Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 334 Guilliman: My Legion Still Has Too Few Men
Terra, the Golden Palace.

Nimrod's psionic projection descended across the void amidst the chanting of the Star Speakers.

As he took his seat, he glanced around at the seating arrangement in the War Council, noting that it had changed somewhat compared to the last time.

To Macardo's right, the two adjacent players were still Horus Lupecal and Fernús Manus, followed by Roger Dorn.

Hannibal stood beside Dorne, the Legion was still recovering, and Forgrim, who had followed Horus, fell behind.

Nimrod was still sitting next to Riemann Ruth, while Robert Guilliman rose rapidly to sit opposite Dorn, with Vorkan beside him.

[As expected, Dorn and Guilliman's speed of conquering the world surpassed that of the other Primarchs.]

Hmm, at the next War Council meeting, I probably won't be accompanied by the Wolf King, whom I loathe.
"Ninglu, how many of your sorcerer brats are left after that great battle?"

“I have more offspring than your wolf cubs,” Nimrod replied coldly, without looking at Russ.

Horus was about to speak to ease the tension when Hannibal spoke first.

"Ninglu, my brother, thank you for the salamander meat you gave me. It was so tender and juicy, I can't forget it."

To increase the chances of obtaining the remaining Astartes of the Second Legion in the future, Nimrod gifted some of the salamander meat he had dismembered to Hannibal and his sons.

[Hmm, what was Hannibal's intention in bringing this up in the War Council?]
Is this implying that I should send some Randan prisoners for him and the Faceless Ones to enjoy?
As Ninglu was making his guesses, Ruth, who had won a competitive eating contest, spoke in a rough and boisterous tone.

"Hannibal, you like to eat, and I like to eat too. How about we have an eating contest?"

“I have no interest in competing with you. I prefer enjoying good food to wolfing it down.” Hannibal maintained his elegant smile and refused decisively.

"Ruth, if you want to compete, I'll compete with you." Horus maintained his elder brother image and tried to ease the tension.

Nimrod keenly sensed Horus's hidden true emotions, as well as the loathing most people felt towards him.

He knew that Guilliman respected Ruth among the people present, but the two did not get along well due to communication barriers.

Old Man Huang made the right choice by entrusting Horus with the work of his good brother; Horus is truly working hard to reconcile the Primarchs.

Horus and Rus did not truly connect; their relationship was merely superficially harmonious, but maintaining this state was sufficient for Old Man Huang.

From what he said to Horus and to his arrangements, it is clear that he encouraged competition among the Primarchs to accelerate the expedition.
As Ning Lu pondered, the door opened, and the Mars Foundry Director stepped into the golden palace at the last minute and twelfth second, just as he was about to enter.

Finally, Old Man Huang and Constantine Waldo appeared. After everyone bowed, the War Council began.

After the emperor took his seat, he looked at Ning Lu and asked a question.

"How is the battle at Spin-Moors?"

“My lord,” Nimrod reported, “all the aliens in Spiral-Morse have been purified.”

The emperor smiled and said, "Ninglu, you have indeed not disappointed me."

"Tell me about it, I think everyone is curious."

Nimrod looked around at the crowd and noticed that Horus, Manus, Guilliman, and Hannibal had gleaming eyes, showing obvious interest.

Ruth leaned back in his chair, seemingly uninterested.

"In this battle, my legion deployed more than 70,000 Shadow Order soldiers, who came from the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, and Eleventh Battle Groups and two companies from the First Battle Group."

Ning Lu did not give a specific number, but spoke vaguely.

Manus and Guilliman simultaneously began calculating based on the intelligence they had on the 11th Legion: [[Each chapter of the "Shadow of Order" should have more than 10,000 men.]]

The 11th Army Corps recruited the most men in Vostonia, exceeding 20,000. Its total corps size before the war should have been between 130,000 and 140,000.
After obtaining the figures, Guilliman couldn't help but feel that his legion was still too small.

The Thirteenth Army suffered heavy losses in the suppression of the Osiris rebellion, and although Nimrod came to its rescue in time, only 20,000 men remained.

Of Guilliman’s followers, 30,000 successfully underwent the modification surgery.

Terrans, who were out of step with the Legion's culture, were assigned to the 22nd Warband, specifically tasked with carrying out extermination orders.

