The giant corporations that started from Night City

Chapter 444: Two-level reversal! The emperor rebukes! Abdicate and let the wise man take over!
After he finished speaking, Horus closed his eyes and raised his head, looking ready to be slaughtered. He had no intention of making any extreme acts of resistance.

After all, looking at the entire human empire, no one can be the opponent of the Emperor. It is a piece of cake for the Emperor to kill him, the Primarch.

Just as Horus was desperately waiting for his end, the Emperor finally spoke: "Horus, you are the Primarch I have high hopes for, and the Imperial Warmaster I personally cultivated. How could I kill you?"

The Emperor's voice was warm and full of emotion, which gave Horus, who was heartbroken, some hope. He opened his eyes in disbelief, only to see that the Emperor's cold expression had turned into one of sadness and compassion.

It was as if a merciful God saw the suffering of ordinary people on earth.

Horus was completely confused.

This is different from what he imagined!

According to the subsequent plot development, shouldn't he imprison himself, order the Luna Wolves to give up their resistance, and then deal with these Primarchs one by one?

Why is this turning around...

Horus raised his tear-stained eyes and stared closely at the Emperor's face, trying to discern some hypocritical emotion from his compassionate expression, but unfortunately he could not tell the difference.

Sitting alone on the throne on the tall long steps, the Emperor let out a deep sigh: "Every Primarch is my unique child. I have never regarded you as tools to be discarded at will."

"It seems that the long years of expedition have not only blurred the relationship between us as father and son, but also caused misunderstandings and estrangement between us. This is my fault."

The Emperor's sudden confession stunned Horus again. He had prepared himself to be scolded by the Emperor, but the Emperor did this and he didn't know how to start talking.

The moment he looked into the Emperor's eyes, Horus suddenly felt ashamed. Could it be that he had really misunderstood the Emperor's painstaking efforts...

Watching everything happening in front of him, Machado remained silent the whole time, like an audience enjoying a drama under the stage.

In fact, this was indeed just a psychological warfare drama carefully directed by the emperor.

As the Emperor's most trusted minister, Malcador certainly knew that the Emperor truly regarded the Primarchs as tools. If he had not insisted on asking the Emperor to retrieve the Primarchs,

At this moment, Horus is probably still an ordinary gangster boss in Cthonia, and there is no way he has such a respected status as a warmaster now.

It has to be admitted that as an outstanding politician, the emperor has a natural talent for acting and can express appropriate emotions just right.

Even Malcador was almost intimidated by the Emperor.

Looking at Horus's performance, although this young man has some political skills, his political awareness is still far inferior to that of the old-fashioned Emperor.

The emperor only needed one or two words to make him break down and reveal his true feelings. This doesn't seem like the strong psychological quality that a politician should have.

Horus was led by the Emperor's words from beginning to end, passively accepting the ideas instilled in him by the Emperor, and had no firm belief at all.

Since you want to rebel, you should fight to the end. Why do you become soft-hearted just because of a few words from the emperor? Is this the attitude a rebellious son should have?

"You... you still love us, you don't intend to hide our existence?"

Horus opened his bloodshot eyes wide. If he really had misunderstood the Emperor, then his actions just now would be ridiculous and mad.

"I have never thought of hiding your existence. The information you have learned is not true. If you want to know more about the second and eleventh Primarchs, I will let Malcador take you to check the information."

The Emperor said in a deep voice: "I have seen everything you have done for the Imperium of Mankind. Your great military exploits will be immortalized. My feelings for you are no less than those of mortals."

The existence of the Second and Eleventh Primarchs was hidden because they accidentally came into contact with top-secret information about the Webway Project during the Great Crusade.

In order to maintain absolute confidentiality, the two primarchs voluntarily sacrificed themselves to prevent information from leaking out and shaking the foundation of the Empire's rule.

This was one of the few mistakes the Emperor made and also the most painful secret in his heart. Now he decided to tell Horus the truth and let him understand his painstaking efforts.

Of course, this is also because the New Channel project has completely replaced the original Web Channel plan, and these top-secret information no longer needs to be kept secret.

Only by appropriately disclosing some top-secret information can the world know the sacrifices the Primarchs made for the Human Empire.

After learning the truth about the Emperor hiding his Primarch, Horus couldn't help but be in a trance for a moment. No wonder the Emperor no longer stayed close to his sons since the Great Crusade began.

He carries too many secrets, so it's better not to talk to his sons, march with them, or even meet them in person.

Seeing that Horus had wavered, the Emperor struck while the iron was hot and asked him a question: "Do you think that my letting mortals take charge of the affairs of the Empire means that I am afraid of and indifferent to you? Is that so?"

The Emperor looked down at Horus at the long steps, which made Horus feel very uncomfortable. The shame in his heart made him feel ashamed. Facing the Emperor's questioning, he could only respond in a low voice: "Yes..."

No Primarch would like these incompetent bureaucrats, who always use various reasons to delay the logistics of combat troops and cause unpleasant trouble.

Even the supplies of the Luna Wolves were often delayed or in short supply.

