Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

Chapter 489 Zhuang Sen: I feel like my popularity is getting better automatically...

Frankly speaking, the Lord of Steel actually had many good reasons to convince himself to give up Horus, the most likely option in the warmaster election.

For example: he does not think that Horus is the best military strategist among the Primarchs; nor does he think that Horus can stir up the backbone of the empire; nor does he admit that Horus is a person qualified to send him; so All kinds of things are just not enough.

Anyway...

It's definitely not because some angry guy is also supporting Horus.

What's more, the Wolf God's trust, attitude and closeness to that bastard are better than the Lord of Steel: Don't think that Perturabo can't see this. The Lord of Steel may have both character and ability. It has many different flaws, but stupidity is not one of them.

Just as he could clearly recognize Rogal Dorn as a man who was as identical to him in attitude, ability, tenacity and enthusiasm as two identical lumps of iron ore among all Primarchs: although Perturabo I have always been dismissive of the so-called "interpersonal relationships", but through random observations and summaries, as well as extensive picking and data processing of all kinds of rumors, without having to personally experience the consequences, the Steel Man The Lord was still well aware of the tangled web of relationships within the Primarch, and was not ashamed to use it to his own advantage.

He understands the characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of most of his brothers, knows how to talk to and make friends with them, and uses them in disguise to do things for himself: although he does not always do this, this also ensures that Pettu Good reviews in Labrador.

Yes, although this sounds completely contrary to the stereotype of the world, Perturabo is indeed the most popular among the Primarchs. He maintains good casual acquaintances with most of his brothers, although Among them, the only ones he could call "close friends" were Morgan and Magnus.

The Primarchs generally admired the Iron Lord's ability and dedication, and most of their dissatisfaction with him focused on his bloody art of war and cruel ways of serving his subordinates: the most representative of them was Guilliman.

The Lord of Macragge and his Ultramarines Legion have fought side by side with the Iron Warriors for a long time. As a result, he and his warriors have developed friendships with many outstanding Iron Warriors, but a considerable part of these friendships are due to When Perturabo first returned to the Legion, the round of eleven killings he set off came to an extremely tragic ending.

Since then, Guilliman has never concealed his criticism of Perturabo, although he will also very bluntly praise the Iron Lord for his meticulous actions and no attention to detail, and he continues to steal troops from the Fourth Legion, and Perturabo also gave his Macragge brothers an astronomical clock tower with the help of Morgan, but the relationship between the two legions was still very tense. Guilliman and Pertura Naturally, there is no serious friendship between Bo and Bo.

However, even after ignoring these unpleasant things, Perturabo is still a great genius in the interpersonal field. He just disdains it, not that he can't, and it's not that he can't: any fool who despises Perturabo for this will eventually Pay a heavy price.

Presumably only the most skilled and cautious hunters can pick the enviable and fruitful fruits in Perturabo's genius and sensitive logical network: although the Lord of Steel never believed that anyone would really be able to do it. At this point, he didn't believe that he would let down his innate defensive posture because of those false tears, cajoling, inducement, or exaggerated performances of empathy.

That's stupid.

Only someone as good as him can display such a superb game.

But Horus?

Clearly not among them.

"whispering sound……"

Thinking of this, Perturabo couldn't help but smile contemptuously.

It’s not that Horus has never tried to win over the Lord of Olympia, on the contrary, he has been working hard for it: no one understands the power that the Iron Warriors can unleash better than the Wolf God, and Perturabo is rich in philosophy. With his logical brain, he always impresses everyone who meets the Lord of Steel.

Therefore, although the Luna Wolves and the Iron Warriors lack a history of fighting side by side, and Horus and Perturabo have no solid common topics, no matter whether it is a celebration document for the Fourth Legion's many great victories, The same intimate and flattering exchanges between brothers still continued like snowflakes from the [Spirit of Vengeance] to the Lord of Steel's desk.

