Chapter 215 207. Contradiction?
The cleanup of Druun was carried out very quickly. On the one hand, it was because it no longer had to consider the small rebel forces after the war. On the other hand, all the forces in the empire were well coordinated here, not only the two legions. There were also negotiations with the Mechanicus on matters between them. As for the government affairs department of the empire, they did not come. They only released the tax details for the next thirty Terran years to this planet.
Because the planet is currently in a state of production shutdown, these sub-officials have thoughtfully waived taxes for this year.
In the empire, only death and taxes are inevitable. To a certain extent, these officials who rush to the front to collect taxes are also very fierce.
In the Luna Wolf conference room, Hades looked helplessly at the tax notice on the electronic screen, thinking about how to apply for tax exemption or tax reduction this time. The empire's official system was complicated, resulting in the approval of tax exemption applications becoming complicated. Quite troublesome.
Vox, Abaddon and Sejanus are also struggling to move forward among the mountains of documents. The good news is that these few are also beaten warriors, so Hades can now face the electronic screen with his arms folded in a daze.
With a slight noise, the door of the conference room was pushed open by the servitor. The servitor's head almost touched the ground because of the salute. The big platinum-blond guy that Hades was familiar with walked into the room.
It is the Wolf Shepherd God.
Several people in the room were about to stand up and salute, but were immediately stopped by Horus. The Wolf God, with his usual inspiring smile, greeted the only two Death Guards in the room.
Perhaps it was because he had not successfully gained Hades' favorability in the previous conversation, so the Wolf Shepherd God did not seek trouble from Hades first.
"Is this Vox? I heard Mortarion mention you, a warrior who has made rapid progress. It's a pity that I didn't see you on this battlefield." Hades felt that
Vox froze instantly. I sighed softly in my heart, don't be kidnapped, Vox.
"Thank you for your compliment, my lord."
Finally, Vox said in a low voice quickly, and then turned off the microphone. He didn't look like he could continue to speak. By the way, Hades noticed that Vox's position seemed to be slightly towards the Hades moved for a moment.
As if he was satisfied with Vox's reaction, Horus changed his target contentedly,
"Long time no see, Hades."
Then the Wolf Shepherd God's eyes naturally turned from Hades to the electronic screen behind him, Hades could feel Horus' brows seeming to frown, but this feeling was fleeting.
"Are you reading the tax notice?"
"Yes, my lord."
Hades nodded and leaned to the side to make way for Horus, who was striding over. The original body quickly read the tens of thousands of words of the notice, and then He stood dissatisfied,
"According to the Empire's Seventh Edition Tax Bill No. 54, this planet should be tax-free for a full fifty Terran years." "
Yes, sir, but it seems they are still using the Fifth Edition." The bill will be reviewed and approved."
Hades silently called out some subtle words in this announcement, which were unique to the fifth edition.
Horus really frowned this time. The Wolf Shepherd no longer concealed his dissatisfaction, or he hoped that Hades and the others would think that he was angry.
"This is really frustrating, Hades. I'm sorry to let you see this side of the empire. The efficiency of those mortals is indeed worrying."
Hades coughed silently in his heart.
Because the specific details of Garaspa were not disclosed, Horus did not know that the Death Guard had already had a conflict with Imperial officials. That time Garaspa received two different tax bills in succession. But the good news is that Hades was not responsible for this, and Vox and Gallo suffered a lot for it.
"I understand, my lord."
"No, you don't need to be so humble, Hades. I know that the Death Guard hopes to bring this planet under the jurisdiction of the Legion, and this announcement obviously affects you." "Don't worry
. , I will ask the Imperial personnel accompanying the Luna Wolves to help you with the matter."
Hades opened his mouth. It seemed that Horus still had not given up on his plan to get involved with a Death Guard. Hades thought in his heart After quickly sorting out the stakes, Horus's motivations and the possible consequences afterwards, I came to the conclusion that it was OK.
Then it would be better to obey orders than to be respectful, just allowing Walkers and the others to rest.
"Sir, on behalf of the Death Guard, I would like to thank you very much for your help."
Hades turned his attention to the notice. Since the other party offered to help, he needed to let the other party say more to satisfy a psychological need. need.
Helpers need spiritual and emotional feedback from those being rescued.
"This is indeed what makes me confused. I originally thought that we could receive a tax exemption notice. It may be due to a temporary mistake by some officials. After all, everyone makes mistakes. I just hope that the Death Guard will not face it again next time. These."
Hades deliberately concealed a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone. As he expected, this opened Horus's chat box,
"A momentary mistake, I hope so. The inefficiency and confusion of those mortal officials really annoyed me. Under the leadership of the Emperor, the Empire is marching towards victory. My brothers are leading the Legion to conquer the galaxy. Successful reports are coming frequently. Mankind's greatest cause is now within our reach - but there are always people slowing down our steps. ."