In addition, these Primarchs must obey the orders of the mortal High Lords. They have the final say on which planet to attack and how many troops to send.

There are actually very few Primarchs who can truly fight independently.

"I'm telling you now, you're wrong!"

The emperor's tone suddenly changed.

"Do you think the fuel, food, and equipment in the logistics baggage all fell from the sky? Let me tell you, the weapons, equipment, and food used by you Primarchs are all provided by countless ordinary people with their hard work."

"During the most difficult times, nine out of ten logistics officers I sent out starved to death on the way. They were afraid that they would not be able to escort the supplies to you."

"You have made numerous achievements on the battlefield and enjoy the admiration of the world, but behind all this glory come countless broken mortal families."

"They actively paid heavy taxes, taking out precious food from their mouths to feed you Astartes so you can fight!"

"Yet you have held many extravagant banquets. Every grain of corn you have thrown away was grown by the blood and tears of the common people."

The Emperor rebuked Horus harshly. Of course, the Great Crusade could not be separated from the bloody battles of the Primarchs, but hundreds of millions of mortals were the foundation of support for this Great Crusade.

War is always a battle of logistical consumption, a two-hundred-year expedition, and the blood, sweat, and hard work of ten generations.

These mortals who will never be remembered by history have created many dazzling and remarkable Primarchs. Don't they deserve the respect of the Primarchs?

The Emperor's rebuke made Horus a little dizzy. He recalled everything about the Great Crusade and it seemed that there was indeed very little shortage of logistical supplies.

At least most of the time, the Moon Wolves' supplies were replenished in a timely manner.

The supplies they enjoyed were indeed abundant, so much so that they often held banquets to boost the morale of the legionnaires.

At this moment, the situation in the hall took a two-fold reversal. Horus became the ashamed and silent one, while the Emperor fired questions one after another, striking deep into Horus' soul.

"Horus, what do you think politics is? How to unite and oppress others and turn the Empire into the personal property of the Primarch?"

The Emperor showed an expression of disappointment in his son's ability and angrily denounced Horus's idea of ​​elitist governance.

"Don't you want to become a high lord councillor? Well, I'll tell you what they do every day!"

"They are thinking about how to cross the dangerous subspace and escort the supplies to your position safely and on schedule. They are also thinking about how to turn the dry land into fertile soil that can produce a good harvest."

"I'm thinking about how to provide the meager pensions to the families of the dead warriors within a limited budget, because they have to save some money to hold a celebration banquet for you primarchs!"

"The High Lords will arrange for people to try to rebuild the planets you bombed at all costs. The mortals there can only endure the pungent smell of gunpowder and concentrated sulfuric acid gas to build buildings."

"Because the Empire will not provide useful and expensive gas masks to mortals whose lives are as insignificant as ants!"

"..."

The Emperor cited more than a dozen bloody examples in succession. It was indeed great that the Primarchs fought for the Empire and defeated powerful enemies, but the harm they brought to the people of the Empire was also not light. After all, many Primarchs loved to harass mortals, and even killed innocent people indiscriminately. The Emperor knew all of these actions, but in order not to affect the morale of the army, he could only turn a blind eye for the time being.

If we really want to settle accounts one by one, no Primarch will be innocent!
"Horus, which one do you want, to be a high lord who works at his desk all day and becomes ill from overwork, or to be the warmaster of the empire who commands the three armies?"

The Emperor's question left the confused Horus completely at a loss. Before this, he had always believed that these high lords were corrupt and lawless dignitaries, and were high-ranking imperial civil servants.

And these Primarchs are nothing more than hounds at the mercy of the civil servants.

But now it seems that being a civil servant is not that easy.

The Emperor's questioning of Horus also made Malcador beside him sigh with emotion.

Over the years, his contribution to the human empire is definitely no less than that of the Primarch, but how many ordinary people know that he is the Prime Minister who holds the seal?

If Horus really wanted to take over his position and become the regent of the empire, he would definitely welcome it.

The title of Imperial Regent sounds impressive and seems very great, but Malcador knows all too well the difficulties and hardships involved.

Over the years, ever since Malcador became the Regent of the Empire and the Prime Minister, he has never dared to slack off for a single day.

After winning a battle, the Primarchs could hold a banquet and indulge themselves in some debauchery, but every time they finished dealing with a difficult government document, they had to start working on the next one.

The war can be stopped, but the government system cannot be stopped. It must run on rotation all year round!

As the Great Crusade of the Galaxy progressed, the territory of the Human Empire grew larger and larger, and the capital Terra received more and more government documents. Every day, countless things were waiting for Malcador to stamp and process.

Even though Makado has extraordinary psychic talents and can process large amounts of file information at once, his energy is limited after all. It can be said that he has been able to hold on until now only because of his luck.

Makado would never let go of any opportunity to temporarily leave his current position, and now, the opportunity has come!

The Emperor wants to be a hands-off boss, and Malcador cannot be left behind.

Seeing Horus, who was already confused by the Emperor's question and taking deep breaths, Malcador spoke up in time and pushed Horus:
"Your Majesty, since Horus is willing to devote himself to the empire, I am also willing to abdicate!"