Perturabo knew that this was Horus' attempt to win over him. He admitted that he had indeed enjoyed the favor of the [First Returned Son], and indeed had a high regard for this wolf-herd god: Perturabo once imagined , if the Emperor finally chose Horus as Warmaster, he might be temporarily annoyed by this decision, but in the end, he would also choose to acquiesce to this result.

Horus is not the best choice in Perturabo's mind, but if it is done, Perturabo will admit the result: compared to those brothers who are dark or crazy, the Wolf Shepherd God is at least as capable as a sun. It makes people feel a bit of friendly warmth, and it is acceptable to listen to his orders in a short period of time.

But if it takes a long time...

"Any normal person with strong opinions cannot coexist with Horus for a long time."

Perturabo stood in front of Morgan, swearing, while carefully looking at the bulging face of the Lord of Avalon: the smiling Olympian hid a secret from his blood relatives, a secret that would inevitably make Horus The secret of feeling angry.

Originally, the Wolf God's efforts to win over Perturabo were actually very effective. The words of praise in his letters were very useful to the Lord of Steel who had just returned to the empire: This situation lasted for about twenty or thirty years, until Horus was no longer the only blood relative who sent letters to Perturabo.

When a certain Lord of Avalon returned to the Human Empire and met her Olympian blood relatives for the second time, she naturally became Perturabo's pen pal: Unlike Horus, Morgan's letters often require Much more casual, like the Wolf Shepherd, she would not precisely seize every opportunity for the Iron Warriors to achieve something and send congratulatory messages, but would adopt a more casual and lazy attitude, sending congratulatory messages to Pei from time to time. Turab wrote a letter. When the Lord of Steel was familiar with the content of the previous letter and felt a little bored, the second letter from the Lord of Avalon would arrive as promised.

The content of the letter written by Morgan is also very different from that of the Wolf Shepherd. She rarely specifically celebrates every victory of the Iron Warriors Legion, as if she already knows the fact that Perturabo can win: This This attitude made the Lord of Steel particularly useful.

In the letters, the Spider Queen's writing style is casual and jumping. She occasionally complains to Perturabo about her difficulties, occasionally asks for advice on some technical problems, and sometimes she simply tells what happened in the recent period. things, but always accurately captures the common interest between her and Perturabo: when Horus's letter gradually became a similar copy in the eyes of the Lord of Iron, the next letter from the Lord of Avalon , will always record something beyond Perturabo's expectation. This kind of reading, which is similar to exploring the unknown, will make the Lord of Steel feel mentally relaxed.

Over time, this even produced some evolutionary phenomena. For example, Perturabo actually did not know that the name [Morgan] had quietly spread among his fleets: there was no other reason than those who were the cleverest. The Primarch Attendant sensitively discovered that whenever a letter was sent from the direction of Avalon, their genetic father would remain in a good mood for a period of time, at least a few days, or a few hours. If the culprit is punished, the original body will also be lenient at this time.

This little secret quickly spread to the entire legion through bribery and conversations among battle brothers. Many guilty sons of Perturabo will secretly look forward to the unseen Lord of Avalon. Pick up the pen and write the next letter.

Of course, there are always exceptions to everything, and not every lucky person can take advantage of the arrival of Morgan's letter to ask his genetic father to spare him: because in the letter, the Spider Queen will erratically mention that in the The 14th battalion of the Far Eastern Frontier, that is, Dantioch and the warriors under his command, she will boast of the great sacrifices of these warriors on the Galactic Frontier with a realistic writing style.

Every time at this moment, Perturabo would feel proud and ashamed, but if an unlucky person disrupted the primarch's thoughts at this moment, and unfortunately he was used by the primarch to communicate with the fourteenth camp in the letter. To make a comparison: the situation may be much worse than he originally expected.

Look at the heirs in the letter who can be boasted by their blood relatives, and then look at the useless trash in front of them. What kind of things will the strict Lord of Steel do?

It's really puzzling.

