Emperor's Bane

Chapter 952 The War General's Dilemma
Betangamon will be at the heart of this war.

Anyone with even a little military knowledge can easily see through this.

It is so important.

It is the second most important goal after Holy Terra.

More important than the entire Astartes Legion.

Whether in terms of geopolitical value, military role, or the renowned reputation of the "Gateway to the Solar System" known throughout the galaxy: this is a land worth measuring with the lives and blood of billions of people, a necessary foundation for the victors.

At least in the mind of the Wolf Shepherd, the gateway to the Sun Starfield is absolutely worth the price.

Not to mention that conquering this world would completely unite the Warlords' forces and eliminate any worries during their march on Terra: the mere faction's control of the Solar System's gateway by the Shadowmoon Wolves would be enough to fundamentally shake the Highlords' prestige, and severely damage the morale of the military and civilians under Terra's rule.

No one would believe that a king who has lost his city walls could defend his palace.

The Wolf God didn't believe it either.

Therefore, he had set his sights on Betangamon from the very beginning.

However, before the two sides officially went to war, the War Commander's actions against all the shadows in this space were quite unsuccessful.

Rogdorn wasn't stupid; he could certainly see the value of the Betangamon region. The Imperial Fist, which was heavily guarded, was not an easy opponent: even for the Hydra's elite, several infiltrations and reconnaissances had failed to yield any advantage.

On several occasions, even when the Primarch, who called himself Omega, personally led the team, they still failed to achieve the expected results in the Imperial Fist's fortress: although they did plant a few mobs and outposts, compared to the massive size of the entire Betangamon defense line, the liquid in the Hydra's fangs was a drop in the ocean.

Therefore, until the Shadowmoon Wolves' fleet completely crushed Fenris's wolf pack, Betangamon was under the complete control of the Seventh Legion. It not only accepted the defeated soldiers of the Space Wolves fleeing south, but also firmly blocked the Warmaster's two most important allies in the east.

It also became a major worry for the commander.

A mental illness that seems almost incurable.

For Horus, if he could hold the Betangamon region firmly in his grasp at the very beginning of this solar war, he wouldn't mind losing any ally in exchange for such a wonderful start.

Compared to the initiative in the entire Sun War and the opportunity to wholeheartedly besiege Terra, the existence of a Primarch and hundreds of thousands of Astartes warriors is sometimes not so important.

From the triumphal ceremony of Ulanor, which marked the official culmination of the Great Crusade, to the Terra Crisis, which effectively split the entire human empire, this revived regime, established by the Emperor, experienced exactly fifty years of golden age, before plunging into the abyss of war once again due to the mutual hatred among its rulers.

Although fifty years of peace was far too short for the Galactic Empire, the stability and rapid development it provided were undeniable. When the militaristic traditions left over from the Great Expedition, coupled with the burgeoning productivity of the entire galaxy, and encountering a large group of rulers and vassals with differing motives, the grand arms race would naturally push the scale of the next total war to a height that no one could predict.

During the Great Crusade, 100,000 Astartes warriors might be the entire strength of a medium-sized legion, and many legions couldn't even muster that many mobile troops. However, after fifty years of dedicated development, every legion that dared to participate could easily muster more men.

Take Shadowmoon Wolf as an example: Although the current War Commander has not yet used his full strength, the number of combat troops he has deployed to the front line has long exceeded 300,000.

With such formidable strength as his foundation, he could certainly disregard the assistance of even one or two legions.

Of course, except for Ultra Warriors.

It's not that Guilliman and his Thirteenth Army had far superior combat power compared to their brother units: although they were indeed among the best in the army, for the warlord, the value of the Five Hundred Worlds did not lie in its strength, nor in Guilliman's quill pen, but in the irreplaceable strategic importance of the entire Far East.

For the Warmaster, neither Guilliman nor his Ultramarines are insurmountable: as long as he is willing to trample on his long-held principles, and as long as fate does not stand against him at crucial moments, he will always find a way to deal with the power of the Five Hundred Worlds.

It is impossible to completely destroy Altera.

But he was still confident that the Ultramarines' fleet would never be able to reach the Maelstrom or Terra.

Because Guilliman and the Ultramarines' weaknesses are so easy to exploit: the Archon of Macragge, with his powerful and prosperous Five Hundred Worlds, has become a force to be reckoned with among the Primarchs. Although his bad reputation and opportunistic behavior make him lack the confidence to compete for the Warmaster, his actual influence is in no way inferior to that of the Warmaster.

