Emperor's Bane

Chapter 552 Comrade Johnson in Poland

"Has the communication to Luo Jia been sent?"

[Just sent out: They should receive it in a few days. ]

"That's good. I really don't understand why father asked us to block the news first, instead of notifying Luo Jia to come back at the beginning. Even if the Word Bearers traveled day and night, they would need at least several weeks."

[Are you afraid that Luo Jia will be late? ]

"In my impression, he has never been a very punctual person."

【real? 】

“…Well, okay.”

"I admit that I don't know him."

The Lord of Five Hundred Worlds coughed, and turned his head away slightly in embarrassment, his smile looking a little weak: Morgan knew that this was a sign of Robert's lack of self-confidence, and compared to a mature ruler, the Macragge people would always show these emotions on their faces.

In a sense, this was the result of his immaturity. Compared to those real "politicians", Guilliman could not remain calm and utter nonsense that even he did not believe in. In fact, as long as the words he said were not 100% certain in his heart, the tone of the Lord of Macragge would appear weak.

Fortunately, these micro-expressions on the Primarch's face can only be sensed by Morgan and others who are also Primarchs. For mortals and even Astartes warriors, the Lord of Five Hundred Worlds in their eyes will always be the calm and composed galactic monarch who can make clouds with just a flick of his hand.

"But there is one thing I am sure of, Morgan. Even if Lorgar knew about the Perfect City right now, it would still take him three to four weeks to get back. This is because you had already asked the Emperor to change the Word Bearers' conquest route before our fleets set out, so that they would be closer to the Perfect City."

(In the original novel, the Ultramarines completely blocked the news when they destroyed the Perfect City. It was not until the seventh day, which was the last day, that the local governor was allowed to ask the Word Bearers for help. It took the Word Bearers two months, or nine weeks, to get back. During this period, they lost a lot of warships and personnel because they marched too hastily and forced their way into the warp.)
【Only three or four weeks.】

Morgan smiled, not caring about the concerns expressed by Guilliman. Instead, he paid more attention to the real-time auspiciousness machine that occupied an entire wall in front of them. This huge machine was faithfully showing the two Primarchs the progress of the evacuation of the entire Perfect City.

This was not an easy task. Whether it was the six billion people in Perfect City or the fact that it occupied a quarter of the continent, it was enough to keep the two legions involved in the evacuation busy. Even with the addition of millions of mortal warriors, the workload was far greater than what the Spider Queen had initially expected.

Fortunately, she had worked with Killeman to plan dozens of different evacuation plans before she set out, taking all possible situations into consideration: even including the situation where a greenskin fleet emerged from Mandeville Point when the evacuation operation was halfway through.

To take it to the extreme, they even considered the scenario where the Emperor was strangled by the warlords in the greenskin fleet and was shaken back and forth: Although Guilliman thought this was nonsense, Morgan felt that any plan had to have an easter egg.

Everyone has a dream: maybe it will come true this time?

Guilliman:?

But putting aside these inappropriate parts, Guilliman is still the partner that can make Morgan feel happy: if he had not participated in the construction of the early plans, if he had not assisted Morgan in the current real-time control, if his offspring had not participated in various [chores] on the ground, the Spider Queen would have lost at least dozens more hairs.

Over the years, her fallen hair could be sprayed with metallic paint and made into a box of Dawnbreaker tin soldiers: Morgan once seriously considered whether to actually make such a box of small gifts and then give it to his own chief of guards. After all, Lana, who had been working hard for so many years, did not seem to have received any serious gifts from his primarch.

As for Guilliman, Morgan ignored the team of attendants who accompanied Guilliman to visit the Aurora, and let them wander around, observe, and write on the Dawnbreaker warships at will: just regard it as a reward for Guilliman.

Anyway, they could never get into those truly deadly places. Morgan didn't believe that the lieutenants brought by the Macragge people could do anything about the kindergarten on the Aurora.

Thinking of this, Morgan smiled whenever he looked at Guilliman.

[Don't forget, Robert, we need at least fifteen days to vacate the city, which has already taken up most of the time. The remaining week is enough for finishing work and preparing the venue to be used next. What's more, didn't our gene father specifically tell us about this before? ]

Morgan winked at her brother.

[After we completely clear the entire Perfect City, the Emperor will need to stay alone in it for a while, maybe a few days or even longer: we'd better not think about what he is going to do in there, anyway, it won't be a trivial matter. ]

"I just hope he can get out of the Perfect City before Luo Jia arrives."

