The expenditure of Gift Points on Holy Terra initially felt somewhat inevitable.

After all, one must consider the special status and complex situation there, which is not completely controlled by the Alliance. Although it’s possible to use Gift Points to develop there within the system, Gu Hang is also worried that future changes or repetitions might waste the investment.

However, the situation has reached a point where the revival of Holy Terra is unavoidable. Instead, Gu Hang has opted to increase investment.

Whether it’s direct funding, resource investment, or Gift Point investment, it’s all to boost the construction of Holy Terra.

The better the reconstruction, the better the stability, aiding one another.

As for the risk of losing control, it depends on whether the governance level of the New Empire government can manage it.

Currently, the situation looks good.

The dismantling of local aristocrats on Holy Terra has been relatively successful.

On one hand, a hidden danger has been removed, or rather, part of it has been provoked and thoroughly suppressed; on the other, the control of the New Empire government has extended to the grassroots of Holy Terra.

After acquiring grassroots power, many development strategies can truly unfold.

And the construction of Holy Terra should actually be called restoration.

As long as it returns to its former scale, this planet can rival the wealthiest entire Tianma Star Sector of the Alliance.

With a large population and strong foundations, that’s how it is.

This doesn’t even account for the Mars Founding World nearby.

Surrounding Holy Terra and Mars, belonging to the Sun Star Domain’s eight hundred worlds, the foundation is also good. Although due to decades of turmoil, some places are in worse condition than Holy Terra, fundamentally, the population scale is large. With enough resource and Gift Point investment, this entire region can quickly redevelop through the radiation of Holy Terra and Mars.

In fact, until now, it can already be considered an initial success. Although we are not yet at the breakpoint, looking further ahead, the potential is gradually being realized, and in three to five years, another strong driving force for Imperial Expedition will be formed.

At this point, Gu Hang’s investment in this place is quite sweetly satisfying.

...

Apart from the conversion of factories and schools and the enlightenment of talent, another major category of Gift Point consumption is closely related to ’people’.

Military construction.

Six expeditionary armies, plus one guarding the homeland, with the Comoros rapid-movement Central Front Army, require a huge amount of resources and funds to maintain, in addition to a large personnel support.

The wear and tear of war is one aspect; another, even larger, is the normal retirement of soldiers.

First, the military laws of the Alliance are generally more lenient towards soldiers compared to the previous Imperial Star Realm Army, which rarely took soldiers away without them ever returning home unless their station was local. Otherwise, if sent to war, they might never return to their hometown in their lifetime.

This situation arose because the Empire was inhumane.

There were also objective reasons.

Interstellar travel is both difficult and expensive, and with frequent wars, naturally, veterans would not be easily discharged. Even injured, disabled, or particularly elderly soldiers who affect combat capability would be more likely to be settled in situ. Only a very few lucky ones would have their original deployment location match the destination of returning logistics ships with empty cabins, allowing them to return home.

But it’s different for the Alliance, as it places more emphasis on veterans’ retirement benefits.

The Alliance’s Dark Side Expedition has been ongoing for over a hundred years. New recruits at twenty, by their thirties or forties, their physical capabilities are not as strong as when they were young, but thanks to more extensive experience, they can still maintain strong combat effectiveness. However, after fifty, the decline in physical strength is significant.

Except for a few officers and generals who have taken on command or management roles, to maintain the unit’s combat effectiveness, even without injuries, those who should retire must retire.

In fact, many in the Alliance Army retire in their thirties and forties.

Actually, the Alliance also tends towards local or nearby settlement, as it is convenient and cost-effective.

But unlike the old Imperial Army, the Alliance’s local settlement does not rely on coercive measures, simply placing people in one place. The Alliance mainly uses reward and incentive methods for veteran settlement.

Alliance’s retired veterans can receive corresponding retirement benefits based on military merits, honor medals, military rank, and military position level.

Those choosing nearby retirement transitions can receive higher benefits than the stipulated basis.

This represents better transition roles, such as instructors or logistics officers for the local Planetary Defense Force, officers for the security forces; transitioning into police departments under the Legal Department; or local security companies...

These are considered relevant roles. Besides these, many other good positions in other government or corporate departments are available to accommodate retired veterans.

The more challenging the environmental conditions, the closer to the front lines, the better the retirement conditions for local settlement.