Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 231 I can’t fight anymore
The arrival of the Jihad Army provided strong reinforcements to the expeditionary force and helped it stabilize its front.

However, although the arrival of reinforcements relieved some of the pressure, the overall situation of the expeditionary force remained grim.

Although they had been attacking before, Chen Xi and the expeditionary forces’ top leaders had to admit that the expeditionary forces were almost exhausted by now.

The long and fierce fighting exhausted the troops, consumed huge resources, and seriously affected morale.

The Astra Militarum, the main force, suffered heavy losses, with many units losing a large number of personnel and becoming disorganized.

Many troops that once had great military achievements are now reduced to remnants and their combat effectiveness has been greatly reduced.

Although the commanders of each strike group are reorganizing the scattered troops, this cannot cover up the current situation of gradually insufficient troop strength.

Although the reorganized troops barely maintained their organization, their combat effectiveness was much lower than before.

The elite troops that served as the core of the attack also suffered heavy losses. Several Space Marine companies that participated in the battle were crippled. The companies, which were already understaffed, lost more than half of their strength in several months of fierce fighting. Some of the more tragic companies even had only a few half-crippled squads left, with less than a quarter of their original number.

The loss of the Imperial Knights was equally heartbreaking. More than one hundred knights shed their blood on the battlefield. Although most of them regained the Iron Throne, more than a dozen knight mechas with a long history still lost their inheritance, and more than twenty outstanding nobles of the Empire faced extinction.

As for the losses of the knights' squires, they were even greater. The loss of more than four hundred knights' squires was enough to cause serious damage to the knight families participating in the war.

Even two knights from the Linguang family died in the battle, but fortunately they successfully recovered the wreckage and the Iron Throne, which was a blessing in disguise.

Among the many troops that participated in the battle, perhaps only the combat sisters suffered relatively light losses. Relying on the divine arts blessed by their faith and their experience in fighting the Necrons, only about 400 sisters died, which was the smallest loss among the troops that participated in the battle.

The loss of these elite troops was a particularly heavy blow to the expeditionary force because their combat effectiveness could not be replenished in a short period of time.

Although the Jihad Army was fanatical in its will to fight, it lacked sufficient tactical skills and decent weapons, which meant that they could only replenish personnel losses but could not restore the combat effectiveness of the troops.

Although the arrival of the Jihad Army temporarily alleviated the problem of insufficient manpower, they could not replace those experienced and well-equipped elite troops.

The expeditionary force needs time to recuperate and also needs more reinforcements from the rear to replenish its losses.
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"We need more Astra Militarum troops. We simply cannot continue the offensive with just the Crusade Army." At the military meeting, a staff officer of the Astra Militarum troops spoke loudly, stating a fact that everyone acknowledged.

There was a hint of fatigue and anxiety in his voice. Obviously, the current war situation has made many people feel powerless.

By this point in the battle, only 80,000 of the 200,000 Star Army soldiers were left.

Although the expeditionary force captured two-thirds of the planet's surface and destroyed several undead tombs, everyone knew that these were insignificant results.

These superficial victories did not cause any substantial damage to the core strength of the Necrons. Instead, the expeditionary force gradually lost its advantage in the constant attrition.

The true core of the planet, the Tomb World, lies on a plateau within the remaining unconquered third of the planet. It is the last stronghold of the Necrons, who have built a defense so tight that it's almost perverted. Any enemy who attempts to approach will face a devastating blow.

The Doomsday Phalanx composed of huge Doomsday pumice towers guards the continent where the Tomb World is located. The expeditionary force only attacked once and left behind an armored regiment equipped with super-heavy tanks and several elite infantry regiments. Half a company of Space Marines died, and more than ten Imperial Knights were melted into a pool of metal slag.

The ferocity of that battle exceeded everyone's expectations, and the expeditionary force seemed so vulnerable to the Necrons' defenses.

(The Doomsday Pumice Tower, a discontinued item)
That was the expeditionary force's heaviest attack. The powerful Necrons defense array made Chen Xi furious and he ordered the fleet to bombard the enemy for a whole week.

The bombing stopped only when the ground was flattened twenty meters and the entire ground turned into a huge lava lake and all the defensive buildings were smashed.

However, even so, there were still a large number of fortifications remaining, making the expeditionary force's attack difficult.

Every advance came with great sacrifice, and the enemy's defenses seemed impossible to completely destroy.

The expedition's leaders realized that they would need more resources and stronger forces to break through the Necrons' defenses.

"Sir Chen Xi, we need the Titan Legion and more super-heavy tanks. Otherwise, it will be difficult to take down those alien fortresses that are almost integrated into the terrain with the firepower we have at hand." The Astra Militarum Lord General spoke, both persuading and stating the difficulties he was facing.

The First Strike Group has now concluded operations at Zaporizhia IX. After leaving behind a portion of the garrison, the entire strike group has now moved on to the attack on Donetsk III.

But even with the four strike groups joining together and the State Religion sending three million reinforcements, the war still fell into a stalemate.

Without powerful ground units like Titans, it would be extremely difficult to break through the Necrons' defenses.

Whether it is the pumice tower or the obelisk, they are all heavy armored units comparable to tanks or even super-heavy tanks. Without firepower that can open the can of Titans, it is difficult to knock down these large vehicles that have amazing defense and can deliver more face-to-face troops on the battlefield.

If the expeditionary force cannot knock out these large vehicles that serve as defense nodes, it will be impossible for them to achieve a breakthrough.

Although the fleet's orbital bombardment can be used to break the situation, the damage caused by orbital bombardment is too great. Open bombing can certainly reduce casualties, but turning everything into a lava lake makes the attack meaningless.

And another point is that, while it is indeed very satisfying to let the fleet bomb freely, the consumption of ammunition is enough to make people tremble.

So in the face of everyone's complaints, Chen Xi nodded affirmatively and said, "I will request reinforcements from the star region later, but for now, before the reinforcements arrive, I hope that all units can hold their positions steady and not make any mistakes at this time."

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty the Inquisitor. After the arrival of the Crusade Army, we now have sufficient manpower on all fronts. We may not be able to attack, but there will definitely be no problem in defense." The cardinal of the state religion said confidently to Chen Xi.

(End of this chapter)