Chapter 375: Pointing Troops
“Because of the evil of the opposite party, we launch a just war. However, if the opposite party is still human, then the evil of the opposite party is also human evil. A just war is also tragic. War. If he thinks of these things without pain in his heart, it will be even more tragic, because he has lost his human emotions and thinks he is happy." - "The Book of Lorgar"
Horus· Luperkar raised the wine glass and held it in his hand. After a while, he gently put it down and landed on the edge of the dinner plate with only a little food sauce on it. The wolf skin on his shoulder gently tapped his shoulder, and its artificially shaped jaw was like the remains of a real sentient creature, soothing his double heartbeat.
He smiled cheerfully, delighted to be in the same room as the other children of the Emperor. Perturabo, Leon, Lorgar, when was the last time he had the opportunity to come to this hall, to share a banquet at the same table with his biological brothers?
That was thirty-six years ago. Ruth was sitting where Leon was now, snatching the same freeze-dried piece from the plate with him. Perturabo is serious and cautious, and he has everything under control. Magnus looked like a silly student who had read too much and was teased by Ruth...
His cherished relatives, precious and lovely brothers, he was willing to remember them for the rest of his life. At that time, the Great Crusade had just begun, just like the sun had just cast a ray of golden light like the Emperor's armor from below the extreme point of the horizon. As they stepped into the unknown light, they bared their hearts and shared their troubles, but they were all full of hope for the future. Good expectations.
Today, he and three more brothers gathered together for a task that was destined to be difficult. Although he had little personal connection with the Second Primarch, his loss still felt unreal and shocking due to his blood connection.
The Primarch and the Legiones Astartes, plus the attached Auxiliary Army and the Mechanicum, are as if this rule is written in the laws of nature. They seem to be destined to be invincible. The combination is a blade shaped by the Lord of Mankind on the outside of the arc of the Imperial Expedition, and has the property of never rusting that a physical blade does not have.
Difficulties are indeed inevitable obstacles on the chessboard, but the piece that breaks the game will always be in the hands of the generals of the Great Expedition, waiting only for the moment it lands on the chessboard. The end of the enemy who creates difficulties and refuses to surrender is to have their backs broken, their blood crushed out, and turned into powder under the rolling wheels of war, leaving only the scorched earth waiting for reconstruction.
For the first time in decades, the disappearance of the Second Primarch broke this law. In an unknown and unnoticed corner of the galaxy, the entire legion was lost in silence, so much so that when Horus received the Emperor's order to investigate, it was almost as if he had been hit hard on the head and was shocked by the huge surprise. and covered with sorrow.
And he still doesn't understand why his statue in the Square of Heroes has been removed from the top of the snow-white pillar.
“When I was fighting outside, I often felt that there were many local drinks that were better than the taste of Amasec. But every time I returned to Terra, the Amasec in the palace would overthrow my taste. "This is an illusion." Horus said with a smile, "Can anyone answer this confusion?"
"Because the Amasek tribute to the palace uses the best brewing technology and environment in the galaxy. , Horus. You will not think that the Amathek who descends from the nest can compare with the wine offered to you by the surrender," Perturabo said calmly.
"Don't get drunk." Luojia whispered to himself, drank some wine, and put down the glass with restraint.
Leon neither spoke nor drank. He focused on using the knife and fork to cut along the texture of the food, just like cutting up prey, and put the meat into his mouth piece by piece.
Maybe he needed a rope to tie his hair, Horus thought, and it was almost obvious how hard the lion was trying to keep the food out of his hair.
"You are too impersonal, Perturabo," Horus pretended to complain, giving up on trying to liven up the atmosphere at the table. He paused for a short while, then shook his head, "Well, it seems I have to admit that no one wants to chat with me. I must be spoiled by my Luna Wolf."
"I guess it's not my fault," Perturabo said, his tone softening. "Tell us about what you discovered in Randan, Horus, if no one sitting here cares about our brotherly affections."
"Okay," Horus Said regretfully, "We really still lack a wolf to liven up the atmosphere."
Leon raised his head and looked at the returning son gloomily.
"Okay, take it back," Horus said, raising his eyebrows playfully at Leon, "Let's talk about Randan. Only now will I envy your data pipeline, Perturabo, otherwise I won't We need to use poor language to describe our enemies.”
