The giant corporations that started from Night City

Chapter 455: The father is strong and the son is weak, the son is strong and the father is weak, power is conserved!

[Regent Horus, please don't be anxious. I am old and my memory is not very good. I need to think about it slowly. The more anxious I am, the harder it will be for me to think of it.]

Malcador deliberately provoked Horus and made a look that made people grit their teeth. Seeing Horus and the Luna Wolves behind him with expressions as if they had eaten shit, Malcador felt extremely comfortable in his heart.

In the past, Malcador would have avoided conflict with Horus for the sake of the greater good, but now he no longer needs to be a grandson, and there are not many opportunities to disgust Horus, so he must seize every opportunity.

"Malcador! I tell you, don't be so cocky. I will soon tell my father about your group of high lord councillors who have colluded with mortal bureaucrats to form a clique for personal gain and are corrupt!"

"Do you really think I was just playing around during this period? To tell you the truth, I have already found out everything you did."

"If anything happens to me, you won't have an easy life!"

Horus was so angry that veins popped out on his forehead. Malcador knew best what kind of a shithole he had taken over. It would be strange if he didn't run away after getting such a disgusting thing in his hands!
However, facing Horus's harsh rebuke, Malcador did not feel the slightest bit of guilt or panic. He looked at him calmly and said, "The Emperor knows all these things, and he even condones many of them."

"For example, the High Lords' Council, which you hate the most, was created with the approval of the Emperor himself."

After saying this, Malcador smiled. This young man still had too little experience and still saw things in black and white. It was not that easy to govern such a huge state machine as the Human Empire.

[Regent Horus, when you meet the Emperor later, you'd better actively admit your mistakes, otherwise you will probably be thrown into prison to chat with Magnus.]

After he finished speaking, Malcador hung up the conversation without caring about Horus's reaction. He had already delivered the message that needed to be delivered, and the rest was up to Horus to handle.

“This old thing…!”

Horus clenched his fists. He didn't believe that he would be imprisoned by the Emperor. After all, Magnus's mistake was colluding with the evil god of the Warp. At most, he was absent from work and neglected his duties.

It's not even considered as inaction!

It's not like he didn't let the Cabinet and Guilliman handle government affairs. Why can Malcador outsource government affairs to the Council of High Lords, but he, Horus, can't do the same.

Thinking of this, Horus became confident again, and with some pretended calmness and nervousness, he set out on the road back to the Terra Palace.

However, on the way back to the palace, Horus couldn't help but think of various possible situations.

It is of course impossible to say that you are not panicking at all.

On the surface, the Emperor was somewhat indulgent towards his own children, but after Horus learned the details of the deeds of the hidden Primarchs, he realized that the Emperor had always been strict with them.

It can even be said to be cruel and ruthless!

Some Primarchs killed innocent people indiscriminately and levied heavy taxes, but the Emperor could choose to turn a blind eye. Even if someone reported it to the Emperor, he would simply punish them.

If you make the same mistake again next time, you will be punished again. The Primarch will not be seriously injured.

But some Primarchs just wanted to help the Emperor solve problems, and if they accidentally saw something they shouldn't have seen, they would be executed by the Emperor...

Including the seemingly foolish Magnus, who originally just wanted to complete the system of psychic knowledge for the human empire, but in the end he ended up with the Thousand Sons Legion being massacred and his home planet being destroyed.

It is obvious that when it comes to core interests and fundamental issues, even the most benevolent and loving father can turn into a bloodthirsty executioner in an instant.

But many Primarchs had no idea where the Emperor's bottom line was, and sometimes they didn't even know they were on the brink of death.

Leaving the empire's political affairs to others to handle, and running away, does this count as touching the emperor's bottom line...

What if the emperor gave him the position of regent of the empire for some purpose, but ended up ruining the overall situation because of him? What should he do then?

Once doubts arose, they formed an endless web of tangled threads that Horus could not untangle no matter how hard he tried, and the panic in his heart gradually intensified.

With uneasy thoughts in his mind, Horus entered the Emperor's palace almost like a walking corpse.

After not seeing the Emperor for many days, he was still the mighty Emperor. Horus just looked up at the Emperor, then immediately lowered his head in guilt and shame.

He had prepared countless excuses to exonerate himself, but the moment he looked into the Emperor's eyes, Horus suddenly forgot all of them.

Seeing that Horus had already arrived at the palace, the Emperor did not say anything. He just stared at Horus in silence. The atmosphere in the huge hall was solemn, and Horus felt as if a huge rock weighing thousands of pounds was pressing on him.

The silent palace continued to emit a strange atmosphere.

This made Horus extremely crazy. The more the Emperor acted like this, the more uncomfortable he felt. The torture brought to him by cold violence was a hundred times more painful than the Emperor scolding him.

After a long while, Horus could no longer hold back, and he took the initiative to speak: "I'm sorry, father, I failed to live up to your expectations of me."

"I am willing to accept the punishment!"

According to Horus' idea, what he said was considered as admitting his mistake, and the next step would be to go through the punishment procedure and the matter would be written off.

As a result, the Emperor seemed not to hear anything and continued to stare at Horus like a stone Buddha, as if forcing Horus to continue explaining where he was wrong.

