Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 411 Economic Dilemma
In the previous war, the Blood Knights, with their martyr-like mentality, caused the sacrifice of a large number of their men, including the former Chapter Master, on the Kherson III.

Now all they can leave behind is a single company.

“We only had three companies to defend Bal,” Amit finally said. “Only one company remained, but every one of them was a veteran who had been tested by blood and fire.”

In fact, the situation of the rippers is slightly better, but not much better.

After leaving three companies behind, they could only send four companies back to reinforce Bar. Of the three companies left behind, two were mostly new recruits.

Chen Xi silently looked at the two battle commanders in front of him, both covered in wounds.

Both warbands suffered heavy losses in this relatively short expedition.

He knew better than anyone that he could not possibly stop these offspring of the Holy Blood Angels from returning to their home planet.

“Go.” In the end, Chen Xi made the decision. “Return to Baal with my blessings and tell Commander Dante that Rostov thanks the Son of Saint Gilles for his help and that we will hold our ground.”
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“Chen Xi,” Guterres said, his brow furrowed and his voice filled with obvious worry, “With the main force of two battle groups being transferred away like this, our forces will be stretched thin.”

He looked directly at the other person and analyzed the situation frankly: "I understand your reasoning for letting the Blood Knight and the Flesh Tearer go back. If I were in that situation, I might do the same."

But the reality is, without these two main forces, we'll likely be unable to defend many areas that require heavy troop deployment, and it will be extremely difficult.

Chen Xi's gaze remained focused on the suspended star map projection, the territory composed of light dots reflected in his eyes.

He calmly pointed to several undeveloped star systems on the star map with his finger: "How about this, pick two planets with sufficient resources and suitable conditions and allocate them to the Blood Knights and the Flesh Tearers as recruitment worlds for them to rebuild their forces."

Seeing that Guterres still wanted to say something, he finally raised his head and looked at Guterres: "Let them start recruiting and expanding their army as soon as possible, and help them restore their organization as much as possible before the Great Rift completely tears open."

This matter requires your attention and coordination. Ask them what their specific requirements are, and if their requests are reasonable, try your best to meet them within our capabilities.

"As for the daily patrols and clearing missions in the sub-sector, I will have the Ash Knights take charge of them first." He looked at Guterres and emphasized, "You and Deathwatch also need to take on more responsibility and fill any gaps that may be left."

As he spoke, Chen Xi straightened up, looked at his two friends, and sighed, "In the next twenty years, we must solidify the economic foundation of the sub-sector and build it into a self-sufficient pocket empire to ensure that we can protect ourselves when the Great Rift opens!"

Her mechanical prosthetic eye, number 32, flashed red light as she hesitated before asking, "Twenty years... can we really complete these missions?"

A holographic projection unfolded a complex set of calculation formulas in front of her: "According to my precise calculations, even using the most optimistic estimation model, it will take at least fifty standard Terra years for the two warbands to fully restore their organization and combat effectiveness."

"Whether we have enough time or not, we have to do our best!" Chen Xi shook his head with a wry smile.

Guterres sighed heavily and pulled up a worrying set of data projections: "Currently, we only have a Titan Legion that is still being formed, with three battle groups on the surface, and more than thirty planets that can be developed."

He paused, and the numbers on the projection screen turned a glaring red: "But the budget is already in dire straits. This expedition has been devastating to the economy. Even if we can still get some material aid from the Empire under the guise of the expedition, we must be extremely careful with every penny from now on."

"Tightening your belt is better than not having the life to enjoy it." Chen Xi spread his hands with a wry smile. The holographic projection in front of him kept flashing warnings of deficits in various resource indicators of the sub-sector. He turned to 32: "What we lack most now is population and resources. We'll have to work hard to get these."

The mechanical prosthetic eye of 32 flashed a dangerous red light. She stretched out her mechanical fingers and quickly operated on the holographic keyboard. Data streams rolled rapidly in front of her eyes: "If you don't mind, I can use the life womb technology of the Mechanical Teachings to mass-produce a batch of basic labor force."

While we can't say we'll meet all the demand, we can at least fill 30% of the labor shortage.

She paused for a moment, and the projection immediately switched to scans of several mineral-rich planets, with various mineral vein markers flashing in the 3D images: "As for the resources... even if we adopt the most radical mining methods and blast open the entire planet to mine, it will take at least five years to form a stable output from mining to smelting to putting it into use."

Moreover, this can only fill part of the gap; we still need to import a large amount of mineral resources.

Chen Xi stared at the flashing data, his brows furrowed.

It might sound acceptable, but five years is actually quite slow to achieve stable mineral production.

Guterres suddenly suggested, "Wait! How about we get a few STCs to exchange for resources with the Cult of Mechanics? We've already gotten a lot of exchange points from the previous campaign missions. We should be able to get some cheap STCs to fool the Cult of Mechanics and get some construction resources, right?"

32’s mechanical prosthetic eye flickered slightly. She nodded in agreement with Guterres’s suggestion, but her tone was cautious: “It’s possible… provided you’re not afraid that those mechanical enthusiasts from the Mechanical Cult will get carried away and come asking you where you got so many STCs.”

As a mechanical sage, she knew better than anyone the extent of her colleagues' fervor for STC.

Chen Xi stroked his chin and pondered for a long time, the light from the holographic projection casting shifting shadows on his face: "For now, we should try our best to develop all the planets in the sub-sector."

He raised his head, looked at his two friends, and after considering for a moment, said seriously: "As for the matter of exchanging resources with STC... it can be done, but don't make a big fuss about it."

Just get one and replace it with a new batch of resources; as for more... let's play it safe for now.

"As long as you have a good understanding, then let's leave it at that for now!" Guterres nodded.

Suddenly, 32's mechanical prosthetic eye flickered violently and emitted a soft buzzing sound: "Speaking of which..."

Her voice held a hint of hesitation, and an unnatural fluctuation appeared in her mechanical tone: "There's still a Grey Knight in Rostov, isn't there?"

This unexpected problem caused a brief disruption to the holographic projection in the command room, instantly changing the atmosphere.

(End of this chapter)