Warhammer, I'm a nanny, not your father!

If Chiavar had a unified government, even a democracy would have drawn up a charter by now.

However, Chiavar is not unified, and a large number of complex technical guilds rule the world. These technical guilds are spread across various industries, some large and some small, and even a large number of technical guilds can be found in the same city.

Even when faced with a formidable enemy, capitalists' primary concern is how to maximize their profits from the crisis. Even if they can't profit greatly from the war, they must at least ensure that their coffers remain intact.

If they can't even do this, they will immediately change their strategy - doing everything they can to ensure that they bleed less than their competitors.

When everyone is obsessed with this shrewd calculation, the entire group will fall into a deadly prisoner's dilemma.

In this zero-sum game, everyone is biting each other, but the real enemy is reaping the benefits.

Corax also unintentionally exacerbated the situation by having dozens of atomic mining charges but only detonating five, with the sole purpose of destroying the gravity well.

He captured the spaceport within a few hours, but neither pursued the victory with an orbital bombardment nor sent any diplomatic notes to the surface.

This strategic blank will cause the Technology Guild to make a strategic misjudgment - that the rebels have no intention of attacking Chiavar, and not proactively issuing a diplomatic note is a tactic of playing hard to get.

This is just like how scumbag men and women PUA their significant other, not taking the initiative, not refusing, and not taking responsibility.

However, Corax's inaction was not due to strategic considerations, but rather to his own limitations.

Although the spaceport's cargo hold was filled with unopened weapons and equipment, Corax had only three thousand people, and it was difficult for them to even defend the spaceport.

According to his calculations, it would take at least 200,000 people to capture a hive city. Otherwise, facing the hive city's complex three-dimensional defense system would be like walking into a tiger's mouth.

Even if they could transport these 200,000 people from Lycaeus to the spaceport, the rebels would lack the ability to plan a large-scale landing operation.

They neither had enough transport ships nor pilots who could control these steel behemoths, nor commanders who could dispatch and command the army. Kiaval also had more than one hive city.

The rebels' weaknesses were now exposed.

Corax's brows were knitted into a knot. "If the situation is really as you expected, then we..."

Wop: "Now I'm completely stunned."

The war now stands in an odd balance, with Corax unable to lay his hands on the surface of Kyavar, and the Tech Guild unable to wrest control of the spaceport from him.

This is the strategic value of the spaceport. It is the only bargaining chip in Corax's hand that can deter Kiavar.

By occupying the spaceport, the rebels gained the ability to fight Chiavar to the bitter end, completely changing the situation where Lycaeus could only passively defend.

However, deterrence is just deterrence after all.

Even though they controlled the strategic fulcrum of the spaceport, the rebels were still trapped in a dilemma of imbalance between offense and defense.

They can threaten destruction, but they are powerless to truly conquer.

Corax: "This stalemate is just right for us."

The technological gap between Lycaeus' slaves and Chiavar's technical guild is too great.

The current strategic stalemate is the best situation the rebels can achieve.

Lycaeus' supplies can last for a year, and they are now also speeding up the transportation of supply reserves from the spaceport to Lycaeus. It is roughly estimated that it can last for about five years.

In five years, Lycaeus will be out of ammunition and food and will collapse without a fight.

But five years was enough time for Corax to forge the Rebellion into a real army.

However, this seemingly perfect plan will not go so smoothly.

Kiavar's massive trade fleet was still roaming deep space. Corax consulted the spaceport's logbook and learned that the earliest fleet would return in 721 standard days, so his actual strategic window was only two years.

Corax was not entirely sure of capturing Chiavar within two years, but it was worth trying.

"Savior, the auspex detected a target heading towards the spaceport!" Agapito warned while standing in front of an auspex array.

"The weapon system locks onto the target." The servitors continued to faithfully carry out orders. Without them, Corax would not have been able to control the spaceport so easily.

Agapito: "Should we open fire?"

"Do not."

Corax's Thinker terminal emitted a shrill beep, and a clear text communication signal rudely broke into the system interface. The communication logo kept flashing on the screen, without any encryption measures.

