Chapter 427 Negotiations
"Horus Luperkar, an hour ago, the initial negotiations between the Iron Warriors and Interex just came to an end. Even though I am happy to receive your contact, I'm afraid I can only talk to you with my hazy sleepiness, awakened from the edge of light sleep."
This sentence was read by the voice model made by Perturabo, while the Iron Lord himself barely shook his head. Holding one end of the data cable, he lifted his head up from the table.
He raised his eyebrows, rubbed his face with both hands, and then slowly opened his eyes, turned on the holographic image hanging on the table, and showed a standard calm face to Horus.
Horus Luperkar was radiant and full of energy, even the top of his head was shining. He was slightly surprised by Perturabo's reaction, and then apologized: "I didn't know the time was such a coincidence. You rest first, and I will come back in ten hours."
"No," Perturabo said, fully awake, and at the same time branched off a line for the servitor to get him a glass of water. "Ten hours later is the second round of negotiations. We will enter the socio-legal level, and the Iron Warriors will try to convince Interx to recognize the title of Emperor. Is there something you would like to share with me?"
"Actually, it's nothing," Horus remained reserved for a few seconds, then tilted his head covertly, as if he suddenly understood that his sudden request for contact was not only unnecessary, but also undignified.
Perturabo decided not to tell him that the huge-span astrological holographic communication between them no longer relied on the astropaths praying silently under the dome, but Morse himself.
"You know I am on the edge of the Ullanor sector, Perturabo," Horus said. "We have just completed the coordination of several armies, Robert Guilliman and Angron. They all agreed to go to seize the outer planets of the system, and I will go straight into the core of Ullanor as soon as possible, with the purpose of beheading the leader of the orcs."
"Angron is also there?" Perturabo. Notice one of the names.
"Indeed, originally Jaghatai was coming, but he went to clean up the remnants of Nephilim with Sanguinius, and Angron came to Ullanor with Robert.
"In my case Unexpectedly, Angron made many excellent and specific suggestions, and his knowledge of greenskin orcs was an eye-opener for me. "Horus shrugged within the armor, his eyes flashing slightly under the dual illumination of the Vengeful Spirit and the holographic projection.
"It was he who perfected nearly half of our attack plan. "He said. "It seems that my previous estimate of our brother was still a lot lower. ”
“Each Primarch has a different experience. If you need more advice on finishing the battle against the orcs, you can contact Rogal Dorn. "
Perturabo suggested kindly, which earned Horus a tacit laugh. "He and the orcs are really intertwined in fate! ”
"Destiny!" A strange singing voice came into the channel. Horus was stunned for a moment.
Perturabo shook his head, "As a sign of friendship, Interex gave me a few 'parrots'. It is said that they are a special breed based on the birds of the old earth recorded in the classics. Now it only knows a few simple words, such as..."
He drove the newly installed automatic feeding equipment and dropped a few grains of food to the birds.
"Iron Lord!" the bird sang, pecking at the bird's food.
Perturabo sent the image of the red-feathered golden-crested parrot hanging in a steel cage to Horus simultaneously, which aroused the curiosity of the Wolf God and stared at the little animal for a long time. The multiple crimson tail feathers and bright red wings that were as bright as golden flames could not be removed for a long time.
"I want to trade places with you," he said regretfully, "even for these small gifts."
"Their envoy said that it can eventually grow to several meters long, and there is room on the Vengeful Spirit Can it be accommodated?"
"Don't underestimate our flagship, even though it is an order of magnitude smaller than your Iron Plains!" Horus shook his head, "So, how about Interex?"< br>
"Their friendliness is unexpected, and Mors is present. Maybe the Emperor's craftsmen will bring a little extra trouble, but he can ensure that the general direction of the entire negotiation does not deviate." Petula Bo said.
“He is indeed trustworthy,” Horus said. From unknown time on, his opinion of Morse had grown increasingly high.
"Where's Ullanor?" Perturabo asked politely, while distractedly processing the file directory sent by the Interex people, which mainly included scientific and technological cooperation and sharing. He was no longer used to letting his thoughts run in a single line for a long time, which would only make him feel like he was missing something.
"After the supplies are in place, we will prepare for battle. In addition to Robert and Angron himself, Lorgar..."
Horus's expression changed slightly, and there was a hint of seriousness. across his face.
“What the orcs will get is a visit from Harhabat. Lorgar said that they have faced too many battlefields that are too easy, and they must regain their temper to train themselves to face the enemies of the Emperor. Spirit.
