Emperor's Bane

Chapter 607: The Protector of the Country and the Regent (Part )
Whether it was Jonson, Guilliman, or Morgan, they rarely quarreled with others.

Personality, experience, values ​​and inner cultivation determine this common characteristic among the three Primarchs: rather than standing face to face like fools and talking for hours about a result that is doomed to fail, the Primarchs prefer a smarter approach.

That is: shut up, prepare your core demands, kill with one blow, achieve your goal, or at least express your needs clearly and accurately, so as to reduce the time wasted on arguing with each other.

After all, whether it was Morgan, Johnson or Guilliman, they were all those Primarchs who were proficient in the art of war, and although their specific areas of expertise might not overlap, they all knew the importance of time to victory: for the sake of the rich fruits of victory on the battlefield, no matter how big the conflict was, it could be temporarily suppressed.

This was probably one of the few things Jonson and Guilliman shared in common.

So, when the lion's sarcasm did not arouse Guilliman's anger, but instead made him laugh, the originally sparking atmosphere between the two Primarch brothers also cooled down unconsciously: especially when Guilliman finished laughing, faced with Jonson's confused gaze, spread his hands, shook his head, and pretended to admit defeat, the last bit of gunpowder in the air disappeared.

Morgan was not surprised by this.

She knew that whether it was Jonson and Guilliman in front of her, or the pairs of Primarch enemies she had seen before, it was actually very simple to resolve their quarrels: if one of them could take a step back, even if it was just to lower his posture on the scene, then most of the quarrels between the Primarchs could actually be stopped immediately.

Morgan had understood this long ago: long before she [became] the Primarch.

But the problem is that most of the time, all Morgan saw were two iron-headed guys who either thought they were right or felt they were not, but still forced themselves to think they were right, and they collided with each other until the end of the world: people like Guilliman who had a sense of balance were still a minority after all.

Therefore, the effect is particularly significant.

After his disguised surrender, the lion's self-esteem was obviously greatly satisfied. His original anger quickly softened into a smile that was as friendly as possible. Even the behavior of putting the follow-up plan in his hand on the table changed from casually throwing it to being handled with care. He even gestured to invite Guilliman to continue reading.

"Please, brother."

The male lion is as gentle as possible.

The change was so great that Guilliman's brows twitched involuntarily.

He glanced at Zhuangsen, who appeared to be smiling gently but was actually feeling complacent in his heart, and then glanced at Morgan, who was already used to this and shrugged at him. Finally, he took a deep breath and took Zhuangsen's second version of the plan as if nothing had happened.

Forget it
Just pretend nothing happened.

Guilliman muttered to himself.

The war is the most important thing, the war is the most important thing...

The Primarch encouraged himself and re-examined the battle plan that made his blood pressure bubble up. He racked his brains to make it better. At the same time, he had to suppress the urge to draw the Seraph and fight to the death with Jonson: the latter was more difficult for Guilliman.

For the next half hour, the Macragge people had to endure this torture, arguing with Zhuangsen about one issue after another regarding the marching route and troop allocation, and finally they reluctantly reached a consensus: that is, there was no consensus among them.

A sad failure.

"Jonson."

Guilliman clenched his fist, signaling the failure of the conversation.

"I still find it difficult to accept the most core aspects of this plan, such as the allocation of troops and the division of marching routes. If you insist on following your ideas, then we will never be able to reach peace."

Guilliman coughed and felt his throat was a little hoarse. Morgan, who had been sitting next to him and had not spoken the whole time, handed him a wine glass at just the right moment. The Macragge man took it with gratitude, took a sip, and did not forget to give his habitual evaluation.

“Is this wine?”

[No, sherry, sweet.]

Morgan smiled.

"That's it."

Guilliman nodded, smacked his tongue that had been soaked in wine, and found that he could indeed taste a lot of sweetness, even exceeding the theoretical standard content of alcohol, which made the taste seem a little out of place: in other words, not as good as the one on Macragge.

The Primarch blinked and wisely did not voice his inference, but turned to look at Jonson who was staring at him: Jonson also had a glass of sherry wine in his palm, but the Caliban man had not touched it yet, and seemed to be still brooding over the ultimate failure of the meeting.

Guilliman cleared his throat.

"Jonson, I suggest that we suspend this meeting. It would be a waste of time to discuss it further. I think we should give each other a day to rethink and rethink this war, and wait for the other blood brothers to come back before discussing it again."

"Jaghatai and Fulgrim?"

“Their opinions are worth considering.”

Guilliman smiled.

"And I will seize the time in the next day to refer to your plan and make a new plan. When the time comes, I will discuss it with you next time. I hope you can also try to improve your plan."

"I try my best."

After a long silence, the Caliban only managed to utter one sentence.

"That's good."

Guilliman nodded, trying not to look at Jonson's expression, considering that the work at hand was still very important, and he didn't have time to continue chatting with his blood relatives here: After refusing Morgan's second glass of wine, Guilliman asked a question to Jonson who was picking up the glass while collecting the scattered documents on the table.