But for Morgan, these are not the most important: the most important thing is that when Horus's letter and Morgan's letter arrive on the Lord of Steel's desk at the same time, Perturabo will inevitably put them both in the same position. Let’s make an interesting comparison together.

The result of this comparison is the sworn statement of the Primarch: The poor Wolf Shepherd does not know that his overtures to the Fourth Legion day after day have actually tarnished his image in the hearts of his blood relatives. A layer of haze.

"Horus was a well-hidden egotist."

The Lord of Steel licked his lips, and after taking the red wine from Morgan, he put one hand behind his back, like an ancient Greek sage walking in a marble courtyard, trying to explain his point of view to the astonished blood relatives.

"I have received letters from him, many letters, more than what you have written, and in these letters, I only saw a sun originally hanging in the sky, lamely trying to imitate the appearance of steel: He measures my victory entirely from his perspective and his thoughts. He has never understood how the Fourth Legion operates. He is only bragging about the Iron Warriors in his imagination."

"He's far worse than you at this point, Morgan."

"It is clear that he was completely unaware of the mistake."

The original body took a sip of the wine in the glass. He watched his Avalon blood relatives continue to deliver chopped pizza and shredded steaks to his mouth in an orderly manner. In an instant, it turned into a pile of stacked dinner plates: Perturabo wasn't even sure if these foods really existed?

He smiled.

"You know, Morgan, you remind me of... Sanguinius."

[Leman Russ] had already come to his mouth. Perturabo hesitated for a moment, then turned to spit out the more popular brother. When Sanguinius was mentioned, Morgan raised his head, and there was finally something in his pupils. Little interest.

[You mean, the Sanguinius who always stayed by Horus' side? 】

"yes."

The Lord of Steel nodded.

"In addition to the archangel, there are Mortarion and Jaghatai Khan. The three of them are the brothers closest to Horus. Have you noticed one of the problems: these three people either lack a certain opinion. , or lack the consciousness to take charge, they are unable to become the leaders of a small independent group, so they can only stand behind Horus."

"Only such people can maintain a long-term friendship with Horus."

The primarch hummed.

"And people like us who have our own opinions are destined to be unable to coexist with him for a long time: when he finds that he cannot lead us, he will in turn be wary of our existence. Our great Wolf Shepherd God is so insecure."

At the end of the sentence, the Olympian laughed disdainfully. He patted the shoulder of Morgan, who looked a little dazed, and felt a sense of responsibility in his heart: Perturabo felt that he had an obligation to teach this man who was not very good at it. The blood relations in Avalon made her aware of the different cruelty between brothers.

[Leadership...or guard against...]

Morgan raised her brows slightly. She swallowed the food in her mouth slowly, stuck out her tongue, and rolled the residue next to her lips into her mouth. This casual behavior told her feelings in front of the Lord of Steel. Relaxation made Perturabo's eyebrows move.

After a long time, Morgan expressed his guess with some uncertainty under Perturabo's encouraging eyes.

[Listening to your description, our Wolf Shepherd brothers are a bit overstepping their bounds: whether it is to lead us or to be wary of some of us, shouldn’t it be the right that only the emperor has? Even though he is the son of the first return, He is far from being able to lead us, right? 】

[He is not the Warmaster yet. 】

"exactly."

Perturabo waved his hand, imprinting his sonorous voice into Morgan's heart.

"This is the problem with our brother: he is always unconsciously imitating our genetic father, imitating the Emperor's every word, deed, and action, and quietly imitating certain things that only the Emperor can possess. The power and majesty are integrated into one's own body."

"When he is the most favored one, it is certainly a sign of loyalty, but if you think about it from a more rational perspective, it is not a reassuring thing: so I will not support Holland. Russ becomes Warmaster.”

"This is the only reason."

The Steel Pillar put down the wine glass and pressed one of his giant palms on the table. His thick voice seemed to be convincing Morgan and himself. When he saw Morgan nodded clearly, Olympia The person couldn't wait to end this short topic with a victor's attitude.

