As long as you die, you are invincible, but in 40K

Infighting, chaos, explosions.

All this shattered the Iron Warriors' originally orderly offensive rhythm and plan, exposing large flaws.

The Imperial Fists, standing opposite them, were extremely confused. Didn't this kind of thing usually happen on a large scale on the Imperial side? Why had the tide turned today?

However, he obviously had no intention of letting go of this rare opportunity.

The Imperial Fists, having just received reinforcements from the rear, launched an all-out counterattack, exploiting every gap exposed by the Iron Warriors and tearing it apart to the point where it could no longer be healed.

If all this could be solved by retreating, then another thing was simply unacceptable.

On the other side of the battle line.

The already fragile defense line became even more vulnerable after being attacked by the demon engine and a small number of demons' rebellion. At the same time, the explosion in the rear base gave them a great shock.

In this situation, Zhang Ge and several other regiment commanders issued the order to attack.

Under the cover of the air force that temporarily gained air superiority, a large number of artillery shells were accurately launched at the enemy's key positions and inside the defense line under the guidance of aerial reconnaissance. At the same time, with six Titans as the spearhead, a large number of armored troops launched an assault with armored transport vehicles behind them.

Those in better condition and a group of cultists supervised by Iron Warriors were still able to resist, but those in worse condition... some tried to use laser guns to penetrate Leman Russ's armor, while others simply charged forward while howling and waving various weapons.

The combat quality of ordinary cultists can only be described as tragic. Their brains, which are filled with blasphemous thoughts, can hardly accommodate anything called rationality. It's okay when they are restrained by stronger ones... The problem is, guess which troops were unable to restrain the demons, and which targets do the demons like?

That’s right, it was that group of cultists who were originally weak, and then the slightly stronger ones among that group of weak cultists had their heads chopped off by the devil, which directly turned a large number of cultists into guerrillas whose combat effectiveness was even worse than that of armed civilians.

Originally, with the assistance of the Space Marines, some battle lines could still cause some obstacles and losses to Zhang Ge's side, but once these fragile parts collapsed, they became gaps in the defense line. The gaps in the defense line further collapsed the originally orderly battle lines around them, and ultimately led to the complete collapse of the overall defense.

It wasn't long before several regiments crushed the defenses of the cultists, who were not much larger than themselves, and finally saw the desecrated site after the missile attack.

At a glance, there are large numbers of huge craters like meteorites falling. Most of the originally densely packed buildings have either turned into fragments or are left with only ruins. Even those that are in a slightly better condition and can retain a relatively intact structure, the personnel and equipment inside are obviously not as strong as the external ceramic steel shell.

Judging from the observation data sent back by the floating servo skull, a wave of missile attacks should have caused at least ten percent damage to the base.

Although 10% is not a lot, a runway will lose its functionality if there is a crater in the middle, and a furnace will basically stop operating if it is hit by a bullet. Moreover, most of this 10% is heading towards key areas, which can be said to be an extremely fatal blow.

Of course, for safety reasons, Zhang Ge still ordered his troops to continue covering the base with artillery fire for a period of time.

This coverage was enough to overwhelm the leader of the Iron Warriors camp.

No, man.

Even the workers in the lower nest were a little angry, let alone me, a rebel Space Marine leader.

Judging from the battle reports fed back from the front line, what came were just a group of mortals. When was the last time I was ridden on the face and beaten by a group of mortals?

Then, as soon as he arrived at the rear battlefield with his elite troops, he figured out why a group of mortals could break through the defense line built behind so quickly.

The attack of the six Titans turned the battlefield where these divine machines were located into a complete purgatory. Unfortunately, the troops attacked by the Titans were unable to hold on until the news was passed back to the rear, which created the illusion that the people who came were just a group of mortals.

In the front, the Imperial Fists are counterattacking with reinforcements, and in the back, six Titans are attacking with an unknown number of "small forces".

Then, he also realized that there might be a traitor behind him who betrayed him with millions of cultists and hundreds of Space Marines. After all, anyone who was not hallucinating would not report an army of this size as a so-called "small force". The only possibility was that he rebelled directly when he saw that the situation was not good.

