Chapter 524 The day before the arrival of the big plunderer
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Just earlier yesterday, Lord Creed of the High Castle was still worried about the information about the urban area that the command had just obtained. After hearing the news that several ration warehouses were running out of food in advance, he turned from anger to helplessness.
Obviously, someone is secretly making supply cards that are difficult to distinguish from fake and making huge war profits. Although their troops have discovered the signs, the headquarters now has neither time nor manpower to go there. Sneaking into each hive to capture these daring bastards one by one - all the troops, and here all means, all the troops that Creed can command and obey the command - have already received their own The mission is to intercept the enemy in the expected direction of being sent to the Clough theater or to prepare on the spot and wait for the next order.
So the current security level in most hives and bastion fortresses is almost at the lowest controllable level, and soldiers are only enough to maintain basic order on the streets - and, obviously, these bastards have discovered He did it and knew he wouldn't get caught.
In this case, based on the current emergency ration inventory calculated by the Munitions Center, they can only decide to redistribute everyone's food quota from next week, which means that the actual amount of rations distributed is higher than the amount they distributed to retired soldiers and their families. They had fewer cards on their cards - Creed, who had confirmed this, had planned to tell the truth to the people and soldiers of Cadia during a routine general broadcast.
But the Minister of Logistics, Konskavan Reko, and his own flag-bearing adjutant, Garland Kell, both jumped up to stop him.
Although Reko's reassuring words such as "You can't tell the truth to these stupid civilians" have limited effect on Creed, Garland Kyle, his trusted sergeant, Even a tough guy like Creed couldn't completely reject the words of his deputy and the veteran who had been accompanying and trusting him since he joined the army.
But Garland Kyle unexpectedly agreed more with the words of the Minister of Logistics this time, even the Supreme Political Commissar of Zabien did the same.
“You can’t just tell the people so bluntly that you want to reduce their original rations by 40% or even 30%!”
"But it's a fact that we don't have enough food in the warehouse. If we still want to ensure 90% of the ration supply for soldiers on the battlefield, we can only reduce 20% of the rations in the rear hive from next week! Don't you think Tell me, Konskavan, you have a full granary hidden somewhere in the plains of Clough? I must respectfully call you 'you' from today on!"
"Ah, indeed, I don't have it. If I had it, I would definitely take it out and replace it with a hereditary one for my family now! Title."
"So you plan to replace these fake cards made with real masters?"
"Unfortunately, we cannot stop printing this version of ration cards now. There are too many ration cards that need to be replaced, authenticity verification will be troublesome on the front line, and the cycle is too long, which will cause greater chaos. We Why not end the state of emergency early so that the transport fleet and merchant fleet can supplement our supply? Warehouse, the matter will be resolved quietly soon."
"I tell you! The state of emergency will not end until Abaddon's location is confirmed! Fact? They need to know why they need to be hungry!”
Supreme Political Commissar Zabien had to join in at this time.
“I think what Konskavan means is that, leaving aside the state of emergency, you must be gentler and more euphemistic about cutting rations. We can reduce rations, but you You can't tell people you're going to do this, and you can't cut 20% in one go. Cutting 2% every other day is a Quite a good idea...poor Polska, may the Emperor bless his soul! Governor Polska never announced or explained on the radio every time he cut rations during war, the people of Cadia. They are already used to such a little reduction, they will get used to it, Ursaka, don’t worry, if you A sudden change in the practices that have been practiced here for more than ten centuries will cause uneasiness and confusion among these people."
She paused and added, "Besides, we must confess to the people our concerns about the nest city and the factory area. Losing a certain amount of control is not a good thing, Ursaka.”
“That’s right. "The Minister of Logistics' stubby but nimble fingers tapped and scratched simultaneously on the four data pads connected to his skull interface. These calculations overloaded his mind so much that afterimages even appeared on his fingers. A person with The cherubim in his family's crest floated beside him, wiping the sweat from Konskavan's forehead with a handkerchief.
