Malcador, The Man Behind The Emperor!

When news of the civil war on Mars reached Terra, everyone thought it was a rumor, not even Guilliman.

But that is the truth; the Mars Adeptus Mechanicus did indeed experience internal strife, and the rebel was led by Forge Lord Karbohal.

As for why this Forge Lord, who had always been a staunch supporter of the Emperor, would rebel, Kaul Belisarius was sent to deliver the message, said it was because of his faith.

"Faith! You Mars machines don't worship Omnissiah? Then tell me, who is Omnissiah?"

When confronted by the Lord Regent, Kaul stated that the Emperor was the embodiment of Omnissiah and the agent of Omnissiah.

The gist of it is: Your Highness, please don't worry, I am a Fealty, not one of those traitorous scum who betrayed the empire.

"Then why rebel?"

Guilliman actually harbored prejudice against this group of red-robed little men. When rumors circulated that he Ambition, these Mechanicus were the ones who spread the harshest rumors.

Guilliman even clashed with the Adeptus Mechanicus because their operations were too anthropomorphic, treating the people of Ultramar as slaves.

As a result, the Adeptus Mechanicus secretly sabotaged the supply of resources that should have been provided to the Ultramarines.

Fortunately, this time it was Kaul, another heretic, who, unlike the other Mechanicus, didn't speak in abstract terms but instead recounted the whole story in detail.

But after hearing it, Guilliman was even more unable to understand.

"You mean to say that the rebels led by Hal believe my father is a fraud, not only not the Omnissiah, but also that he imprisoned the Machine God?"

They even subjected him to three daily doses of whipping, using extremely despicable means to steal the power of the Machine God, and thus gave birth to...

Still a civilized man at heart, Guilliman couldn't bring himself to utter such blasphemous words. After all, it was even wilder than unofficial history, and if it were really considered that way, then the Emperor's taste was indeed a bit too discerning.

But none of that matters. After all, the Mechanicus is a bit eccentric, and it's normal for him to do all sorts of abstract things. The only thing Guilliman can't understand is that the rebellion has been going on for four years.

It's just that he couldn't hide it any longer, so he's only now asking for help. In fact, if Kaul hadn't taken the initiative to come, he might still be kept in the dark.

"This is no ordinary rebel; he is Wenbai, a disgrace to the nation, and a betrayer of sovereignty. We must Strike Hard!"

Turning his head to look at the huge lump of Kaul in front of him, Guilliman hadn't thought much of it before, but compared to this, Kaul looked much more pleasing to the eye. This Arch-Magos is truly virtuous!

"Kaul, who do you think should be the right person to send?"

"First Legion!"

Upon hearing this, Guilliman was overjoyed and immediately summoned his top henchman, giving the order:

"Hill, take note of this. I've made the following arrangements."

"Ultramarines, Word Bearers, the main force of the existing Solar Auxilia."

Raven Guard, Blood Angels, Space Wolves, and Space Marine conducting reconnaissance and observation, were deployed to support the Jupiter Defense Line.

Send a Zhuang Sen and Dorn: I need to see them in the Solar System in nine hours. No lateness allowed!

"The Iron Hands and the Son of the Emperor, remain in the general reserve."

As for the overall commander this time.

After a brief hesitation, Guilliman, though eager to demonstrate his tactical micro-management skills, ultimately chose Ferrus.

Guilliman was truly enraged this time. Seeing the situation looking so promising, he even planned to hold a victory parade when Zhuang Sen and Dorn returned to boost the morale of the Empire.

Unexpectedly, trouble broke out in their own backyard. These Mechanicus have really messed things up for themselves. This isn't just slapping the Empire's backside, it's slapping Robert Guilliman in the face.

With the order issued, the Legion, which had been recovering for nearly two years, began to mobilize rapidly. The chaotic Great Heresy had put the Space Marine in an awkward position, and they had to prove themselves in this battle.

Within just five minutes, the seven legions had assembled, and Ferrus appeared at the starport.

