This is our Warhammer journey

Chapter 472, what's the second one?
Is the Book of Astartes a good thing?

The Codex Astartes is an exceptionally good reference book that governs all aspects of chapter organization and battlefield tactics. For any given tactical situation, the Codex contains hundreds of strategies specifically discussing how to deal with and overcome it. A Primarch contributed the wisdom of countless Imperial operational data to the Codex, which includes all the details from chapter operations and unit allocation to launching wars.

You could say that as long as it's an opponent recorded in the Holy Scripture, you'll know how to fight them if you just copy the Holy Scripture.

Of course, the strict restrictions on the number of Astartes chapters directly led to the Astartes being marginalized from the main force during the Great Expedition to small units that could only carry out special operations missions, and were unable to independently undertake high-intensity combat missions such as sweeping through a star sector.

But ten thousand years ago, this was exactly what Guilliman wanted.

While serving as a guidebook, the mandatory implementation of the Astartes also carried significant political implications.

It fundamentally destroyed the Astartes Legion's command structure and limited the Astartes naval power, a decisive strategic force. At the same time, it dispersed the various chapters throughout the galaxy by allocating homeworlds, making it difficult even for the Primarchs to reintegrate this force from then on.

Given the empire's vast territory and disastrous communication capabilities, even if they wanted to use this force to launch a rebellion, there would be no repeat of Horus's ability to gather four legions and turn the tide within six months, thus giving other imperial military forces room to react.

Guilliman did this not only to prevent the Horus Rebellion from reigniting, but also to declare his harmlessness to his other brothers.

Just as Guilliman said, his constant alienation from his brothers during the Great Crusade was not simply because he had a mother. The ambitious Guilliman's attacks were never unfounded, as his Five Hundred Worlds could indeed easily arouse the fear of some of his brothers.

With military and political power integrated and hereditary rule, the prestige of the Primarch far surpasses that of emperors in these worlds, making them virtually indistinguishable from separatist regimes.

A prime example is the end of the Siege of Terra, when Guilliman finally broke free from the barriers of the Warp and arrived on Terra.

The pristine fleet docked before the ravaged Sun Gate. The Ultramarines, their armor still gleaming and spotless, descended with their Gene Fathers aboard Stormbirds laden with supplies to meet the disheveled and wretched garrison.

At that time, the Ultramarines trained by Ultramar weren't thinking about dealing with the criticism from other brother legions; that wasn't difficult for them given their systematic training. So, what the Ultramarines were thinking about was—

The Archangel is dead, the Emperor has fallen, and a nation cannot be without a ruler for a day. As the Thirteenth Primarch, who still retains the complete 500 worlds and 250,000 Ultramarines after the Great Rebellion, will Father be able to be crowned Emperor of the Human Empire after this war?

This is the Ultra Warrior, this is the mindset of the Ultramar.

If this continues, eventually all the dogs in Altrama will be used as police dogs in Terra!

What surprised everyone was that Guilliman's ambitious plan to create the Five Hundred Worlds was really just a display of rural sentiment; he never actually intended to rebel against the emperor or anything like that, and he didn't even have a strong desire for power.

So when Guilliman proposed the Holy Scripture, although he was heavily criticized by various Primarchs and Astartes, he carried it out without any hesitation.

Just

Just
Guilliman's stern face eventually began to crack.

Why has the Astartes Codex been in effect for ten thousand years?
"Failed countries tend to follow a similar path."

Arthur offered this sharp critique.

As the military leader of the Dawn Wings, he spearheaded the reconstruction of the legion-scale military system in the Dawn Sector, coordinated various military forces maintaining stable communications with the Dawn Sector, and focused on ideological issues. No one understood the intricacies of the situation better than him.

The story goes that a pilot from a certain princely country failed to properly calculate fuel consumption during a mission. When a foreign refueling aircraft arrived to provide support, the pilot was found to be female. The pilot felt this was not devout enough and chose not to refuel, ultimately causing the plane to crash. Surprisingly, this incident received widespread recognition and was even emulated domestically.

When things are sanctified, their impact on the military system is devastating.

"Backwardness leads to obsession, further backwardness leads to even greater obsession, ultimately plunging into an abyss of no return."

indeed.

When Guilliman first learned about the state religion, he thought that Luojia had been retaken.

Therefore, the fundamental reason why the Astartes Codex has become toilet paper is that the author hasn't updated it for ten thousand years.

Then the problem is coming.

Why is it not updated?

"Old Thirteen!"

