Chapter 414: The Iron Scourge

Regiment is about to head to the Iron Ring.

What kind of place is this?

To truly understand the full picture of the Iron Belt, you first need to know the history of this area. This area, which contains countless stars, is famous for the clustering of forge worlds. These Mechanicus territories are scattered across many star systems. Their huge demand for ancillary industries such as agricultural worlds has made other planets more or less connected to these forge worlds.

Under these circumstances, it is understandable to think that the Steel Ring Belt is united, but this is not the case.

Most of the Forge Worlds here existed long before the Age of Strife, and in the following thousands of years, they were completely isolated and had no idea of ​​what was happening outside their own mechanical empire. This environment caused each Forge World to write its own history, and in the main theme of bloodshed and sacrifice, the contradictions between them, who were originally of the same origin, became increasingly serious.

It was not until the Great Crusade launched by the Human Empire and entered the Pacific and Storm Segments that these already very different Forge Worlds were connected. After learning of each other's existence, the Human Empire and the Iron Ring naturally formed an alliance.

This alliance was undoubtedly mutually beneficial. On the one hand, the various forge worlds in the Iron Belt were able to embrace the knowledge and power of the entire Empire. On the other hand, the Empire also gained a number of new Titan legions that could be used to continue its outward expansion.

In the early days of the alliance, the Titan Legions of various Forge Worlds advanced rapidly along with the Space Marine expeditionary fleets. They attacked and exterminated various non-human alien civilizations, and defeated those human regimes that were unwilling to submit to the Empire and Mars. In the process, various forces in the Iron Belt gained a large amount of territory and wealth. All historical problems within the Iron Belt were overshadowed by the benefits brought by the Great Crusade.

But no one will easily forget the wars that took place in their homeland. The old enemies and feuds that once tore apart their homeland are now called allies and united under one flag, which has sown the seeds of division in the Iron Belt.

Then, the Horus Heresy broke out.

The Iron Belt naturally split into two factions, oh no, three factions: the loyalists who supported the Emperor, the rebels who supported the Warmaster, and the independent faction "The Indomitable Iron Empire" who supported neither side and only wanted independence. The three forces started a big melee, and eventually, as the rebels across the galaxy fled to the Eye of Terror, the Titan Legion loyal to the Emperor took over the Iron Belt again, and the area returned to the embrace of the Empire again.

This is the "Steel Disaster" campaign.

It lasted throughout the Horus Heresy, starting at the end of the Great Crusade and ending at the end of the Heresy.

However! This battle, known as the "Iron Disaster", did not end with a bang, but quietly withdrew from the stage of history: the loyalists suppressed the rebels to the Forge World of High Valia, and just as they surrounded the galaxy and were about to deal the final blow to the rebels, the rebel forces disappeared inexplicably in a way that could not be explained by common sense.

In the end, only an empty and uninhabited galaxy was left. The ten planets in the galaxy turned into dead worlds without any signs of life. The fortresses were empty, the fortress cities disappeared without a trace, and only industrial ruins were left.

In other words, there was no final winner in this war. The loyalists regained lost territory, and the rebels took away the main force - both sides achieved their respective strategic goals.

The Horus Heresy was over.

But the Iron Disaster did not truly end, and this result could not in the least comfort the lives that were ravaged and destroyed by the artillery fire of the Titan Legion and its affiliated forces.

Small-scale conflicts still occur in the Iron Belt, civil wars tear the planets apart, and opportunists are active in trying to get ahead. Hundreds of worlds are affected by the war, and they are gradually declining in the confrontation between themselves and their enemies. The blood of billions of lives has stained every pair of armored hands.

The above is the current situation of the Steel Ring Belt.

Judging from the wording in Terra's transfer order.

The group of Dark Mechanicus who escaped back then.

It seems... it's back again?

...

This time, Qingshan Khan brought out the main force of the Iron Pagoda Regiment in full force. The naval force included a battle barge, three strike cruisers and a bunch of imperial transport ships. Only one strike cruiser was left to guard the Marcus King Star area.