"Those mortals cannot understand the great achievements of the empire. In their chaotic minds, they only have their own official position. They stubbornly guard their little private property, trying to shake off the giant in the corner where the giant of the empire cannot see. Make profit from the residue."
Hades blinked, Grand Astartes, these words slowly emerged in his mind, like old rotten wood emerging from the swamp.
The Wolf God is a gentle and encouraging presence. After the battle, he will personally go to the mortal auxiliary army to give a speech, and he will also smile at the mortal officials who surrendered to the empire.
What Horus didn't like were the mortal lords who were feasting on the rear and commanding blindly. Of course, no one liked them.
But with the pace of the Great Crusade, there will be more and more such people. Their appearance and even existence are inevitable by-products of the process of the Great Crusade.
In the original book, the peak moment of conflict between Horus and this group of people was after the Emperor returned to Terra and established the Mortal Council.
The Mortal Council led by Malcador will be in charge of everything in the Empire, including many matters of the Legion, but there is no place for the original body or even the Space Marines.
Hades blinked slowly. He didn't know what the emperor was thinking. He removed representatives of the military from the main administrative body of the empire. This would obviously intensify conflicts.
It is possible that the Emperor trusted Horus too much and believed in his great son, or that the Emperor actually did not care about the Legion at all, or that the Emperor believed that the future of the Imperium of Man did not require the Legion's participation.
In short, the Emperor left in style, leaving behind a pile of chicken feathers in the late period of the Great Crusade. One theory is that even if the Four Gods were not corrupted, Horus, as the Warmaster, would raise his flag of rebellion after the conflicts intensified in the later period of the Great Crusade.
Compared with the Great Crusade described by Horus, in fact, the two people present knew that the Great Crusade was not glorious. The rough and rapid advancement and chaotic post-management had many hidden dangers already laid, waiting for time to ferment them. Into poisonous wine.
Not all planets are lucky enough to meet a governance genius like Guilliman, and not all planets can be granted tax exemptions. The forests in their hometowns have been cut down, exhaust fumes are emitted from the forested hives, and the people are impoverished, or they are burdened with debts and are forced to leave. The empire's appointed upper echelons are full of food, or like their people, they are saddled with the empire's high tax debt.
For those pocket kingdoms that were originally well-governed by themselves, the empire was a natural disaster.
Not only the mortals, but also the forge worlds of the Mechanicum also complained about the scientific research restrictions signed with the empire.
This is also the reason why the Warmaster's great rebellion can be responded to by hundreds of people.
The gray rhinoceros slowly walked into the room. Everyone turned a blind eye. There was no other way. According to the Emperor's promise, everything would be fine after the Great Crusade was over.
But only a few people knew, Hades blinked, the emperor's promise was to resist the higher dimensional chaos, and in the face of the threats posed by the four gods, nothing else mattered.
Hades sighed again in his heart, shit! His evaluation is lousy!
This kind of mud pit is of no use to anyone. This is not a personal matter, it is a matter of an entire race. Even the Emperor cannot fish it out. The Emperor has brought twenty more primarchs, but he still cannot fish it out. A strong man descended from the sky must have a mass base. Unfortunately, the reality is that such a decentralized empire cannot form such a thing. A person who can manage a planet is already called a god, and the scale of the empire is the Milky Way.
When he thought that the glorious current state of the empire was full of disorder, Hades felt bad again. The Emperor and Malcador could still deceive the originals without changing their expressions, and Hades was extremely impressed.
While Hades was thinking about it, Horus was not idle either. The Wolf Shepherd gave an impassioned and impassioned speech on "The Great Crusade is Glorious, Cleaning Up after the Great Crusade", with passionate emotions and passionate voice. Bingmao, showing his true feelings, and charming, Hades only felt that the people beside him were glowing.
As soon as Horus finished speaking, the whole room immediately burst into deafening applause, and Hades also clapped quickly.
The good news is that since the one-person exchange with Horus, Hades's resistance to the Wolf Shepherd has skyrocketed, and he is now initially immune.
What's more, the content of Horus's speech is completely different. Hades knows that the future of the empire will be even more pulpy.
I don’t think about it anymore, I think too much about it and it’s sad, now it’s more important to apply for Drouen’s tax exemption.
However, when Hades looked at Vox, whose eyes almost glowed, as if he was going to join the Great Crusade and die in the next second, he shouted in his heart that something was wrong!
Compared to Hades and Mortarion, Vox had never faced Horus before.
You are Mortarion's son! Wake up, Vox!
Although I have had crooked thoughts before, you can't be so shaken, Vox, wake up!
Mortarion will be sad!
Also, wait for the code
(end of this chapter)