"So, I don't recommend that you choose Horus: whether we support him or not, the results will be the same. As long as we want to maintain our independence in front of him, then we will all become the targets of the Wolf Shepherd God."

"Of course, if the emperor insists on choosing Wolf Shepherd, then this problem is not intolerable: he is always qualified, whether as a general or as a war commander."

The Lord of Steel had his hands behind his back as he condescendingly commented on the Wolf Shepherd who stood at the center of the Great Crusade. This scene made Morgan raise a brow, but she covered up the flashing color in her pupils in time.

The Spider Queen only found it funny: it was clear that just a few minutes ago, she was convincing Perturabo not to choose Horus, but after Perturabo agreed with this, he couldn't wait to turn around and began to ask Morgan Convey similar views as if he is the originator of this correct view.

But no matter what, the outcome of the matter is good: after excluding Perturabo himself and Horus, there are not many people the Lord of Steel can support.

Morgan understood a small problem from the beginning: if you want other Primarchs to support Jonson, you shouldn't do additions, but subtractions.

After all: among Jonson, Horus, Ferus and other possible candidates, if you have to list those impressive advantages, it will be very difficult for Jonson, who is not very exposed. It's a disadvantage, but if you only compare the unbearable shortcomings of these people, then the Lord of the Knights, who sees the dragon but never sees the end, will have an advantage because of his thin sense of presence.

When Morgan thought about this fact, she only felt ridiculous in her heart. She collected the cold delicacies on the few remaining plates and did not continue to speak actively: she had already made enough long remarks before, and if she was in Petula again, If she were to seize control of the topic in front of Bo, it would not be in line with her usual personality.

She chose to wait. Waiting for the Lord of Steel to initiate the conversation.

She knew she wouldn't have to wait long.

When the Olympian felt happy because his point of view was recognized, his calm mind only thought for a moment, and then a natural question came up: This question made his face wrinkle together, making Perturabo a little uncomfortable. Looked at Morgan naturally.

He remembered Morgan's original purpose in raising this topic: to get him, Perturabo, to support Jonson as Warmaster.

Support Jonson instead of him?

The original body frowned, and his originally bright voice became a little strange.

"So, your choice from the beginning was Zhuang Sen?"

【of course not. 】

Morgan smiled at her brother. She was not surprised by Perturabo's question, which was full of awkwardness and a little jealousy: rather, the Lord of Steel would not even ask the question until now, which made Morgan feel... Somewhat shocked.

[It was only after I understood the connotation of the position of Warmaster that I chose to support Zhuang Sen in obtaining it: after all, although Zhuang Sen also knew very well what Warmaster meant, he himself only missed the power represented by the name. regardless of the associated disadvantages. 】

Morgan shook the wine glass, and the scarlet wine swayed like ocean waves, attracting the focused eyes of the Lord of Steel. When the wine glass blocked the field of vision between Morgan and Perturabo, the Primarch could clearly see, The anticipation of her blood brother's next words.

【And before that. 】

Morgan pursed her lips and smiled. She put the edge of the wine glass against her lips, and her two thin lips held the crimson waves in her mouth. She silently blinked at her Olympian brothers.

[You know, brother, I have lived through Jonson's war in the shadows, I have witnessed his performance in the war, and I have been following your victories across the galaxy: I will remember the battles of both of you. In my heart, I also know your respective abilities well. 】

[I know very well who is the great man who is more capable and qualified to wear the crown of Imperial Warmaster and shoulder its boundless burden. 】

[So: After understanding what an unfortunate position this Warmaster is. 】

[I chose Zhuangsen. 】

"..."

Perturabo laughed. He looked at Morgan's bright pupils and did not choose to continue asking this question: he had already received a satisfactory answer from Morgan's words.

It doesn't matter whether Morgan clearly stated the answer or not.

"Then give me a reason to support Jonson, sister."

The Primarch continued, his voice regaining its smoothness.

【reason? 】

Morgan frowned slightly.