The Marsk King Star Region is located on the frontier of the empire. Although the star region is large, it is sparsely populated. At most, there is only one conscription world, one forging world, one hive world and one agricultural world, and they are located in different star systems.

One company and one strike cruiser are enough.

The Forge World of Atar Median.

The headquarters of the loyalist Adeptus Mechanicus in the Iron Belt.

It is now a gathering place for anti-insurgency forces from all sides.

As soon as the Iron Pagoda Regiment's fleet emerged from the warp at Mandeville Point on the edge of the galaxy, it was discovered by patrol warships monitoring the vicinity. After confirming their identities, a Cobra-class destroyer guided the Emperor-class battleship and the three heavy cruisers following behind it to the Forge World Airport.

The 1.5-kilometer-long Cobra-class destroyer, sailing in front of the 12-kilometer-long Emperor-class battleship, is like a tiny tadpole swimming in front of a pike, very inconspicuous.

From the various warship paint jobs, it can be seen that the airport of the Forge World of Atar Median is already crowded with fleets from various chapters. They are all troops dispatched by the Ministry of Militaria to assist in suppressing the rebellion, as well as Titan legions from other Forge Worlds. It seems that the Mechanicus also attaches great importance to the Iron Ring, perhaps even more than Terra.

The arrival of the Supremacy caused some commotion at the airport. This kind of giant battleship, which has been discontinued, is really rare. Although they don't know that this is an empty shell of an aircraft carrier without fighter planes, it doesn't stop them from being envious.

Fleet docking completed.

Fu Qinghai led his men down the docking channel and came to the deck of the airport. Several imperial officials and technical priests were waiting there. They bowed and said:

"Please follow me, my lord."

…

The Iron Ring War Zone Command Center is a large conference room that was temporarily converted from the Foundry Temple.

Fu Qinghai entered the conference room alone and found that many Space Marines were already there. In addition to the Space Marines, there were also officers of the Imperial Guard and sages of the Mechanicus. They were whispering to each other.

"You are late, Chapter Master of the Iron Pagoda."

A deep female voice sounded.

Fu Qinghai turned his head and saw a woman wearing Ignatus power armor, with a black cloak draped behind her. The hood covered half of her face and a few strands of hair hung down.

A female Inquisitor?

Ignatus-type power armor, a special power armor for Inquisitors, which Fu Qinghai had seen on Terra.

"Subspace navigation, you know that."

Fu Qinghai explained casually.

Then he asked,

"Excuse me, who are you?"

The woman lifted her hood, revealing a middle-aged face. She had smooth caramel-colored skin. Objectively speaking, her facial features were delicate and pretty, but her eyes were too deep and sharp. That look felt like a sharp knife piercing straight into the heart.

"Sid Nora, Grand Inquisitor of the Order of the Holy Hammer."

The woman was concise and authentic.

No wonder I always felt uncomfortable when she was looking at me. It turned out that she was an inquisitor from the Demonic Tribunal, and almost all inquisitors were psychics.

"Hello, Your Excellency the Inquisitor."

Fu Qinghai extended his hand politely.

"Hello, Qingshan Nayanhan."

The Inquisitor held out his hand and shook it.

Oh? Fu Qinghai raised his eyebrows slightly.

On his way here, some people called him "Captain Qingshan", some called him "Your Excellency the Captain", and only this inquisitor called him by the correct title.

Qingshan Nayanhan.

This shows that this woman has some knowledge of the Fifth Legion, and knows some cultural traditions unique to the Chogris, as well as the names and titles specific to the White Scars.

This actually attracted Fu Qinghai's favor.

Fu Qinghai was half a body taller than the Inquisitor, but she remained neither humble nor overbearing when standing in front of the ceramic steel giant. Seeing the Space Marine's surprised look, the woman's lips curled up into a smile, it seemed that she had done some homework in advance.

