After dealing with matters on the battlefield, the 7-member Angstrom Council under Soshyan's hint and remote control also determined the final candidates. Just as he designed, the sages of the Reza faction occupied 3 seats, among which One is Ernest of the Titan Legion, and the local forces of Angstrom occupy 3 seats. They are all the three most powerful forge masters in the forging world. The remaining one is the original great sage Bertou. Willibald's confidant and his chief apprentice.
The 7-member parliament elected a speaker on a rotating basis, and temporarily performed part of the foundry director's duties until the new foundry director took office. Under Soshyan's instruction, the first speaker was Ernest, who served for a term of 8 Year.
The reason for this arrangement is not complicated. It can not only reduce the resistance of the local forces in Angstrom, but also fulfill the agreement with Reza. It also allows Soshyan to have a certain ability to intervene within Angstrom. , at least until the end of the expedition. After all, when the two sides are equal in strength, the only variable has the decisive power, and Bertus Willibald is now his guest. It will take some time for a representative like Mars to Time will come, and then the only variable in the 7-member parliament is in Soshyan's hands.
Of course, the premise of everything is that the councilor representing the former Foundry Director can survive in the cruel political struggle of the Forge World, but at least during the expedition, there should be no problem. After all, he inherited Bertus Willibald. All the political capital and old connections left behind are somewhat self-protective.
But naturally not everyone was satisfied with this decision. In fact, just after the naval battle ended, Soshyan encountered a little "little trouble."
When Ryza's sage walked into Soshyan's personal office on the Eternal Loyalty, his olfactory processor immediately captured the air that seemed to be filled with cis-3-hexenal and terpenoids and its derivatives, and simulated it It smelled like natural plants and flowers, but his visual monitor told him that there was no vegetation in this military-style office.
At this time, Soshyan was sitting behind a huge table, looking at him with a smile. There were some data boards and file bags stacked on the table in front of the top commander of the expeditionary force, and there was another one with the same name on his right hand side. The tea cup corresponding to the body shape contains some kind of steaming amber liquid. It should be some kind of drink. Is this smell emitted by this drink?
"Please take a seat."
Sage Reza nodded, but did not sit on the chair opposite Soshyan, because his body had already been modified to the point where he could no longer sit in this position.
"I'm taking the liberty of visiting you. I hope I won't disturb you."
"Wherever you don't come, I will look for you."
"It seems that the Supreme Lord Commander has something to tell me."
"You tell me your story first."
Sage Reza took a step forward, but his back was slightly hunched, so that he could not speak higher than Soshyan.
"I just don't understand one thing. Why did you let Bertus Willibald live? He is a shameful traitor. You also said before that he is not loyal and should be eliminated."
Soshiyang nodded, pondered for a moment and then responded:
"I did say it, but..."
"but?"
"Sage, why do you think Huron became a traitor?"
"Because he did many rebellious things and put himself above the empire."
"But as the guardian of the Maelstrom appointed by the high lord, shouldn't he have the power to do many things?"
"But he went out of line."
Soshyan nodded again.
"Yes, he went out of his way. He did things beyond his authority, and he also tried to use the power at his hands to fight against the rules and laws of the empire."
Sage Reza's logic calculator quickly realized that he had been fooled by Soshyan's words, but he had no chance to take back his words. Soshyan continued:
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"I am the Commander-in-Chief of the Great Crusade, but that does not mean that I have the authority to judge a Foundry Director. You are a member of the Mechanicus, and you should know very well what kind of system the Mechanicus is, unless he has clearly committed a heresy. Otherwise, we cannot punish him based on our own subjective judgment of right and wrong. Otherwise, what is the difference between me and Huron? Yes, he resisted my orders and hindered the expedition, so I can relieve him of his duties. I can Depriving him of his power, but in the end he surrendered and confessed his crime. Whether it was for the honor of an Astartes or for being a member of the imperial system, I had no reason to kill him again because his crime had already been judged. , if I want to be held accountable, it is not what I should do. I cannot exercise power on behalf of General Casting. I believe that if he is really guilty, then Mars will not be able to let him escape punishment, but if Mars feels that he is not worthy of death, , I can only express regret, what do you think?"
"But this is inconsistent with what you said before. I don't know much about the Astartes culture, but... from my memory, the Astartes still attach great importance to the weight of language."
Soshyan nodded.
"Of course, I can kill him with a single sword regardless, but what next? What should a Space Marine look like in your mind? Like Brother Seth, who kills indiscriminately, leaving behind mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and then thrives afterwards. Go? Of course it would be very easy and simple, very much in line with people's expectations for the Astartes in this 41st millennium, but...Brother Seth, there is someone who can deal with the aftermath for him, and me? I don't, because I am the last to deal with the aftermath. The death of Bertus is a trouble for me and even the entire expeditionary force. It goes beyond the rules."
The sage of Reza was silent for a long time, and finally said something.
"I noticed for the first time how much you follow the rules."
Soshyan sighed and leaned back slightly.
"To tell you the truth, in this position, I am always on pins and needles, fearing that I will be attacked if I do something wrong. After all, there are countless pairs of eyes staring at me."
"I can understand you not killing Bertus Willibald, but what about this council? This seems different from our previous agreement."
"Well...this is also the result of my many considerations. Angstrom will be an important strategic supply center for the expeditionary force in the future. Its stability is crucial. Although you have been deployed in it for a long time, as for me, I understand that most local forces are still quite resistant to Reza. Forcing a foundry director to come to power will only increase chaos and even cause turmoil. This is not what Reza wants to see, right? After all, you also hope to peacefully transfer Yanxue to power. As the sect spreads, radical preaching methods are not suitable under the current empire's system. I think Angstrom is a good experimental field. You can learn more about how to promote the doctrine on a hostile planet. , and your representatives have also been given 8 years of power. Although it is only partial power, I think...8 years can actually do a lot of things, what do you think? And this method can also soften Mars. Hostility will make it easier for you to expand your mission in the future. Even if Mars sends a new foundry director, the power has been transferred, and there is no point in holding an empty title."
"Where's the apprentice Bertus Willibald? I think he should be replaced by someone else."
Soshyan shook his head.
"You are an academic expert, but not a political veteran. If it were your great sage, he would definitely be very satisfied with my decision."
"Um?"
"Bertus Willibald has been the foundry director for more than two hundred years and survived the Badab War. He is still very popular in Angstrom. Being hurriedly ousted this time does not mean that The political group surrounding him disappeared. If there is no suitable unity goal, then the power of the original foundry director group will be diverted to those powerful local forces, then you may have to face a united and resistant world... ...But with this political successor, it is different. A considerable part of those forces will surround this successor, and those powerful independent forces may not have the same interests as this successor, and this successor does not have enough The prestige unites all local forces, in other words, the opposition forces in Angstrom are actually divided."