Horus swallowed and continued with his neck stiff, "I am not qualified to be the regent of the Empire because of my lack of talent and knowledge. I also concealed the position of regent from you and gave it to Guilliman."

"I am not a good brother, nor a qualified regent of the empire. I am willing to accept any punishment from you."

Horus did not shift his responsibility onto Malcador. Malcador had reminded him before that it would be best to admit his mistakes honestly, as there might be some room for maneuver.

Perhaps he could even keep his position as Warmaster of the Empire, but being stubborn and refusing to admit his mistakes or putting the blame on others would only earn the Emperor's disgust.

After actively admitting his mistake to the Emperor, Horus looked up at him, but the Emperor remained silent, which made Horus completely confused.

Could it be that this old man wants to play the same trick as last time? Forcing me to break my own defense, humph! I will never be fooled again this time.

No matter what you say, as long as I admit my mistake and accept the punishment, the matter will be over!

Immediately, Horus also followed the Emperor's example and stood there in silence. As long as he was not embarrassed, others would be embarrassed.

Time passed by minute by minute. After nearly two hours, Horus, who was standing still, simply began to meditate, preparing to wait out the time with this old man.

Let’s see who can’t hold on first.

But at this moment, the emperor suddenly moved.

Under the gaze of Horus, the Emperor slowly walked down from the throne. Seeing the Emperor getting closer and closer to him, Horus was mentally prepared to listen to the Emperor's long and eloquent teachings.

But the next second, Horus heard a loud slap and a burning pain on his cheek.

The Emperor didn't say a word. After the slap, he slapped Horus to the ground with another slap. The whole process was like whipping a top.

On the side of the hall, only Malcador, a bystander, was watching indifferently.

Of course, no other guards could be present at such a humiliating scene for Horus. The Emperor personally enforced the family law, and anyone else who saw it would be executed.

"Father, you-!"

Horus struggled to get up from the ground, covering his hot and painful face, his eyes full of disbelief. He had never been beaten by the Emperor since he was a child.

In his impression, the emperor would always be infinitely tolerant of him and use all kinds of principles to persuade him to be good, but what happened today that was worthy of the emperor's personal action!

This is not right.

boom--!
Just when Horus was thinking that it would be better to take a beating so as to avoid implicating the Luna Wolves as well, the Emperor's tall body flashed and suddenly appeared in front of Horus, followed by a punch.

A powerful impact blasted Horus against the pillar of the hall. Horus looked down and found a big dent in his power armor.

This old man had no intention of reasoning with me, he clearly wanted to beat me with his fists!

Being beaten to death is more painful than being beheaded.

"Horus, if you don't want to die in my hands, you'd better show some real skills."

The Emperor's extremely cold and indifferent reminder made Horus feel like he was falling into an icy cave. He thought the Emperor would forgive him like he did last time, but the judgment that awaited him was actually execution! !

He was beaten to death by the Emperor himself. Wasn't he just absent from work? Was it really necessary to beat him to death on the spot?
Horus had no time to think, because the Emperor's iron fist had already hit him in the face.

If he had taken this punch head-on, his brain would have shut down and he would have passed out.

In an instant, Horus dodged.

Seeing that the Emperor was going to fight him seriously, Horus felt the pain on his cheek and the humiliation in his heart, which made him furious. He was the War Marshal of the Human Empire.

No one can humiliate himself, not even the emperor.

"Father, you asked for this!"

Horus tensed all his muscles and gathered his strength in his fists. He didn't believe that his physique, which had been honed for two hundred years during the Great Crusade, would be inferior to that of the Emperor who stayed at home on Terra all day.

The former Emperor was indeed extremely powerful, but as long as one is human, he will grow old. Horus did not believe that as the most outstanding Primarch, he would be inferior to the old Emperor.

The next second, the two men's fists intertwined, making a dull and heavy collision sound, and the sound of fists hitting flesh continued to echo in the hall.

But the result was as expected. Even though Horus tried his best, he could not withstand the Emperor's attack.

He was grabbed by the Emperor in his power armor and thrown around. The huge palace was smashed to pieces by Horus. During the whole process, Horus had no power to fight back at all.

From the Emperor's beating, Horus, who had rich combat experience, understood that the Emperor did not really want to kill him, but was simply beating him and the Emperor did not intend to kill him.

Under the Emperor's fatherly teaching of throwing ten punches per second, the last bit of arrogance Horus had left was completely shattered. In the end, he simply gave in and admitted defeat, acting as if to say, "If you have the guts, kill me."

Although in a miserable state, he never bowed his head.

Seeing this scene, Malcador on the side felt extremely comfortable, but also a little sympathetic to the poor child. After being beaten down by the emperor like this, he would probably have a psychological trauma for the rest of his life.

But Horus was smart. He could see that the Emperor did not intend to kill him, so he used this method to express his submission.

If Horus insisted on fighting the Emperor to the death, the only outcome that awaited him would be a beating to pieces.

After all, the Emperor is a super strong man who can fight single-handedly and seal the Void Dragon. If Horus wants to compete with the Emperor, he must be chosen by the Four Gods of the Warp and have the magical power of the Four Gods of Chaos.