Fu Qinghai sat down and asked casually:

"So, what is the situation now? Is there no top military commander in this war zone?"

There was some chaos in the meeting room.

There are people from every military system in the empire.

"Yes, Imperial Guard Marshal Hexu Luo serves as the highest military commander of the Iron Belt War Zone."

Sid Nora sat down diagonally behind Fu Qinghai, crossed his arms and said calmly:

"He will be here soon."

Just as he finished speaking, a white-haired old man in military uniform and with a solemn expression walked slowly into the room.

Hey, Hexu Luo?

Fu Qinghai had heard of this name.

The author of the later "Beginner's Guide to the Imperial Infantry" seems to be the Imperial Guard Marshal in front of him.

"A Beginner's Guide to the Imperial Infantryman" can be regarded as the Imperial Guard version of the "Codex Astartes". Every Guard soldier has a copy, but its actual guiding significance is much stronger than that of the "Codex Astartes". It covers all aspects of the Imperial Guard's daily combat: rules and regulations and organizational structure; instructions for the use of issued weapons, instruments and other equipment; basic battlefield tactics; basic medical skills; strategies for dealing with the enemies of the Empire, etc.

The Grand Marshal of the Imperial Guard who could write such an instruction manual must not be an incompetent mediocre person.

GW once published a physical book called "Beginner's Guide to the Imperial Infantry", which uses a humorous but serious tone to supplement the daily combat details of the Imperial Guard, and also contains some Soviet-style Warhammer 40K political metaphor jokes, which is quite interesting.

It's a bit like "One Article a Week".

So Fu Qinghai was quite impressed.

"Who's that person next to you?"

Fu Qinghai continued to ask.

"The Sage Ruler, Hieronymus Gant, is also one of the highest military commanders in the theater, responsible for the actual command of the Mechanicus forces. He is very familiar with the Iron Belt."

Sid Nora answered patiently.

"The Supreme Commander is a mortal, haha."

A disdainful sneer came from the side.

Fu Qinghai turned his head and looked over.

He is a Space Marine wearing dark red power armor.

No way, no way? What kind of antique is this? The Legion has been split for so long, what's so strange about a mortal officer commanding a Space Marine? Do you think you are still living in the Legion era of the Astartes? Fu Qinghai thought to himself.

As if sensing Fu Qinghai's gaze, the Space Marine turned around, nodded and said:

"Clifford, Bloodthirster Chapter."

"Qingshan, Iron Pagoda Regiment."

After Fu Qinghai introduced himself, he asked tentatively:

"A successor group of the Blood Angels?"

"You have a good eye."

The Chapter Master replied calmly:

"We are indeed the children of Sanguinius."

After saying that, he raised his hand and pointed at the opposite side:

"Look, the Flesh Tearers are over there."

Wow, two Blood Angels sub-groups came at once.

From the second founding of the army in 31K to the extreme founding of the army in 42K, the Astartes Adeptus had seen more than a thousand chapters. Some of them were short-lived and disappeared, while others flourished and stood firm. To be honest, Fu Qinghai could not remember who was who.

But he knew the basics.

Any chapter named "XX Angel" is either a daughter chapter of the Blood Angels or a daughter chapter of the Dark Angels. At the same time, because the High Lords' Council does not allow the use of the gene-seed of the Dark Angels to establish daughter chapters, the latter has fewer daughter chapters. It is almost always a good guess to guess that it is the Blood Angels.

Although the Bloodthirsters and Flesh Tearers do not conform to this rule, their dark red power armor, as well as the blood drops, wings, and Holy Grail symbols on their shoulder armor...

One hundred percent Blood Angels successor.

Fu Qinghai thought that he had to let the brothers in the regiment stay away from these guys later, to prevent the "blood thirst" and "black rage" from breaking out at the same time and attacking them indiscriminately without distinguishing between friend and foe.