The holographic projection suddenly solidified, revealing the image of a well-dressed middle-aged man.

"I am Chris Whitney, President of the Whitney Technical Guild, and I request permission to speak with your military leader."

Corax: "I am Corax, what do you want?"

Chris Whitney suddenly leaned forward, his voice trembling noticeably. "Sir Corax, on behalf of the Whitney Technology Guild, I'm asking for your assistance. We need your support!"

Corax and Wop's eyes met briefly in mid-air, and they both read the same confusion in each other's eyes.

They thought of many possibilities, including threats, negotiations, and compromises, but they never expected the other party to ask for help right away.

They are the rebels, you are the technical guild.

If the technology guild is the emperor, then the rebels are the traitors.

But the traitors haven't even entered the capital yet. How come the emperor has fallen to the point of asking for help from them?

……

Wop: "I admit I was wrong. I underestimated human nature."

Corax calculated various strategies, and Wop calculated human nature.

But they all missed one thing: nuclear deterrence.

The term nuclear deterrence is an archaic one, referring to a country using the threat of nuclear retaliation to deter an adversary from taking hostile action.

In the M2 era, Terra almost died in mutual destruction.

At that time, if any nuclear bomb was detonated, whether it was accidental or premeditated, it would trigger a nuclear war worldwide.

And now Chiavar is in the same predicament.

When Lycaeus's five atomic mining bombs fell on five cities respectively, the Technical Guild's first reaction was not that Lycaeus was rebelling, because the encrypted communication sent by Lycaeus reassured everyone that the situation was completely under control.

So they naturally thought that this was a nuclear attack from other technical guilds!

This should have been impossible, although the technical guilds were indeed always on guard against each other and the arms race never stopped.

But they agreed a thousand years ago to destroy each other's weapons of mass destruction in order to prevent self-destruction.

The production of atomic mining explosives has long been discontinued, and what is being used now are old stocks.

But technical guilds don't like to follow the rules, and instinctively think that others don't follow the rules either.

Although the agreement was signed a thousand years ago, what if someone keeps it privately?

Maybe these five nuclear bombs were hidden by other technology guilds!

Since someone launched a nuclear attack, other technical guilds also responded immediately.

Since they do not have nuclear strike capability, they can only launch a full-scale war - this is not an order from anyone, but a preset plan from the beginning.

So while the rebels occupied the spaceport, a full-scale war broke out on the ground.

When the top leaders of the Technology Guild learned that the spaceport had been occupied, they realized that it was Lycaeus who had rebelled and that the nuclear strike was carried out by Lycaeus, not some other hostile guild.

However, war begins when you want it to, but does not end when you want it to.

Now that Kiavar's all-out war has begun, there's no way it can be stopped.

Hundreds of thousands of people died in the first hour of the war, and the death toll is now uncountable.

Just stop if you say so?

Moreover, both sides have used technological means to block communications on the front lines, and communications with high-level officials have also been cut off. How can they stop when they can't even talk?

The Whitney Technology Guild was the first force to collapse in the war, but they were unwilling to see the family's thousand-year accumulation destroyed, so they simply gritted their teeth and stomped their feet and went directly to the rebels for help!

"I was wrong, too. So wrong."

Corax dug his bony fingers deep into his hair. Although the truth was before his eyes, it was still so absurd that even the Primarch found it hard to believe.

They had anticipated various possibilities, but had always considered Kiaval as an enemy, so they had never expected the Technical Guild to engage in internal strife.

The only thing humans are more efficient than anyone else is destroying each other, and no one is willing to suffer any loss.

Chapter 115 Corax is a Winner Without Anything (5K)

“The question before us now is not whether to intervene in the civil war in Chiavar, but when?”

Corax's sharp gaze swept across the command seat, lingering briefly on the tense faces of each Rebellion commander.

The civil war in Chiavar was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and even though it disrupted Corax's original strategic deployment, the opportunity was fleeting.

Even though the rebels lacked formal military training, they had to intervene decisively in the conflict.

The war between Lycaeus and Chiavari was inevitable. It was better to take the initiative than to passively defend. This was also the consensus of the rebel command.

