Druun's cleanup went very quickly. On the one hand, it no longer had to worry about small rebellious forces after the war. On the other hand, all the forces of the Empire were well coordinated here. Not only were there affairs between the two legions, but there were also consultations with the Mechanicus. As for the Empire's government departments, they did not come. They just released the tax details for the next thirty Terra years to this planet.
Because the planet is currently in a state of shutdown, the officials have thoughtfully waived taxes for this year.
In the empire, the only inevitable things are death and taxes. To some extent, these officials who rushed to the front line to collect taxes were also very fierce.
In the meeting room of the Luna Wolves, 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 is complicated, which makes the approval of tax exemption applications quite troublesome.
Vorcus, Abaddon and Seganus were also struggling forward among the piles of documents. The good news was that these were also well-beaten warriors, so Hades could now fold his arms and stare at the electronic screen in a daze.
With a slight noise, the door of the conference room was pushed open by the robot servant. The robot servant's head almost touched the ground because of the salute. The big platinum-colored guy that Hades was familiar with walked into the room.
He 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, as usual, gave an encouraging smile and greeted the only two Death Guards in the room.
Maybe because he did not succeed in gaining Hades' favor in the previous conversation, the wolf god did not cause trouble for Hades first.
"Is this Vorcus? I heard Mortarion mention you, a warrior who has made rapid progress. I'm sorry I didn't see you on the battlefield this time."
Hades felt that Vox froze instantly, and he sighed in his heart, Don't be kidnapped, Vox.
"Thank you for the compliment, my Lord."
Finally, Vox said something quickly and quietly, then turned off the microphone. It didn't look like he was going to continue speaking. By the way, Hades noticed that Vox seemed to have moved slightly towards Hades for a moment.
As if he was very satisfied with Vox's reaction, Horus contentedly changed his target.
"Long time no see, Hades."
Then the wolf god's gaze naturally turned from Hades to the electronic screen behind him. Hades could feel that Horus' brow seemed to be frowned, but the feeling was fleeting.
“You’re reading the tax bulletin?”
"Yes, sir."
Hades nodded and moved aside to make room for Horus who was walking over. The Primarch quickly read the tens of thousands of words of the report, then stood still with dissatisfaction.
"According to the Empire's seventh edition Tax Act No. 54, this planet should be tax-free for a full fifty Terran years."
"Yes, your Excellency, but it appears they are still working on the fifth version of the bill."
Hades silently read out some subtle words in this notice, which were unique to the fifth edition.
This time Horus really frowned. The wolf god no longer concealed his dissatisfaction, or perhaps he hoped that Hades and the others would think he was angry.
"This is really depressing, 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 Galaspar were not leaked, Horus did not know that the Death Guard had actually had a fight with the Imperial officials. That time, Galaspar received two different tax bills in a row, but the good news was that this was not the responsibility of Hades, and Vorcus and Garro suffered a lot for this.
"I understand, my Lord."
"No, you don't need to be so humble, Hades. I know that the Death Guard hopes to plan this planet under the jurisdiction of the Legion, and this notice obviously affects you."
"Don't worry. I will ask the Imperial personnel accompanying the Luna Wolf to help you."
Hades opened his mouth. It seemed that Horus still hadn't given up his plan to bring in a Death Guard. Hades quickly sorted out the interests involved, Horus's motives, and the possible impact afterwards. He concluded that it was possible.
Then we'd better obey your command and give Vox and the others a chance to rest.
"Sir, on behalf of the Death Guard, I am very grateful for your help."
Hades shifted his gaze to the notice. Since the other party had offered to help, he needed to let them say more to satisfy a psychological need.
Helpers need spiritual and emotional feedback from those being helped.
Hades deliberately concealed a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone. As he expected, this opened up Horus's mouth.
"It was a momentary mistake, I hope. The inefficiency and chaos of those mortal officials really annoy me. Under the leadership of the Emperor, the Empire is striding towards victory. My brothers are leading the legions to fight in all corners of the galaxy. The news of victory is coming one after another. The greatest cause of mankind is within reach at this moment - but there are always people who slow us down."
"Those mortals are incapable of understanding the great cause of the empire. In their confused minds, they only have their own official positions. They stubbornly guard their own little private property and try to make a profit from the scraps shaken off by the giants in the corners of the empire that the giants cannot see."
