Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 335 Strategic Adjustment
However, Chen Xi shook his head at the suggestion, his voice echoing in the command hall: "We cannot wait for these two alien races to determine a winner."

As soon as Chen Xi spoke, he immediately attracted everyone's attention.

The blue light of the holographic projection shone on his cold and stern face, and his eyes, flashing with psionic energy, swept over every senior officer present.

Someone asked, puzzled, "Commander, why? The expeditionary force has fought this far, and the soldiers are exhausted. We need to rest!"
Furthermore, we need to rebuild our medical facilities to treat the wounded, so we are no longer able to launch an attack in the short term.

The staff officers whispered among themselves, the casualty figures on the data panel were shocking—more than 60% of the Astragalus companies had suffered heavy losses, the armored forces had lost a third of their vehicles, and even the Astartes Chapter had suffered considerable casualties.

The data stream from the Mechanical Cult representative kept flashing warnings of supply shortages, and the medical ship was crowded with wounded soldiers missing limbs.

Chen Xi was certainly aware of this.

"Letting the Necromancers and Orks fight each other to weaken them is certainly not a problem; it's the strategy I devised beforehand." He looked at the officer who asked the question and answered in a steady voice, "The Expeditionary Force can take this opportunity to rest and recover its strength, which is also not a problem."

But then his tone suddenly turned cold: "But it's not appropriate to wait until they've decided who's the winner before dealing with the remaining one."

Chen Xi pulled up real-time battlefield footage. On the shattered planetary wreckage, the greens were evolving wildly—their armor was becoming thicker, their weapons were significantly more powerful, and even their size was increasing at a visible rate.

“If the Necromancers win, that’s fine,” Chen Xi said, pointing to the Necromancer technology in the picture that had been completely transformed by the Greenskins. “But if the Greenskins win, we will have to face Greenskins that are even more terrifying than we are now.”

His voice carried an undeniable certainty: "You should know that the characteristic of orcs is that they become stronger the more they fight."

"So, Commander, what do you mean?" The Astral Army's lord general stood up, his medals gleaming under the lights. He looked at Chen Xi with a probing gaze, while also subtly revealing his dissatisfaction.

As a decorated commander of the Astronautical Army, he knew all too well what continuing the offensive meant—it would be filling this bottomless pit with the lives of countless Astronautical soldiers.

The atmosphere in the command hall immediately became heavy.

Although the high command of the expeditionary force understood Chen Xi's meaning—that the Greenskins could indeed grow stronger with each battle—continuing the offensive would only result in the deaths of the Astragalus Army and other ground forces.

As the Lord General of the Star Guard, he naturally harbored some resentment.

Chen Xi sensed this emotion, but he did not back down.

"The expeditionary force should rest and recuperate, replenishing those who need to be replenished and reorganizing those who need to be reorganized, so that the troops can regain their combat effectiveness as soon as possible." His finger traced a circle on the star map, encircling the shattered planetary debris: "But recuperation is not retreat—we need to eliminate both of these alien races before they decide a victor!"

This bold proposal caused an uproar in the command center.

Before anyone could object, Chen Xi continued, "I have already contacted the State Church, and they will send more combat nuns to assist us. At the same time, the Mechanicus has promised to complete the emergency deployment of two Warlord-class Titans within three weeks."

His gaze swept over each commander. "This is not a request, it is an order! By the Emperor, we must stop the Greenskins from using this war to evolve and expand, no matter the cost."

The Astral Army's lord's expression shifted repeatedly, but finally, under Chen Xi's unwavering gaze, he slowly raised his right hand and gave a crisp military salute: "Yes, Commander. For the Emperor!"

The moment he uttered those words, it seemed as if all his strength had been drained away, yet they also carried the resolute determination unique to a soldier.
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Chen Xi's orders spread swiftly throughout the entire expeditionary force like thunder. As the instructions were relayed down through the ranks, the intense artillery fire at the front gradually subsided, and the various units began an orderly withdrawal for rest and reorganization.

After repeated surveys, the General Staff finally selected a mild-climate, ecologically friendly planet as the new medical center.

In just three days, hundreds of transport ships transferred tens of thousands of wounded soldiers from various battlefields to this location.

The newly built medical dome rises from the planet's surface, equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and ample drug reserves, with thousands of medical nuns and medical officers working day and night to treat the wounded.

In the rear reorganization area, troops whose formations had been broken up are undergoing large-scale reorganization.

Chen Xi personally signed the order to dismantle and reorganize the elite forces of the Holy War Army and the Rostov Defense Army.

These experienced veterans were assigned to various regiments of the Star Guardians, in platoons and squads, to replenish the troops that had suffered heavy losses.

Although this practice of mixing units across legions seriously violated the relevant regulations of the Astronautical Army, officers at all levels could only turn a blind eye during the critical period of war.

For the Astronautical Army, which had lost more than half of its troops, being able to receive reinforcements was already a blessing; they dared not hope for more.

Not to mention that these new recruits are all veterans who have experienced the ravages of war, making them extremely valuable talents even to the Star Guardians.

Regarding the Mechanicus, the Rustblade Legion is now officially incorporated into the Expeditionary Force's operational order and, under Chen Xi's orders, has been dispersed into three combat groups, each reinforced by one of the three commanders.

They reorganized their forces in Kharkiv, forming three spearheads to prepare for the next offensive.

Meanwhile, a transport fleet from Mars brought exciting reinforcements—two brand-new General-class Titans arrived in Rostov, their gleaming armor shining brightly under the stars.

Even more excitingly, the accompanying High Sage also brought a permit from the Martian Council bearing a divine seal: approving the formation of a brand-new Titan Legion in Rostov.

These two Warlord-class Titans, along with the several Warhound-class Titans that Chen Xi originally possessed, formed the backbone of this new legion.

As for the other Titans in this new legion, they will have to wait for deployment from Mars.

Clearly, the Martian side also knows that there is currently a Titan Legion under Chen Xi's command, and they will not give him a second legion.

This new legion is currently just a formality; it won't receive enough replacements until the Rustblade Legion withdraws from the battle.

Although Chen Xi and the Mechanical Education side did not reach a consensus on this point and had not communicated about it, there was still a tacit understanding between the two sides.

Of course, apart from the Titan machine, the Titan Legion had no shortage of other supporting equipment. The corresponding Titan guards and pilot families were also assigned to Rostov.

(End of this chapter)