Warhammer 40: Shattered Steel Soul

Chapter 375 Ordering 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 a tragic war. If you think of these things, there will be no pain in your heart, Then it is even more tragic, because he has lost 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, which was only stained with a little food sauce. 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, happy to be in the same room as the other sons 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, and Ruth was sitting where Leon was now, grabbing the same freeze-dried piece from his plate. Perturabo is serious and cautious, and he has everything under control. Magnus looked like a stupid 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 Adeptus Mechanicus, are as if this rule is written in the laws of nature. This seems to be a combination destined to be victorious and undefeated. It is the key to the Imperial expedition. The blade on the outside of the arc was shaped by the Lord of Mankind, and it has the characteristic of never rusting that physical blades do not have.

Difficulties are indeed inevitable obstacles on the chessboard, but the game-breaking piece 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.

The disappearance of the Second Primarch broke this law for the first time in decades. 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 overturn this illusion of mine." Horu Si smiled and said, "Can anyone answer this puzzle?"

"Because the Amosaic tribute to the inner palace of the palace adopts the top brewing technology and environment in the galaxy, Horus. You will not think that the Amosaic that comes from the nest can compare with the wine presented to you by the surrender. "Yes," 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 is willing to chat with me. I must be spoiled by my Luna Wolf."

"I guess it's not my fault," Perturabo said, softening his tone. "Tell us about what you discovered in Randan, Horus, if no one sitting here cares to pay attention to the activities of brotherly affection between us."

"Well," Horus said regretfully, "we 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 outer defense area torn apart by the Second Army, and have not really penetrated into its core. The enemies we come into contact with are mostly slaves driven by their enslavement, such as those submitted to the Imperial Archives via Macragge. The worm aliens in the library, various small alien branches with different ecologies, and even us humans.”

Lorgar looked sad and whispered something in Colchis that the other primarchs could not understand.

"At first I thought it was some people who absurdly betrayed the Human Empire, but then I quickly learned that they were forced to be mentally controlled. Ran Dan took away their bodies and drove away their original will. They insulted humanity." Horus suppressed the anger in his voice, "This is Ran Dan's most obvious characteristic besides all kinds of strange technologies."

"In addition to this, the Second Legion submitted a technical report on the war satellites and Randan ships, showing us their deception skills and fleet defense. The Queen of Glory of the Second Legion was almost lost in the naval battle. . And 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 haven't come into contact with the real Ran Dan yet, and the enemy waiting ahead is still half an unsolvable mystery."

"Yes, Perturabo. Now we know that they have excellent naval combat, strong defenses, mind control capabilities, high technological level, and a large number of subordinate tribes."

"Just from the description, we have all defeated enemies similar to them in some aspects during the Great Expedition, but the difference in magnitude is enough to subvert all past experience. Behind every piece of information, there is something that must be further explored. The shadow of trial." As he spoke the first half of the sentence, Perturabo glanced at Leon El'Jonson cautiously.

Even though the strength of the predecessor of the Dark Angels should not be underestimated, and the Heavenly Army system whose creed was founded by the Emperor himself has always been synonymous with glory, after all, Leon had just returned to the Empire, and even the experience of Leman Russ was Guided by the wolf, it was difficult for him to determine whether it was a good or bad thing 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 chambers left," Leon said. The delicacies and fine wines did not affect any of his appearance. , his tone is still 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 Rock Army, destroying fortresses and tearing apart defenses. The Fire Army, the Infiltrator and the Interrogator. The Void Army, a force that performs rapid assault maneuvers.

"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 Angel could disclose. Then, the Emperor's eldest son concluded: "This is the military power 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 said to his brothers across the table Nodding reservedly.

Perturabo nodded in response, refusing to think about whether the lion noticed his eyes and drew some misreading or incorrect interpretation, and then 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 war strategy," Perturabo said. "Although each battalion has its own emphasis, its military strength is relatively balanced. There are twelve war blacksmiths on active duty, managing their own battalions. I am responsible for coordinating some of the other battalions, as well as the auxiliary troops. You all know my tactical preferences. I can provide fortress and fire support to anyone. Unfortunately, I don't have a data pad or holographic projection to provide you with quickly. Introduce the tactics and armament status of all camps.”

Horus blinked: "It doesn't matter, at least you never hide your military organization as a little secret, Perturabo. To be honest, we are all quite familiar with the organizational structure of your legion. Just like I don't care about anything. We talked about that brother all the time, and it turned out that we had a happy cooperation with you on which battle."

"Do we have it?"

"Definitely. Well, let's talk about myself. We like the style of the tactical team. When we break down the tactics, we have the company. I allow my wolf pups to express their own fighting styles to a great extent. It's too fixed. The structure, to us, would seem rigid. I can't stand an inflexible organization, even though maybe that would be easier to secure a floor. Additionally, I would allow them to build their own reputation and camaraderie and they would be more willing to participate. fighting."

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.

"Lorgar?" Horus tilted his head and looked at another man with a smooth head in the hall.

Lorgar 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 cluster operations, using more troops, to The final word. Chaplains are located in the hierarchy of non-military organizations, promoted from the Ring of Ashes that are independent of the Chapter system, and share their understanding of the doctrine. Chaplains and commanders participate in the War Council. They are also me. consultant."

"Where are your two orders, my brother?" asked Perturabo.

"They are not my secular order, but an order belonging to my father, established by their own will and served on an equal footing with me," Lorgar said, seeming pleased that Perturabo was willing to ask him questions. "In time of war, they are 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 who holds the truth speaks softly. say. "I want to believe them."

The two names he spoke reminded Horus Luperkar of the scene he saw when he arrived in Colchis.

At that time, on that ancient and dry planet, it was not Lorgar Aurelion who was known as the Truth-Speaker, 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 undeniable timidity.

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 servant take care of this table, wait a minute..."

He picked up the wine glass and drank the remaining precious tribute wine in one gulp before summoning the silent mortal servants from the Terra Palace.

"You can take care of it. Next, if you are tired, go and rest separately. If you all have extra energy, how about we talk about more military issues?"

"The next step will be a troublesome battle, so I don't plan to say anything about bringing our missing Duncan back to this hall and asking Malcador to organize a celebration banquet for us - although this is a right A tempting offer from anyone other than the Chancellor of the Empire, I suppose."

"My body does not feel weary, Horus," said Lorgar.

Perturabo stood up: "I personally think that more empty talk is not necessary. Next time, our combat meeting would be best to choose an appropriate strategic command location after reading more information. 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 and stood up, "Leon is not familiar with us, and our iron Neither the Lord nor the One who speaks the truth have ever met, and we are here by a common command, rather than from a sincere desire to reunite. It seems that I have acted too hastily, my brothers."

"Grains grow from the ground. The seedlings grow first, then the ears grow, and then the ears bear seeds. [2]" Luojia said gently. If they were not separated by a table, maybe he would give everyone 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 of the Emperor.

Horus had always done a good job, but this also made it easy for his judgment to be mixed with emotions - could this be why Malcador wanted to 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?"

Lorgar Aurelion clasped his hands and said, "Exactly, Horus. I believe in Him."

(End of this chapter)