Perhaps because the Dark Angels were very disobedient and the High Lords Council did not like them, they banned the use of Dark Angel gene-seed to create daughter clusters. However, the Dark Angel gene-seed was actually very easy to use, and the genes of several daughter clusters that were forcibly split despite Terra's protests were very stable without any mutations.

On the contrary, there are many fragments of the Blood Angels, but almost every fragment has inherited the "bloodthirst" and "black rage", which poses huge hidden dangers, but the High Lords Council does not care about these.

"I am a descendant of the White Scars."

Fu Qinghai also briefly introduced himself.

The Chapter Master of the Bloodthirsters nodded in understanding.

In the center of the auditorium, Grand Marshal Hexu Luo was describing his strategic plan, narrating in a serious manner:

"In this battle, I will use the Titan Legion as the main ground force, the Imperial Guard Corps as the ground auxiliary force, and the Astartes Regiment to fully cooperate with the Imperial Navy Fleet to participate in the outer boarding battle and seize orbital air supremacy..."

The first thing to make clear is that

the Titan Legion is the main force.

Even the most rebellious Astartes Chapter Captain did not raise any objection to this arrangement.

A war of the titans is a war of the titans.

Even the smallest Knight-class Titan in the Titan Legion is far more powerful than any Space Marine or Dreadnought. Apart from orbital bombardment, the only thing that can deal with a Titan Legion is another Titan Legion.

If the Space Marines want to compete with the Titan Legion, forget it unless they are in the Legion Era and are equipped with a large number of heavy armored vehicles or heavy aviation aircraft.

Afterwards, the marshal continued to assign combat missions.

The more Fu Qinghai listened, the more his brows furrowed.

According to the intelligence currently available, the Empire's overall military strength is greater than that of the Dark Mechanicus. And Hexu Luo's tactical arrangement is neat and orderly, step by step, steady and cautious, dividing and encircling the traitors bit by bit, eroding the living space of the traitors. If everything goes well, it can achieve the greatest results at the lowest cost. At first glance, there is almost nothing wrong with it.

The only downside is that it takes a bit long.

The numerous officers present, whether they were Space Marines, Imperial Guards or Imperial Navy, including sages from various Forge Worlds, could not find any fault with such a plan. Everyone listened in silence and no one raised any opinions.

What Fu Qinghai felt was wrong was:

It is not the beginning of the Great Rebellion. Most of the traitors have already hidden in the Eye of Terror. Doesn't the Dark Mechanicus know that their overall military strength is inferior to that of the Human Empire and the Mechanicus? If they knew, why would they dare to actively invade the Iron Ring?

Grand Marshal Hexu Luo's plan.

More or less...

Too slow and too conservative.

Fu Qinghai thought of the ending of the "Steel Disaster".

Perhaps the Dark Mechanicus has no intention of claiming the territorial sovereignty of the Forge Worlds of the Iron Ring?

This is just a guess. We must know the enemy's specific strategic goals in order to make targeted arrangements. If we know what the enemy wants to do, then we can tell him not to do it. What if the enemy doesn't care about the gains and losses of a city or a place?

Then what does the enemy care about?

What does the Dark Mechanicus want?

Fu Qinghai doesn't know.

At this point in time, Abaddon's first Black Crusade has not yet begun, and no one from the Empire has ever been to the Eye of Terror. They don't really know what's going on inside the Eye of Terror, nor the specific needs of the rebels. Based on this situation, Fu Qinghai has a guess:

Suppose, assuming that the strategic goal of the Dark Mechanicus is to grab a wave of resources and run away without any other plans, then this current steady and solid territorial recovery plan, which is arranged according to past experience, is exactly what the enemy wants.

Finally, the ending of "Steel Disaster" is repeated.

The traitors got what they wanted.

The empire also recovered lost territory.

After a war, both sides are happy?

No, it can't be like this, and it shouldn't be like this.

Fu Qinghai frowned and shook his head slowly.

This is not the way to fight a war.