"If you do this, the greater possibility is that retired soldiers and workers who cannot take home enough rations will start storming our military distribution center warehouse, killing guards and logistics officials, and finally The warehouse is looted and you can't find all the criminals... This is Cadia, everyone has military training! Creed! You don't understand these mobs!"
"They are not a mob!" the Supreme Lord of the Fortress roared. The sound of his military boots and rude voice were louder than those of the Minister of Logistics and the Supreme Political Commissar. His cigar smoke spurted out from his nostrils and sprayed on the faces of the two men. "We are now It's a grasshopper on a rope! We have to work together! If they have to go hungry to provide us with ammunition, logistics and other things, when their children have to go hungry and drink water to survive dinner, then I will We have the responsibility to tell them what happened! This is an honest feeling! As you said, I will give it to them! The Supreme Political Commissar looked at each other and each found a reason to leave. The former twisted his fingers and looked very nervous, while the latter frowned and seemed to be considering whether the military police and bullets to kill people this time were enough.
Garland Kyle saw them off and returned to the command room.
"They are right, sir, you know it in your heart."
The Lord of the High Castle opened his eyes wide, "Kyle! I thought you were the person who could understand me best... You …”
"I have a family member who works in a military rationing center. I have been very aware of how wartime rationing works since I was a child. There is nothing wrong with Zabien's proposal. If you reduce it a little bit every day, people will only think it is the wear and tear on the road, or in the middle. There are some accidents during the unloading process, or some warehouses are bombed. They will understand and can tolerate such accidents silently. They are completely accustomed to such accidents during wartime. After a while, as long as they don't starve to death, then Just endure the hardship and get through it, but you can't tell them directly that you, Lord Creed, ordered to snatch half or more of the starch scones or protein porridge and soup directly from their dinner table. The reason for all this is that you and your men failed to suppress the bandits. They will not thank you for your honesty, they will only blame you."
His most trusted lieutenant looked at him calmly and his face turned red. The Supreme Lord of the Castle looked at him with an incredible face, and walked over and took away the cigar he was holding, "Don't smoke too much, you need to rest."
"But..."
"If You are only the commander of the Eighth Regiment, a colonel, or even a major general. I will not stop you from doing this. But, sir, I have known you since you were a soldier for a short time. Your origin... is one of the biggest problems. One, but not even all. You came into office too hastily, sir, without having time to manage the Rogue Trader convoys, without having the time to work with the other Generals, the Imperial Navy, the Adeptus Astartes, the Holy Order of the Emperor's Daughters. With the palace’s familiarity and long-term good cooperative relationship, you can no longer lose the firm support of the Cadia Defense Force.”
Kyle glanced at Creed, “You are Cadia now. Guardian, you are the Lord of the Supreme Castle, you are the nominal supreme commander of all the armies on the planet of Cadia and in orbit, you are the faith of the resisters, you are the symbol in the hearts of the people, your current image cannot be tarnished at all, because If you still want a glimmer of victory, then you don’t have any more willpower to be the honest person you want to be.”
"Damn it." The Lord of the Supreme Castle's tense muscles relaxed. He grabbed his military cap, held it tightly, and then threw the crumpled hat on the floor full of cigarette butts. "Put me through Konskavan's line."
"Tell him that you agree with Commissar Zabien's suggestion? There won't be any extra content in the broadcast?"
"What the hell? The Throne's ass deserves a boot, yes, tell him..."
A communication from orbit lit up with an ominous top-level red light. Both men in the room turned their attention to it.
“It seems I can’t rest.”
Kyle cautiously walked over quickly and sat in front of the sender and receiver to interpret the encrypted transmission documents. Then he suddenly raised his head, walked out and asked the secretaries, orderlies or other officers waiting outside to go further.
"What's wrong?"
The sergeant didn't say anything, and hurriedly returned and closed the door, and then began to transcribe these new data files onto a data tablet with the highest encryption level.
"There is news about Admiral Quarlen's guard fleet, which has been silent for a long time."
