Chapter 985, Difficult Situation

Chapter 985, A Dilemma

Robert granted the request of the Grand Marshal of the Imperial Guard.

Then she turned around and called Gu Hang again, and they chatted for a bit.

Gu Hang agreed to Robert's request.

What does "at any cost" mean?

That's what's happening right now.

According to the original plan, the Solar Fleet was Robert's primary objective.

If that unexpected incident hadn't happened, the deal might have been finalized by now.

We can't say we can get the Solar Fleet to help them turn their guns around and bombard the ground, but at least we can prevent them from becoming a problem.

Then, attacking the ground will be much smoother.

With an entire solar fleet leading the way as an example, what need is there for those loyal, uncorrupted troops on Terra to hesitate? Surrendering along with them is undoubtedly the brightest future.

However, what was supposed to be a good negotiation and contact that was on track turned into a chaotic battle, severely disrupting the progress.

Although both sides were relatively restrained and rational, the saboteurs did not succeed completely, thus preventing a blood feud between the two sides.

But rebuilding connections always takes time. Even if both sides know that the enemy is sabotaging things, rebuilding trust is not just empty talk.

Moreover, many of these things are still unclear to this day.

Those ships suspected of being corrupted and attempting to sabotage the peace talks have not yet been apprehended.

If we're talking about which evil god's corruption is the hardest to detect, then without a doubt it's Tzeentch's.

Those corrupted by Khorne are prone to losing their minds;

When one is corrupted by filth, the body is prone to undergoing particularly noticeable changes.

Once corrupted by lust, one's licentious appearance and behavior are not easily concealed.

However, the corruption of Salamansi is not as easy to investigate as the other two.

The most difficult one to investigate is Jian Qi.

Those corrupted by cunning often appear unchanged. They might become more obsessed with knowledge, more melancholic, and more temperamental, but these are ultimately subtle changes. Often, it takes special interrogation rooms and the use of advanced technology to confirm the extent of their corruption.

However, when faced with the potential for widespread corruption, it is never an easy task to use technology to identify each case one by one.

If it were ordinary people, it would be fine. The empire has never been particular about such things. If there is any suspicion, they will all be arrested and investigated one by one. If there is no time or if they are too brutal, then there is no problem in killing the innocent and not the guilty.

But unfortunately, he was facing a group of naval captains and officers.

These navy men hold a very high position.

When asked to undergo interrogation, they stubbornly refuse, deeming it an insult, and refuse to allow the interrogator onto their warship. What can be done?
Should they be directly labeled as traitors and have their ships destroyed?
But there are quite a few captains like that, and it's not appropriate for them all to do it this way.

Moreover, the captain also has something to say.

In this chaotic situation, who would dare to easily entrust their life and fortune to others? Who knows if the interrogators, their superiors—the fleet commanders, deputy commanders, and chief interrogators—haven't been corrupted? If they themselves are innocent, but are branded as corrupt elements by those corrupt traitors above them, they'll have no way to explain themselves.

There is no trust between superiors and subordinates, or even between peers within the Solar Fleet; there is no trust between the Solar Fleet and Robert's expeditionary force... In such a chaotic situation, it is truly difficult to resume negotiations smoothly.

No one wanted a repeat of the near-decisive battle that had escalated between the two sides. Even so, Robert's original intention was still to resolve the Solar Fleet issue in a relatively peaceful manner.

The Solar Fleet is very powerful, at least as strong as Robert's expeditionary fleet, which he built from scratch in the Infinite Starfield and later received strong reinforcements from the Alliance.

If this situation is not handled well, and the Solar Fleet finds itself on the opposite side, combined with the ground-based orbital cannons and Holy Terra's magnificent orbital defense system, the entire orbital region of Terra will be invincible.

At least, Robert's expeditionary force could not defeat them.

Even if he has taken down the most important defensive node in Earth's orbit—the Moon—it will still cost him huge casualties and take a very long time to get to the ground.

Moreover, he also needs a constant stream of support from the alliance from the rear.

But on the ground, could the Imperial Guard hold out for that long?
Actually, the situation isn't as bad as it seems.

The Imperial Guards couldn't defend the outer ring of the palace, which stretched for tens of thousands of kilometers and had multiple layers; they couldn't defend the middle ring either. But if they were reduced to the inner ring, which was only about the size of a small city, they should be able to hold out for a long time, thanks to the millions of elite palace guards and the unparalleled combat capabilities of the 10,000-man regiments.

Robert believes that the urgency Yan Xinzhen had previously expressed to him, demanding that he immediately send reinforcements, stemmed primarily from the commander of the Imperial Guards' pride and anxiety.

The Imperial Guards were so proud that they hadn't suffered such humiliation in ten thousand years, and now they refused to face it, hoping to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, which Robert could completely understand.

However, he actually had some concerns in his heart.

The palace is important, that's true, but everything else can wait. The golden throne in the center of the inner ring must not be compromised.

That is the symbol of the emperor, the place where the empire's shell remains after its ascension.

This place must not be defiled!
Robert thought so too.

In addition to religious and spiritual considerations, Gu Hang also specifically warned about this point.

If the Golden Throne is defiled, the connection between the Emperor and the real universe will be greatly weakened, and it is not impossible that the four evil gods will find a weakness and sever the connection.

If this happens, the Emperor will instantly be at a huge disadvantage on the battlefield in the warp.

It's even uncertain whether the emperor himself can maintain his sense of self as a human being.

This is a gamble we can't afford to take.

Robert was a little skeptical.

These things were all beyond his knowledge.

But he could still trust Gu Hang.

Can't afford to gamble.

In this situation, the difficulty of subsequent operations increases significantly.

We cannot push the solar fleet to the opposite side—that would lead to a complete collapse of the situation, making it impossible to provide large-scale support to the ground in a short period of time.

However, a gradual and peaceful resolution, and a clear distinction between corruption and genuine corruption, could also be time-consuming and too late.

The subtle differences involved are truly difficult to grasp.

Robert had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

(End of this chapter)