Chapter 2241 The power of the old bureaucrat
Seeing Feisal’s nervous face, Soshyan leaned back slightly, put his arms on the armrests, and glanced at the observation window in the distance. of Terra.
"I don't want anyone to die. I just want to get the justice that the Mantis Warriors deserve. This is my promise."
Hearing this, Tyrion With a smile on his face, he asked in a playful tone:
“Have they received any unfair treatment?”
"They are the first battle groups to participate in this Maelstrom Expedition. They have washed away their past shame with blood in the battle."
"Is this the cancellation of the Atonement Expedition? This is necessary. Are you going to mobilize troops? There is no need for them to come to Terra for a piece of official documents."
Soshiyang pursed his lips.
"Also. They hope to get their Chapter Master back."
"Oh~"
Tyrion nodded forcefully and drawled.
Then the conversation changed.
"What does this have to do with justice?"
"They have made contributions, made sacrifices, and made many military exploits that more than offset the mistakes they made in the past."
“I told you, canceling the Atonement Expedition is just a matter of a piece of official paper.”
"The Mantis Warriors are willing to use their dedication in exchange for the Neoterra Chapter Master. This request is not too much."
"Isn't it too much?"
Tyrion tilted his head, meaning He asked profoundly:
"Captain Soshyan, how much do you know about the laws of the empire?"
"Not much."
"Then do you know what the consequences are under imperial law once a citizen commits a third-degree felony?"
Soshiyan was silent, when a Chapter servant came over with a plate. There were two tin cans inside, and Tyrion was actually not polite. He took the tin cans, pulled the tabs, and took a sip of the war group's special drink that had just been taken out of the refrigerator.
"Well, the taste of this thing is very unique. I thought that the things the Space Marines drank were very exciting."
As he said, he glanced at the logo on the can. Red ant bull wearing chef's apron with thumbs up.
"Red Ant Bull? It's really interesting. It seems that Space Marines also have a rich food culture. Ah, to get back to the subject, once a citizen commits a third-degree felony, first he himself will be executed, and then his immediate family members will become slaves or machines. Servants, relatives within three generations are forced to work for fifty years.”
Soshyan frowned slightly.
“Do you think it’s cruel?”
“This has nothing to do with what we are talking about.”
“Look, a mortal makes a mistake and needs to be accepted by his family. To make amends with such a severe punishment, the crime that Neoterra has done far exceeds any law in the empire."
"The dedication of the Mantis Warriors is far beyond what mortals can do."
"So is this what you call justice? An acknowledgment of the inequality in the value of life between Space Marines and ordinary people?"
Soshiyan's palm suddenly grasped the metal arm of the chair, and the Terminator Guards around him He also tilted his head slightly towards the imperial prime minister, dissatisfaction brewing in the air.
“So, are you here to argue with me?”
“No, I am just here to point out your attitude, as if in your opinion, a person has been declared a traitor It's freeing with merit, maybe because you're so used to it? Like the Blood Knight? But is it just? No, never, it's a privilege, you get great victories. , so you think you should have such a privilege."
"Prime Minister, I must point out that you and the high lords can boast and point out the country on Terra, all relying on the blood of the warriors on the battlefield. Fighting hard, they don’t deserve to be treated so harshly”
"Then Chapter Commander Soshyan, when one day a Chaos traitor who killed the soldiers of your Chapter comes to you with the head of another Chaos traitor, will you forgive him just like that?"
Soshyan turned his head and looked at the other party with somewhat annoyed eyes. "I must point out that your Excellency is confusing the situation. The leader of the Neoterra Chapter was only deceived. He never really betrayed the empire, otherwise he would not surrender."
Tips Ryan smiled and drank the last sip of the drink in the jar, then threw it aside under the worried look of the waitress. The jar hit the ground with a series of clanking sounds.
“Captain Soshyan, could you please tell me if everyone you ordered to be killed during the expedition was guilty?”
"You——"
"Chapter Commander, don't be anxious and angry. I don't say this to ridicule you. In fact, just looking at the results, the life consumed by this expedition has been far less than that of the Parliament. There should be no one who can do better than you."
When the other party said this, Soshiyang couldn't help but turned his eyes back to Terra in anger.
“I say this because I hope Chapter Leader you can understand one thing. Why are the laws of the Empire so strict? Why can’t the Empire easily forgive traitors? Why does the Empire always seem to punish everyone? The reason is very simple. The empire cannot inspire everyone. The empire cannot treat everyone well. The empire has no ability to distinguish who is right and who is wrong. For our infinitely proliferating and infinitely chaotic race, only punishment can do that. As close to fairness and justice as possible, only by punishing us can everyone feel the real existence of the political entity of the 'Empire'. So do you also have the illusion that the Empire just passes away with a single word for sacrifice, and for betrayal? Will the empire pursue it? But this is not what anyone 'thinks' about, but it is the true status quo of the empire that determines that it can only be like this. The laws of the empire are never fair. Its value is just to strangle everyone's neck with fear and authority."
Soshiyang's expression slowly darkened, but it was not gloomy.
But his mind didn't change.
"What happened to the Mantis Warrior is excusable after all. What's the point of keeping Neotra locked up? Why can't he continue to create value for the Emperor?"
"What you said is correct, but who can guarantee that he will not make a second mistake?"
"I am willing to guarantee it."
"Ah, why do you want to guarantee it for him? What?”
"This is my promise."
Tirion spread his hands.
“Now, this is the problem. As you said before, Neotra was just deceived, so why was he deceived? Because of the oaths and promises between the Astartes brothers, This is a kind of... Ah, personally, I actually appreciate the feeling of brotherhood and comradeship among Astartes, because it is one of the few feelings among humans that can transcend status, interests, and even positions, but Likewise, it is easy for people to become dizzy and act impulsively.”
Then the old bureaucrat lowered his voice.
“Captain Soshyan, do you know about the Fist of Paragon?”
Soshyan narrowed his eyes and did not answer immediately, but Tireen smiled and waved his hand.
"Don't get me wrong, I have no intention of tracing back those ancient histories. This is just what I accidentally saw in the historical document reports compiled by the Assassin's Court."
"I know."
"Then I think you must have understood the intentions of the high lords. They are not targeting the Mantis Warriors or you, but... the Mantis Warriors have already made such a mistake once. For various reasons, we We should prevent them from committing the crime a second time, are you right?”
Soshiyang raised his head slightly, he had already tasted something, and he could only say that this Tirian was worthy of being among the imperial officials. The roly-poly, who had been ups and downs for hundreds of years, was at a disadvantage for the first time in a verbal confrontation with a mortal.
The other party had said so much to him before, but he only conveyed a few meanings -
According to the legal rules of the empire, Neotra's crimes could never be deducted from his merits.
But in reality, it is not impossible to show mercy outside the law, but there is a condition, that is, this 'benefit' cannot be given to the Mantis Warriors by Soshiyang.
The reason why Soshyan cannot be allowed to show mercy to the Mantis Warriors is because the Mantis Warriors made mistakes before because of "brotherhood". The high lords want to prevent the second occurrence because of "brotherhood". A Huron, and a more powerful Huron.
After realizing these points, Soshiyang had some concerns in his mind, so he turned around and said:
"I understand, then Prime Minister Tyrion, I will not bring the Mantis Warriors to Terra, but you must ensure that their demands can be met after I leave the solar system."
Tirien En's fat, round face showed a slightly funny smile and nodded.
"This, no problem."
(End of this chapter)