"So Lorgar sent half of his legions to Ullanor with their commanders. ”
"Is the commander still Erebus?"
"Yes, he has not changed the leader of the cult for more than a hundred years. Lorgar himself took Mullistan to the Holy Grail Expansion. This name was given by Conrad. It's so attractive to our Truth-Speaker."
"His trust in you is also extraordinary," Perturabo was surprised by Aurelion's decision. Even Rogal Dorn was surprised. It is impossible to leave half of the Imperial Fist to him to lead; Magnus is particularly cautious about personnel transfers.
"We finally talked about why I came to chat with you," Horus's expression was once again lit up by the light, "Lorgar didn't hand over the legion to me, my father also came to Ulan. Yes, Lorgar offered half of his army to the emperor to assist in the battle."
He waved his hand, "Father decided to lead the army to complete a feint attack, and let me take charge of the final blow."
"Calm down and drink some water," Perturabo said leisurely, taking his water glass from the servitor's tray and taking a sip, "I knew that the thing that could make you so excited must be ours. Father's involvement."
"Hey!"
"Did I make a mistake, my brother?"
"You see through me, but I don't. You." Horus raised his eyebrows and his smile became helpless.
Ever since being exposed to his psyche by Leon El'Jonson long ago, Horus's receptivity to mentioning the matter has greatly increased.
"Have you seen through me since the day we first met two hundred years ago?" Wolf Shepherd God smiled.
"Same as you." Perturabo replied calmly, with deep meaning in his words. "What else is troubling you, my brother?"
Horus was simply flattered by Perturabo's sudden address, and was surprised at how Perturabo could see through his deeper thoughts.
He rubbed his hands and lowered his head: "I'm wondering what this means, Perturabo. And I think these words can only be spoken to you."
"We are all aware of the recent rumors regarding my father's heir. Many people feel that the outcome will be decided between you, me and Robert Guilliman, but Robert's odds are not good." "Hmm." Petula Beau listened quietly.
"I'm not sure...whether my father's willingness to feint for me instead of letting me assist him means some kind of implicit...choice." Horus said.
“This is recognition of your achievements and status, Horus.”
“But this is not a good thing.” Horus raised his head again and could see the shepherd wolf. God's truly serious thinking in private is rare for the Council of Four Kings, "No one wants to be above other brothers, and I can't imagine the resentment and protests that will follow."
"Many think you are destined for this position, Horus."
The Wolf Shepherd shook his head slightly, "I don't think any Primarch needs an additional leader, Perturabo."
"But the Empire does." Perturabo said plainly and objectively.
The Iron Lord was still unclear as to why the Emperor insisted on withdrawing from the Great Crusade, but Morse assured him that this was a necessary move - he had rarely seen the craftsman look so unhappy, and Morse The emphasis was still fresh in his memory.
“The Emperor needs an absolutely trustworthy successor, a reliable pair of hands to carry his will, a respectable man to complete his cause. You are the best choice, Horus , Only you can convince everyone."
"Oh..." Horus sighed, "Okay, how can I prove that I am not here to listen to your praise?"
"Then you have to find a way to deserve my praise," Perturabo said, smiling, "You promised."
Horus laughed, his voice clear And the loudness echoes continuously in the limited space. "Thank you, Perturabo! No matter who ends up being the heir, I will remember your encouragement - and, of course, I will have to find a way to live up to your praise."
——< br>
"We are united, Naud," said Kyle Valen, the warsmith of the 77th Battalion. "The Emperor, like Interrex, was born to protect humanity. If you still In need of assistance in dealing with the Dark Ages, it will be the easiest and most in your interest to join under the Emperor's protection. The era of neither enemies nor friends has passed, and in the years to come, peace will be the rule of the Imperium of Man. The main theme. "
"Melody," Commander-in-Chief Yevta Naud smiled, the runes on his handsome cheeks floating, "We will like this wording, but what does it mean, the Empire. Friends?
"We can hear the hints in your words, Iron Warriors. In the past two weeks, we have been focusing on a key core dialogue. Even if you do not want to offend our Federation, you have been slow to say the core of the problem: the Empire of Man is demanding We have surrendered our sovereignty, and Interex is willing to fully cooperate with the Human Empire, but this is still too high a request."