Guilliman snorted.

"Otherwise, God knows how excited Luo Jia will be."

[You seem to have a lot of opinions about him? ]

"Not really... well..."

Guilliman smacked his lips.

"I really don't like his personality. He is the kind of person I have always avoided becoming."

What kind of person?

Morgan narrowed his eyes and opened his little notebook in his mind: The Great Bearer of Words was one of the few blind spots in the Spider Queen's knowledge. Even though Morgan had been dispatching members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to investigate the Seventeenth Legion in the past few years, the Lord of Avalon was still in the dark about more information about Lorgar personally.

On the contrary, Morgan had learned a lot about Kor Phaeron over the years. After all, this old man had always been a high-profile figure: even though the Ministry of Internal Affairs' informants in the Word Bearers could only wander around the periphery of the legion, they had seen the swaggering Kor Phaeron several times.

In this situation, the evaluation from other brothers, even if this brother is Guilliman, seems particularly precious: after all, the Macragge people will not casually belittle a brother, so the shortcomings that Lorgar mentioned in his words must be real shortcomings.

"Impulsive, extreme... Tsk, that's not right."

Guilliman pursed his lips, as if not wanting to give his brother such an unpleasant description.

"It should be said that he is: emotional."

"When you first meet him, you may think he is very gentle and can be a good friend with whom you can talk about anything. But when you start to communicate with him carefully, you will find that Luo Jia's gentleness is very strange: he is always eager to get along with you, to get your approval, or to make you agree with some of his views. In most cases, this view is his religious theory."

"If you politely resist his enthusiasm, or just want to keep a proper distance from him, then Luo Jia might be disappointed, but the situation is still controllable. But if you really show a completely opposite attitude to him on some issues that he thinks are important, for example, like me, tell him directly that I never believe in the existence of gods..."

"Then his attitude towards you will undergo a complete change. Although verbally, he will call you a lost lamb and seem to want to impress you with his piety, in his heart, you have long been labeled as stubborn. He will be angry because of you. He will oppose you on many things unless you admit your mistakes to him in a way that satisfies him."

【It's so lifelike. 】

The Lord of Avalon clearly recorded every word that Guilliman said in her heart. Then, while observing the real-time situation projected by the auspicious instrument, she touched her brother's shoulder with some teasing.

[From your description, this seems to be an unpleasant memory of yours? ]

"Luo Jia and I have only met a few times."

The Primarch touched the tip of his nose awkwardly.

"But these few meetings were enough to make our relationship tense. The only thing to be thankful for is that Luo Jia's gentle temper is not a disguise. Even though he still has some malice towards me, he will not really retaliate against me. At most, he will just make a few contemptuous comments about me in his heart."

"...just like me."

"I always like to compare my current achievements with him."

【Will not give practical action? 】

"He was never good at fighting."

Guilliman chuckled, and it was unclear whether it was mocking or sarcastic.

"I never even expected him to leap up and punch me, even if that would have revealed his deep resentment towards me, but Lorgar was always so gentle, preferring to talk rather than lift his hammer. He didn't seem like the general the Emperor had shaped for the Great Crusade."

"Even if he is furious, what kind of fright can he give me?"

[Sounds just like me.]

When the Lord of Avalon put the five fingers of her left hand together and placed them on her chest, and said this sentence with a little pride but a little timidity, her face did not stiffen at all. She smiled and looked at Guilliman until the Lord of Five Hundred Worlds nodded half-believingly.

At this moment, the Primarch remembered the Lantern Goddess who was popular among mortals.

"Maybe: but you really have a lot more shining points than him, sister."

【You really know how to make me happy. 】

Morgan turned his head away, looking a little embarrassed.

[If you can put this kind of thought on Luo Jia, maybe your relationship can be improved a lot: Although I have only met Luo Jia once, in my impression, he is not a difficult person to communicate with. ]

"No need: I am now concerned with only one thing about Luo Jia."

Guilliman lowered his brows.

"I just hope they can get to the territory of Perfect City as soon as possible so that we can end this ridiculous incident as soon as possible. After all, the entire Custodian of the Immortals and four Astartes Legions are gathered here. A fleet like this is enough to completely liberate a star region in a few weeks. Now they can only waste time here because of Lorgar's folly."

"He is always so worrying."

【It's three, brothers.】

Morgan corrected with a smile.