Hades blinked. The words Astartesism emerged slowly in his mind, like old rotten wood emerging from a swamp.
The Wolf Shepherd God is a gentle and encouraging being. 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 surrender to the empire.
What Horus didn't like were those mortal masters who ate a lot and gave orders blindly in the rear. Of course, no one liked them.
But as the Great Crusade progresses, there will be more and more such people. Their appearance and even existence are inevitable by-products of the Great Crusade.
In the original work, the peak moment of Horus' conflict with this group of people was after the Emperor returned to Terra and established the Mortal Parliament.
The Mortal Council, led by Malcador, will be in charge of everything in the Imperium, including many matters of the Legions, and there will be no place for Primarchs or even Space Marines.
Hades blinked slowly. He didn't know what the Emperor was thinking. Removing military representatives from the main administrative agency of an empire would obviously intensify conflicts.
It is possible that the Emperor trusted Horus too much, his eldest son, or that the Emperor did not care about the Legion at all, or that the Emperor believed that the future of the Human Empire did not require the participation of the Legion.
In short, the Emperor left in a dashing manner, leaving behind a mess in the later period of the Great Crusade. There is a saying that even if the Four Gods had not been corrupted, Horus, as the Warmaster, would have raised the banner of rebellion after the conflicts intensified in the later period of the Great Crusade.
Compared to the Great Crusade described by Horus, both people present knew that the Great Crusade was not glorious. The rough and rapid advancement and the chaotic later governance had already laid many hidden dangers, waiting for time to ferment them into poisonous wine.
Not all planets are lucky enough to encounter a governance genius like Guilliman, and not all planets can enjoy tax exemption clauses. The forests in their hometowns are cut down, the hive cities emit exhaust gas, and the people are impoverished, or they are burdened with debts, while the upper class appointed by the Empire eats a lot of food, or they are burdened with the Empire's high tax debts like his people.
For those pocket kingdoms that were originally well governed, the empire was a natural disaster.
Not only the mortals, but also the various forge worlds of the Mechanicus have complaints about the scientific research restrictions signed with the Empire.
This is also the reason why the War Marshal’s rebellion was able to gain such a huge response.
The Gray Rhino slowly walked into the room, and everyone ignored him. There was nothing they could do. According to the Emperor's promise, everything would be fine after the Great Crusade.
But only a few people know, Hades blinked, that the Emperor's promise was to resist the chaos of higher dimensions. In the face of the threat posed by the Four Gods, everything else is nothing.
Hades sighed in his heart again. It was terrible! His evaluation was terrible!
No matter who comes, it is useless to solve this kind of quagmire. This is not an individual matter, it is a matter of an entire race. Even the Emperor cannot help it. The Emperor has created twenty Primarchs, but still cannot help it. A tough guy sent from the sky also needs a mass base. Unfortunately, the reality is that such a decentralized empire cannot be formed at all. A person who can manage a planet is already called a god, while the scale of the empire is the galaxy.
Hades felt uneasy again when he thought about the chaotic situation beneath the glorious Empire. He admired the Emperor and Malcador for being able to deceive the Primarchs without batting an eyelid.
While Hades was thinking, Horus was not idle either. The wolf god gave an impassioned speech on "The Great Crusade is Glorious, and on Cleaning Up After the Great Crusade". His speech was passionate, eloquent, sincere, and charming. Hades could only feel the glowing lights beside him.
As soon as Horus finished speaking, deafening applause broke out in the whole room, and Hades also quickly clapped his hands.
The good news is that since Hades had withstood the previous one-on-one communication with Horus, his resistance to the Wolf God has risen sharply, and now he has a preliminary immunity.
What's more, the content of Horus' speech is completely different. Hades knows that the future of the empire is even worse than a mess.
I don’t want to think about it anymore. Thinking too much will only make me sad. The most important thing right now is to apply for Druhn’s tax exemption.
However, when Hades looked at Vorkes, whose eyes were almost shining, as if he was about to join the great expedition and sacrifice himself in the next second, he shouted in his heart that something was wrong!
Compared to Hades and Mortarion, Vorcus had not faced Horus before.
You are a child of Mortarion! Wake up, Vorcus!
Although I have had some bad thoughts before, you can't be so swayed, Vox, wake up!
Mortarion will be sad!
Also, wait code
(End of this chapter)