"Yes, reason."

The Lord of Steel seems to care about this very much.

"Although I admit that Jonson is indeed a good commander, and his performance in many battles is indeed remarkable, this cannot be the reason for me to support him: among the original bodies, he is equally matched. Commander, it’s not that there is nothing, if you really want to choose a genuine and victorious general, then why don’t I vote for Ferus?”

"It is true, Morgan, that I am willing to favor our brother Caliban because of your relationship with me, but Warmaster should not be a position that relies on human relationships. Your recommendation can make Jonson He has become my top choice, but he still can’t make me decide to vote for him.”

"Do you have any reason why I would definitely choose Zhuang Sen?"

"Does he have any great achievements or the capital to stand among the stars?"

【of course not. 】

Morgan denied it without hesitation. The Lord of Avalon leaned back on his seat, swaying the wine in the glass, and gradually returned to the shrewd and capable spirit Perturabo secretly admired.

[But precisely for this reason: This is the reason why we choose Johnson. 】

"...?"

These contradictory words could not help but make the Lord of Steel frown. Instead, when Morgan's eyes brushed across Perturabo's twisted eyebrows, he secretly laughed in his heart.

She has different words to treat her different brothers: just like in front of Guilliman, Morgan used so-called "political interests" to win votes for Jonson, in front of Perturabo, she naturally has to change her mind. A way, a way to impress this steel tyrant.

[You know, brother. 】

Morgan's voice sounded soft, but extremely convincing.

[The focus of this incident is not why Zhuang Sen became the war master, but why we chose him: the war master and Zhuang Sen are not the focus of the matter. 】

[We: That’s right. 】

Morgan stretched out his finger and tapped on the Iron Lord's breastplate.

[Whether Zhuang Sen has the talent to become a war commander is not important. If you just choose a military strategist, then there are more than a dozen options in the original body. 】

[But Jonson will become the Warmaster because of our choices: this is very important. 】

"……Appreciate further details."

Perturabo's voice was a little heavy, and his raised eyebrows revealed the great interest in his heart: The Lord of Steel captured some elements that were very attractive to him in Morgan's words, but he was temporarily It is not yet possible to fully identify these elements.

This made him a little anxious.

But Morgan took his time.

[Perturabo, do you know who was a candidate for this name when the term Warmaster was first proposed? 】

The primarch nodded, familiar with all his treasures.

"Horus, Ferus, and what some people call Sanguinius: in fact, not only from the beginning, but even now, they are the popular candidates for Warmaster."

"But almost everyone believes that only Ferus can threaten Horus."

[Yes, they all think so...]

The Lord of Avalon shook his head, smiled and sighed. His sigh made Perturabo frown instinctively, and the following aria from Morgan's mouth made the Olympian frown bit by bit. Got deeper.

[Horus, the Returned Son, who had been at the Emperor's side for thirty years, deserved all the glory in the stars. His legions were praised for everything they accomplished, and even his smallest feats would be rewarded. Received countless praises. 】

[When the position of Warmaster was proposed, everyone thought that it would be in Horus's pocket. Even he thought so: no one would care about the achievements of other brothers, no one Doesn't it matter what sacrifices other legions have made? Shouldn't all the glory belong to Horus? 】

"..."

The Primarch frowned, instinctively unhappy with these words.

He couldn't refute it, because what Morgan said was the truth.

…

This made him even more unhappy.

[And Ferus, our third returning brother, his legion claims to have conquered the most worlds, and his iron hands will always stand at the center of the Great Crusade stage: People will only remember that the Empire has such a steel As a master, people will only praise Ferus for every endless victory and sacrifice. People will only spread that he is the only master of war, a person who can truly control iron and blood. 】

"...Tsk..."

The Lord of Steel's face twitched, and gloom began to accumulate in his eyes.

Morgan, on the other hand, smiled, her voice continuing to tingle at Perturabo's heartstrings.