Everyone has had their share of criticism of Guilliman.

But no one can underestimate Guilliman.

Even Horus, the true Warmaster, rarely received such a prestigious treatment.

But conversely, this also comes at a price.

The expansion of the five hundred worlds has made Lord Macragge incredibly powerful, but now he is also gradually being imprisoned in this increasingly rigid giant's body.

Guilliman has ruled Ottaramar for too long: it is now a question whether his voice represents himself or the five hundred worlds behind him.

The generational shift within the Ultramarines further blocked Guilliman's few remaining escape routes: as Terra's veterans dwindled and those who survived gradually lost their voice, the Thirteenth Legion's ideology was now controlled by the overwhelmingly superior Ultramar warriors, whose united voice often even drowned out the Primarch.

These warriors may still be loyal, brave, and fearless, and have absolute devotion to their genetic fathers and homeland, but the people of Macragag have never been fond of the Emperor and Terra. While they would not rise up in rebellion against the rule of the double-headed eagle banner, they would not swear allegiance to the Terran throne, which is half a galaxy away.

Thus, the Five Hundred Worlds became Guilliman's weakness and Achilles' heel, which the Warmaster saw clearly.

Taking advantage of the inertia of the people of the Five Hundred Worlds who were unwilling to get involved in the Galactic Conflict, and Guilliman's own political ambitions and opportunistic mentality, Horus made him an offer he could not refuse: the Ultramarines would not have to do anything, would not have to think about loyalty and betrayal, and they would be able to obtain the freedom they wanted, while Guilliman would also have an opportunity to make great strides.

As for the claim that the ruler of Macurag has always dreamed of returning to the countryside to live out his days?

What a joke.

Go ask the Interior Ministry in Terra: how many bureaucrats don't dream of returning to the countryside?

They only said what they meant, as if they were all already tired of the political infighting.

But in the end, apart from those who are too old to stand, or those who are ousted after a failure, how many high-ranking and powerful people are willing to give up their power?

Guilliman may not care about power, but that doesn't mean he lacks political ambition: as one of the few politically astute and enjoyable administrators among the twenty heirs designed by the Emperor, the Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds would not mind delaying his retirement to the countryside if given a stage to realize his ambitions, since he still has a long life ahead of him.

The War General saw through this.

He astutely grasped Guilliman's speculative mindset.

This is actually a fairly obvious weakness.

Putting aside other things, outsiders criticize the Lord of Macragge not only for his ambition, but also for his endless copying and imitation of other legions. Whenever other Astartes legions possess unique weapons that can play a key role in the battle, the Ultramarines will soon have almost identical imitations. No one knows where they come from, but Guilliman's scientists always manage to obtain the most crucial data.

From another perspective: isn't this endless greed a manifestation of a speculative mentality?

If they are so indifferent to such trivial matters as equipment, how could they remain unmoved when faced with the authority of the empire?

Yes, perhaps subjectively, he was not power-hungry.

But long-standing habits would instinctively lead him to reach out that blue hand to seize power.
The Archon of Macurag had long harbored resentment towards the Highlords' Council of Terra, and his reasons were absolutely justified. If there were a low-risk opportunity for the Highlords, whom he considered incompetent, to pack their bags and leave, while he himself could sit in that position and govern the entire galaxy according to his own expectations, then Guilliman would absolutely not mind engaging in a political opportunism.

Thus, Horus gained the most unstable, yet most useful, of all his allies.

Guilliman's compromise allowed the Wolf God to stabilize the security of the Far East, something no other allied legion could do, and the only bargaining chip that could not be used to exchange for Betangamon: the neutrality of the three Far Eastern kingdoms was more important than a million Astartes warriors.

This is no joke.

If Guilliman and Morgan were determined to support Terra in the war, Horus would not dare to start a war at this time: Terra and the Far East combined would be able to challenge the entire galaxy except for them, and would have a high probability of winning. Even if their opponents were to eventually defeat this two-headed monster, it would be a Pyrrhic victory that would destroy the entire galaxy.

The Great Expedition would be nothing compared to it.

This is precisely what Horus fears most: with the strength of the Shadowmoon Wolves Legion, they are not without a chance of victory against either Terra or the Far East, but fighting on two fronts will cause the Warmaster's forces to lose confidence from the very beginning.