“We mainly operate in the peripheral defense area torn apart by the Second Army, and have not really penetrated into its core, and most of the enemies we have come into contact with are. The slaves driven by its enslavement, such as the worm aliens submitted to the Imperial Archives through Macragge, various small alien branches with different ecologies, and even us humans themselves."
Logarmian. Lu was sad, speaking softly in Colchis words that the other primarchs could not understand.
“At first I thought it was some people who ridiculously betrayed the Human Empire, but then I quickly learned that they should be forced to be mentally controlled. Ran Dan took away their bodies and removed their original bodies. Some have the will to drive them away. They have insulted mankind." Horus suppressed the anger in his voice, "This is Ran Dan's most obvious characteristic besides all kinds of strange technologies."
" In addition, the Second Legion submitted a technical report on the war satellites and Randan ships, showing us their deception skills and fleet defense. The Glory Queen of the Second Legion was almost lost in the naval battle. The Shadow Moon Wolf also collected some supplementary report information as a way to improve and expand the data.”
"What you mean is that we have not yet come into contact with the real Randan, and the enemy waiting ahead is still half an unsolvable mystery."
"Yes, Perturabo. Now we know that they It has excellent naval combat, solid defense lines, the ability to control minds, high technological level, and a large number of subordinate tribes.”
“From the description alone, we have all defeated them in some aspects during the Great Expedition. enemy forces, but the difference in magnitude is enough to subvert all past experience. Behind every piece of information there is a shadow that requires further investigation and testing." When speaking of the first half of the sentence, Perturabo glanced at Leon cautiously. Al Jonson.
Even though the strength of the predecessor of the Dark Angels cannot be underestimated, and the Heavenly Army system whose creed was founded by the Emperor himself has always been synonymous with glory, after all, Leon has just returned to the Empire, and what he has experienced before is even Li Guided by the wild wolf of Man Russ, it was difficult for him to determine whether it was good or bad for the Emperor to send Leon to participate in this matter.
"The Dark Angels once had a double-digit Heavenly Army organization. After a long battle, when I took over the First Legion, there were still the following battle courts left," Leon said, and the delicacies and fine wines did not affect him. Regardless of his appearance, his tone remains incomprehensible.
"The Crowned Army, the vanguard of the battle line. The Bone Army, the army of annihilation. The Blade Army, the core of close infantry tactics. The Iron Army, the queue of armored vehicles. The Pentagram Army, the team of psykers. The Sky Army, destroying the fortress and tearing apart the defenses. The Fire Sky Army, the Infiltrator and the Interrogator. The Void Sky Army, the force that performs rapid assaults and orbital assaults. br>"Recently, I have further reorganized them into six wings, namely hurricane wing, terror wing, death wing, raven wing, fire wing and steel wing. "
He paused for a moment, probably waiting for his stunned brothers to accept the non-secret information that the Dark Angels could disclose. Then, the Emperor's eldest son concluded: "This is the military power I have at my disposal. "
"Okay, thank you, Leon. Horus said, touching his head, "A very comprehensive army, worthy of being the leader of the Twenty Legions." "Leon nodded reservedly to his brothers across the table.
Perturabo nodded in response, refusing to wonder whether the lion had noticed his gaze and therefore drawn some misreading or misinterpretation of the implications, before he began to introduce the power of his legion. Regardless, this is a good start. If they ever need to collaborate together, they'll need to be familiar with each other's styles.
“I did not deviate too much from the basic principles of the strategy,” said Perturabo. “Although the establishment of each battalion has its own emphasis, its military strength is relatively balanced. There are twelve war blacksmiths on active duty. , on the basis of managing my own camp, I am responsible for coordinating some other camps and auxiliary troops. You all know my tactical preferences. I can provide fortress and fire support to anyone. It is a pity that I do not carry a data pad or holographic projection. , I can’t quickly introduce to you the tactics and armament status of all the camps.”
Horus blinked: “It doesn’t matter, at least you never hide your military organization as a little secret, Pettu. Labo, to be honest, we are quite familiar with the organizational structure of your legion. Just like whenever I meet that brother, we often end up chatting about which battle we were in. It’s been a pleasure cooperating with you.”
“Do we have it?”