Ramses then brought out the memoirs written by Hill and de la Cruz.

The text recounts how, during Guilliman's pursuit of Forgrim, he disregarded naval forces and, despite the advice of high-ranking officers like Hill, Delacroix, and Andros to retreat, insisted on joining the Imperial Pride and engaging in a one-on-one duel, ultimately leading to his own demise.

The detailed descriptions are vivid and lifelike, even detailing their psychological activities at the time, fully demonstrating the resentment these eyewitnesses felt towards Lord Guilliman's choice.

"Did you play something wrong this time?"

Looking at Guilliman's history of one-on-one duels, whether it was taking down Omega or fighting two opponents, Loka and Angron, in Nuseria, there were many situations where he was indeed forced into those situations, but this suicide duel against Forgrim is definitely not one of them.

Hill and his crew were able to carry Guilliman away from the Primarch and even manage to send him back to Maclaga alive, so there's no reason why they couldn't retreat when the Primarch was in good condition.

I really suspect that Khan's solo kill of Mortarion and Dorne's solo fight against Forgrim gave Guilliman some kind of mysterious confidence, making him think that he could do the same.

In fact, Guilliman regretted it as soon as he started fighting with Forgrim.

For Guilliman, who always prided himself on rationality, to make such a major strategic mistake due to the whims of his superiors was a disgrace.

".Laugh if you want to."

The hall was immediately filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Ryan blended in well, and while Guilliman was still unaware of his dark past, he was ready to be mocked mercilessly.

They were both sleepwalking through the great rebellion, and the only ones who could truly laugh at each other were the two of them.

"."

Leaving aside their own combat capabilities, the fact that the brothers brought it up as a joke at the gathering meant it wasn't a problem. But Guilliman never expected that they would be able to carry out something from 10,000 years ago in the present day.

He was also quite annoyed.

If they really had this ability to execute, why is it that no one in "Imperial Truth" believes it?

"Because Imperial Truth is even worse than toilet paper. At least the author of the Astartes Codex believed in it, but Imperial Truth—"

Ramses, laughing so hard he was doubled over, handed Guilliman a stack of Imperial Tarot cards.

"Don't be fooled by the big slogans that Emperor and Old Ma shout. When they're in a dilemma, they still rely on Emperor Tarot and are incredibly skilled at calculating the Kingslayer game. They're all seasoned masters of numerology and fortune telling. Otherwise, how could you have actually been able to promote your state religion?"

This wasn't the first time Ramses had tried to sell these psionic techniques to Guilliman.

The purpose is to allow someone to access the intranet, and also to prevent someone from being so frustrated by a poor signal that they only get half the information they hear.

"You must have encountered many obstacles."

Ignoring Ramses's familiar sales pitch, Guilliman, instinctively rejecting psychic powers, focused more on Arthur's resentment. While secretly glad to have these unconventional brothers to clean up his mess, he couldn't help but feel guilty.

"It's not that big."

Romulus shook his head slightly. Although deification had many problems, as beings who were deified, they actually felt less pressure.

Back when they had just emerged from the warp, everyone's idea was to attach themselves to a missing warband, find a planet to slowly develop, get involved in major events to preserve their strength, and then wait until 999 when the world turned upside down and Guilliman rose up on his own, and everything would be alright.

As a result, he 'muddled through' his way into the top of the Imperial ruling class, and through Ramses's 'unintentional' joke, he eliminated the possibility of the Highlords reaching out to outsiders. Then, 'inexplicably', he gained control of a sector, and then, through Karna, successfully intervened in the most important state religion system.

Guilliman would subconsciously immerse himself in the political game; he easily considered himself part of the human political system and weighed political bargaining chips and tactics. But Dawnwing didn't think that way at all; instead, he chose to take the wrong path.

Apart from the Dawn Sector, which was being revamped step by step, everything else was riddled with problems. This was because none of the people here were any kind of super-politicians. If it weren't for the even more fanatical religions holding things together, anyone could see that these policies would backfire terribly within a few hundred years.

"There are many hidden dangers."

Guilliman could naturally see this, and because of the Luojia thing, he also had an instinctive aversion to religion.

After listening to Romulus's detailed explanation, he quickly filtered out the evil practices that the Dawnwings had implemented in other star sectors, began to think about solutions, and also made his own evaluation of them.

This is also one of Guilliman's most annoying traits during the Great Crusade.

The Lion King, now an observer, suddenly realized why Guilliman hadn't gotten along well with almost all of them back then.