After two years of rest, or rather, under Guilliman's constant urging, the Iron Hands's size has successfully broken through double digits, reaching a commendable 123.5 people.

Ferrus also completely changed his appearance, no longer the octopus monster with tentacles on its head, but instead created a lifelike body.

"Don't worry, brother, I remember all your kindness. This time, I will avenge myself and let everyone know that we, the Sons of Medusa, are not traitors."

"Stop talking, I believe you! That's why I sent you here. Remember to make sure you do things cleanly."

Ferrus paused for a moment, then a cruel smile appeared on his face, thinking that his brother was definitely not as naive as he usually appeared.

"Don't worry, I'll have Zhuang Sen lead the charge."

"Then we can rest assured."

Appointing Ferrus as commander was absolutely the right choice. In terms of tactical command, Ferrus's dominance over large-scale battlefields was unmatched; even Horus had to admit defeat.

And Ferrus did not disappoint Guilliman. Although his troops were of mixed composition, he was still one of the Triumvirate of the Expedition, with a total of 100,000 men, which could be easily overrun by an F2A.

As for the Dark Angels and the Imperial Fists, they arrived just as quickly, launching a pincer attack and pouring their power into Mars.

When they saw the overwhelming number of Drop Pod breaking through the atmosphere, not only Hal, who was leading the Dark Mechanicus in a Titan battle, but also the Fealty Mechanicus were stunned.

I was thinking, "Didn't I just Kaul, to call the Ultramarines? Why are there so many people here, including the First Legion!"

Without any reversal, the rebellion was instantly suppressed in the face of the overwhelming military offensive, with the Dark Tech-Priests either dying or fleeing.

But the crackdown did not stop there. With Kaul, the collaborator, secretly informing them, the entire Mars was thoroughly ravaged.

Under this violent suppression of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Mars headquarters suffered severe damage, and some local Adeptus Mechanicus began to rise to prominence. Among them, the most prominent were Ryza and Hades 8, who directly broke ties with the Mars.

The technological blockade imposed by the Mars Adeptus Mechanicus not only severely harmed the Empire, but also caused serious internal strife. Many Adeptus Mechanicus in the local worlds were exiled because they were marginalized.

Now's our chance to kick a man when he's down! If we don't thoroughly humiliate the Mars headquarters, wouldn't our exile have been for nothing?

Amidst this situation of overt and covert sabotage, the Olympia Accords, previously signed between the Emperor and the Adeptus Mechanicus, was brought up again, with a series of new treaties added. The most important of these was the confirmation that the Emperor was the agent of Omnissiah.

Since the Empire was fundamentally unable to separate itself from the Adeptus Mechanicus, Guilliman offered a reward after suppressing the group of red-robed tentacle monsters: the establishment of a council seat distinct from that of the Forge Lord.

With the end of this half-hearted Mars rebellion, the Sol Sector became completely stable.

But a new problem arose: after more than 200 years of Ruinous Depletion, launching a full-scale expedition was simply impossible.

In short, it all boils down to one word: poor!

Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. Although I don't know why, every legion nowadays is a heavy-firepower Carpet Bombing force.

Back then, with Atlas providing for them, other legions didn't even need to think about it; they could just bomb them. But that Galactic Mega-corporation, which permeated the entire empire and controlled 62% of material transportation and 35% of material production, disappeared.

But that's not the most crucial point. The most crucial point is transportation efficiency. Atlas can convert fire consumption into real material output, and can even summon Daemon to scavenge garbage, but others can't do that.

Logically, the Great Crusade should have been a huge success, but no matter how hard Guilliman searched, he couldn't find the missing nutrients.

Just as Guilliman was frowning and discussing with his brothers whether to postpone the fight for a few years, a tall figure suddenly kicked open the door of the Department of Administration.

"Old Ma?"

That's right, the one who kicked the door open was none other than Malcador, the Arch-Magos, who had been blowing bubbles and playing dead for five whole years in the Dreadnought.

Looking at the nine Primarchs remaining before him, even though Malcador was unwilling, he had no choice but to step forward:

"Come with me, I'll take you somewhere!"