Warhammer, I really didn't intend to form a second empire!

Ferrus neither immediately accepted Zhao Zheng's invitation nor explicitly refused.

He was pondering why Zhao Zheng had invited him over.

Clearly, despite his absolute rationality, he wouldn't easily fall for any obvious schemes or tricks, but under Zhao Zheng's harmless and sunny face, Ferrus still took the bait.

Ferrus sat in the sleek chair, his silver iron hands resting on his knees. His gaze lingered on Zhao Zheng's face for a few seconds before he turned his head to look at the still-lit data panel on the table.

Those charts and numbers that Zhao Zheng hadn't deliberately turned off, and had even secretly rotated, only lingered in Felus's field of vision for a moment.

But he had already grasped the outlines of several key terms: production line scheduling, material quotas, and excessive weapon fleet allocations...

Is the Qin Dynasty really that wealthy?

Ferrus's gaze was momentarily dazed, but he quickly recovered and looked at Zhao Zheng again.

"I need to meet with my legion first, understand their status and needs, and then train them on the Medusa and integrate the clans within it."

"After all these things are done, I can go to your Da Qin to take a look. If the materials you mentioned are indeed as high quality as you say, then I don't mind helping you with some design work."

Ferrus's response was calm and pragmatic, without any unnecessary pleasantries or probing. This transactional way of getting along would make one feel very uncomfortable, especially when the other party is one's own brother.

Zhao Zheng didn't care, because he knew that once Felus arrived, he would probably never be able to get off the Qin Dynasty's pirate ship again.

"Then it's settled. Once you've finished what you're doing, you can come to Qiankun Star to find me anytime. I'll have someone prepare the materials and the laboratory in advance."

"By the way, if you have any needs, you can just let me know. My Great Qin may lack many things, but it doesn't lack materials and energy."

Ferrus nodded, then stood up from his chair and walked toward the door.

He paused at the threshold, turned his head, as if he had thought of something, and then spoke again.

"Second brother, you just asked me about artificial intelligence... does it have any specific applications?"

Zhao Zheng remained seated, his gaze meeting Felus's cold, white eyes. He tapped his fingertips lightly on the edge of the table, then revealed an innocent and genuine smile.

"No, it's just that the Empire has banned AI. I want to remind you not to mess with artificial intelligence casually; it's the Empire's Achilles' heel."

Ferrus paused for a moment, but did not press further. He nodded, turned, and walked out of the cabin, his footsteps fading into the distance along the corridor.

After hearing the footsteps disappear, Zhao Zheng leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the hatch that had closed again, his fingertips tapping absently on the edge of the table.

Ferrus's answer was not unexpected. This pragmatic character and straightforward way of expressing himself were exactly what Zhao Zheng appreciated. It was much easier than the way people always wore a mask.

Just as he said, Felus would come to Qin sooner or later, and when he saw those Ironborn people with his own eyes, everything would be self-explanatory.

To join or not to join?

Zhao Zheng knew that Ferrus would definitely join!

Although the emperor has issued a decree prohibiting the use of artificial intelligence, does that mean it can't actually be used secretly?

What are those mechs of the Mechanicus? Or what about the advanced technology in the First Legion?

Putting everything else aside, who would believe that the Emperor's treasury didn't contain iron men, stone men, and some other artificial intelligence?

Keep things secret and don't make them public. As long as you don't go too far, everyone will turn a blind eye to these little things.

Could someone really dare to sue a Primarch? Are they tired of living?

Even if there were such brave men, those reports would be intercepted and secretly burned once they reached the higher authorities.

The next day, these brave "righteous men" would leave a letter of repentance at home, which would contain something like keeping a mistress, violating their moral conscience, or failing to perform their duties, resulting in a "major mistake," and then committing suicide out of fear of punishment.

To put it more bluntly, one would be automatically forced to be shot eight times in the back, and the examination report would conclude that it was suicide.

The cup of tea on the table had gone cold. He picked it up, took a sip, put it aside, and then turned off the data panel.

The charts and numbers on the data panel were replaced by a clean, dark color the instant the screen went out, revealing his blurry outline.

Let's go find the Emperor again, to be on the safe side. When the time comes, have Felus come directly over and say that he just returned and doesn't know much about war yet, so let him come and learn.

Once Ferrus arrives, I'll have plenty of room to maneuver.

He encountered Waldo as he passed through several gates; the commander of the Imperial Guard was standing at a corner, as if waiting for something.