[No Dark Angel: Don't let it slip in front of Luo Jia. ]

"Do not worry."

The Primarch drawled.

"Instead of worrying about me, Morgan, you might as well worry about the Caliban lion: Jonson arrived earlier than any of us. He has been squatting near the Millhand system for almost a month. The entire legion is stationary there with nothing to do."

【That was torture for him. 】

"Not really. It's torture for the nearby enemies of the Empire. In the past month, Jonson has wiped out more than 30 pirate dens near the Millhand system, six unconquered wild worlds, and two alien pocket empires that had previously evaded the Empire's detection. If he stays there for a while longer, it's estimated that half of the Taiping star field will not be able to escape the blades of the Dark Angels."

【Is it? 】

Morgan blinked.

So bored that you're starting extinction wars everywhere?

That sounds pretty Jonsonian indeed.

[Let him make trouble. Anyway, there won't be any big trouble in Perfect City. Instead of discussing the problem with Zhuang Sen, we might as well think about the problems we will face after the end of Perfect City.]

After pressing the button to allow the first fleet to take off and evacuate, Morgan glanced at her blood brother again and spoke meaningfully, easily arousing the keen interest of the Lord of Five Hundred Worlds.

"Do you have any inside information?"

Guilliman leaned forward, sharing the same thought as Morgan.

[In twenty years at most, our Gene Father will leave for the Great Crusade: this is what a blood brother told me personally.]

"……real?"

The shock on the Macragge's face did not seem fake at all. He was silent for a moment, then muttered to himself in some confusion.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?"

【…】

Morgan did not respond. Instead, the sensitive Guilliman, after a moment of silence, quickly fell into muttering to himself. He maintained this state for several minutes. Morgan could not imagine: considering the Primarch's microsecond thinking speed, what could the Macragge people be thinking about during this time?
But when Guilliman looked up, his question was unusually simple.

"The Emperor is leaving for the Great Crusade?"

【Return to Terra.】

"……do what?"

"What could be more important than the Great Crusade?"

【I don’t know about that.】

Morgan spread his hands and avoided Guilliman's gaze.

[But there is one thing I can be sure of, because my friends on Terra revealed to me a bad news, my Robert: When the Emperor returns to Terra, he will transfer a considerable part of his power to the Sigillite, including full authority over tax issues.]

"You mean..."

Guilliman narrowed his eyes.

【That’s right, brother.】

Morgan grinned.

[Are you ready to scrap all economic development plans for the next few decades, and then take out a large sum of money and hand it over to the Mortal Council on Holy Terra for free? Although it is not clear what this money will be used for, it is highly likely that it will not be fed back to us. ]

Guilliman was silent.

He was silent longer than last time.

"You mean, I'm about to face a large group of tax collectors from Holy Terra?"

【It's us.】

Morgan emphasized.

All of us.

[You, me, Konrad, and all the Primarchs of the Legion's home planet in the Far East, including Horus, Corax, Mortarion, and Ferrus: It is said that Malcador personally trained thousands of capable officials to come to our Primarchs to supervise our obligations to Terra.]

Morgan's words were decisive, because this was what the Sigillite had revealed to her: the motive was simple, which was to make the Lord of Avalon believe that the tax collectors assigned to her by the Sigillite were truly the most innocent of them all, and there was no need for them to accidentally encounter a storm while sailing in the subspace.

Malcador even implicitly proposed a deal to Morgan in the letter: Terra could acquiesce to the Triple Farr and pretend that this world had never existed. As for the pressure from Mars, Morgan would have to deal with it himself. Morgan would also have to pay a certain price for this disguised recognition, which was to take the lead in paying taxes and set an example for the entire Far East star region.

As for the exact number...

They are all small things and can be discussed.

Since we are all loyal subjects of the empire and confidants of the emperor, why should we be unhappy because of a little bit of money?
So far, Morgan has not replied to the Sigillite. She knows that Malcador is not in a hurry, and she also needs to think about it carefully, such as talking to Guilliman first. After all, when facing Holy Terra, this giant blueberry monster and his five hundred worlds are also one of the biggest trump cards Morgan can play.

I have no objection to this plan, but I can’t say for sure about Guilliman: Morgan always says so in conjunction with Holy Terra.

I have no objection to this plan, but it may not work out on Terra: Morgan always says this to Guilliman.