"The time is not yet ripe for intervention, and our war preparations are not yet complete. If the civil war within the technical guilds does not seem to end in the short term, it is better to let them consume each other and wait for a more mature opportunity."

Sharokin's views were unanimously recognized by other commanders. Although the rebels' combat skills and tactical execution were questionable, under Wop's guidance, their judgment at the strategic level was quite accurate.

Erin: "The question is how long do we have to wait? One month? Three months? Or six months?"

Even within the rebel army, Erin was a well-known radical. Although he had reached adulthood, the passion in his body had never cooled.

There were also short-sighted people among the Lycaeans who were satisfied with temporary victories and were eager to compromise after gaining local advantages.

But the appeasement policy would only lead to the failure of Lycaeus' revolution. The Technical Guild would never restrain itself because of temporary concessions. No matter who ultimately won the civil war in Chiavar, the first person they would settle accounts with would be Lycaeus.

Corax would never allow such a person to enter the core decision-making level.

This revolution must also be carried through to the end. It will not stop until the autocratic rule of the technical guilds is completely overthrown and Chiavar is liberated.

Bertin: "If we delay too long, the civil war within the Technical Guild may end abruptly. Once they regroup, we will be their next target."

Agapito: "But now is not the time to intervene. The rebels haven't even completed the most basic tactical training. We need to wait until both the Technical Guild and the enemy are equally defeated. Intervening too soon will only make us a target of public criticism."

Evelynnia: "How about a compromise?"

The little girl's timid question caused the entire command room to fall into a brief silence.

The civil war within the technical guild has just begun, and the rebels need time to prepare, but delaying too long may lead to missing the opportunity.

Compromise is inevitable, the question is how?

Corax made the final decision: "The civil war in Kiavar will not end easily. This is a protracted war. Rashly intervening is unwise, but standing aside will also lead to a loss of control over the situation. The rebels must strengthen their combat readiness and training and bide their time."

"I will personally train an elite team to seize the space elevator in ninety standard days. Regardless of how the civil war develops, we will need to establish a forward base on the ground."

Sharokin: "How are the Whitney Technical Guild handling this? Their representatives are still awaiting our official response."

Corax: "We can't reveal our strategic intentions too early, or we might be surrounded and targeted by the Technology Guild. We must first negotiate with him and try to obtain as much intelligence as possible from Kiaval. Both the civil war dynamics and pre-war data will be of great value to us. Evelynia, this mission is yours."

"Ah? Me?" Evelynya opened her eyes wide and pointed at herself in disbelief.

Corax looked at Ephrenia, "You are the best person for this mission."

Evelynya's lips trembled slightly. "But I don't have any experience. Can't I let Uncle Erin do it?"

Erin knew that if he were to take charge of the matter, he would only mess it up.

Corax: "This is our first uprising, and none of us have any experience. But the revolution waits for no one, and someone must take up the task. No further discussion. Dismissed!"

Corax strode open the command room door, followed by Sharokin and Erin. The metal door slammed shut, leaving only Evelynya, a dazed woman.

Wop: "Why give it to her?"

Corax: "Her innocence is the perfect disguise. This innocence will lull the tech guilds into lowering their guard."

"And," Corax's voice paused, "I don't know when the Emperor will come."

Wop had informed Corax long ago that, barring unforeseen circumstances, the Emperor would arrive in person within five years.

Corax would not wait for the Emperor to come, nor would he expect the Imperium to liberate Kiavar for him.

But one day, he had to leave.

When he leaves, he will take many people with him, and the rebel ranks will be torn apart.

Because what he took away were not only soldiers, but also the hope of an entire generation of young people, those boys who had not yet grown up.

These young souls will eventually join the magnificent torrent of the Great Crusade and burn themselves for a greater liberation.

But he would not give up on Chiaval and Lycaeus, and he would never allow himself to repeat the same mistakes.

There are many experienced fighters like Erin in the rebel army. They are also full of passion and fighting spirit.

However, there were also real criminals among the Lycaeans, not all of them were innocent.