Faced with Soshyan's question, the deacon just spread his hands and said something that was not an answer.
"Captain Soshyan, this is actually very obvious."
When the other party said this, Soshyan thought about it and said:
"Vandil's Legacy."
Ebanks shook his head.
"This is a lunatic, an infidel and a traitor who should leave nothing behind."
"ha."
Soshyan chuckled and did not point out the fact that the organization of the Battle Sisters was founded by Van Dier, but he had already guessed that it was probably the same as retaining the Battle Sisters. Even Saint Sebastian, as a reformer, was aware of a
The problem is, in the empire, mouths are never as powerful as fists. If the state religion really strips itself naked, it will be powerless to fight back in front of other institutions and organizations in the empire and may even become puppets and vassals. The apostasy is a response of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
One invasion by the state religion, what about the next one?
In politics, it is an absolutely normal idea to be prepared for danger. Obviously, in addition to retaining the Battle Sisters, the State Church also secretly left some other things.
"Please forgive my curiosity, how did this fleet escape the scrutiny of the empire?"
"The apostate once organized a huge expedition fleet to try to kill the great Saint Sebastian..."
"I know this. A storm of the Emperor's Wrath destroyed this fleet."
But Ebanks corrected that statement.
"Part of... nearly half of the ships of this fleet escaped from the storm after a short period of wandering. However, when they returned to the physical universe, the traitor was dead. After repeated measurements, the great Saint Sebastian
, finally decided to keep this fleet secretly for emergencies, and at the same time, in order to ensure the operation of this fleet, the successor pope established the Silent Knights."
Obviously, whether it is retaining the fleet or establishing this so-called knighthood, it is an act that violates the taming order. So it is worth pondering whether Sebastian signed the taming order voluntarily or because of the situation.
And Soshyan seriously doubted that what he saw was by no means the full strength of the Silent Fleet. You must know that in the past Vandire's era, the fleet strength of the Ecclesiastical Church was almost evenly matched with the navy. When the Loyalists marched into Terra, the two sides even fought in Kara in the Sun Star Territory.
A fierce naval battle involving a thousand ships broke out in the Fu Galaxy.
With the efficiency of the empire, the time it took for the taming edict to be transmitted to various religious worlds was enough for the state religion to use various methods to hide some warships.
But on second thought, that may not be the case. After all, these are all unilateral statements made by the State Church. Maybe Sebastian did hand over all the naval power of the State Church, but his successor may not think this is a good thing.
, and the Apostasy Rebellion has been more than 4,000 years ago, with the power of the state religion, even if it is moved by ants, it can slowly build a large fleet. Perhaps Sebastian's "will" is the purpose of successive popes.
Rhetoric and excuses to stabilize internal people's hearts.
As for the Silent Knights, from the first moment Soshyan saw Long, he could tell that he was definitely not a normal person. He must be some kind of transformed or strengthened soldier. As for what technology the state religion used, it was hard to say.
, but when he was on Terra, Soshyan had heard that Vandire had conducted many crazy experiments in an attempt to create a "more holy warrior" that surpassed the Astartes.
Although no results have been recorded, it is difficult to say that there are really no results. It may just be hidden by some force.
In fact, if you think about it carefully, how is today’s state religion better than the state religion in the apostasy era?
Soshyan himself couldn’t tell. Perhaps it was Van Dier who won the battle of faith in the end - because most of the things he created have been preserved, and the reformers who have been fighting with Van Dier all their lives
Everything Sebastian established has long since disappeared, leaving only some scriptures and rules on paper.
Sometimes he also wonders whether the top leaders of the current state church are followers of Sebastian or followers of Vandil?
It can only be said that humans sometimes like to go around in circles like this.
Then again, Baldo Slist actually took out such a hidden and hidden thing from the bottom of the box, which shows that Soshyan's gift really convinced the other party that he was on the side of the state religion, even though Soshyan himself
I don’t like the extremely stubborn conservative either, but this kind of person can have his role as long as he is used well. Furthermore, the empire does not lack radicals. It is not good to be too conservative, but if everyone is radical, then the same
It's a disaster.
There is a balance between conservatism and radicalism. This is the most ideal and safest political state for the empire.
Therefore, he does not care about making such a political ally, and what kind of person is useful. He blindly pursues alliances with people who are completely consistent with his own ideas. This is not only naive but also dangerous.
Seeing Soshyan's silent expression, Ebanks thought that the other party was doubting the purpose of hiding the armed forces of the state religion, so he continued to explain:
"Saint Sebastian once taught that the state religion must be the last high wall to defend the faith of the Lord of Mankind. As the chief minister of the interior, Van Dier was able to control the state religion so easily because he had a gun and the state religion did not have it at that time. In the future
It is difficult to guarantee that no such person will appear. Therefore, when there is a force trying to shake the eternal faith of the Lord of Mankind, and other armed forces of the empire do nothing, the state religion must have the power to carry out the doomsday jihad, and the Silent Fleet and the Silent Knights are the last ones.
Trump card."
Soshyan nodded, showing his understanding, but secretly complaining in his heart.
The purpose of signing the Taming Edict was to prevent Vandire from reappearing, and in the end, breaking it was also to prevent Vandire from reappearing. The co-author said everything about the truth and the irony of the state religion. This is really in line with their true nature.
"But now that the Silent Fleet is being sent...are you not worried about being discovered by other forces in the empire? There are already many inquisitors operating in the archdiocese."
"We have handed over the Crusader House to the Inquisition, what else can they say?"
When he said this, Soshyan understood that Terra's Inquisition headquarters might have been aware of these little tricks of the State Church, so the two sides reached a series of deals that finally made the Inquisition choose to shut up on the matter.
Among them, the Crusader House should be the most critical transaction item. If you think about it carefully, it is true that it is a Crusader training institution established by the state church with money, effort and personnel, but it is usually located near the Tribunal facilities, and some are located in large Tribunals.
Inside the fortress, it was like the state church was spending money to train followers for the Tribunal.
Politics, after all, is all about transactions.
"I see, apart from the Tribunal, there is no other imperial power in the archdiocese... There is indeed no problem of exposure."
At this time, Talos also finished reading the data pad and placed it on the table with a click of his tongue.
"7 Emperor-class ships, 17 Cardinal-class ships, 26 Moon-class ships... What a big deal."
Soshyan then returned the memory to the other party and said with a smile:
"With the addition of such a fleet, our chances of winning are greatly increased, but I still wonder, what is the attitude of the High Lords Council? Could it be that when a sector is invaded by aliens, they really don't care and don't respond at all?