After all, officials on Terra did not dare to touch the Five Hundred Worlds, an ambitious independent country, and Guilliman would not communicate with Holy Terra at will: since it was a double-edged sword, Morgan did not mind being a lark standing on this sword. Therefore, the Lord of Avalon quietly waited for Guilliman to finish his thinking.

She didn't have to wait particularly long, and Guilliman's sigh of resignation said a lot.

"Well, I can only hope that the numbers they calculate are not too outrageous."

The Macragge rubbed his hair helplessly.

"Compared to them, I still have to go back and convince my parliament, my advisors, and even my children and Lady Euden: Although the Emperor once promised me the tax-free rights for 500 worlds, I knew from the beginning that this right could not cover every inch of the land I rule."

"That's too much, and it's not a good thing for the empire."

The helpless yet open-minded smile of the Macragge people silenced Morgan again: The Lord of Avalon couldn't remember how many times her heart had been ruthlessly burned by Guilliman's nobility. She even developed resistance to it, but she still screamed in her heart.

You are such a noble man, how can I carry out my plan of building a stronghold to protect myself?
[It's the same for me, brother. Although I also have the right to tax exemption, neither the Empire nor the Emperor will allow every world under my rule to be tax-free. That would be too exaggerated.]

The Spider Queen waved to her Ultramar brothers.

【But this does not mean that we have to accept this completely passively. 】

【We can do both. 】

"……What's the meaning?"

Guilliman came closer.

【Think about it...】

The original body's eyebrows were curved.

[Since we have to pay taxes, we must consider the actual local situation, right? ]

"Yes."

[Who knows the five hundred worlds best? ]

"I."

[Who knows the Far Eastern frontier best? ]

"you."

[So: Who is most qualified to calculate the taxes payable in these two places? ]

"...!"

Guilliman looked up in surprise. He certainly understood the meaning behind Morgan's smile, and his conscience immediately began to criticize: after all, before this, the Lord of Macragge's response to such behavior had always been to throw the person involved into a prisoner world.

But now...

"This is not right, Morgan."

“This is greed…”

【Who said that! 】

Morgan interrupted Guilliman rudely and took control of the conversation: she had to instill her theory into his mind before Guilliman could react.

[Let me ask you, brother: Are you squandering your tax money?]

"of course not."

[What is that for? 】

"For... uh..."

[In order to invest in the future development of the Five Hundred Worlds, right? ]

"Yes."

[That's it, isn't the Five Hundred Worlds part of the Empire? If you use this part of the tax revenue to invest in the Five Hundred Worlds, isn't it investing in the Empire? It even eliminates the intermediary procedure of Holy Terra: we all know how corrupt it is, not to mention the unexpected risks during transportation.]

Morgan's eyes were cold.

[Rather than letting these taxes be manipulated in Holy Terra, it is better for us locals to fully invest them in building the Five Hundred Worlds and the Far East Frontier better, and even benefit the entire Far East Star Region. In this way, Holy Terra can also save a lot of money on people's livelihood construction and military expenses for suppression. ]

[Rounding it off, we're even saving them money.]

"..."

Guilliman felt something was wrong.

But what Morgan said seemed to make sense.

But there were a lot of problems: he didn't even know which one to point to first.

"But……"

【Moreover. 】

Without waiting for Guilliman to speak, Morgan reached out and put her arm around his shoulders. The Macragge was half-crouching at the moment, so the Spider Queen was able to do this. She put her lips close to Guilliman's ear, and her voice sounded like both a temptation and an extremely intelligent invitation to an agreement.

[I didn't say we won't pay. We still have to pay taxes. It's just that we have to make contributions to Terra according to our ability and the actual situation of the Far East Star Region after mutual consultation and accurate calculation, to ensure the well-being of the entire empire and the people under our rule.]

【Is there anything wrong with this? 】

"……No."

Guilliman was speechless.

[The Emperor gave this place to us, never for us to levy heavy taxes, no matter what the reason is: and as long as we calculate carefully and can be open and honest with each other, we can definitely take into account the interests of Terra and the Far East. ]

【With our own efforts, we can make the empire better, right? 】

[This is not an insurmountable hurdle.]

"of course."

Guilliman loved to hear that: any idealist would love to hear that.

The Macragge people simply felt that the suggestion given by Morgan was simply perfect and completely in line with the solution he had expected: through precise calculations and efforts, they, the Primarchs, would definitely be able to take care of the interests of each party and meet the requirements of Holy Terra without harming the thousands of people under their command.

