxy began to intensify, in order to resolve the contradictions and implement his own Taxation Bill for the Outer Rim, the then Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, Finis Valorum, decided to hold Business Summit on Eriadu and invited those Huge Corporate Giants from all over the Galaxy to participate in the meeting to discuss the issue of the Taxation Bill.
But under the plot of Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, the Eriadu Business Summit turned into a farce. Darth Sidious secretly contacted Wilhuff Tarkin, who was the Vice Governor and Security Minister of Greater Seswenna at the time, to plan a Droid Riot.
In that Droid Riot, a Large Number of High-Level Personnel of the Corporate Giants were killed or injured, and the Senior Officials of the Trade Federation were almost wiped away in one pot. This also made Nute Gunray the winner in the end.
The High-Level Executives of the Kuat Drive Yards also suffered Heavy Casualties in this Droid Riot, and Kuat took its anger out on the Trade Federation because those Drioids were provided by the Trade Federation. As a result, Kuat Drive Yards and the Trade Federation parted ways and withdrew from the Trade Federation, and a few months later, they also terminated their agreement with the Techno Union and withdrew from the Techno Union.
As for the Taxation Bill proposed by poor Finis Valorum, it became a joke and was ignored by all. Moreover, in order to bear the responsibility for the Riots at the Business Summit, the Deputy Chancellor stepped down, and Finis Valorum lost his last and most important ally.
After this incident, Eriadu seemed to have disappeared from public view, continuing to function as a Trade Center, but no longer playing a role in the Political Field. But in fact, Eriadu is constantly changing.
One year after the Riots ended, Sheev Palpatine became the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, and Wilhuff Tarkin's Official Career has since embarked on a High-Speed Channel. His Security Minister Position was also promoted to the Commander-in-Chief of the Greater Seswenna Defense Force, and he has all the Military and Political Power in his hands.
Because of Palpatine's hints that War would break out sooner or later, Wilhuff Tarkin began to prepare for War very early. He used the Riots at the Business Summit as an excuse to cleanse a Large Number of Dissidents in the Local Defense Forces in Greater Seswenna and increase Military Expenditures. Even though the Parliamentary Policy made it impossible to expand the Army, he had already cultivated a Large Number of Competent Officers and made Eriadu into a Military Fortress.
After the outbreak of the War, Greater Seswenna was integrated into the 18th Army of the Republic, and Wilhuff Tarkin became the Governor of the 18th Army as a matter of course.
Because of his preparations in advance, the 18th Army did not receive too much challenge at the beginning of the War and even repelled the raid of the Confederacy of Independent Systems Fleet during the Battle of Agomar.
Compared with the 14th Army, whose Headquarters was surrounded by the Techno Union and the 19th Army wiped out by the Fourth Civilization in 3 Months, the 18th Army under Governor Tarkin is one of the few Legions of the Galactic Republic that can still fight back on Countless Battlefields!
Wilhuff Tarkin implemented a High-Pressure Military Policy in the 18th Army's Jurisdiction, forcibly recruiting Troops from various Planets, and refitting Factories on Industrial Planets to serve Military Expansion. There were many complaints in the territory, but Palpatine directly used his relationship with the Senate to suppress all complaints against the 18th Army.
But when everything was going smoothly, reality gave Governor Tarkin a blow!
The Industrial World Sullust, which is adjacent to Eriadu, the Headquarters of the 18th Army, suddenly announced its separation from the Galactic Republic and joined the Confederacy of Independent Systems. At the same time, SoroSuub Arms Factory which owns more than half of the shares on Sullust, also has an ambiguous attitude and has always refused to express its position.
The sudden betrayal of Sullust caused Eriadu to lose its barrier and an Important Industrial Base in an instant and made Eriadu directly face the Semi-Encircled State of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
The Supreme Strategic Command of the Republic and the Jedi Knights sent Jedi Knight Rees Alrix as the Leader to lead a Fleet to assist in the attack on Sullust but she encountered stubborn resistance and progress was slow.
In this situation surrounded by Enemies on Three Sides, Wilhuff Tarkin relied on his own Terrifying and Harsh Policy Methods to Resist Tenaciously.
However, attacks followed one after another. The 19th Army of the Republic launched Two Consecutive Offensives against Bespin and finally destroyed its Fleet of more than 100 Venator-class Star Destroyers.
Just at this time, Sheev Palpatine directly ordered him to destroy Dawn. This Order, which completely ignored the Strategic Plan, made Governor Tarkin very angry!
The most realistic goal of the 18th Army should be to first keep Eriadu under the watchful eyes of Powerful Enemies, and then start to open up the situation from the Industrial World Sullust. After having a Solid Strategic Rear, only then we can consider Counterattacks, instead of running through Thousands of Systems to attack Dawn who just killed the 19th Army and has High Morale!
You must know that the 19th Army had 110 Venator-class Star Destroyers at its peak, and this Fleet was more than double that of the 18th Army!
Therefore, Governor Tarkin told Palpatine directly that it was okay to attack Dawn, as long as you gave me 500 Venator-class Star Destroyers, and Palpatine turned off the Holographic Projection without saying a word.