"The human empire will eventually be handed over to the hands of young people."

Seeing that the time had come, Malcador began to cooperate with the Emperor, giving Horus the opportunity to back off. As long as Horus did not strongly object, the matter would be considered a success.

Let Horus be the regent of this empire and give him a good beating.

If Horus really has this talent, then everyone will be happy. If not, then don't blame the Emperor for not giving him the opportunity. It's Horus himself who failed to seize the opportunity.

Hearing this, Horus looked at Malcador in surprise. He had always thought that the other party was a villain who only knew how to flatter the Emperor.

I didn't expect that Makado would suddenly vote for me at the critical moment. Could it be that I was really blind and misunderstood the amiable and lovely Prime Minister Ma!
"Your Majesty, please grant me your permission."

Malcador bowed and pleaded with the Emperor, and the two looked into each other's eyes, and everything was said without words. The combo was finally completed, and now they just had to wait for Horus to fall into the trap.

The Emperor deliberately pondered for a moment, as if struggling with the feasibility of this matter, and finally relented and asked Horus: "Horus, are you willing to take on this important task?"

For the Emperor, no matter what choice Horus made, he would not suffer any loss.

If Horus really performs well after taking over the responsibility of regent, he may be able to sit on the position of Emperor.

Although the Emperor did not see the potential for ruling in Horus.

If Horus was not good at political work and only knew how to use small tricks like uniting factions to attack dissidents, after some personal experiments, he would have realized that mortals also have wisdom.

These ordinary mortal officials do have cases of corruption, but they have also done a lot of practical things for the human empire.

The so-called political work is itself a work of personal connections. In the absence of a sufficiently strong regulatory system, it is inevitable that some personal connections, gift-giving and bribery will occur.

In particular, the human empire's transportation and communication systems are backward, which further aggravates the inconvenience of communicating government orders between Terra and the various colonies.

The emperor is far away and the local officials are the kings of the mountain. It is very easy for them to take bribes.

This is the objective law, and even the emperor can only accept that this situation will occur widely and he is powerless to change it.

If the root problem cannot be solved, it will be futile even if more mortal officials are killed. This is why the Emperor is so anxious to build a new waterway system.

"I wish..."

Horus closed his mouth before he finished speaking. In that brief second or two, he repeatedly weighed the importance of the Regent and the Imperial Warmaster.

The Imperial Regent and the Chancellor are civil servants second only to the Emperor. In theory, even the Imperial Warmaster is under his jurisdiction.

Now that the Great Crusade is over, his title of War Marshal is only a little bit impressive, but his actual power is far less than that of the Imperial Regent!
If there is a real choice, it would of course be the Imperial Regent.

"Father, I am willing to take on this responsibility."

Horus looked determined and solemn as he said to the Emperor: "I want to follow the example of Prime Minister Malcador and take charge of the Empire's affairs to help you solve your problems!"

Even though the Emperor had told him so many disadvantages of governing, Horus still wanted to try it himself. He didn't believe that he would do worse than those stupid mortals.

Malcador, who was standing at the side of the hall, appeared calm on the surface, but he was actually very happy in his heart. This bastard wanted to ask for trouble so much, so he might as well let him suffer.

Anyway, it won't be long before the Human Empire will be completely taken over by the Universal Corporation. Now that Horus is in power, even if some unexpected things really happen, there will be enough room for error.

"Have you really thought about it?"

The Emperor questioned Horus again and again. He didn't want to see Horus crying and begging him to let him go back to be the Imperial Warmaster soon.

"The empire's political affairs are complicated and cumbersome. Can you assure me that you can really handle these matters?"

"I can promise!"

Horus solemnly promised the Emperor: "If I am allowed to take charge of the Empire's affairs, I will clear out all corrupt bureaucrats and restore a politically clean environment to the Empire."

"I will also unite the Primarchs, let them stay safely in their own territories, and wipe out all invading enemies!"

Horus has his own political ambitions. He can't wait to transform the Empire into what he wants it to be and succeed the Emperor to accomplish his own great cause.

The Emperor and Malcador looked at each other, and finally nodded, agreeing to Horus' idea of ​​governing.

"Horus, from now on, you will replace Malcador as the new Imperial Regent. The position of Imperial Warmaster will be temporarily suspended. I will have someone send this notice to all parts of the Empire."

"In the middle of this month, the official coronation ceremony will be held on Terra. All the Primarchs and High Lords will be present to witness your coronation."

After the Emperor finished speaking, Horus was still immersed in the shock of being named Regent of the Empire. This idea that he had dreamed of for so long actually came true.

Before coming to the Imperial Palace on Terra, Horus had fantasized about becoming a member of the Imperial Civil Service and getting a position as a High Lord Councillor.

But I didn’t expect that this time I would get the title of Imperial Regent!

His biggest worry, Prime Minister Ma, who was second only to the emperor and above everyone else, finally stepped down.

And he, Horus, the Primarch of the Luna Wolves, is about to become a new political superstar of the Empire, and realize his ambitions in the new era after the end of the Great Crusade.

There has never been such a wonderful start!

(End of this chapter)