"Jonson."

"You've been avoiding the question I raised during our discussion."

"How many people did you bring?"

This question caused the Caliban man's movements to freeze for a moment, but Guilliman, who was looking down, did not notice this.

"No comment, Guilliman."

Guilliman was not surprised.

"No comment?"

He didn't even feel angry anymore.

"You're going to deploy all of my hundreds of thousands of warriors to clear a bloody path for your hand-picked decapitation troops, and then take your Dark Angels and several other legions to Ullanor to steal the Warmaster's limelight. And now, you're not even going to tell me about your own military strength?"

"I suppose this is none of your business, my brother Guilliman."

Zhuang Sen remained calm.

"If you wish to fulfill your part in the war, you do not need to know how many men I have: just be concerned with the distribution of your legions, Macragge. My plan is sound."

"My plan is reasonable."

"That's your subjective fallacy."

Zhuang Sen snorted coldly.

And Guilliman said nothing.

He pondered for a while, and finally, seemed to have figured something out, so he didn't dwell on this problem anymore. Instead, he turned around, quickly pushed the door open and left. Before the door closed, his voice slipped in through the gap.

"I will prepare everything needed for the next meeting within twenty hours and formulate a new battle plan. As far as I know, Jaghatai and Fulgrim will also return in turn at that time. I hope you can answer the questions I just raised at the next meeting, Jonson."

The lion raised his chin and did not respond.

Until the footsteps of the Macragge people spread farther and farther in the corridor, and finally disappeared from the senses of the two Primarchs. At this time, Morgan, who had finished a whole bottle of sherry by herself, finally put down the glass in her hand, leaned on her cushion, and looked at her lion.

Morgan said nothing the entire time.

"Do you have any concerns?"

Jonson obviously realized this.

【Ah, no. 】

The Spider Queen shook her head.

[I just want to see how far you can go by yourself. Guilliman is a good reference: if Conrad or Corax come, then the corresponding reference coefficient will be very low, and if someone else comes, then the risk factor is really a bit high. ]

The Lion King glanced at his sister. He certainly heard the teasing in Morgan's words, but he was not angry about it: after decades of getting along, the Caliban people already knew the meanings of Morgan's various tones, and he knew that Morgan was thinking about him now.

Although Zhuang Sen's brain was not strong enough to support him to figure out how Morgan's behavior was for his benefit, but since it was for his benefit, then these small problems could be ignored.

"So how did I perform?"

[Above the passing line, better than I expected from you. ]

Morgan smiled.

【At least, Guilliman walked out standing up instead of lying down. 】

Zhuang Sen was actually somewhat pleased with himself.

"But his unreasonable behavior has prevented this meeting from reaching its desired conclusion, and we will waste a day for nothing: he refuses his place in the war, but his selfishness is not unexpected to me, because this is Guilliman's character."

【Who says it’s not? 】

The Spider Queen automatically filtered out the trash talk from Zhuang Sen's mouth.

[But then again, Guilliman's refusal was understandable: you didn't even tell him how many people you brought with you, so how could he believe your plan? You know, our brother Macragge is a pure market liberal.]

"What do you mean?"

[From a subjective point of view, he is willing to help his brother for free, but from an objective point of view, every time he helps, he must get corresponding rewards: he will unconsciously find these rewards for himself and use his invisible big hand to defend his tangible interests.]

"That's the kind of person he is."

Zhuang Sen snorted coldly.

"So, tell me, Morgan, should I tell him the actual strength of my troops?"

【Is this...】

Morgan hesitated. [I think that before you reach a compromise on other issues, you should not let Guilliman know that you actually only brought 10,000 people, and that you plan to incorporate all the elite warriors of other participating legions into your decapitation team, so that everyone can gain glory in Ullanor.]

[Including his Ultramarines.]

"This is the advice you give, Morgan..."

【This is what you thought.】

Morgan waved his hand, interrupting Jonson rudely with rare rudeness.

[In front of outsiders, you must insist that this is your own idea: you don't want the Dark Angels to have the honor alone, but want all the brother troops to participate in it. Don't let me slip the secret when the time comes, Zhuang Sen. ]

【Otherwise I won’t forgive you. 】

"Do not worry."

Zhuang Sen nodded, and his confident look made Morgan a little worried.

"But is there really no problem with your Dawnbreaker Legion?"

The lion frowned.

"I heard you lost three thousand men: that sounds incredible."

【This is just an external announcement.】

Morgan sighed.

To be honest, after experiencing the ups and downs of the Great Crusade for more than a hundred years, Jonson's character has improved a little after all: at least the people of Caliban now have taken Morgan and the Dawnbreakers' predicament to heart, and will no longer casually blurt out wise words such as "Only 20,000 Dawnbreakers" that would make Morgan's blood pressure soar.

At least, Jonson knew what the loss of three thousand men meant to the Dawnbreakers.

