Emperor's Bane

Chapter 1032 The Embryo of the Second Empire (Part 1)
"So, we only have one last item left."

"Apart from that, we have reached an agreement."

“That’s right, Robert: but before we discuss it, please allow me to ask you a question.”

"Speaking?"

"Why did you name this topic?"

"Is it the [Second Empire]?"

……

This once again proves that as long as both parties share the most basic common interests and genuinely want to achieve even temporary cooperation, then even Guilliman or Johnson can be excellent negotiating partners.

When the two legion commanders, who had temporarily adjourned, resolved their respective issues and returned to the room to sit on either side of the negotiating table, this confidential meeting, which involved the entire three Far Eastern countries, suddenly became much smoother.

Johnson is not a stubborn fool: at least he is not now.

But realizing that his super intelligence could no longer find another super assistant to use, this Caliban, who always preferred to solve problems with simple superpowers, finally decided to activate his long-dormant super brain.

Before leaving Ahliman and pushing open the door to the conference room again, Zhuang Sen deliberately found a quiet corner to think for a while.

Thanks to Morgan's strong recommendation and the Lion's own covert observation during this period, Johnson had a high degree of trust in Ahriman: he believed Qianzi's words.

The Far East certainly has its own unique circumstances, and Ahriman probably just simply didn't think of this matter.

That's nothing. This seemingly leisurely Director of Psionics in Avalon is actually quite busy: among Ariman's many responsibilities is to coordinate and supervise at least eight figures, or even as many as nine or ten figures, of potential psionicists throughout Avalon. Just thinking about it makes one's scalp tingle.

Zhuang Sen was happy to understand him.

The Primitive Body holds a deep respect for such pragmatic individuals with genuine talent and skills.

This is perhaps one of the few advantages that the Caliban developed after Ulanno.

According to Ahriman, his attitude during the talks should have changed: there are a few issues that don't need to be too rigidly opposed to Guilliman, and at the appropriate time, he could offer his brother some minor benefits.

In any case, according to Ahriman, given the deep ties between the Far Eastern countries, as long as Johnson can firmly grasp the hearts and minds of Avalon and hold power, Guilliman will not be able to act alone while ignoring them: he only needs to prevent Guilliman from corrupting Avalon in secret.

Of course, the specifics of how to proceed would depend on Johnson's return to Avalon, after which he would dispatch the Dark Angels to thoroughly investigate the actual situation in the Far East and confirm that Ahriman's words were true: on matters concerning life and death, Johnson could only trust his Caliban.

The Dawnbreakers are good, but they are not Morgan after all.

Compared to the relationship between Johnson and Morgan, and between Morgan and the Dark Angel, the relationship between Johnson and the Dawnbreaker is rather pathetic: he is fully aware of it.

Of course, compared to Guilliman, the Dawnbreakers are not without their merits: at least they don't always try to get something out of Johnson.

And that Macurag man...

Thinking of this, Zhuang Sen raised his head.

The round table in the conference room wasn't large, but as a Primarch with superhuman senses, Johnson could easily see through the details around Guilliman.

He immediately realized that the thick stack of documents in the hands of the Lord of Macurag was not the same as the ones before the recess: they were brand new, and even had the lingering smell of fresh ink.

Holding these newly released, reliable data, Guilliman's confidence was practically solidifying.

Clearly, after filling in the gaps, he was confident of winning this verbal battle.

Zhuang Sen didn't care about this.

On Ulanoro, he was even willing to lose the warmaster competition with Horus. So why not let this little brother have his way?

In any case, there was only one issue that the Kaliban were truly concerned about at this meeting.

So, in the following period of time, Zhuang Sen became much more amiable.

He seemed genuinely convinced by the detailed data provided by Guilliman, glossing over many issues that sent chills down the spines of the Lord of Macragge. As Guilliman repeatedly breathed a sigh of relief, the conference progressed at an astonishing pace, with countless sharp contradictions temporarily masked by compromises, and one unresolved proposal after another being put aside.

Both sides were satisfied with the outcome.

In Zhuang Sen's view, he hadn't expected the negotiations to be fruitful.

Even if he agrees, he can easily turn back if things go wrong: as long as he doesn't back down and the Dawnbreakers are still willing to listen to him, Guilliman won't be able to accomplish anything significant.

According to Guilliman, although many key issues seem to remain unresolved, the Macurag people are accepting of this situation: after all, what the Five Hundred Worlds wants most is to maintain the status quo, and the back-and-forth between these problems will actually buy them a lot of time.

