If Xiao Ran had not converted the 25th Fleet into an Exclusive Faction, then such a simple trade and cooperation alliance would have been appropriate. It gave those Autonomous Fleets and Border Forces a foundation for close cooperation and mutual unity, while the rest would require the slow work of time proving people's hearts. Of course, no one would be foolish enough to create a political alliance just to oppose the Earth Unified Army.
Those fleets and forces could resist the Earth Unified Army all they wanted, since the mountains were high and the emperor was far away. The Earth Unified Army simply could not control them. Besides, those fleets and forces were nominally subordinate to the Earth Unified Army, and there was nothing worth coveting about them. Whether they governed themselves or pulled a few strings below the surface for their own benefit, none of it was particularly harmful to the Earth Unified Army.
But if they truly established a political entity, and lacked enough confidence to stand against the Earth Unified Army before it could react, the final outcome went without saying.
Even Xiao Ran had never intended to completely sever all ties with the Earth Unified Army. That would truly leave no room for reconciliation, bringing nothing but drawbacks to the 25th Fleet's development. The relationship between a fleet and Earth was like that of mother and child. Mothers and children could argue and have conflicts, but how many truly cut off all relations? At most, they would be like the Seventh Fleet and stop heeding the Earth Force's orders. But if Earth came under attack, the Seventh Fleet would certainly send military forces to reinforce it.
So, in essence, this alliance was still a cooperative alliance. It would also give these forces more say when dealing