During the Great Crusade, most Primarchs did not see themselves as rulers, but as generals obeying the Emperor's orders. Therefore, at each Primarch gathering, their exchanges mostly consisted of boasting about the honors they had gained in the war.

As a ruler, Guilliman had to see further ahead. He not only had to look at the progress of the conquest, but also at how the conquered world would be governed. Imperial-style governance, due to the emperor's eagerness for quick success, was often disastrous.

This often leads to him being the one to pour cold water on things during conversations. When someone shares, "I've conquered so many parts of the world in just a few years, aren't I amazing?", Guilliman will say, "The governance isn't very good, there are many hidden dangers, and I have a few suggestions."

"Well, that's why I have you, isn't it?"

Romulus showed no displeasure whatsoever, and patted Guilliman's shoulder magnanimously as the fine robes over his armor scraped against the carpet with his movement.

"As one of the greatest politicians in human history, I believe you can help us solve these hidden dangers."

He looked at Guilliman with such eagerness that he didn't seem like a politician who should be clinging to power.

One of the great benefits of suppressing the rebellion is that loyalists can truly trust you unconditionally, even someone like the Lion King who has withstood the test of time.

Anyway, Romulus and Arthur were really too full to eat. The thought of the disastrous state of Terra and the other two star systems made them want to shift the blame.

Previously, they had no choice but to endure it out of moral obligation, since they couldn't find anyone capable of taking charge. The Imperial Guards were alright when they were under their noses, but who knew what they could do when they weren't around? Their consciences wouldn't allow these already miserable humans to suffer even more.

But now Guilliman is awake.

One striking similarity between Guilliman and Dawnwing is that he also possesses high moral character and a strong sense of responsibility; once he takes on a task, he will do his best to complete it.

Although it's not very ethical to take this opportunity to shift the blame, it's like feeding someone a lump of shit coated in chocolate.

But let's dump them first. If we really can't hold on, we can discuss things slowly in the future. If all else fails, we can all go and bring back the Primarch who ran away.

The Wolf King and the Khan were named.

Robert Guilliman covered his face with one hand and let out a deep sigh, the armor humming at the gesture. He never expected that the brothers who had opened up such a favorable situation for him would view him in this way.

'I have never received such trust before.'

Lord Alterama murmured to himself, "Lady Yoton is no longer here. Her offspring's experience is probably even more vivid than mine. For a moment, he didn't even know who to confide his joy to."

Guilliman was keenly aware that he was not the only remaining banner, and that humanity, under the leadership of its new brothers, had entered a new era that still held hope.

All he knew was that if he didn't say something, he would be letting down the trust these brothers had placed in him.

"certainly--"

Guilliman replied solemnly:

"It is my duty."

This was his only option; he had to demonstrate unwavering strength lest his hesitation fail to live up to the trust of his brothers.

Everyone immediately broke into a relieved smile.

"now it's right."

Romulus laughed and said, "We must fully draw lessons from history. One of the major reasons for the Great Rebellion was the lack of mutual trust among the Primarchs, which led to such a disastrous situation. Of course, the rebels were no less disastrous."

"You also have a detailed understanding of the history of the Great Rebellion?"

Guilliman couldn't help but be curious, but at the same time, he overestimated the situation in the Empire.

The fact that a complete, unmythologized history has been passed down shows that the empire still retains a vestige of rationality.

That was so detailed, it was as if I had watched them go through it all.

Ryan crossed his arms, ready to continue watching the spectacle unfold.

Now that he has no secrets, he is invincible.

"Yeah, like Shadow Crusade, Guilliman, Lane, and Koz's Macragge hide-and-seek contest, nine hours, Robert Guilliman is on his way, oh, and—"

Ramses counted the dishes on his fingers, reciting them as if they were his own treasures.

"."

Guilliman's smile slowly faded, and he gradually fell silent.

Looking at the smiling faces of the crowd, he knew that the secret he had been hiding from his brothers had become completely transparent.

The ominous feeling that had been rising in my heart ever since I noticed the ingredients of the Wings of Dawn was confirmed at this moment.

That was a secret belonging to the three legions, a secret that absolutely could not be known to other Primarchs and Legions after the Siege of Terra.

After all, no one can accept that while they were struggling against the rebels in Terra, some guy who leisurely came to their aid and whose entire army didn't suffer much loss built an empire.

"second--"

"No!"

Guilliman immediately let out a panicked, urgent shout.

He jumped in front of Ramses almost instantly and covered the man's mouth.

"Stop talking!"

(End of this chapter)