Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 248 War Gains
Although the Necromancers' dynasty is about to awaken, it will take the Imperial Navy some time to gather and analyze the reconnaissance intelligence scattered across various star sectors.

These scattered pieces of information from different reconnaissance fleets, detection arrays, and border outposts are like jigsaw puzzle pieces that need to be carefully compared and verified in order to piece together complete battlefield intelligence.

Moreover, the expeditionary force, having just experienced a major battle, also needed time to rest and recuperate.

Even though Chen Xi had arranged for them to take a break in stages, and the previous attacks were basically a steady and solid advance, there would inevitably be losses once they entered the battlefield.

Every battle drains the soldiers' strength and willpower; even the most elite troops need a chance to breathe.

Moreover, the fierce fighting also caused some units to become disorganized.

On the battlefield filled with the smoke of gunpowder, some fell behind while covering their comrades, some got separated from the main force while pursuing the enemy, and some wandered into unknown areas during the chaotic transfer. In any case, it would take some time for them to rejoin their units.

Meanwhile, logistical work such as replenishing various weapons and ammunition, repairing and maintaining equipment, and treating the wounded was also being carried out intensively.

The armored forces' accompanying mechanical priests worked tirelessly through the night in the workshops to repair damaged tanks, the medical stations were overflowing with wounded soldiers awaiting treatment, and transport ships shuttled back and forth between the fleet and the planetary surface to deliver supplies...

Each of these steps is crucial to the unit's ability to maintain combat effectiveness.

It can be said that what happens after the war is over is far more complex and important than the war itself.

The outcome on the battlefield is often just the final result, while what determines this result is the countless trivial yet crucial support work behind the scenes.

In war, as long as the soldiers are willing to fight and the commander is not incompetent, they can generally perform well.

But when it comes to logistics, that's no simple matter.

It requires precise calculations, meticulous planning, and efficient execution; any mistake in any step could lead to catastrophic consequences.

If I had to say, an excellent logistics officer who can manage logistics well is often more important than a general who can win battles.

They are like the invisible pillars that keep the army running, replacing guns and cannons with paper, data, and dispatching, yet they still determine the course of war.

As the old military proverb goes: laymen talk about tactics, experts talk about logistics.

For example, Napoleon, who was regarded by many as one of the world's top military strategists in the 3K era, was able to sweep across Europe largely because of his emphasis on logistics, which ensured that his army had high morale and combat effectiveness.

Chen Xi didn't think he knew much about logistics. Although he was the supreme commander of the expeditionary force, logistics management, which required extreme patience and meticulous thinking, was not a field he was good at.

Moreover, the expeditionary force's logistics system far exceeded the understanding of the 3K era, and its complexity was enough to leave any 3K era military strategist speechless.

The Imperial Navy's Starfleet needs to maintain massive warships, refuel them, and coordinate escort routes; the large number of Astragalus forces need to allocate ordnance, rations, uniforms, and countless trivial but necessary supplies; the even larger but more disorganized Holy War Army is even more troublesome, as they often lack the discipline of regular armies, and their supply needs are varied; as for the Astartes and Battle Sisters, which are smaller in scale but have more complex supply systems, their equipment is excellent but their maintenance costs are extremely high, with dedicated power armor, relic weapons, and special supplies, each requiring dedicated logistics channels.

To do a good job in logistics for each part, one needs an extremely high level of coordination ability. Not only must one have a thorough understanding of the empire’s vast military system, but one must also be able to operate efficiently in the intricate bureaucratic system, and even know how to deal with various factions to ensure that supplies are delivered to the front line on time.

Chen Xi didn't believe he had that ability, but as the supreme commander of the expeditionary force, he didn't need to do everything himself. As long as he showed that he valued logistics, listened to reports regularly, and provided sufficient support to the logistics department, the imperial officers below him would naturally do their jobs well—after all, the empire had no shortage of conscientious bureaucrats and shrewd quartermasters.

That's why Chen Xi had time to take stock of what he had gained in this battle.

After the Graveyard Ship escaped, the battle came to an end, and the experience and points from the Emperor were settled in due course.

However, Chen Xi had many other things to deal with before, so he didn't pay attention to this immediately.

The battle on Donetsk III brought Chen Xi a total of 7000 experience points and 20,000 credits, the most he had ever earned, but the mission evaluation was not high.

"The Emperor is disappointed that you have not accomplished your mission completely. The escaped Tomb Ship will have serious consequences for the Imperial world, and your dereliction of duty will be compensated by the lives of countless loyal warriors of the Emperor."

This is the evaluation displayed by the servo skull, which Chen Xi finds difficult to assess.

However, this is quite in line with the old man's style. When he needs you, he praises you to the skies, but when you fail to satisfy him, he discards you like trash.

For example, his eldest sons—if only he weren't such a scoundrel…

Forget it, Angron, that giant baby, is not within the scope of evaluation, and the remaining few twisted people are not something the old man can handle.

Moreover, Chen Xi was more concerned about how much of a boost he could receive than any of these things.

The 7,000 experience points were his largest gain so far, but they only raised his authority level to IV, not V.

It takes 5,000 experience points to upgrade from level III to level IV. 7,000 points is enough to upgrade, but it is not enough to fill the 10,000 experience points required to upgrade from level IV to level V.

Compared to the experience gained from upgrading, the 20,000 points are the real prize. At least for Chen Xi, he now has the money to redeem the STC spaceborne particle excavator he had his eye on last time.

If Chen Xi were to acquire this item, he dared to say he could amass an army and overwhelm the undead dynasty before him.

Of course, this is on the premise that he has enough time to build the spaceborne particle excavator and then mass produce troops to overwhelm the opponent.

The fear is that before he can even make a move, the Necromancers will have already started mass-producing troops and overwhelm him.

Therefore, instead of exchanging STC for the spaceborne particle excavator, Chen Xi felt that he should first strengthen the expeditionary force to deal with the upcoming offensive of the space necromancers.

We don't need to win the battle, but at least we need to be able to hold off the space necromancers' attack, giving ourselves the opportunity to gather our forces, hold the line, and launch a counterattack.

This requires excellent commanders to lead the army in battle, and Chen Xi felt that the current generals of the expeditionary force were probably not capable of completing this task.

(End of this chapter)