[But in reality, how could I possibly lose three thousand men in a war like this? ]

Morgan smiled smugly.

【Only 362 people were actually killed in the battle.】

"The rumor about the three thousand people..."

[The 10% death rate is enough for me to withdraw the first six companies that were sent into battle for rest: If the casualties in the branch battlefield are really similar to those of other legions, then my management of the Dawnbreaker Legion and the Far East Frontier for decades is really in vain. ]

"That's good."

The lion no longer asked.

"Since we have enough troops, you will go to Ullanor with me, right, Morgan?"

[It depends on the situation. 】

Morgan didn't care.

If Guilliman finds that he cannot stabilize the flank alone when he formulates his new plan, then I will need to stay and help him: I can't rely on Jaghatai or Fulgrim.

"he?"

The lion snorted disdainfully.

"Don't worry, Morgan. You don't have to guess what Guilliman is thinking."

"His thinking is too predictable."

【How to say? 】

"As you said, Guilliman will definitely find some benefits for himself. He can't participate in this expedition for free. What is the relationship between Ullanor and the Five Hundred Worlds? If it is not for some other benefit? How could Guilliman come all the way to participate in this war instead of staying in the independent kingdom that he has always dreamed of?"

The lion king grinned.

"Just wait, Morgan."

"Guilliman knows that my plan is correct. Some troops must be sent to attract the attention of the greenskins, and another part must be sent to carry out the decapitation operation. He will not refuse to undertake the former mission, and of course he will ask for benefits for his own legion. He will definitely ask for at least tens of thousands of Ultramarines to be included in my decapitation force, and to carve indigo armor in the victory relief of Ullanor."

【Well……】

Morgan thought about it.

Then, she felt that although there were obvious problems with Zhuang Sen's idea, the result he deduced...

It really seems to be correct.

[So, what do you want to do? ]

"Go with the flow."

The lion narrowed his eyes.

"I will temporarily change my war plan according to Guilliman's wishes. I will insert his troops into the decapitation force to fill the number and ensure the possibility of successful implementation of the plan. However, I will not expect him to give me real help."

"My plans are not based on the premise that Guilliman will be able to play a role."

【why? 】

“He’s bound to make mistakes.”

"His legion, too."

Zhuang Sen gritted his teeth, and he became excited by this.

"And once..."

"And once that time comes..."

------

“I have to figure this all out.”

Aboard Macragge's Glory, the Lord of Five Hundred Worlds paced back and forth in his private strategy room, recording all the information he would need later: millions of interstellar map parameters, vast quantities of supplies, and all the reserves of the Ultramarines.

Guilliman needed five hundred worlds to provide him with a fresh batch of reinforcements immediately.

after all……

"Jonson cannot be trusted."

Guilliman rubbed his temple and muttered to himself in the empty room.

"Although his plan is correct, and the most effective way to deal with the Greenskin Empire is to implement a successful decapitation tactic, his personal ability is not enough to make me completely assured: I must draw more troops and let the Five Hundred Worlds provide me with at least 50,000 more troops. In this way, while stabilizing the flank front, I can strengthen the strength of Zhuangsen's decapitation troops as much as possible."

"Because he might cause me trouble."

A finger presses and a command is issued.

"I must make a new plan, a more reasonable one, according to the plan proposed by Jonson. But I cannot follow Jonson's plan completely. He must have other intentions in this expedition. The beast's mind is too easy to guess."

The Macragge smiled, with a hint of contempt for his own blood.

"He wanted to disrupt the coronation ceremony of the Warmaster set up by the Emperor for Horus. He wanted to attack Ullanor first, so that Horus's legion could not take the first credit and declare victory like a beast urinating on its own territory. If it were not for such benefits, how could that guy Jonson leave his shadow, return to the sunshine of the Empire, and join this expedition that has nothing to do with the First Legion?"

"He must have other needs. It's impossible for him to devote himself to the battle wholeheartedly."

"so……"

Guilliman blinked, his mind racing through countless new plans.

"I can't trust him."

"My plan cannot be based on the assumption that Jonson can play a role."

"He's bound to make mistakes."

"The same goes for his secretive Dark Angels."

“Who knows what they are planning.”

Guilliman licked his dry lips, estimating the time it would take for Jaghatai Khan and Fulgrim to return here, and relying on his memory, he began to draw a detailed star map of the entire Ullanor Expedition: he would use this to formulate a new plan.

A plan that would satisfy Jonson but would never please the lion.

Thinking of this, Guilliman gritted his teeth, and a hint of excitement appeared on his marble-sculptured face.

"All right, Jonson."

"I know. I know what you want to do in this war."

"Everyone knows what you are thinking."

"But you are wrong."

The Primarch narrowed his eyes and declared war on the lion in his imagination: the feeling made his blood boil.

"Even on the future Ullanor Victory Monument, your figure will stand in the center."

"But I will also promise."

"By then, you will be surrounded by more than just the colors of the Dark Angels."

(End of this chapter)