After realizing these points, he smiled with relief and quickly made his decision.

Chapter 197: Choosing Another Direction of Attack

His decision was to run away... Oh, no, that's not the right word.

It should be said that it is choosing another direction of attack.

if not?

They came here simply to seek revenge, but now the fight has turned into this. Forget revenge! They're almost being beaten to the ground by their enemies. If they don't run now, when will they? Are they really willing to sacrifice their lives and the lives of their brothers for the Black Legion?

This is not the time of the Great Expedition. The situation is completely reversed now. If a battle is lost, the gang leader does not necessarily have to hold someone responsible, but if the losses are too great to be accepted, then he definitely does not mind having the person responsible have his head replaced.

As for what would happen after I withdrew? That was Abaddon's concern. It had nothing to do with me, the Iron Warriors. Not asking him for reimbursement was already a good thing, not to mention helping him consider the overall situation.

With this in mind, the camp leader quickly turned around and left, returning to the safe bunker and sending a large number of instructions to various units.

Retreat is also a science. If you just run naked in the wild and get targeted by the enemy's air force, it would basically be equivalent to a slow death. You have to make sure the enemy can't get away before you leave.

Soon, the number of Iron Warriors and heavy equipment on the front line gradually decreased, but the resistance of the cultists became more and more frantic. Not only that, a large number of rebellious PDFs appeared among the cultists.

These PDFs came from the last and most elite batch of reserves. Originally, their role was to be deployed before the enemy collapsed in order to maximize the results of the battle, but now... it can only be said that they did cause some trouble to Diquan and Zhang Ge, but not much.

One of the two units was a Space Marine, and the other had a large number of armored units under his command. What kind of trouble could a group of light infantry, no matter how elite they were, cause? At most, they could only provide organized resistance and slow down the advance slightly.

Not long after, Zhang Ge led a group of elites into the desecrated base that had been bombarded by missiles and several rounds of artillery fire.

This group of people consisted of veterans in power armor, battle sisters, Titan Guards and Space Marines, numbering nearly two thousand, and the rest of the troops were ordered not to approach this place.

After all, even the remnants of Warp corruption cannot be underestimated, and it requires the strongest will and the most advanced equipment to keep it out.

Among this group of people, Zhang Ge, who was only wearing a shell armor, became an outlier. However, he did not care much and was always active in the most dangerous areas.

Those rooms, ruins, and factories were filled with all kinds of enemies that survived the bombardment, including twisted demons and groups of cultist armies. The most dangerous one was an encounter with an Iron Warrior who did not have time to evacuate.

In the brief encounter, Zhang Ge and a dozen elite soldiers he brought were forced into a dead end in rounds of fire, losing several people, and even the paint on the opposing Space Marines was not scraped off. However, just when Zhang Ge thought that he could accomplish great things, a bright volcanic cannon directly plowed through the factory area where they were.

The only surviving place in the entire factory was the corner where Zhang Ge and others were hiding. The metal droplets melted by the aftermath had even splashed dozens of meters in front of Zhang Ge.

However, it was fortunate that the carapace had good thermal insulation properties. Any bulletproof armor would probably be steamed in the heated air.

Of course, there is no need to say what happened to the Iron Warrior who was targeted. Looking at the long glass depression, it is clear that he should have completed the physical purification.

This was the only time in the entire operation that he was close to death... It's not that Zhang Ge didn't want to, but after that incident, Amelia, who Zhang Ge had managed to get rid of for a while, refused to leave the team no matter what.

During the cleanup, the team quickly approached the core area of ​​the entire base.

Logically speaking, there should be extremely stubborn resistance here.

But the fact is, due to the retreat of the Iron Warriors, this place was completely emptied. From heavy weapons, turrets to various automatic machines, everything that could be taken away was packed up and taken away. The remaining mortal guards could not even organize an organized resistance.

When Zhang Ge and his team swept through and crushed the cultists, all they found in this core area were piles of corpses, rituals, and debris.