Upon seeing Zhao Zheng approach, he nodded slightly in greeting without saying anything more.

The Emperor stood in front of the holographic star map, with his back to the entrance.

Those golden pupils were fixed on a gray area marked "preliminary exploration just completed" at the edge of the star map.

Ferrus stood about two steps to the Emperor, his arms crossed in front of his chest, his gaze fixed on the gray area. He was relaxed and listening attentively to the Emperor's explanation.

Zhao Zheng walked to the side of the star map and stood still without interrupting.

The emperor glanced at him, nodded slightly, then turned his gaze back to the star map and continued speaking.

"This sector had a dense record of human activity before the Old Night Era, but after the collapse of the Dark Ages, most of the colonies lost contact."

"Recently, an Imperial reconnaissance fleet discovered several remaining man-made structures while passing through the area. The locations are relatively concentrated, and judging from the signal characteristics, they should not be in a complete state of ruins."

"It is possible that settlements survived during long periods of isolation, but their development patterns differed significantly from mainstream human civilization."

“We need to contact these places one by one and bring them under the empire’s control.”

Ferrus's gaze lingered on the gray area, his eyes slowly moving along the coordinates of the marked signal sources.

“These colonies, left over from the old night era, have undergone their own evolution during their long period of isolation, and may have developed social structures or ideologies that are incompatible with the empire.”

“Sending a fleet to make contact would be a huge risk for both sides, but they may also have some technology that we have lost for a long time.”

"How do you plan to handle these areas?"

Felus's question was very pragmatic. He knew that the technological level of those remnants of the Old Night Age might be quite backward, but they had evolved independently for thousands of years, and it was possible that they had made some significant breakthroughs in certain areas.

Being both backward and advanced is the norm for Warhammer.

The emperor's gaze did not leave the star map.

"Make initial contact, assess their value and threat level, confirm the nature of their regime and their level of technology. If they are human polities and willing to submit, incorporate them into the empire; if they resist or do not cooperate, decide whether to conquer them by force or isolate them, depending on the circumstances."

"This has always been the empire's policy; it's the most efficient way to expand."

"This can be considered your first battle after building up the legion, taking over the Medusa Division."

Felus nodded, showing no sign of backing down despite the fact that the first battle was against a sector; the fighting spirit in his eyes had reached its peak.

Zhao Zheng stood to the side without interrupting, simply listening quietly to the conversation between the Emperor and Feralus, observing Feralus's reaction.

The emperor's explanations of war strategy and tactics were very clear, without any superfluous rhetoric or embellishment, and each section was closely related to practical experience.

Ferrus listened attentively, occasionally asking a question that always hit the nail on the head.

Zhao Zheng felt that the emperor might actually see many good qualities in Felus, because he was indeed very versatile and perfectly met all the criteria for a legion commander.

His only flaw is his "brave" personality, which could very well get him killed, but that's not a big problem, at least Zhao Zheng has a way to train him.

After the Emperor finished explaining the strategic overview of the star map, he turned off the holographic projection and turned to Feralus, saying something.

"You can ask me anytime for more details about the Legion and the Expedition, or you can check the Military Affairs Department's archives after you go to Terra."

Ferrus responded and stood up straight.

Seeing that the Emperor had finished speaking, Zhao Zheng stepped out from the side and broke the silence on the bridge.

"Now that you've finished talking, I'm going back first. There's still a lot of things waiting for me to handle on Qiankun Star."

He turned to Feralus and nodded slightly in his direction.

"If you're planning to fight in this sector, you probably won't be able to come to my side for a long time. In that case, I'll send one of my fleets to help you."

"Don't worry, my son's strategic mind and tactical talent will definitely not disappoint you."

It would be good to have Li Jing come and take a look at this star sector, which once fought against the Necromancers, to see if there are any advanced technologies worth acquiring. We could also get some weapon technology from Feralas, which should be of some help to the Qin Dynasty.

Ferrus did not immediately grant Zhao Zheng's request for fleet support, but he did not refuse either.

He simply turned his head, his cold white eyes lingering on Zhao Zheng's face for a moment, as if considering the true intentions behind Zhao Zheng's words.

After a moment, he asked a question.

"What type of tasks does this son you sent typically take on during expeditions?"

"He can do everything: frontal assault, encirclement and suppression, cutting off logistics, firepower clusters, naval warfare... He has commanded many types of battles, from the Greenskin Empire to the fortresses of the Space Dwarves."