Thus, despite the differing thoughts on both sides, the reopened talks surprisingly presented a harmonious and pleasant atmosphere.

The two Primarchs clinked glasses, laughing and joking, even occasionally cracking jokes at each other. The fates of hundreds of worlds and countless peoples were casually decided, while the issues on the left side of the conference table that needed to be addressed later had unknowingly piled up into a small mountain: indicating that this Primarchs summit had achieved very little beyond reaching the most basic consensus.

But both sides were quite satisfied.

Until the very end of the meeting, the Caliban casually raised the question.

……

“I want to know, Robert.”

"The Second Reich: What does this mean?"

……

coming.

Still here.

Guilliman's hand, which was under the table, slowly clenched into a fist.

He squinted slightly, trying to control the sweat from dripping down his forehead: that would make him look cowardly.

But deep down, he couldn't control his heartbeat, which quickened considerably because of Zhuang Sen's question: judging from the lion's malicious eyes, he must have already noticed this abnormality.

The Makulaq people kept smiling, as if it were a trivial little joke.

He had to remain calm: this was the last and biggest problem he had encountered in this conversation.

His gaze lingered on the data in front of him, but quickly drifted away: they were no longer needed.

So he raised his head and looked at Zhuang Sen in front of him.

Look at the lion's serious face and his ominous emerald eyes.

Judging by appearance alone, you might mistake Johnson for someone like Dorn, but those cunning and malicious eyes always instantly bring the naive Guilliman back to reality: before him lies a wild beast born of the forest, and lying in the face of such a being is not a wise move.

Before this, Johnson might not have cared.

But he must be serious about this issue: and honest about it.

However, firstly...

He needs to absolve himself of responsibility first.

"Ahem, that's right."

He quickly devised a plan. Under the Caliban's amused gaze, Guilliman coughed first.

Then, in a serious tone, he emphasized first.

"I did not name the Second Empire."

“I know, it’s Conrad.”

Zhuang Sen interrupted him.

“Morgan told me about this, Robert.”

“If it weren’t for her, her name alone would be enough to make me draw my sword against you.”

"I'm so glad to see that you're still so consistent."

Guilliman relaxed slightly, but still retorted verbally without holding back.

Then he went on to say that.

“Since Morgan has already told you, you should know that this plan is not malicious. I just want to…”

"You should say it again."

Zhuang Sen interrupted him again.

As Guilliman stared in astonishment, the lion of Caliban smiled casually at him, subtly manipulating the conversation.

His words, however, carried a threatening undertone.

"After all, that happened many years ago."

"Who knows if some things have changed over the years?"

"After all, even Horus, who seemed so loyal, has changed, hasn't he?"

"..."

Guilliman's face was somewhat gloomy.

He hesitated for a moment, torn between offering an explanation or engaging in a confrontation.

However, when he looked up again and saw Zhuang Sen's inquisitive eyes, perhaps he finally understood the real reason for the problem, and Macurag sighed helplessly.

He spread his hands, striking a pose of surrender.

"Think what you want, Leon."

He deliberately called out to him in a more affectionate way.

"But please believe me, I have no ambition to build a second empire on the corpse of an existing one."

“You know me, brother. Although we haven’t seen each other for many years, both Morgan and Conrad have probably described me to you. I haven’t changed in all these years. I’m still the same me: the Robert who can sit down and talk with you.”

"I shouldn't be the enemy, brother."

"You don't need to... doubt me like this."

Zhuang Sen did not respond to him.

He just watched quietly.

But as a brother, Guilliman knew that this silence was also an answer.

Zhuang Sen then urged him to continue.

So he continued speaking.

"Actually, this so-called Second Empire was not an idea I came up with on the spur of the moment. As you know, many years ago, it was just a contingency plan prepared in advance by the entire Far East in preparation for future changes and some extreme developments. At that time, nobody really took it seriously."

"Because apart from Morgan and Conrad: I don't believe the Empire will break out into civil war."

"That's why, when Conrad insisted on naming the plan the Second Reich, although I didn't quite agree with his idea, Morgan nodded, so I agreed as well."

"You sound quite innocent?"

Zhuang Sen interrupted him once again.

This is no longer a discussion; it sounds more like an interrogation.

Guilliman was relieved that he had requested that no one be allowed to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Or rather, he had foreseen this.

There was no other way: if we didn't include the eye-catching title "The Second Empire," it would be even more troublesome if Johnson found out about it someday.