Initially, Horus tried to avoid this by winning over Morgan and the Dawnbreakers, but the Spider Queen never gave him a clear answer, and public opinion surrounding the Second Legion was also not optimistic.

Although both are rulers of the Far East, the Dawnbreakers and the Ultramarines have subtle differences: Morgan's Terran veterans still hold considerable sway. They may not be loyal to the High Lords, but their obsession with the Emperor and Holy Terra remains unwavering, and they are clearly more interested in intervening in the chaos at the center of the galaxy.

The only saving grace is that these Terrans won't be a problem for him, at least not for now.

But if he doesn't hurry, things might not turn out that way.

Although it was not yet clear why the Lord of Avalon chose to leave at this time, Horus already had a vague guess in his heart. He even anticipated that this matter was very likely related to the Emperor: but since the war with Terra had already broken out, these things had to give way to the war.

If you can't win, everything else is pointless.

As he slowly moved the chess piece symbolizing Lemanrus to Betangamon, the wolf god reminded himself of this simple truth.

Whatever the truth about the emperor may be.

Right now, he must conquer Holy Terra to have any chance of turning his future around.

And if we want to conquer Terra...

"The key point is Betangamon."

On the star map depicting the entire solar system, the situation of the battle was laid bare before the father and son.

"Terra is located at the very center of the Sun Sector, while Betangamon is located at the far east of the sector. The space between them lacks a solid world to serve as a support point. It would be difficult for Rogdoryn to organize a reliable defense here, and he also lacks the confidence to engage in a strategic decisive battle with us. Therefore, the main force of his legion must be holed up in Terra."

"But in addition to that, a considerable number of Imperial Fists will be stationed at the Betangamon defense line."

"The number is expected to be 50,000: or even more."

"The current situation is that our main force has just defeated the wolf pack of Lemanrus and is also holding the Sixth Legion's routed troops firmly, preparing to advance directly from the north of the Sun Star: with Dorne's forces, he cannot deploy any more defenses here."

"In other words, our fleet will plunge straight into the area between Terra and Betangamon."

“Separate them.”

"Or be surrounded by them."

"Everything depends on whether the war surrounding the Betangamon space region goes smoothly."

The War General kept a close eye on Terra's location, pondering their initial strategic plan.

In fact, the Horusian school's strategy and tactics were not complicated from the beginning.

The Wolf God's plan is very clear.

First, through pre-war diplomatic means, ensure the neutrality of all powerful legions to the greatest extent possible, thus weakening the forces that Holy Terra can mobilize to the extreme.

This has been achieved almost perfectly.

Avalon, Macurag, Caliban, Colkith, and Medusa: The most powerful legions in the galaxy remain indifferent to the war between the Warlords and Terra, which has become the Warlords' greatest strategic advantage.

He successfully transformed a rebellion against the Empire into a war solely against Terra.

After this was implemented, the four rebel legions that actually participated in the war each had their own tasks.

The Shadowmoon Wolves have the most crucial mission: they must single-handedly and completely crush Lemanrus's Space Wolf Legion at the very beginning of the war.

This step was also implemented almost perfectly.

Lemanrus hastily withdrew from his hunting grounds with less than a quarter of his forces, leaving his glorious queen and homeworld behind as spoils of Horus's war. Although the wolf king of Fenris caused the warlord some trouble with his cunning before the retreat, the strategic mission of defeating the wolf pack had undoubtedly been accomplished. However, it could not be described as perfect.

Horus only realized a somewhat embarrassing problem after he defeated the Space Wolf.

He won too quickly.

Horus envisioned defeating the Wolf Pack's main force in one battle as the ideal outcome, but annexing the entire Fenris in one battle would be excessive. He had expected Lemanrus to fight again after his defeat, at least for his barbaric homeland, instead of taking a bite out of him indiscriminately and then abandoning his Fenris homeland without looking back.

It seems he was certain that a war commander who valued his reputation wouldn't dare do anything to a legion's homeworld.

And he was right.

Facing Fenris, the homeworld of the Space Wolves, the Warlord not only ordered his men to refrain from harming them, but also showed them sufficient respect. The remains of the Space Wolves who died in the previous battle were sent back to Fenris for proper care.

This leads to a problem.