But even with the power of the four gods, Horus would still not be a match for the Emperor.

In the face of absolute suppression by force, the best choice is to admit your mistakes and surrender as soon as possible.

After seeing that Horus was almost dealt with by him, the Emperor clapped his hands, looked down at Horus who was limp on the ground and said: "Horus, have I ever told you the importance of the High Lord Councillor to the imperial government?"

"Have I ever told you that mortals contribute as much to the Imperium as the Primarchs? But you turned a deaf ear to my words."

"Don't think I don't know what you've been doing recently. You've targeted the High Lords, covered up Rus's corruption and bribery, and have been negligent in government affairs and irresponsible."

The Emperor repeated in detail what Horus had done, and when he was emotional, he did not forget to give Horus a kick with a whip, which made Horus grimace in pain.

"Since you won't listen to my kind words, I can only use this method to teach you a lesson."

After saying this, the Emperor looked at the damaged power armor on Horus and snorted, "After all these years, you still have the style of a street thug from Cthunia."

"With such limited skills, you are not even worthy of being the Regent of the Empire!"

The Emperor not only had to make Horus see the gap clearly on the physical level, but also had to torture Horus severely psychologically to make this complacent Primarch recognize the reality.

At this moment, Horus felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife. He wanted to fight back, but he didn't know how to do it.

I can't win after beating, and I can't win after scolding.

I have ended up in this situation today because of my own actions. The emperor had tried to persuade me in good words, but I just wouldn't listen.

It's all my own fault that I'm in this state now.

"Humph!"

The Emperor waved his robes and returned to the throne. Now that he had beaten the child, it was time to give Horus some "talk therapy".

During his visits to giant companies around the world, the Emperor learned a lot about their social systems, understood the local social phenomena of the companies, and explored in depth the concepts of personnel management.

It has to be said that the executives of the world's giant companies are all quite shrewd people. From the conversations between Xu Shiming, Lucy, Song Zhaomei and others, the emperor understood that the essence of the relationship between father and son is a struggle for power.

The emperors of the past were really too "polite" in treating their sons.

What is needed between father and son is not only love, but also an invisible suppression, and the source of this suppression is power!

In a normal social environment, a father's power is equivalent to his ability to seize resources, that is, his ability to make money.

A father who earns a lot of money can easily gain the position of head of the family and have absolute say, and the mother and children all look up to him.

But as time goes by, strong fathers will always grow old and young children will always grow up. In this process, the power of the family will inevitably tilt towards the children.

Children who are eager to prove themselves will desire to seize power from their fathers and gain a say in the family, and the most direct way to do this is to make money and seize social resources.

Once the child succeeds in seizing power, the title of head of the family will fall on the child, the father's prestige will plummet, and his words will no longer have as much effect as before.

When the father is strong, the son is weak; when the son is strong, the father is weak; power is conserved.

In the human empire, only strength is the real source of power, but the Emperor, who has stayed on Terra for a long time, has not shown his power to the Primarchs for a long time.

The Primarchs made numerous achievements and continued to grow in the two hundred years of the Great Crusade. Many of them could no longer remember how powerful the Emperor was.

For example, Horus, who was eager to get involved in political power.

He was dissatisfied with the High Lord Councilors appointed by the Emperor, turned a deaf ear to the Emperor's words, and even irresponsibly handed over the Imperial Regent to Guilliman, which was essentially an unconscious challenge to patriarchy.

This made the Emperor realize that if he did not get angry and beat Horus himself, this guy would really think that he was old and useless.

"Horus, I'll ask you again, do you know you're wrong?"

On the throne, the Emperor's voice was extremely majestic, and the holy light emanating from his body was full of divinity. This time, Horus kept the Emperor's words in mind.

He saw clearly the huge gap between himself and the Emperor.

"Yes, I know I was wrong."

Horus endured the pain all over his body, lowered his head and surrendered to the Emperor.

After this fight, Horus never dared to act recklessly again. He thought that he had defeated countless alien races in the galaxy and should have reached 80% of the Emperor's strength.

As a result, when they fought, the emperor beat him like it was a game, and he was completely unable to make any decent counterattack.

Not to mention 80%, it’s not even 10%!

"Well, tell me where you went wrong." The emperor asked relentlessly.

Horus was silent for a moment, then replied: "I should not ignore the contributions made by mortals to the Empire, nor should I overestimate my ability to govern."

"I shouldn't be so irresponsible as to pass on the position of Imperial Regent to Guilliman and let him take the blame for doing my work."

"I shouldn't have been disrespectful to my father, turned a deaf ear to his teachings, and repeatedly offended him!"

Hearing what Horus said, Malcador nodded repeatedly. The matter was over. The child was not stupid. At least he knew where he was wrong.

Things like despising mortals, being absent from work, and ignoring the corruption of his Primarch brothers are not important at all. The only thing that matters is whether he is obedient or not.

As long as Horus could promise the Emperor that he would be obedient, then this fatal question would be answered perfectly, and Horus would not only be fine, but would even gain an advantage from the disaster.

(End of this chapter)