Inside the core bunker, Zhang Ge and his group happened to meet the Emperor Fist Champion.

The encounter happened when Zhang Ge had just gone down through the entrance. Obviously, they moved faster and must have cleaned up and were on their way out.

Before Zhang Ge could ask, the Emperor Fist Champion spoke first... He had already taken off his helmet when they met, so it would be better to call him Austin?

"The enemy has escaped, and they did it very cleanly. Nothing of value was found inside."

"Escape? It's a rare word to describe these enemies."

Austin replied, his words full of disdain for running away:

"These traitors have long since lost the honor they held in their Legion days and have joined the ranks of the Chaos warbands. If they had fought to the last man standing, they could have been annihilated in one fell swoop. However, it is precisely this shameless escape that has allowed them to survive until now."

There is something artistic about this.

If we ignore the sub-groups and say "annihilate them in one fell swoop", then for the 1,000 men of the Imperial Fist who abide by the holy code, if both sides really have a chance to concentrate all their forces together and fight a fatal battle, the Iron Warriors will be so happy that they won't be able to sleep for three days.

However, Zhang Ge naturally would not spoil the show. He just listened quietly to what he said before continuing:

"At least our original goal has been achieved."

The emotion that was revealed earlier did not stay on Auston for too long, and he quickly calmed himself down:

"That's right. Now that they've escaped, the remaining cultists are no longer a threat. Besides successfully defending a large amount of imperial territory, more importantly, we'll be able to free up more troops to deal with difficulties in other directions of the Dead Forest."

After saying this, he thought for a moment and continued:

"However, for now, let's consider joining up with the main force further ahead."

After a brief conversation, the cleanup of the base was coming to an end. At the end, when a double-headed eagle flag was raised at the highest point of the base, a large number of troops had crossed from both sides and rushed towards the Dead Forest Festival area that was just before their eyes.

Due to the strong winds caused by long-term sandstorms, there is no thick polluted atmosphere in the suburbs of the Dead Forest Festival. When approaching it, the environment is not much different from being in the sea of ​​sand. At most, you have to go over sand dunes instead of climbing over sand dunes with a few building spires occasionally showing through them.

In this vast yellow sand, Zhang Ge, who had returned to the team, finally saw another friendly army coming in the opposite direction.

Chapter 198: Meeting and Victory

In the distance, on the sand dunes, a Space Marine wearing golden power armor appeared in the field of view of Zhang Ge's observation equipment.

His armor was covered with charred marks from lasers and dents from explosive bombs. When Zhang Ge noticed him, he had already cast his gaze over.

Although it has not been authenticated, at this moment, neither side has launched an attack on the other.

As they looked at each other, Zhang Ge saw one Space Marine after another coming out from behind the sand dunes.

Until finally, a flag with a golden luster reflected on the top slowly appeared. The flag, which was engraved with countless glorious pasts, fluttered slightly with various decorations.

The first thing that catches the eye is naturally the flashy patterns that were originally used as a foil, but if you look closely, when you see the lines of text swaying along with the flag, you can feel the power represented by the flag that is silently expressed.

The flagpole gradually emerged from behind the sand dune, and finally, the flag bearer came into Zhang Ge's sight.

Both of his arms were broken, his power armor was in tatters, and blood was flowing from a large number of wounds that were equally fatal to Space Marines - the flagpole was tied to a small section of the broken arm connected to his right shoulder.

When he reached the top of the sand dune, he seemed to have exhausted all his remaining strength. His originally tall body could no longer support his own weight. After embedding the flag in the sand, he knelt down on one knee.

Zhang Ge became the last person to meet his eyes. When his brother beside him cut the straps between the broken arm and the flagpole, his body, which had already lost its vital signs, finally fell to the ground and prostrated itself in the desert.

victory.

This word, which should have been passionate, was like the countless yellow sands in the desert, appearing inconspicuously and silently in the hearts of both parties.

Then, after identification, the brief meeting between the two sides ended, without any further communication other than eye contact.

The sound of artillery fire was still ringing, the battle was not yet completely over, and they all had their own things to do.

