I summoned the Fourth Scourge in Warhammer

Chapter 155 Basic Duties of the Army

On the dimly lit bridge of the supply ship carrying the fallen, filled with the smells of engine oil and incense, Ghost Face sat listlessly in his command seat. He leaned back, legs casually stretched out, his mask vacant as he stared out the porthole at the eternal darkness dotted with stardust. Around him, the bridge crew busied themselves at their posts, the flashing lights of data panels reflecting on their focused faces. Only he, the legion's supreme commander, seemed out of place.

Suddenly, a piercing static crackled from the bridge's main communications channel, as if someone had forcibly connected to the line. The static lasted for a moment, then was replaced by a slightly younger voice:

"Father, we are currently on the fleet's wide-area channel."

With just one sentence, Ghost Face's previously unfocused gaze instantly sharpened. He abruptly sat up straight in his chair, leaning forward. Ghost Face immediately realized the immense amount of information and the potential storm contained within.

"Captain!" His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable force. "Immediately broadcast this communication to the entire ship!"

A flicker of hesitation crossed the captain's face as he stood beside him. Broadcasting a communication of unknown origin and content directly to the entire ship was a serious violation of the fleet's communication procedures.

"Captain, this..."

Ghostface didn't look at him, his gaze still fixed on the communication panel. He spoke again, his voice now carrying a commanding tone: "I want every single member of the Death Legion to hear this. Now!"

The captain felt the pressure and, without hesitation, immediately issued orders to his subordinates. A moment later, a calm voice, broadcast through the ship's internal public address system, echoed in every corner, from the engine room to the medical bay, from the crew quarters to the weapons deck:
"...Yes, this operation was costly, but the Tau people were repelled by us."

Ghostface could recognize the voice as that of Lucius Grete, a merchant ronin and one of the seats in the War Council. Therefore, the young voice he had just heard was undoubtedly his son's.

As expected, Lucius's son claimed in a communications that the Tau people had not been driven back by humans; on the contrary, they had regrouped their forces on Dalis, the main planet of the Fourth Phase.

He stated that the expeditionary fleet must face reality: this alien race is not what we imagined, merely a small empire occupying one or two star systems. Its territory spans at least an entire star cluster! What humanity has faced so far is only a negligible fraction of their power, and their entire military force is advancing towards this location!

It should be noted that the ending of this passage is clearly incorrect. The main fleet of the Tau Empire must be stationed on their homeworld, Tau, and the vast Orc Empire in the Red Sun Sector also requires considerable strength for defense. Meanwhile, the homeworld of K'ersan, located on the other side of the territory, also requires heavy defense due to the constant raids by other alien races.

However, the humans on the expeditionary fleet were completely unaware of this information. And as Lucius's son, given his status, he clearly had no motive to lie in such a public setting. Therefore, these words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake; the fleet's wide-area channel immediately erupted into chaos, a cacophony of panic and doubt.

Just as the wide-area channel was completely drowned out by the countless questions, shouts, and demands from the captains of other ships, turning into a chaotic electronic noise, Ghost Face slammed his hand on the armrest and roared into his communicator in an overwhelmingly loud voice:
"Regardless of the circumstances, those who go to their deaths will resolutely strike down all enemies of humanity!"

His voice boomed like thunder, instantly shaking the entire channel. The chaotic noise fell into a brief, eerie silence. Just as the other captains, still in shock, were about to retaliate or express their opinions, a cold voice rang out, carrying an unquestionable authority. "Well said, Captain Onizumi. I truly wish everyone had your attitude."

It was Judge Grand.

Then, the wide-area channel went completely silent. That deathly silence was more unsettling than the previous clamor. Ghost Face knew no one would speak again; he curled his lip in disdain and casually switched off the communication.

"Why are you getting involved in this mess?" As soon as the communication was turned off, his adjutant immediately came forward and asked urgently in a low voice.

"You don't know anything." Ghost Face leaned back in his chair, casually resting his booted legs on the control panel, and retorted, "I'm just finding missions for those going to their deaths."

"Hmm?" the adjutant asked, clearly expressing his doubt.

"In any era, the army most entrusted with the most important tasks is always the one that steps forward first and unhesitatingly declares 'obey orders'," Ghostface explained calmly. "In your eyes, I recklessly chose sides in the power struggle among the fleet's high command, making me vulnerable to future factional infighting. But in reality, I was simply fulfilling the most basic duty of an army. It's only because the other captains performed so poorly that I stood out from the crowd."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "To be honest, when I was reading the original work, I was also very surprised by the poor performance of these captains, but now that this scene is actually playing out in front of me, I naturally just go with the flow."

"Didn't you realize? What I just said is perfectly politically correct in the human empire. Whether the moderates come to power as in the original story, or the extermination faction holds power from the beginning, they won't deal with us—the leaders of the War Council are shrewd; who would be foolish enough to smash a knife indiscriminately?"

The adjutant's worry hadn't dissipated. He stepped forward and asked, "Then why did you broadcast that conversation between the merchant ronin and his son to our entire ship?"

This is what he finds most puzzling. Showing loyalty to superiors is one thing, but actively spreading potentially panic-inducing messages among the sailors of his own transport and supply ships is quite another.

“He himself specifically switched to the wide-area channel, so if I expand it further and execute the order 200%, is there a problem?” Ghost Face retorted, his tone tinged with amusement. “Besides, isn’t openness and transparency, letting the soldiers know why they are fighting, our consistent principle as those who go to their deaths?”

"Fine, fine," the adjutant finally gave up arguing, raising his hands in a gesture of helpless surrender. "You're the commander, you're in charge..."

(End of this chapter)