I summoned the Fourth Scourge in Warhammer

Chapter 237 Friendship Forged in War (This is a bonus chapter for those who vote for monthly tickets and is unrelated to the main storyline; you can read it or not)

Inside Plantim's strategic command center, Maneus Calga, the Lord of Macragge, gazed silently at the blue light flowing across the data panel in his hand. The cold light illuminated his weathered face, and his prosthetic eye flashed red as he fell into deep thought.

The battle report contained the latest developments in the ground battle of Prandim.

To be honest, the temporary reorganization and coordinated operations of the various Space Marine chapters went exceptionally smoothly, even beyond Calgar's expectations. At the outset, he had anticipated countless potential mishaps and prepared corresponding contingency plans.

For example, during the integration process, the heavy casualties caused by the conflict of tactical concepts between different battle groups eventually led to complaints from each battle group, who felt that such joint command was not as good as fighting separately; another example is that the Chaos Enemy sensed an opportunity and secretly intervened, causing a lot of chaos; yet another example is that when the battle was halfway through, the Imperial High Lords, far away in Holy Terra and slow to realize the situation, forcefully intervened and tried to forcibly separate this huge army.

Of these, Calga's biggest concern was always the first one: the potential internal division. As for the latter two external threats, he wasn't too worried.

The Empire and the Terrans were locked in a fierce battle on the planet Plantim, their brains nearly spilling out, turning the entire planet into a giant grinder of flesh and blood. Chaos naturally wanted to intervene, but the Terran hive's will was present, its almost tangible psionic veil shrouding the entire planet. What could they possibly use to intervene?
Its only appearance was before Kargar arrived, when the unruly group of death-seekers performed a summoning ritual, summoning a Nurgle archdeacon. That success was achieved by exploiting a loophole in Tyrion's strategy of weakening the Dark Shroud to trap reinforcements. After that, Plantim's psionic environment became more impenetrable to the warp than walls of cast iron; summoning even the weakest vampire, let alone an archdeacon, was virtually impossible.

Although the veil of darkness surrounding Plantim had been lifted with the combined fleet of the five hundred worlds of Alteramar defeating Tyrande's biological fleet, Calgar was actually hoping that the great enemy of Chaos would send a fleet over now. Ideally, all the Chaos pirates in the eastern part of the Human Empire's galaxy would come out in full force, so he could eliminate these human traitors all at once.

As for the high lords far away in Holy Terra... they will certainly demonstrate unprecedented efficiency in vying for post-war credit and power. However, while they can manipulate law-abiding warbands and even restrain law-abiding legions, lawless legions will be a different story.

Therefore, even if the High Lords wanted to cause trouble, they would definitely wait until the war was over, and the various chapters were exhausted and had returned home. Now, the war wasn't over yet, and hundreds of thousands of Space Marines were stationed here. Terra would be completely subservient to them, and Karga would give them whatever they wanted, men or ships. Having been Lord of Macragge for hundreds of years, Karga had seen far too much of the cowardly and bullying nature of mortals.

Therefore, compared to the two external threats that were still far away, it was the first internal problem that was the heaviest sword of Damocles hanging over his heart.

However, judging from the battle reports now, what Calgar was most worried about—the problem of excessive casualties among the Astartes during the integration period, leading to the disunity among the various chapters—is no longer a problem.

Yes, various problems did arise during the adjustment period: for example, a Space Marine might instinctively believe it was an excellent opportunity to advance, while his comrade beside him would decide to immediately establish a defensive line and hold firm. If the two sides could quickly communicate and reach a consensus, that would be fine, but if they didn't communicate and stubbornly gave orders according to their own chapter's style... These situations did indeed lead to corresponding disastrous consequences: on more than one occasion, of the two companies stationed at the position, the flank company advanced too quickly, and the other company responsible for coordination couldn't keep up, causing it to become separated and surrounded by the swarming Tyranids; and the sudden disappearance of the flank forces also instantly plunged the company left behind into a "life-or-death crisis".

However, in such situations, almost all the casualties and pressure were borne by the suicide soldiers. If the objective was to hold the line, the suicide soldiers would be at the forefront, forming a defensive line with their flesh and blood, holding off the pressure until reinforcements arrived; if the objective was to break out, many Astartes would be astonished to find that they couldn't outrun the mortals—they were always at the forefront, clearing a path for the Space Marines with their bodies and bayonets. Even the almost clichéd scene of suicide soldiers taking the brunt of fatal attacks was commonplace on this battlefield.

This conscious act of self-sacrifice clearly has a reason. For ordinary soldiers and junior officers—that is, the players—it's an order from a high-ranking officer. So they simply carry it out. The players don't bother to delve into the reasons behind it; they're happy that someone is doing the thinking for them.

Not to mention, if you took a bullet for Astartes and then rushed back after respawning, you might just find that valiant Space Marine grieving over your "corpse." That's a truly unpleasant experience.

For the high-ranking officers who went to their deaths... this was an order from their superiors. Even if some high-ranking officers didn't have a particular background, a brief discussion at the military council would make everything clear.

Most players don't understand the benefits of their actions, they simply enjoy them. But Calga sees it clearly.

"After this battle, among hundreds of chapters and hundreds of thousands of Space Marines, which one hasn't had a bullet taken by a Deathbringer? Which one wouldn't be grateful to the Deathbringers?" Calgar put down the data panel in his hand, a complex light flashing in his cybernetic eyes. "Originally, I was wondering why Ruan Wenbo was so actively promoting chapter alliances, as it seemed to offer him and his Deathbringer legion no direct benefit whatsoever. But now it seems..."

Perhaps this wasn't Nguyen Van Bo's specific plan, but it was undoubtedly the outcome. Calga slowly shook his head, no longer dwelling on these deeper calculations. In any case, the result was good.

Having overcome a difficult period of adjustment, Space Marines from different chapters and homeworlds will find their bonds strengthened through this bloody war. The friendships forged in the fires of war, forged with life and trust, will be more precious than anything else to Astartes, who value honor and camaraderie.

It is foreseeable that after this battle, they will be inseparable.

(End of this chapter)