Originally, while the Shadowmoon Wolves were completing their mission to defeat the Space Wolves, the White Scars and the Sons of the Emperor, who were advancing from the Far East into the Solar System, should also have taken action. Their assigned strategic task was to clear out the Holy Terra's strongholds in the east and crush Betangamon's defenses with overwhelming force.

Even according to Horus's most optimistic estimate, he believed that the Khan and the Phoenix would need some time to besiege the city.

According to the pre-arranged plan, the White Scars and the Sons of the Emperor will conquer Betangamon and then join forces with Horus's Shadowmoon Wolves. During this time, the Warmaster will lead his army to stand between Terra and Betangamon, preventing Dorne's army from supporting the gateway to the solar system and depleting the Imperial Fist's forces as much as possible until the three legions meet and completely crush Terra's defenses.

In addition, the Death Guard advancing north from the south will serve as a hidden trump card: although the presence of the Raven Guard prevented the Fourteenth Legion from mobilizing its full strength to march north—Motalian's army of over 300,000 ultimately only deployed 160,000—this force is still capable of overwhelming the lightly defended Imperial Fist territory and arriving at the battlefield in the Solar System within the predetermined timeframe.

At that time, they will be deployed as a vital force to war zones where the situation is not developing well.

This plan is simple enough, yet deadly enough.

If things go smoothly, the four legions that have joined forces will have an absolute numerical advantage. Even if Dorn builds an impregnable wall around Terra, he will still have to face the problem of insufficient manpower. The Imperial Fist, with less than 200,000 men, will not be able to hold his defensive line.

The war would end with the surrender of the high lords or the raising of Horus's banner at the palace gates.

But as the old saying goes, you can plan your strategy before the war breaks out, but once the first bullet is fired, everything will be out of control.

Similarly, the Wolf God did not expect that his first setback would come from a great victory over the Space Wolves.

The victory came too quickly and too thoroughly, disrupting Horus's rhythm: he had thought the space wolves would fight for their home, but he never expected that Fenris's wolf king would actually abandon his pride, abandon the legion's homeworld and flee, which was an unprecedented humiliation in the history of the Astartes Legion.

Horus, in any case, did not expect this.

He had considered the Wolf King's flexible moral bottom line, but he never expected it to be this flexible.

Don't you even bother to protect your own hometown?

While theoretically, it is not impossible for the Astartes to abandon the Legion's homeworld if the Primarch is present and has his backing: this is especially true for the naturally magnanimous and rugged space wolves.

Even so, abandoning a legion's homeworld to a nominal adversary is still unheard of.

Even Horus back then only transferred control of Xanthi to the Highlords Council after the Emperor personally intervened; even that caused quite a stir within the Legion.

For Warmaster, Lemanrus's escape cost him the chance to completely eliminate the Space Wolves.

The wolf pack may have been badly damaged, but they are not so badly damaged that they are unable to fight.

Worse still, the Space Wolves, under Lemanrus's organized command, joined the defensive operations of Betangamon as reinforcements: a Primarch and fifty to sixty thousand resentful Space Wolves would undoubtedly make the plans of the two rebel legions in the Far East to besiege Betangamon even more difficult.

This was not in the original plan: these troops were supposed to be further destroyed by Shadowmoon Wolves during defensive operations in the Fenris system.

"You said: Was this all arranged by them?"

The Wolf God looked at Betangamon with a furrowed brow.

Although he immediately ordered his fleets to give chase at full speed after realizing what was happening, the Wolf King was unstoppable once he was determined to escape. He not only successfully escaped the pursuit of the Shadowmoon Wolves, but also managed to lead his main force into the White Scars' vanguard fleet before they began their siege of Betangamon.

How come he didn't know this guy could run so fast before?

This unexpected reinforcement greatly boosted the morale of the defenders of Betangamon: the Khan's vanguard's setbacks were the best indication of their strength.

This is only the first problem.

The second one is more complicated.

Zhan Shuai's gaze slowly shifted towards Terra's direction.

In their plan, the defeat of the Space Wolves and the fall of Betangamon were supposed to happen almost simultaneously. This kind of attack from multiple fronts could effectively distract the already small number of troops in Rogdorn, allowing them to consolidate the Warmaster's gains before Rogdorn could react, and maximize their numerical advantage.

But now, things have changed.

The wolf pack's immediate retreat caused a time discrepancy between the two plans that should have been completed simultaneously. The Shadowmoon Wolves lost their target, while Betangamon became more difficult to defeat due to Lemanrus's timely support.