However, after the two sides joined forces, the battle had basically entered its final stage. The two combined forces cut off and surrounded a large number of remaining cultists, and then crushed them inch by inch.

Although it took some time, this tactic minimized the Empire's losses as the enemy lost a large number of heavy weapons.

Finally, after several days and nights of fierce fighting, the cultists originally affiliated with the Iron Warriors in the Dead Forest Festival area and around the outer wall were defeated, and the threat was reduced to a controllable range.

Most of the subsequent missions were handed over to PDF, allowing the Astra Militarum, which had been in high-intensity combat for a long time, to rest and recuperate.

However, Zhang Ge was not among those who got a break.

Due to the great contributions made by him and the First Mechanized Infantry Regiment under his command, Zhang Ge was invited to attend the triumphal ceremony as a colonel as an exception.

Those who were in the same column with him were either generals, powerful nobles, or simply armored space marines.

However, when the ceremony officially began, during the street parade, for some reason, many of the cheers from the people on both sides were not directed at the bigwigs, but instead were directed at him... His fame seemed to spread faster than he had imagined?

Standing on the volcanic cannon held horizontally by the Warlord Titan, feeling the tremors and silence after each step, and looking down at his colleagues who were just leaning out on vehicles like the Leman Russ, Zhang Ge pondered this puzzling question.

Who knows? Maybe it’s because I, Zhang Ge, am good-looking. Apart from that, aren’t everyone’s configurations the same?

After accepting this conclusion with peace of mind, the ceremony quickly came to an end as time passed.

It was a circular square.

The guards isolated the crowd in the outer circle, while a large number of senior officers and nobles stood in the inner circle.

In the very center, there stood a huge monument. It was a simple polyhedron, even taller than the warrior Titan who was standing there at the moment.

At the foot of the monument, a representative was reading aloud. The achievements of each outstanding unit were recited word for word, and then amplified to the entire square through the sound array. At the same time, several servo skulls were flying, and as the voice sounded, the originally smooth surface of the monument was engraved with inscriptions using lasers.

Although he spoke slowly, since most of the troops' achievements were mentioned in just one sentence, it wasn't long before Zhang Ge heard the name of the corps under his command.

"The 1st Akauran Mechanized Infantry Regiment, composed of..."

First came a long string of titles that Zhang Ge himself didn't know where they came from, and then there was a personal introduction that was exaggerated.

No, I won’t mention things like “the savior of a certain family” or “a man of integrity and fortitude”, but how dare you add words like ascetic?

And why is it that he talks for so long now? He has said such a long list but hasn’t even finished the introduction?

Zhang Ge felt a little embarrassed as he listened, but he couldn't do anything else. He was standing on the Titan's main gun, which was too high and too conspicuous. He could only silently hope in his heart that this public execution would end quickly.

However, what I didn't expect was that compared with the introduction of his achievements, his personal profile was actually quite concise.

They didn't even count the big battles, but recorded every little thing, like the killing of an enemy Space Marine or the destruction of a super-heavy tank in a small battle. And if a tactical squad had three or four Space Marines, they would record it three or four times separately, without missing a single one.

This was awkward, because Olivia was under Zhang Ge's command, so they also counted the Titan's battle record in the 1st Mechanized Infantry Regiment. Then, according to this way of counting, only the time when Olivia raided the enemy's super-heavy tank unit's base would be counted.

At present, the battle records of ordinary Star Army regiments are calculated by sentence, and what made Zhang Ge a little unbearable was that he watched the man reading from the parchment, turning the page and pausing at the end - at that moment, Zhang Ge thought it was finally over - but the next sentence he said was still the content of the First Mechanized Infantry Regiment.

Yes, they calculate it by page.

However, everything has an end. After what seemed like a lifetime to Zhang Ge, the chanting finally came to an end.

This made Zhang Ge regain some spirits. With a sympathetic attitude, he planned to listen to which group could perform better than his own.

"Imperial Fists..."

Okay, okay, that’s the order, right? You know how to create the effect.