Including them, there are now only 53,800 people, less than half of the 11th Legion.

Although it took only three years to develop the Thirteenth Army Corps to its current state, which is only less than the four corps of the brothers who returned earlier—the Eleventh, Sixteenth, Tenth, and Sixth Corps—Guilliman was not satisfied.

[I must quicken my pace, conquer more worlds, and train more warriors.]
Guilliman thought of more worlds, and he thought of Tarasa. Of the twelve star systems and twenty-six worlds he conquered in his first expansion, Tarasa was impeccable in terms of resources, population, industrial base, and location.

Tarasa could have been a strategic pivot for expansion, but he missed it and has yet to find a comparable one.

While Guilliman was pondering, Nimrod had already briefly finished his account.

"More than five thousand people died in this battle."

"Although the aliens in Spiral-Morse have been cleansed, through interrogation and other means, it is possible that the aliens in this system are only a part of this force."

The emperor's golden eyes were deep, and he remained silent.

Ning Lu waited a few seconds before continuing.

"A new anomaly has emerged in the northern part of the Milky Way."

"The traveling merchant Lewis von Valentius has discovered an evil alien kingdom called Metu in the northeastern part of the galaxy."

"..."

Nimrod presented the prepared materials to the members of the War Council.

The one who held the seal frowned. "The Empire must completely eradicate this tyrannical alien force and bring light to the hundreds of billions of enslaved humans."

"The Eleventh Legion has suffered heavy losses and should no longer be responsible for large-scale battles," Dorn said directly. "My Legion will deliver a heavy blow to the aliens."

Nimrod knew that Dorn spoke frankly and had no aversion to it.

Before he could speak, Horus said, "The First Legion is eager for a chance to prove itself."

The emperor looked at his Pegasus and asked.

"Ninhlu, in the battle of Spiral-Morse, you only deployed six battle groups and two companies of the First Battle Group. Do you still have the capability to continue fighting?"

Ninglu knew that Old Man Huang wanted to hand over the Mitu people to him, which suited his own thoughts perfectly.

The arcane technology of the Mitu people, the mineral resources of the Klonid Star Sector, and the Vironi Knights are all rewards that can be obtained.

And there's the world of Mezoa, the Macabius of Baroda, and the Knights of Ventos...
"My lord, my legions are capable of purifying the Mitu aliens."

"But I am also willing to give Urian Bendreig the opportunity to prove that he has the ability to serve as the commander of the First Army Corps."

He could deploy the Fourteenth Army Corps at his own discretion, and with the First Army Corps, there were nearly 70,000 troops, so he didn't need to send out the entire corps.

"Ben Dreg would be pleased to hear this news. The First Legion will accept your leadership and punish the Mitu aliens."

The emperor made the final decision, and Ninglu glanced at Dorn, his expression remaining calm.

"I will follow your command."

"Everyone else leave, Ninglu, you stay."

Ning Lu didn't know why Old Man Huang had asked him to stay, and he remained in the Golden Hall with these questions in mind.

"Ninglu, your legion needs time to assemble. Before you set out, come with me to bring your brothers back."

"The Fifteenth Army is under your command, but they are in crisis. It is time for their father to return."

Ninglu understood what Huang Laohan meant by "it's time"; he already knew that Magnus had fallen in Prospero and its location.

Magnus is unique among the Primarchs; he possesses the highest psychic talent and has maintained psychic communication with Old Man Huang.

If Horus was the Primarch of Genesis that Huang Laohan had kept by his side the longest on the surface, Alphareis was the one he actually kept by his side the longest, and Magnus was the one he communicated with the most.

As for why Magnus wasn't welcomed back before, it might be because of the obstruction caused by subspace storms.

After learning about Guilliman's news in Espando, Huang Laohan's voyage was disrupted by a sudden subspace storm, causing him to deviate from his course.

Of course, it's also possible that Old Man Huang had some considerations.

[Hmm, going to Prospero with Old Man Huang might be a good idea. I can exchange ideas with Magnus about psionic energy and the ten layers of mental states he created, and also get some auxiliary materials for the "Chaos Mentor"—Soul-Eating Bees.]
"As you wish."

(End of this chapter)