"No, Naude, what we need to confirm is a more stable period. "An alliance." Kyle Valen emphasized his words to ensure that his words were conveyed clearly, "And the recognition of the emperor's identity is the key to the end of all negotiations in this alliance. Finally, the Great Expedition fleet will leave Interex, your original government officials and social structures will not be interfered with, Interex will retain its brilliant culture and its economic independence..."
< br>"Will the imperial army be stationed?" Naude gently interrupted the war blacksmith, "Do we need to pay taxes to your empire?"
The war blacksmith took a breath and gradually exhaled, "Yes Yes, but the purpose of stationing troops is to protect rather than occupy, and taxation is an integral part of imperial governance. Considering the specific circumstances, we can sign the lowest tax level."
Naude shook his head: "One. A permanent peace alliance agreement is something that all of us are willing to sign, dear friends, but we cannot give up everything we have built for thousands of years.
“Our people have transferred their precious public power to us, and we value this trust and use our tax dollars for our public affairs to ensure that after the transfer, the people can get greater benefits than before the transfer. Interests. But can the Empire guarantee that we value our Federation as much as we value our own?"
"The planet where the war blacksmith in front of you comes from is also extremely hesitant when making a choice." The Iron Lord, who was sitting opposite the Commander-in-Chief, opened his eyes and spoke in a deep voice.
“Meru, a planet once occupied by xenos hostile to humanity, was liberated by us during the Great Crusade. Desperate for shelter, they were forced to join the Imperium of Man, and they were subsequently It proved that the right decision was made. Based on Meru's original social structure, its economic level and stability have rapidly improved, and it has gained a long and valuable peace from the intrusion of external forces."
"As for Meru's children, they have the same promotion rights as anyone else, whether they go to the Imperial Interior Ministry or join the Space Marines and become important leaders in the expeditionary force. Our country is called the Empire, but in a certain way To a certain extent, it is a huge federation. If you value yourselves, the Empire will not let this value decrease. At least, the Iron Warriors are willing to ensure that your rights and interests are protected."
Perturabo. Putting the emphasis on the last sentence, both sides knew that the Iron Lord was beautifying the Human Empire, and what could really reassure Interex was Perturabo's personal credibility and power.
"What about the Emperor?" Naude said in confusion, "Isn't this a nickname for a totalizer?"
"The Emperor is our leader, an indispensable ruler in wars and strife. , His courage brought about this expedition, and his ability allowed humanity to reconnect. But..."
Perturabo lowered his voice, "The Emperor is already considering withdrawing from the center of power, and the entire world. The power structure of the human empire will also undergo great changes. I cannot make any guarantees in advance, but I can share this prospect with you."
Naud was shocked by the information given by the Iron Lord. The music played by the interpreter's musicians also rose and fell, openly showing the commander-in-chief's inner wavering.
Perturabo was convinced that at one moment, the other party thought of the greater potential benefits that Interex could gain from the turmoil of power by relying on his extremely high basic qualities.
And the other party was deeply moved by his generous gift of this ambiguous message. This once again proves that Interrex does tend to be kind-hearted in general.
"We will consider this again, Iron Lord." Naud said politely, winking, and decided to move on to the next topic that had not yet been shaken. "However, there is still one element that Interex takes extremely seriously, and we are not sure whether the Imperium of Man agrees with us."
"Please speak."
"Chaos." Nau De said the word openly with a slightly strange accent, "Does the Empire consider Chaos to be the enemy of mankind?"
"Without a doubt," said Perturabo, looking at the unfamiliar vocabulary. The confused war blacksmith nodded slightly to reassure him, "Considering the imperial decree, we can discuss this topic privately."
"Then why are there wizards in your team?" Naude tilted his head and looked at the man in black robe sitting at the head of the Memoir Envoy. "I don't want to make malicious assumptions, but Interex must eliminate the risk of corruption. .
"You know, when we first met, Interex was so happy to be able to return to human society, but the age of strife and darkness has changed everything, making us understand that we must be vigilant about everything. .
"Iron Lord, we have to ask, do you really practice sorcery? What does your Emperor think of this?"
Before Perturabo responded, Morse pointed at himself and suppressed his smile: "I heard someone looking for me, even though I am just a memorizer... Well, I want to know the last person who questioned my identity in front of Perturabo, now How's it going, Interrex?"
"How's it going?" Naude asked, sounding determinedly alert. He read the clear threat from the wizard, which sent a chill down his spine.
"He became one of the Iron Lord's best friends." Morse laughed.
(End of this chapter)