Zhao Zheng's tone was somewhat proud; his sons' achievements were a source of pride for him as their father.

"He will not interfere with your tactical decisions, nor will he communicate directly with your legion without your knowledge. His task is to provide advice and assistance, as well as necessary fire support."

"However, we are lacking some new firepower..."

Felus's gaze lingered on Zhao Zheng for a moment, then he nodded.

"it is good."

A smile flashed in Zhao Zheng's eyes. He gestured in the direction of the Emperor, then turned and walked towards the exit of the bridge.

Ferrus's silver iron hands still hung at his sides, but his gaze had shifted from the planetary outlines outside the window to the gray area on the star map that marked the expedition's target.

The emperor stood about two steps away from him and did not continue the discussion about the expedition's objectives.

He spoke after a moment of silence, his tone more casual than before.

“Your elder brother’s Qin Empire had already begun interstellar colonization during my war of unification. Before the empire established contact with it, his fleet had already independently conquered multiple star systems and alien empires.”

"His logistics system is the most stable of all the legions in the Empire, with extremely high resource allocation efficiency, even exceeding the normal operating level of the Empire's logistics department."

Ferrus's gaze lingered on the gray area, but he tapped his fingertips lightly on the edge of the table before asking a question.

"So, with his fleet arriving, we can be assured that our logistical supplies will never be interrupted?"

"You could say that."

Felus didn't ask any more questions. His gaze returned to the star map as he pondered how he should cultivate a good relationship with his powerful older brother.

After all, with such a powerful backer, he can be more secure when he goes to war with the legion, instead of ending up like those legions that have already been deployed to the battlefield, still using broken ships and power armor to charge into battle.

I need to integrate Medusa's clan into the legion as soon as possible and build up the legion quickly.

……

Eight days later, Li Jing received a transfer order from Zhao Zheng. It was an encrypted communication containing only a coordinate star system and star sector.

"Proceed to the Medusa Division to assist the Tenth Legion in completing its first expeditionary mission. Be responsible for logistical support and auxiliary firepower, and do not interfere with frontline command."

"Act according to the situation. It would be best if we could 'take' some things from that sector. If any anomalies are found in the area, report them immediately."

After reading the instruction and confirming that the coordinates were correct, Li Jing cleared the communication record from the system and turned to walk towards the bridge of the command ship.

"Order all units to complete resupply and flight path planning within one hour. Target Medusa District. After rendezvous with the main force of the Tenth Legion in the outer orbit of Medusa IV, await further instructions."

"Received, the fleet is forming up."

After shutting down the communication channel, Li Jing turned around and walked to the star map on the bridge, his gaze falling on the slowly unfolding Medusa Sector star map.

Since Zhao Zheng had gone there, he had naturally made ample preparations. The Qin Dynasty never fought a battle it was not confident of winning or had not prepared in advance.

He had seen the signal distribution maps sent back by those reconnaissance ships. The signals were distributed irregularly and came from different sources, but overall they presented a highly dispersed state.

This is not quite in line with a unified political system; it is more like multiple independent settlements maintaining their own independent operation.

While this structure is more troublesome than those complete alien pocket empires, it also means that they will not help each other.

Once the Primarch has confirmed the landing targets, he only needs to assist in the naval battle, then cover the area around the settlements with long-range firepower, and then cut off all communication and transportation between them and the outside world.

The rest can be left to the Tenth Legion; don't steal their credit.

Moreover, the Emperor didn't send him there simply to retrieve something; he wanted to bring the Primarch to his side.

Li Jing always felt that his father was planning something big.

It's one thing to manipulate the Abomination AI behind the Empire's back, but after all, it's for the convenience of war and the well-being of the people.

However, they concealed the industrial capacity of the world under the Qin Dynasty's control, the current size of the Imperial Dragon Legion, and those closely guarded secrets of advanced technology...

Most importantly, even the brother legions who usually acted with them were kept in the dark, and could only detect that something was wrong.

To say that Zhao Zheng had no schemes would be something even the most loyal and courageous prime minister wouldn't believe!

Of course, it doesn't matter. Which member of the Imperial Dragon Legion doesn't know that their own father will definitely rebel in the future? Otherwise, why make so many preparations?

What they need to do now is to accumulate military merits and outperform the other legions in the Great Expedition, so that even if they rebel against the Empire, they won't be accused of illegitimate succession.

Anyone who dares to gossip will be shown what the empire's heavy fist is all about!

……