“I am not innocent, Zhuang Sen.”

The Primarch shook his head, his tone sincere.

Based on his previous experience, Johnson is not harsh as long as you can clearly explain your difficulties: at least that's what Morgan and Conrad said.

"In fact, the main body of the plan for this so-called second empire and almost all the processes were designed by me."

“I even have the very first draft here.”

He picked up a stack of documents.

“You can take a look: it’s all here.”

He slammed the documents on the table, then pushed them toward Johnson: The Lion caught them, glanced at them absentmindedly, and gestured for Guilliman to continue.

"This so-called Second Empire was divided into two phases."

Guilliman leaned back in his chair, feeling a sense of relief.

"But at every stage, our primary objective is to maintain the independence and integrity of the entire Far East." (Excuse me.)

Zhuang Sen raised his hand.

"What exactly does your 'Far East' include?"

This question surprised Guilliman.

"What...do you mean, Zhuang Sen?"

How big is it exactly?

The lion pointed to the star map on the wall.

"Does it only include the three of you, or does it also include Angron and even Corax?"

“Even larger: for example, Bar and Olympia, which are also within your radiation range.”

"If possible, I would definitely like it to be as big as possible."

Guilliman smiled somewhat helplessly.

"But in reality, all we can control are the Five Hundred Worlds, Avalon, and Nostramo."

“That’s almost a fifth of the galaxy, Robert.”

"Yes, but in crucial moments, you'll find that we're not as well-off as we thought."

Guilliman rubbed his temples.

"For example, now."

"The current situation is the [first phase] that we are trying to prevent in the Second Empire plan: the core of the Empire is in general chaos, the central government of Terra is almost or completely incapacitated, a power struggle within the Empire in which it is temporarily impossible to determine who is right has taken place, and has spread to the Primarchs and their Legions, and the Emperor has no or is temporarily unable to resolve all of this."

"The three of us agreed that the Second Empire would only be activated under these circumstances."

"The goal is to ensure that the Far East is not rashly drawn into unjust wars."

Guilliman looked at Johnson.

"According to our original plan, the Far East would remain completely neutral under these circumstances and would absolutely not interfere in the war in the center of the galaxy."

"Unless one of three things happens."

“You wrote it very clearly.”

Zhuang Sen looked at the documents in front of him.

"Unless the Emperor issues a personal order."

"Or, in the absence of the Emperor, Holy Terra and Warmaster Horus reach an agreement and personally issue the order."

"or……"

"Or perhaps, the three Primarchs unanimously agree?"

Guilliman added.

"I, Morgan, and Conrad, the three of us, like you and me, are having a meeting face to face and unanimously agreeing to military action against regions outside the Far East."

"What if you're not here?"

Zhuang Sen asked.

“Then my Gage, Morgan’s Rana, and Conrad’s Sevita will vote on their behalf: but they must hold the seal of Primarch identity and a token bearing the Primarch’s genetic module.”

"Immense trust."

Zhuang Sen nodded.

He couldn't help but wonder, if it were him, who would he appoint to exercise this power in his place?
Coswayne? Or Luther?
Before they could come up with an answer, the Caliban's gaze fell on the second page of the document.

That was the second phase of the Second Empire.

"The second phase was the worst-case scenario we could imagine at the time."

Guilliman went on to explain.

"This hypothesis was proposed by Morgan because I at the time simply couldn't imagine it."

"She hypothesized that the core territories of the Empire, including Holy Terra, had fallen, and that the Empire's main army had collapsed in the face of powerful external enemies. The fate of the Emperor and the central government of the Empire was unknown, and most of the Primarchs and their legions either no longer existed or had become our enemies in some sense: after all, there is no shortage of means to manipulate others in the galaxy."

"In this situation, if the Far East has become the last territory controlled by the Empire, and if we can no longer get any aid and help, how can we, in isolation and without any support, hold off the enemy's offensive and continue the flame of humanity and the Empire, so as to ensure that the dream of the Great Expedition will not perish in the war: this is the ultimate goal that the Second Empire wants to achieve."

"Yes, a grand goal."

Johnson nodded, and for some reason, Guilliman felt that his attitude seemed to have softened a little.

"Also, Robert."

“I noticed that you did not write in detail how you planned to implement these two phases of the Second Empire.”

The lion tapped its fingers on the table.

"Because there are too many, Johnson."

Guilliman spread his hands.