From 31K to 42K, during the ten thousand years, Abaddon launched a total of thirteen Black Crusades, which Chaos called the "Eternal War". Each time, Abaddon was driven back to the Eye of Terror, but the Chaos Warmaster was very stubborn and insisted that he had not lost, thus winning the title of "Invincible".

But if we think about it from another perspective, the Empire also claims that it has won every victory in the fight against Chaos, but the Black Legion is getting stronger and stronger... What's going on?

Didn't you win every time?

Then why did your opponent become stronger and stronger?

And you became weaker and weaker?

As a Chinese, Fu Qinghai knew how many grassland regimes outside the Great Wall rose in history.

The human empire...perhaps needs to reflect.

After the combat meeting, the commanders of various Astartes Chapters and Imperial Guard Corps walked out of the venue one by one, ready to join the battle according to the strategic deployment.

"how?"

Sid Nora suddenly came over:

"Do you think there's something wrong with Hexu Luo's strategy?"

Fu Qinghai shook his head and said nothing.

He was not familiar with this demon judge, and they were not very close, so there was no need for him to tell her his thoughts for the time being.

Moreover, although no one quite agrees with the current strategy, there is one point that everyone can agree on - the Titan Legion is the absolute main force in this war. Without Titan units, there is no qualification to participate in the battle on the front battlefield.

But no one knows.

The Iron Pagoda Regiment actually has a Titan...

Fu Qinghai couldn't explain to others why his Astartes Chapter had a Titan? A Titan with an unusually strange shape? Did the Codex Astartes approve it? Did the Adeptus Mechanicus Titan Adeptus approve it?

It's too complicated to explain.

Fu Qinghai did not answer the judge's question.

Instead, he changed the subject and asked her,

"This battle should have been a battle between Titan Legions, and even the Astartes were not the main force. However, the Demonic Inquisition came. Does that mean that there will be dirty things related to psionic energy from the Dark Mechanicus?"

"You are very perceptive, Khan."

Sid Nora nodded and said.

She gave Fu Qinghai a meaningful look and said,

"In fact, it was me who asked the Military Affairs Department to issue the order to send the Iron Pagoda Regiment to the Iron Ring."

"oh?"

Fu Qinghai didn't expect this.

No wonder this woman came up and talked to me.

It turned out that she was the one who applied to be sent to join the war.

Fu Qinghai thought to himself:

The problem is that I didn't provoke the Demonic Inquisition.

"Why?"

Fu Qinghai asked humbly.

"There is no reason. Just because you are a successor of the White Scars, one of the most powerful legions in psychic power after the Thousand Sons, I want to use the power of the Stormseer. I know what you want to ask. Why don't you go directly to Chogris to find the White Scars? Because Jaghatai Khan is leading his chapter to hunt down the Dark Eldar fleet that attacked the Cliff Mountain Sector and has no time to deal with this. At the same time, the Imperial Regent is leading the Ultramarines and all their successors to hunt down the fallen Primarch Fulgrim and has no time to pay attention to the war in the Iron Belt."

Sid Nora said slowly:

"I read in the military department's records that the Iron Pagoda Regiment is a sub-regiment of the White Scars with a good record, so I asked Terra to send you across the star field to the Iron Belt."

It's really far away.

Fu Qinghai didn't understand at first.

Why did they send their own regiment from the Misty Star Domain to the war between the Taiping Star Domain and the Storm Star Domain?

"I'm afraid I have to disappoint you."

Fu Qinghai said rather embarrassedly.

The Iron Pagoda Regiment is unworthy of being called the White Scar Regiment. It has neither Storm Prophets nor an organized think tank unit.

The only high-quality think tank candidate, the future think tank director of the chapter, the battle brother who used Amon's gene seed, is currently studying magic in the Quanzhou Monastery.

We excel in other areas.

Fu Qinghai explained sincerely: Our regiment does not have a think tank. The mediocre skills and magic tricks of No. 56, Sarfran and Karamanda are not worthy of being called a think tank.