Although Chagatai Khan and Forgrim possessed a military advantage of nearly three times, this advantage was somewhat insufficient against the fortress complex that Rogdorath had been building for fifty years.

Even if they manage to capture Betangamen, it will inevitably take much longer than originally expected.

Well, the problem is coming.

Horus placed his pieces one by one, the black and white pieces intertwined before him.

The Warlord's army followed the direction of the retreating wolves and plunged into the space between Terra and Betangamon, while Lemanrus rested temporarily at the gateway to the solar system and blocked the allied forces of the Khan and the Phoenix. The main force of Rogdoryn's legions was poised to attack on Terra, while Mortarion's troops would take at least several more months to arrive and were not considered for the time being.

Therefore, the situation becomes quite delicate.

In Terra, Rogdorath has gathered the main force of the Imperial Fist Legion, with more than 150,000 troops ready to either march or hold their ground. The Solar System and its surrounding space have been forged into an impregnable fortress by the Terran Guard. As long as these 150,000 troops remain behind their fortresses, they are an invincible force. And if they attack, none of Horus's men will be able to stop them.

Unless he personally takes command.

In Betangamon, Lemanrus has a force of about 100,000 Space Wolves and Imperial Fists under his command. They are stationed in the fortress complex that Rogdorand has spent half a century building, and are supported by a highly motivated mortal auxiliary force and the Titan Legion: in short, this is an extremely tough nut to crack.

East of Betangamon, the combined forces of Chagatai Khan and Fugrim, numbering over 300,000, had officially begun their campaign against the Betangamon space region. It was unclear how long it would take them to conquer the gateway to the solar system: but even if they were to achieve final victory using only their own strength, the time it would take would far exceed the expectations of the Wolf God, and the bloodshed would only be greater.

West of Betangamon and east of Terra, in the fleet personally commanded by the Wolf God, more than 300,000 of the most elite Shadowmoon Wolf warriors gathered.

This is a subtle number.

If the warlord chooses to march east, this massive army will be the final straw that breaks the back of Betangamon: the 600,000-strong allied army of three legions will methodically dismantle Betangamon's defenses, and within a few months, Horus's flag will be flying over Lemanrus's command center.

But Dorn couldn't just stand by and watch.

If he chooses to take the initiative, how will Horus deal with the Imperial Fist army?

Being caught completely unprepared? That definitely won't work.

We need to find someone to keep an eye on them, but who, and how many people, can control the Imperial Fist led by Dorn himself?
If the War General were to personally oversee the operation, the reinforcements sent to Betangamon would be significantly reduced, and the Khan and Phoenix would still have to spend a long time before they could possibly breach the gateway to the solar system.

What if we ignore Betangamon?

Can Shadowmoon Wolf attack Terra on its own?
Ok……

Dorne can guard his walls until he dies of old age.

"..."

"so……"

"What should we do?"

After much deliberation, the Grand Expeditionary Commander appointed by the Emperor still couldn't make up his mind.

He seems to have many choices.

But in reality, it seems there aren't many.

He seems to have plenty of time.

But in reality, I was very nervous.

More importantly, although he had an almost absolute numerical advantage on the surface, Horus could not guarantee victory on every battlefield simply by spreading his soldiers out in formation.

Both Dorne and the Wolf King are troublesome opponents. Facing their personally led armies, a slight misstep could lead to the annihilation of the entire fleet: Horus is almost incapable of dividing his army, and none of his men can withstand Rogdorne's personal attack.

And more importantly.

Is he really going to start a full-scale war against the Imperial Fist of Rogdorn at this time?

He knew Rogdorn; he was a man who was almost incapable of compromise.

Once the two legions are at war, Dorne will not back down like Lemanrus.

He will fight to the last man, with the last bullet.

And when that time comes.

He anticipated that this war would be brutal, but one that would absolutely not cross the red line.

Really... won't it completely spiral out of control?

When he and Terra fought to the death...

No one will be a winner.

"..."

Standing before the intricate star chart, Horus had never felt such a heavy weight on his shoulders.

He doesn't have much time.

But he had to make a decision that could change the fate of countless people, and even the entire galaxy.

Is it Betangamon?
Or Terra?

Is it risking failure to prolong the process?
Or... escalate the war further?
……

Father...

What should he do?
(End of this chapter)