Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 206 Playing the trump card
"Chen Xi, the magnificent boulder has been shot down, but we suffered heavy losses." Guterres reported the battle situation to Chen Xi, with a hint of heaviness in his voice, as if every word was weighing on his chest.

He swept his eyes across the battlefield. The devastated field and the troops filled with wounded soldiers made him feel very depressed.

"How many people were lost?" At this time, Chen Xi was answering Guterres's call while continuing to command the battle.

There was a hint of urgency in his voice, clearly eager to know the situation on the ground, but at the same time he also had to command the battle in space: "The barrage on the port side is too thin, what is the gunner doing?"

Ignoring the noisy voices coming from Chen Xi's side, Guterres took a deep breath and continued to report: "Of the fifty Blood Angels' Death Company soldiers, twenty-seven were killed in action, and thirteen were seriously injured and in suspended animation. If they are not subsequently subjected to Primaris transformation surgery, they will only be able to pretend to be Dreadnoughts.

Your Embers Knight Dreadnought exploded, leaving only two people in the tactical squad, three Terminators were killed, and two of the Veteran Guard squad were also killed, leaving almost all of them wiped out.

The Weepers were lucky this time; only two died, and one was in suspended animation."

"It's true... there are heavy casualties." Chen Xi's breathing stopped for a few seconds, as if he was suffocated by the heavy reality.

But he quickly composed himself and continued, "Where are the Astra Militarum and the Guards? What is the fleet doing? Focus your fire on that cruiser! Sink it!"

There was a hint of suppressed anger in his voice, and he was obviously extremely dissatisfied with the current situation of the battle.

Hearing Chen Xi's clearly angry voice, Guterres didn't want to provoke Chen Xi any further, but under Chen Xi's repeated urging, he still disclosed the losses of the Defense Force and the Astra Militarum. "Two Astra Militarum regiments suffered over half casualties, and their vehicles were almost completely destroyed. Two of the seven Defense Force regiments were nearly wiped out, and three had over half their men killed. The new recruits and militia regiments, however, didn't suffer many casualties because they didn't participate in the battle."

After saying this, Guterres asked Chen Xi for instructions: "Now that the magnificent monolith has been destroyed, the undead army is still attacking. Do you have any instructions? Should we continue to defend and counterattack after you resolve the battle in space?"
Or should I organize a counterattack with the troops I have? By the way, the Sisters of Battle are very dissatisfied with your order to stay in the vineyard, and they are madly asking me to fight."

"Then let them go! Add three new recruits to the three regiments that have suffered more than half of their casualties, and use the remaining two new recruits to reinforce the Star Army. The two regiments that are almost completely wiped out will retreat to the rear for rest and recuperation. By the way, prepare the militia regiment and let them be ready for battle." Chen Xi issued a series of instructions with an unquestionable determination in his tone.

However, he immediately hesitated.

He knew that the battle had reached a critical moment, but he was still hesitating whether to use his last trump card.

The Ash Knight force hidden in the dark is his last trump card. Once used, it may attract unnecessary attention and trouble.

After all, the transformation of Astartes would cause a lot of trouble, but the current situation did not allow him to hesitate any longer.

Guterres knew what Chen Xi was hesitating about, so he said to him: "I think reinforcements can be taken out. At least there is a cruiser and a frigate on the 32nd side. If they join the battle, we can end the space battle as soon as possible.

As for those Ash Knights you've hidden, there's nothing wrong with taking them out. The Great Rift will only open in about twenty years. During this time, you can suppress the news and put the blame on Cawl. It'll be easy to get away with it."

Chen Xi was silent for a moment, weighing the pros and cons rapidly in his mind.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and made a decision: "Alright! I'll let Shi Dong go, and when they arrive, you can launch a counterattack."

There was a hint of determination in his voice, and it was obvious that he had made up his mind.

After all, he couldn't stand watching the defense troops fight to the death while he held a force that could change the course of the battle. Guterres nodded. Although Chen Xi couldn't see his movements, he knew that he understood his determination.

He quickly began to plan the next move, and at the same time heaved a sigh of relief. At least they didn't lose this battle after trying their best.

But Guterres looked up at the sky. With his Astartes vision, he could easily see the fleets fighting fiercely in space, which made him extremely worried.

Guterres knew that there was a Undead Dynasty in the sub-star region, and so did Chen Xi and others.

They originally planned to just leave it alone and not wake up these iron-ribbed guys. When the Great Rift opened and the Regent launched the Indomitus Crusade, they would just pull an Indomitus Fleet over to destroy it.

But judging from the current situation, this undead dynasty may have been awakened.

If this is the case, then the Rostov sub-sector will soon become a huge meat grinder.

After all, the Empire of the Holy Wine on Rostov II is unlikely to give up, so the Ministry of the Interior will inevitably decide to defend the planet.

How the war turns out then will not be something they can control now.

"It seems I have to talk to Chen Xi about this matter." Guterres kept this matter in mind and then continued to command the battle.
-
In the Ash Knights monastery on Rostov IV, Shi Dong, who had received orders from Chen Xi, was gathering his troops.

In addition to the original thirty-three Primaris Astartes, after such a long period of training, the first batch of fifty recruits of the Knights of Embers have also been trained, and they will also join the battle this time.

Although they are only a rapid-conscription army, thanks to the physical fitness of the Primaris Astartes, their combat effectiveness can still play a vital role in this kind of battlefield.

After all, there were fifty Primaris Astartes, and even the Speed ​​​​Enlisted Corps was much stronger than the ordinary Astra Militarum.

However, although they have assembled now, they still have to wait for the 32nd casting ship to arrive before they can support the battle of Rostov II.

Chen Xi originally exchanged only a strike cruiser for the Ash Knight. Shi Dong and his team did not have any warships available because Chen Xi did not expect to put them into battle so soon.

However, Shi Dong did not care about this. What he and the Ash Knight warriors wanted was to join the battle as soon as possible.

Even though they are just pawns and not real people, their desire to fight as Astartes will not change.

However, they did not wait for the 32nd casting ship.

It was Mai Mai and the Dusk Gabbro who came to pick them up.

This ship had to be moved to Rostov III for docking because the Rostov II starport was full. Now it seems to have turned out to be a blessing in disguise, and has become a mobile force that can be mobilized.

(End of this chapter)