“Well, let’s talk about myself. We like the style of the tactical team and break it down. Next, there is the company. I allow my wolf cubs to express their own fighting styles to a great extent. A too fixed structure will appear rigid to us, and I cannot tolerate an inflexible organization. Maybe that way it would be easier to secure a lower limit and I would also allow them to build their own reputation and camaraderie so they would be more willing to engage in combat.”
Horus said cheerfully, secretly proud of his military prowess. He allowed himself to enjoy his achievements, as his gifts, his craft, and the duties he had been entrusted with by the Emperor himself were aligned.
"Logar?" Horus tilted his head and looked at another man with a smooth head in the hall.
Logar looked at his brothers, "In the name of the Emperor, in terms of military organization, there are companies under the battle group, and squads under the company. We prefer large-scale group operations, using More troops to make the final decision. Chaplains are located in the hierarchy of non-military organizations, promoted from the Ring of Ashes that are dependent on the warband system and share their understanding of doctrine. Chaplains and commanders participate in the war together. The Council of Commanders, they are also my advisors."
"Where are your two orders, my brother?" Perturabo asked.
"They are not my secular order, but my father's order, established by their own will, and served equally with me," said Lorgar, as if perturabo was willing Rejoice in asking Him, "In time of war, they are all brimstone and fire from heaven. Stretch out your rod toward heaven, and fire will flash on the earth like stubble, overthrowing those who attack Him.[1]"
"If you want to know, the name of the chief of Muristan is Daniel, and the chief of Harhabat is named Erebas, both priests who have been with me since Colchis." The man of truth spoke softly. say. "I want to believe them."
The two names he said reminded Horus Luperkar of the scene he saw when he arrived in Colchis.
At that time, on that ancient and dry planet, the person who was known as the True Speaker was not Lorgar Aurelion, but Lorgar's nurturer. However, after that day, he was no longer the same.
It was precisely because of that incident that Horus's thoughts on Lorgar were very complicated from the beginning, and he even harbored some fear that he could not admit.
He let the thought flow from his heart, like blood-stained sand falling from the gaps between his fingers. In any case, in the long period of time since then, Lorgar has already proved his pious purity.
Horus Luperkar clapped his hands, his smile always contagious, even if they were on the eve of a battle.
"Okay, let the servants take care of this table, wait a moment..."
He picked up the wine glass and drank the remaining precious tribute wine in one gulp, and then called The silent mortal servants of Terra's palace.
"You can take care of it. Next, if you are tired, go and rest separately. If you all have extra energy, let's talk about more military issues?"
"The next step will be a troublesome battle, so I am not going to say anything about bringing our missing Duncan back to this hall and asking Malcador to organize a celebration banquet for us - even though this is a A tempting proposition for anyone but the Imperial Chancellor, I suppose."
"My body does not feel weary, Horus," said Lorgar.
Perturabo stood up: "I personally think that more empty talk is not necessary. The next time we have a combat meeting, it is best to choose an appropriate strategic command after reading more information. The place is going well, what do you think, Lupekar?”
“You are right, it seems that I have exposed my intention, which is to let us get to know each other better.” Horus sighed frankly. Standing up, "Leon is not familiar with us, and our Iron Lord and the Truth Speaker have never met. We are here under a common order, rather than out of our sincere reunion. It seems that I have been too hasty, I "Brothers."
"The grains grow from the ground first, then the ears grow, and then the ears bear fruit [2]" Luo Jia said gently, if it were not across a table, maybe he would. Everyone is given a handshake.
"The disappearance of the Primarch of the Second Legion makes you nervous, Horus." Perturabo said, seeing through Horus' inner uneasiness at a glance. "But we are still here, our names are still there, our identities are still there."
The irony of the Legion being wiped from its name was probably justified, based on Perturabo's knowledge of the Emperor. But thirty years in solitude had made Horus too concerned with the Master of Mankind, and too accustomed to inferring the hidden meanings behind the unfathomable power of God, to add footnotes to every unfinished word the Emperor had left unspoken.
Horus has always done a good job, but this also makes his judgment easily mixed with emotion - is this the reason why Malcador wants to stand up and speak out about this matter on behalf of the Emperor?
"The Tribunal of Remembrance will record stories." Leon El'Jonson suddenly spoke, calmly facing the surprise of the other Primarchs at his sudden entry into the conversation, "The Imperial Tribunal of Remembrance has been established. What are you worried about?"
Logar Aurelion put his hands together: "That's right, Horus."
(End of this chapter)
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