During several days of conversation, Horus tried to persuade Sarradin to join the Emperor's crusade and jointly establish a golden age of human unity. However, Sarradin saw further and raised his own questions:
Questioning the cost of unity: The Imperial crusade was based on conquest by force, sacrificing how many innocents?
Questioning his father: Sarradin saw through the Emperor's control strategy, believing that distrust would arise between brothers due to this 'favoritism' and 'competition'.
And also... "Horus, if the Emperor you speak of is my father... then why is it you who came to see me, and not him?"
Horus gradually understood that Sarradin possessed not only extraordinary wisdom but also an unshakeable moral Core. This made him both admire and feel uneasy.
At the same time, the arrogant and domineering attitude displayed by the Luna Wolves' modified Space Marine towards the local populace also hurt the pride of the Magana people.
Ultimately, Sarradin explicitly refused to join the Imperial crusade: "My people need me, not chains of iron and blood. I will not surrender Magana to any outsider."
Horus maintained a smile on his face, but he knew that the possibility of peace had vanished, and now he needed to use strong-arm tactics to bring his second brother back to his father's side.
With the Emperor's permission, Horus decided to subjugate Sarradin by force. He led a company of Space Marine and human auxiliary forces to attack Magana's army.
However, the next three battles left Horus feeling an unprecedented sense of frustration.
First battle — Battle of the Strait:
Horus chose to attack in the strait connecting the two continents. He attempted a surprise attack from the rear with an airborne assault. However, Sarradin had already deployed elite electromagnetic crossbows and laser flintlock Soldiers.
They ambushed from both sides of the canyon, striking the Luna Wolves descending from drop pods with precise firepower, while simultaneously detonating buried landmines filled with 'Damascus steel' shrapnel.
This battle caused heavy losses for the Luna Wolves' First Company. The Damascus steel shrapnel mines directly pierced the Space Marine' power armour. The electromagnetic crossbows and laser flintlock Soldiers could easily punch holes in the Space Marine' power armour.
Of course, Sarradin also suffered heavy losses in this battle, and his adoptive brother was killed in action.
Second battle — Ambush in the Sea of Sand:
Horus planned to use the Space Marine' speed and armor advantage to engage the Magana army in a decisive battle in the desert. However, Sarradin used the desert environment to set up an ambush. Local camel cavalry and fast armored vehicles cooperated flawlessly, forming an encirclement that annihilated most of Horus's human auxiliary Legion.
Third battle — Battle of Istanbul:
Abaddon, the 'Ever-Victorious' of Horus's Council of Four Kings, led several hundred Luna Wolves Space Marine, using Imperial drop pods, to launch a high-altitude surprise attack on Sarradin's capital, Istanbul.
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