"But I don't understand..."

Fu Qinghai then asked:

"Even if you need to deal with issues related to psychic energy and demons, you shouldn't come to us. That legendary Chapter 666, hasn't it already..."

"How do you know about the 666th Regiment?!"

Sid Nora was shocked when he heard this.

During the Second Founding of the Army, in addition to the well-known chapters such as the Black Templars, Crimson Fists, Nova Marines, and Scarlet Angels, a secret chapter code-named "Chapter 666" was quietly established.

It is the famous...

Grey Knights Chapter.

This is the expert in dealing with demon problems, the armed force directly under the Order of the Holy Hammer, and the first choice of demon inquisitors.

Well...

Seeing Sid Nora react so violently.

Fu Qinghai was also a little stunned.

Are the Grey Knights not yet formed?

But he reacted quickly and said immediately:

"Ms. Sid Nora, what I want to remind you is... I also have connections in Terra."

I

have a very good news channel! Does it matter? Then this relationship is very powerful.

Sid Nora was a little confused.

The Inquisition, the Assassins' Court, and the Grey Knights were all organizations that the Imperial Chancellor had advocated for during his lifetime. He knew about the Grey Knights, and he said he had connections... Could it be that he had connections with Malcador the Sigillite? That connection was too strong!

The former Imperial Regent.

It turns out that the Iron Pagoda Regiment is a hidden relative?

Sid Nora looked a little messy.

Fu Qinghai quickly added:

"You haven't answered my question yet. What kind of demonic problem needs to be handled by the Think Tank?"

"There is no concrete evidence, it's just my guess. Come with me and I'll show you some photos."

Sid Nora whispered.

Fu Qinghai followed the Inquisitor to the airport.

An Imperial Clipper moored on the lower deck.

Walking into the interior of the Imperial Clipper, arriving at an ordinary cabin on the upper deck, Sid Nora closed the hatch, carefully checked it, took out a stack of photos from the drawer, handed them to Fu Qinghai, and said,

"Do you know the final outcome of the 'Iron Disaster' campaign? The Imperial and Martian fleets have surrounded all Mandeville points outside the galaxy where the Supreme Varian Forge World is located, but the rebel forces of the Dark Mechanicus did not break out of the galaxy and disappeared right under their noses."

"Yeah?"

Fu Qinghai was a little surprised when he heard this.

Due to the influence of planetary gravity, it is not possible to make a direct subspace jump inside the galaxy. One must first reach the Mandeville point outside the galaxy before making a subspace jump.

This is basic common sense.

However, what goes against common sense is that

the Dark Mechanicus actually ran away.

Fu Qinghai flipped through the photos in his hand.

"The first troops to land on the surface claimed that they detected no signs of life, only the empty shells of the Dawnstar Titans destroyed in previous battles. The postures of these empty shells looked like they were twisted in great pain, and the frames supporting them formed even more bizarre patterns. Many witnesses almost lost their minds. What happened to High Valia and how they left the system, no one knows."

Sid Nora said in a deep voice.

The Dawnstar Titan Legion was the first Loyal Titan Legion to invade the Forge World of High Valia, but they were unable to wait for follow-up support, and so all perished in the rebel territory. Fu Qinghai looked at the photo in his hand. In the photo, these Loyal Titans were all twisted into a strange posture.

Fu Qinghai is not a demonologist, so he doesn't know what these postures represent. He only knows some basic common sense, such as what the holy numbers of the four evil gods are.

"So, you think they used some kind of sacrifice to forcibly break through the restrictions and make a warp jump?"

Fu Qinghai narrowed his eyes and asked.

"Yes, I think that if the Dark Mechanicus dares to attack the Iron Belt again, they will probably repeat the same trick and use the same method to leave the galaxy again!"

Sid Nora said firmly.

......

　I'm sorry, the new battle needs some planning and preparation, so I delayed the update without realizing it.

(End of this chapter)