[So, when the glory of the Warmaster was brought up. Everyone took it for granted that it was either Horus or Ferus, and it could not be anyone else: Jonson, who had fought in the shadows for twenty or thirty years and made countless sacrifices, would not be counted among them. In the Far East Morgan, who has worked hard and protected hundreds of worlds, will not be counted among them. 】

Having said this, the Lord of Avalon waved to Perturabo.

[And Perturabo, who has made countless sacrifices, captured countless solid fortresses, maintained garrisons in the largest number of worlds, and silently endured all hardships and dangers, will also not be counted among them. 】

Under Morgan's heavy voice, the Lord of Steel's face was equally heavy.

[All the spotlight is naturally on those legions: the Luna Wolves and the Blood Angels, the Iron Hands and the Emperor's Children, oh, and the tenacious and unyielding Imperial Fist. It seems that the Empire only relies on These few legions can conquer the Milky Way, and it seems that the sacrifices of other legions are not worth mentioning to them. 】

[But...why? 】

Morgan's words caused a tremor on the Iron Lord's brow.

[Why can they ignore the sacrifice of the Iron Warriors? Why can the reputation of the Ultramarines be trapped in the Five Hundred Worlds? Why can my Dawnbreakers protect countless mortals and people of the empire on the far eastern frontier, but still want to Within the empire, I endured different kinds of rumors: Why did we pay the same amount, and the people would only see them, only look at Horus and Ferus, only look at the Luna Wolves and Saints? The Blood Angels only look at the Emperor's Children and the Iron Hands. 】

[Oh, and the Imperial Fist. 】

The last sigh almost pierced the Iron Curtain of Perturabo.

[Why, brother? 】

When Morgan's fingers pressed against the Iron Lord's breastplate again, she felt the undulating waves.

[Why can they ignore our sacrifice and glory? Why do they never consider our status and qualifications? Why do they only look at the center? 】

【Why...】

[Can they ignore our voices? 】

"..."

——————

[No one can ignore our voices, Perturabo, my brother, we are also sacrificing for the empire. Our dedication and efforts are no less than any legion. Our achievements should be confirmed and our voices should be heard. , our attitude should also be treated in the most timely and serious manner! 】

[What we want is not important. It doesn’t matter what we choose: what matters is that we cannot be ignored, and we cannot continue to tolerate neglect. 】

[We want all the people in the empire to hear our voice, we want to let those who are indifferent know our attitude, and we want to use our persistence to highlight our strength: let them no longer despise us in the shadow of the Great Crusade bloody battle. 】

[We can be selfless, we can bleed quietly without repayment, but this is not the reason for their indifference: but this is not the reason for their contempt for us. 】

[They don’t deserve to look down on us. 】

[When we speak up. 】

【them! 】

【must! 】

【face! 】

【serious! 】

【Respect! 】

——————

[Even a warmaster who is not suitable for the empire? 】

[Then if we think about it: he should be the war commander of the empire! 】

[Nothing else: just because the Lord of Steel chose him. 】

【Just because we...】

[Choose him. 】

——————

[Steel roars. 】

【The world must tremble. 】

——————

[Steel appointed Jonson. 】

[The war commander can only be Zhuang Sen. 】

——————

【He is not important. 】

[The war commander is not important. 】

【None of them are important. 】

Morgan clenched his fingers into a fist and put it on Perturabo's shoulder.

【We, only us. 】

[Our will: that’s what matters. 】

——————

"..."

Morgan didn't calculate how long her Olympian brother had been silent: but when she raised her head, Morgan saw on Perturabo's face the long-lost temperament and happy smile.

The Lord of Steel only said one sentence.

A very brief sentence.

Those words were as unquestionable as a king's, both to Morgan and to Perturabo.

——————

"Very well, sister."

"When you meet Zhuang Sen next time, remember to tell him for me."

"If: He won't let me down in the coming years."

"..."

"So……"

"He is the war commander I chose."

"He is the Warmaster of the Iron Warriors."