Perfect, isn't it?
This is how the Galaxy should be: this is how the Great Crusade should be.

Guilliman nodded in satisfaction.

"So, when are we going to discuss the details?"

【No rush, brother.】

Morgan blinked.

[This is not just a matter between the two of us. We should at least call on Conrad, and even other brothers: After resolving the incident in Perfect City, we should immediately return to our territory and hold a meeting as soon as possible. After all, who knows when the Emperor will return to Terra? ]

"Makes sense."

Guilliman thought for a moment.

"In that case, can we find the Emperor later and give him some advice? He can definitely take some of our descendants back to Holy Terra. After all, you and I are both very clear about the governing ability of mortals. If they can have an Astartes warrior to guide them, it will definitely be a good thing for them. It is also reasonable and reasonable."

[Astartes...tutoring? ]

Morgan's eyelids twitched.

【How do you think we should provide counseling? 】

"It's very simple."

Guilliman waved his hand.

"Compared to mortals, the strengths of the Astartes are their powerful calculation ability and high moral standards. At the same time, they will not be entangled in political affairs. However, they do not have a deep understanding of mortal affairs. Therefore, it is entirely possible to let those mortal officials handle affairs. The Astartes only stand behind them and play a role of supervision and inspection."

"It's the same when it comes to local government. Officials from Terra will collect taxes, while the Astartes will be responsible for calculating and supervising the taxation and providing necessary assistance. Mortals will be responsible for execution, while the Astartes will be responsible for supervision. After all, the Empire doesn't seem to have established a reasonable supervisory department until now."

"Perhaps this is what the Emperor intended for certain Astartes."

"If all else fails: let those High Lords and the Midnight Lords work together?"

【? ? ? 】

"What's wrong, Morgan?"

【No... nothing. 】

The Lord of Avalon quietly wiped away the sweat in his heart.

She just suddenly felt that there was a reason why Guilliman was called ambitious: even Morgan himself, or even Conrad, probably had never thought of locking the group of Supreme Lords on Terra in the same room with the Night Lords.

Do you want to have a bonfire party?
[Let's discuss the details of the meeting, brother: Do you think we should hold it on the way back, or in the Far Eastern Frontier or the Five Hundred Worlds, or choose a more neutral place? ]

"This……"

Morgan didn't expect that Guilliman would be in trouble at this time.

【What's wrong? 】

Morgan tilted his head.

"Ahem...that's it."

Guilliman was a little embarrassed.

"After dealing with the Perfect City, I want to lead my fleet to change the itinerary and go to the Gardenar system to visit Ferrus and Fulgrim... uh, mainly to see how my expedition fleet is doing."

【…】

Morgan narrowed his eyes.

She was not surprised at all.

【Legal concerns, bro.】

The Spider Queen laughed.

[Maybe I'll go there too, after all, it's rare for the three Primarchs to get together. ]

"Ah, that's not true."

Morgan's polite words only elicited a solemn denial from the Macragge people.

"In fact, there are two such cases right now: in addition to Ferrus and Fulgrim's group, I heard that three more legions will be sent by the Emperor to the Ark Border Star Cluster, where there is a group of extremely powerful opposition forces and an ancient library."

【Is it? 】

For no reason, the Lord of Avalon felt uneasy.

[Which three legions? ]

"The World Eaters, Thousand Sons, and I heard that the Space Wolves will also be sent over after they finish their work here."

[…Are you sure, brother? ]

Morgan's voice was cold.

[Russ and...Magnus? ]

"Yes."

At this point, Guilliman scratched his head in confusion.

"I don't understand why the Emperor wanted to bring the two of them together, but I remember that before this, the Emperor brought Dorn and Perturabo together and the result was also good. Maybe he wants to use the same trick again to ease the relationship between Russ and Magnus."

"I don't know what Dorn and Perturabo could have in common."

Morgan looked away guiltily.

"After all, he is leaving for the Great Crusade. This is understandable."

"However, I do not think Angron is capable of mediating between them. Perhaps our father will send someone else. However, this is not an easy task. I do not know which of our brothers will take on this responsibility. It will be a headache for a while."

The Macragge man continued to talk, explaining to his blood relative, but he did not notice that his sister Avalon had already turned away, silently looking at the auspicious instrument in front of her, and then interrupted her words with a low voice.

[No need to guess, brother.]

"..."

[I think I already know who that unlucky guy will be. ]

(End of this chapter)