“That involves all areas. I set up a secret library to store all the plans. It’s not easy to move them all at once.”

"If you'd like to see it, I can have a copy made after the meeting and send it to you."

"Being not."

Zhuang Sen shook his head, his tone sounding almost like a superior reprimanding his subordinates.

“You only need to answer two questions for me, Robert.”

"First of all, according to you, are we already in the first phase of the Second Empire?"

"The Empire is embroiled in a civil war, and we need to maintain the Far East's armed neutrality in this civil war."

Strictly speaking, yes.

Guilliman did not deny it.

“I have been working hard to maintain this.”

"Is it?"

Zhuang Sen's tone was blatantly skeptical.

"Then, second question."

"Your draft doesn't seem to address what should be done if one of the three Far Eastern countries decides to launch a military operation without authorization?"

Guilliman looked up, as if he had heard something absurd and ridiculous, and stared at Zhuang Sen with a suspicious expression.

“Leon, didn’t Ahman tell you this: the political understanding between Morgan and me is…”

"That's you and Morgan!"

Once again, Zhuang Sen interrupted him.

“Morgan is Morgan, and I am me: now that Avalon is under my command, it’s time to incorporate some of my rules.”

This was something the lion had already thought about during his personal contemplation after saying goodbye to Ahriman.

He will abide by the rules of the Far East, but that doesn’t mean he will follow them blindly: especially not be led by the nose by so-called political tacit understandings in front of someone like Guilliman.

He wanted to add his own touch, to give the rules of the Far East a bit of a Caliban feel.

"I only want to know one thing."

Zhuang Sen pushed the documents aside.

"Guilliman, if you and your legions wage war in the name of the Five Hundred Worlds rather than the entire Far East, how will Avalon and Nostramore stand?"

"Is he being implicitly considered your ally?"

"Should we remain neutral, which would effectively cause a split within the entire Far East Alliance?"

Have you thought about this question?

Guilliman was stunned.

He stared at Zhuang Sen as if he were looking at a stranger.

Why would you think that, brother?

"What I think is not important, Robert. What matters is your answer to me next."

Zhuang Sen banged heavily on the table.

But to his surprise, after a brief silence following the sudden attack by the Caliban, Guilliman actually asked a question in return.

"And what about you, Zhuang Sen?"

"Morgan grants you the power to rule Avalon."

"And you don't intend to fully abide by the tacit understandings and rules that have been in place on this land for hundreds of years."

"Then, what should I do if one day you lead Avalon's army westward?"

“I won’t do that, Robert.”

“I don’t know either, but that doesn’t stop you from questioning me on this issue, Leon.”

Guilliman lowered his head and stared at his hands.

"You see, this is our problem."

“I can reach an agreement with Morgan that even if she leaves temporarily, I can trust her people.”

“I can reach an understanding with Conrad, and I also watched Sevita grow up, so I can trust him as well.”

"You are the same, Johnson: you can reach an agreement with Morgan, or you can gain the trust of Conrad."

“But not you and me: the alliance between Johnson and Guilliman was always so difficult.”

These straightforward words made Guilliman feel much less suffocated. He felt a strange sense of ease, and, perhaps due to fatigue, he noticed that whenever he spoke so frankly, Johnson, sitting opposite him, always seemed somewhat uneasy.

"Honestly, Leon, if it were before, I wouldn't have cared about this kind of thing."

"But the situation is different now."

"Just as you said: we've reached a terrible point where we have to consider activating the Second Empire."

"At this point, we cannot afford to let our own or my impulsive actions jeopardize the overall situation."

Guilliman met Johnson's gaze.

"Let's be open and honest, brother."

"How can I gain your trust? How can we reach a new understanding, like Morgan and I did?"

Zhuang Sen laid his hands flat on the table.

"To be honest, Robert, after learning about your plan called the Second Reich, I found it very difficult to trust you."

"I already said it was the three of us..."

"Because I know Conrad and Morgan, but I can't guarantee that I truly understand you."

Zhuang Sen stared at his brother.

“Especially now, Conrad and Morgan are not in their positions for the time being.”

"And you, in front of me, repeatedly toy with the so-called tacit understanding you three have reached."

"To be honest, Guilliman brothers, I'm really worried that there's a trap you've set for me here."

"I agree with the spirit of the Second Empire, but its rough internal structure makes me feel unsatisfied and uneasy."

"I need to provide... a much stronger guarantee."

Only in this way can I feel a little more at ease.

(End of this chapter)