The best policy in war is to thwart the enemy's plans; the next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy's forces; the next in order is to attack the enemy's army in the field; and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities.
— The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Chapter on Offensive Strategy
Li Feng: "This is never what I wanted. I never wanted my Legion to launch an attack... Wife, if we can't save all of this from the Lord Emperor's mistakes, then let the galaxy burn!"
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Governors Mansion,
The interior of the Governors Mansion, as Li Feng expected, was filled with a vulgar display of wealth mistaken for taste. Crystal chandeliers and gold-inlaid decorations adorned the corridors, and luxurious tapestries depicting epic wars and spectacular parades made the place look more like a Redbeard Barbarossa's treasure vault.
Supported by carved pillars mimicking the branches of local plants, thick, soft carpets lay beneath the vaulted ceilings, feeling as soft as a swamp to the touch.
Li Feng hadn't noticed at first, but from above, the woven pattern of the carpet was clearly a portrait of someone, quite possibly the Governor himself.
More interestingly, a piece of bread, flattened by guests, had landed precisely on the portrait's nose, making the dignified face look as if it were suffering from a runny nose.
Li Feng wondered if it was a coincidence or deliberately done by a disgruntled servant; the truth remained unknown.
After fully realizing the extent of the surrounding luxury, Kastin complained to Major Xiao Bu beside her: "The taste of this place can't even compare to the rich women's pleasure resorts I've seen before."
At this moment, the Governor led Li Feng and his party into the grand hall, where the guests turned their gaze towards them. Li Feng's eyes swept around, noticing a group of blue-skinned people huddled together by the windows, whispering.
The servant then announced:
"Friend of the Emperor, fox of the imperium, hero of frax, archmagos of the adeptus mechanicus, venerable of the ecclesiarchy, prime minister of the badab sector, Commander of the Imperial Expeditionary Forces... Lord Li Feng! Arrived!"
The atmosphere instantly froze. Everyone looked at Li Feng, these local people staring at this uninvited guest from the Terra Imperial Palace, this man who, for the first time in ten thousand years, represented 'imperial power descending to the countryside.'
Li Feng took a deep breath, prompting everyone present to also take a deep breath... "Everyone, eat and drink well."
After speaking, Li Feng walked towards the buffet inside the hall, picked up a plate, and began piling it with various roasted ribs and fresh seafood. Li Feng was clearly interested in the half-human-tall T'au-style lobster.
Li Feng asked a waiter by the table to cut a large piece of lobster meat for him and place it on his plate, then drizzled it with a special sauce... He noticed that the group of people behind him were still following him, so he said: "Go eat and drink something, won't you? Don't just stand there foolishly. It's free food, don't waste it."
Hearing this, Li Feng's retinue also nodded, half-believing, half-doubting, then blended into the banquet atmosphere. Li Feng then called out to Siegfried,
"Go find the head of service over there, pack a lot of dishes, and arrange for someone to deliver them to the yacht, for the Living Saint, Kassia, and Ms. Eliette. Oh, and don't forget to prepare a portion for each of the Nuns."
(Governor: Good heavens, he's packing food from a buffet!)
...Cain, meanwhile, habitually wandered around. He moved freely through the mansion, his ears and eyes sharp, gathering information that might later save his life.
However, his attention was soon drawn to the entertainment. On the stage at the end of the hall, a young female singer was performing with the accompaniment of musicians. Her voice was so melodious that even with the war drum sounds often used by Orks as accompaniment, she made the melody beautiful.
Even when singing a soft, powerless love song like "SEE YOU SPACE COWBOYS," her voice imbued it with new life, making even the old-fashioned Cain feel a sense of tenderness. (Cowboy Bebop!)
No matter where he stood, Cain's gaze was always drawn to her slightly husky high notes, as if casting aside the surrounding whispers of slander and conspiracy.
She was slender and elegant, with shoulder-length light blonde pigtails that were casual yet perfectly styled. Her eyes held a faint, sharp, and deep sea-blue glow.
Her gown matched the color of her eyes, clinging to her curves like mist, making it hard to look away. Cain had always disbelieved in such foolishness as love at first sight, yet even after a hundred years, closing his eyes would transport him back to that hall that night, the enchanting melody in his ears, seeing her again.
However, he wasn't there to listen to love songs tonight; he was there to feast. No matter how captivating the singer, how could a woman interfere with his eating? (That's your Inquisitor wife.)