"What?" Creed straightened up from his chair, "Where are they now? We Very needed——”
"There is only one ship, only one. It is the Garden of Pierax. It is the Garden of Pierax. It was seriously damaged. Their subspace jump was too hasty and they encountered an attack. The messenger ship of the alert fleet was lost on the way. Three-quarters of the way through, the Pierax Park itself was doomed, as warp creatures damaged their reactors and leaked radiation, killing most of the crew. They found only one Courier Officer alive. A second lieutenant, he insisted that it was the order of the admiral and the captain. He had to tell you the news personally. It was too risky to use communication. But he died before he could land. Fortunately, there was someone with a video to serve the skull and medical treatment. Bing's cardiotonic drug is enough."
"Quick! Let me see this video!" Creed lit a new cigar, his voice trembled - not because of fear, but because of a Excited that his judgment was confirmed, "I bet the news he brought must be about Abaddon's whereabouts!"
"Okay, sir."
Kyle finally checked the data packet and was convinced They had not been dismantled by anyone on the ground, and a button was pressed to start playing the video.
A face with wrinkled skin, dark complexion, teeth and hair missing appeared on the screen, and the servo skull was photographed from top to bottom.
——This second lieutenant seems to be a little too old——No, no, no, his skin is peeling off rapidly. The two people watching realized in the next second that he had suffered the consequences of unimaginable severe radiation. He actually made it this far.
"..."
The second lieutenant opened his mouth, and then the skin from the mouth to the surrounding area broke due to this action, and black blood and tissue fluid began to flow. Kyle realized what he had said, but it was too soft, so he immediately fell back and turned the volume up to maximum.
"...witnessed...too many...destruction...beams..." Then the tortured messenger let out a ho-ho sigh on his deathbed, twitched, and a medic wore an anti-radiation shield. The hand in costume appeared in the camera, giving him another shot of strength.
"...In the eyes...there are...many...codes of Shattered Black! Shattered Black——!"
The poor man's eyes widened, and his turbid eyeballs turned into white and almost rolled out. He spurted out large amounts of black blood and internal organs from the depths of his throat. The camera blurred, and then the video ended.
“We have agreed with Admiral Quarren on several codes indicating the size of the incoming force.” Kyle said calmly, “Shattered Red is an enemy fleet of the size of the expeditionary force, heading towards Cadia. Come, and the level of Shattered Black is higher, it is..."
Creed put the cigar butt in his mouth and chewed it loudly. It was obvious that the commander's mind was running at super high speed. .
"...Sound the alarm, the highest level of emergency. Then call everyone, I mean, Magos Coran of the Adeptus Mechanicus, all the representatives of the Adeptus Astartes who have arrived, the Sisters of Battle leader, Imperial Admiral, Cadian War Council Representatives of the Congress, Air Force Admiral of Cadia, Logistics, Political Commissar, Inquisitor! ——Everyone! I need an emergency meeting to be held immediately with the participation of all representatives of the able and capable teams!”
< br>"At once, sir."
The flag sergeant nodded and walked to the other end of the room, inserted his fingertips into the dial and dialed the numbers quickly.
Soon, because of this unexpected alarm that finally came to light, the main conference room of Creed's High Castle was filled for the first time with participants of different shapes, attires, and colors.
Due to the selfless sacrifice of Admiral Qualen and his fleet sailors and the tenacious will of the messenger, the number of people attending the meeting was better than that of gangster businessmen like Salva Ghent or Captain Marda Helske. The ordinary guards would know the arrival of the big plunderer one day early.
Theoretically, every minute and every second that is wasted before the participants of this meeting make a decision, reach a consensus, and deploy their troops is so precious.
But if Robert Guilliman was here, or even a certain Carosini dynasty consul was here, he would definitely be furious or start calling some irresistible people to appear at the scene so that now Get lost with this time-wasting incident.
It's a pity that these two adults are not here at the moment.
So, before the start of this life-threatening emergency military meeting against the Black Expedition Fleet of the Great Reaver, Sergeant Kyle, as the most shrewd and capable lieutenant of Lord Creed's High Fortress, met for the first time. He had to enlist the help of an additional Interior Ministry etiquette expert to help him get the meeting off to a smooth start, but the most important task he had to perform was getting the seats around the table in the right order.
(End of this chapter)