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Winston and Spears had led their Soldiers to claim several tables ahead of some local nobles. These Soldiers showed no mercy, and under the command of Chief of Staff Winston, they "focused on seizing high-value targets," successfully and swiftly annihilating "strange lobster spirits" and "fierce and brutal Gronos steaks." Even those "creamy, high-sugar cake bombs" were successfully defused by them.
At this point, several nobles found the butler and complained that the presence of these Soldiers in such a noble setting was simply rude. Finally, the nobles dragged the butler to the dining tables, intending to "ask" these Soldiers to leave.
"Uh... gentlemen of the military... I see that you've eaten quite a bit already. Perhaps you could make some room for these lords..."
Spears, eating cake and sipping red wine, said from his chair: "Apologies, my Soldiers and I clearly haven't had enough to eat yet."
This meant they were staying put. At this, several nobles whispered mockingly: "A bunch of stinking Soldiers... Is such a noble occasion meant to entertain you...?"
Hearing this, Winston, a respectable man and born into a minor noble family, put down his fork. The metal fork clinked against the porcelain plate, causing the nobles to freeze.
"Sir, so you mean to say... that we, as the Emperor's warriors... are not worthy of your hospitality?"
Instantly, dozens of Soldiers at several tables all looked at those nobles. These Soldiers were veterans of many campaigns; they had killed men, xenos, and chaos... Their gazes fixed on these "hothouse flowers" immediately made them feel as if their necks were being squeezed.
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, a noble quickly approached from another direction, trying to smooth things over:
"Hahaha, officers and Soldiers, they didn't mean it that way. They just haven't seen true Astra Militarum before, please forgive them. The Governor and we have hosted you well today, haven't we?"
Seeing this noble trying to mediate, the respectable Winston also thought it over and decided to let it go. He then picked up his fork again and said:
"Excellent, sir. The cakes and steaks here are delicious."
Upon hearing this, the noble immediately straightened up, a smile on his face: "As long as you are satisfied. I came to express my gratitude, thank you for your service, which allows us to live in peace... Of course, I know you've probably heard these words so many times your ears have calluses."
Winters replied: "Not at all. It only makes us more courageous. These compliments are our spiritual support when facing the Lord Emperor's enemies."
Hearing Winston's words, the noble immediately agreed, then extended his hand and shook hands with Winston and Spears... "My name is Waynes Rockefeller. I own the largest trading company here, a family business 100% loyal to the Emperor. We are committed to increasing the planet's productivity and income to better pay our tithes, thereby contributing to the Imperium... Of course, some children of people I know also serve, just like you. Perhaps your rifles and clothes are made from raw materials produced by my company."
Winston looked at Spears opposite him, thinking, 'I was just being polite, I didn't expect you to really open up.' At this point, Winston felt a bit awkward:
"Very good, sir, we... are very grateful."
But the noble didn't leave; he pulled up a chair from nearby and sat down, which made the Soldiers all look over. Spears showed a slightly impatient expression.
After sitting down, the noble asked in a very subtle way:
"No offense intended, but I'm curious, how do you think we're doing here currently? Will there be war? After all, you know, war is never good for business..."
Winston asked, somewhat puzzled: "How are we doing? From our perspective?"
Spears knew that the respectable Winston couldn't handle this kind of thing, so he quickly interjected and answered: "We are not qualified to comment on the big picture. The only thing I can tell you is that war is a game of killing, and it's not fun."
Hearing Spears' answer, the noble smiled: "Ah, of course, I can imagine how difficult it must be for you to face that level of violence..."
Spears let out a helpless laugh, which made the noble frown. Then he looked at his comrades around him and said:
"We like to kill. Isn't that what we're commanded to do by the Lord Emperor? We're supposed to fight the Emperor's enemies properly and cut off all their heads with bayonets. If we didn't like to kill, why would we be Soldiers? We might as well send the young ladies from noble schools to the battlefield instead."
The noble realized the conversation was going awry and tried to end the topic and leave: "Uh... I think you've left me speechless."
But Spears had no intention of letting this opportunistic businessman off the hook:
"Sir, do you see these young men beside me? I don't know what they were like before they enlisted, but... now, if you just give them weapons and two blocks of corpse starch gel, anything you see that moves will be smashed to pieces by them on the spot... Right! E Company?"
At this, the Soldiers put down their cutlery and simultaneously shouted in a command-response voice: "Yes, Major!"
The Soldiers' collective reply immediately drew the attention of the surrounding nobles and ladies... "Now do you understand what I mean? We are the Lord Emperor's killers, and we enjoy killing very much. So, if your company wants to do business, that's fine; that's your life. You do your thing, and we'll do ours. So please continue to make money, and we'll continue to kill. Wouldn't everyone be happy?"
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