Warhammer, I really didn't intend to form a second empire!

Kongming immediately marked the data board to record Zhao Zheng's instructions.

"The marshals' fleets have been resting for a long time, and they must be eager to start their expeditions again."

"And how are the brothers in the various legions doing now?"

"The Fourth Army Corps has completed its equipment upgrade, and all of its troops are now equipped with Xuanwu-type heavy armor and standardized heavy firepower modules."

"The Ninth Legion's genetic defects have been temporarily stabilized. We have installed sufficient amounts of sedatives in their power armor and replenished them with enough heavy firepower."

"The size of the 13th Army Corps has been expanded, and the training of new recruits is progressing as expected. The corps now numbers 70,000."

"The reconnaissance equipment of the 19th Army Corps has been upgraded, and Company Commander Far personally inspected the new stealth armor."

Zhao Zheng walked to the porthole and looked at the fleet that had received orders and was preparing to set sail.

For some reason, he suddenly became very curious about what the view in front of the throne room of Terra Palace was like.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield of the Firewheel sector, Space Wolf's situation was more difficult than Zhao Zheng had initially anticipated.

Thirteen days after entering the Firewheel sector, Ruth made his first contact with the main Greenskin fleet. The interstellar warfare knowledge he had learned on Terra had not yet been fully digested in the real battlefield.

When those crudely made but numerous green-skinned ships rammed into the Space Wolves' lines with an unreasonable attitude, Ruth instinctively chose the method he was most familiar with.

Boarding, assault, and melee combat—let the wolf cubs jump onto enemy ships and solve all problems with close-quarters fighting.

The green-skinned ships and the space wolf ships clashed fiercely in the starry sky of the Firewheel sector, with their melee forces locked in a fierce battle.

While the Space Wolves are indeed fierce, the Greenskins are no pushovers either.

Are you the only ones who know how to fight in close combat?

Thus, the Firewheel sector instantly became a meat grinder for the greenskins and wolves.

In just six months, the Space Wolves had lost more than 6,000 Astartes. The boulder of war stood in the way of this war, and the Wolves' naval warfare could not break through effectively. Instead, they lost a lot of their fleet.

Even if Ruth was reckless at this moment, and no matter how much he valued honor, he knew that this war should not continue like this.

"Let's get out of here first."

The Space Wolf's ships retreated from the battlefield in disarray, followed by the echoing "waaaagh" of the green-skinned creatures that reverberated throughout the Firewheel War Zone.

"Everyone stay put, repair the ships, take stock of the damage, reorganize the personnel, and await my next orders."

The Space Wolf is resting in the area outside the Firewheel sector.

But the green-skinned creatures didn't give them enough time to breathe; they quickly tracked down the Space Wolf through the reconnaissance nodes distributed around the perimeter of the sector.

A pursuit fleet of hundreds of crudely built ships launched an attack on the Space Wolf.

Russ knew that if things continued like this, his legion would only suffer unnecessary losses. Even if he managed to take this place, he estimated that it would take him a long time to regroup before he could rejoin the Great Expedition.

Therefore, he sent a request for help to the Imperial Dragon Legion, which had arrived in the outer star system of Firewheel a few months earlier.

This was Ruth's first battle after his return. His original intention was to take control of the legion as soon as possible and then use this achievement to turn around the reputation of his descendants in the empire. However, he did not expect that the orcs would be so difficult to deal with.

After receiving the order, Qin Qiong's fleet shifted from concealed positions to proactive attack mode and immediately and rapidly entered the battlefield area of ​​the Fire Wheel sector.

Caught off guard, the green-skinned ships that were on their way to pursue the Space Wolves suffered heavy damage from the Qin Empire. Hundreds of crudely made ships shattered into tumbling metal fragments under the bombardment of light spears, cannons, and torpedoes.

"Lord Ruth, my father ordered me to come to your aid."

On the bridge of the HRAFINKER, Ruth looked at Qin Qiong, who was almost taller than himself, with some surprise. He could feel the power contained within this Astartes.

He's probably on par with Waldo, the commander of the Imperial Guard.

That's what Russ felt, because that's the impression this Astartes gave him.

"Thank you for coming; you've helped us a lot."

"It's my duty. As Father has said, the adults are still the ones who lead this war. I'm just here to provide support from the side."

Ruth nodded, saying nothing more; his pride wouldn't allow him to continue.

"My lord, I have a suggestion that might end this war more quickly."

Qin Qiong spoke up, explaining that he wasn't really here to play a support role, otherwise his father wouldn't have needed to send him over.

"Oh? What's your plan?"

"I will lead my fleet to destroy the Orcs' war monoliths, and then airdrop onto the Orcs' homeworld to behead the Greenskin warlords."

The War Boulder, a giant green-skinned war unit, with its enormous size and heavy firepower atop almost an entire war boulder, caused the Wild Wolves, whose fleet had sparse firepower and relied more on boarding maneuvers, a great deal of trouble.

They wanted to board, but couldn't get close; they wanted to get close, but the Void Shield couldn't withstand the barrage of heavy firepower; they wanted to launch a suicidal attack, but the Greenskins' fleet wasn't just standing by and watching; they would just drive their fleets directly into the Space Wolves' fleet.

The cannons of the War Boulder don't care whether you're friend or foe, and the greens don't care how they die; all they know is fighting and having fun!

Therefore, this war has been extremely difficult for Rus, and the advance of the front line has been very slow for the past six months.

This is actually a classic example of specialization. If the Fire Wheel Campaign had sent the Tenth Army to assist, the battle might have already ended by now.

"You want to go and dismantle that war stone all by yourself? And behead the orc warlord?"

Qin Qiong nodded, his face calm.

"The Emperor Dragon Legion's tactical system has a natural advantage over the Orcs. Our firepower configuration and assault mode are designed specifically for the characteristics of the Greenskins, and we have enough heavy equipment to deal with the War Boulder."

"As long as you can cooperate with us to draw the attention of the main orc force, we can handle the rest. This way, the battle will be easier and we won't cause unnecessary casualties."

Ruth remained silent for a moment, her pale white eyes lingering on Qin Qiong for a brief instant. There was a hint of struggle in her eyes, but then she thought of the significant losses of the past six months, and finally nodded slowly.

Qin Qiong didn't waste any more words. After performing the Heavenly Eagle salute, he turned and left.

Ruth watched Qin Qiong's figure disappear into the elevator shaft at the end of the bridge, then turned around to face the communications officer on the side of the main control panel.

"Order all fleets to prepare for a frontal assault. Tell the wolf cubs to fight this battle well and not embarrass themselves in front of the brothers of the Second Legion."

After the order was given, the Space Wolves' fleet began to reorganize, and the formations that had become somewhat disordered when pursued by the orcs gradually returned to standard attack columns.

Ruth stood in front of the control panel, looking at the light spots on the holographic tactical panel that were rearranging themselves, and tapped her fingertips lightly twice on the edge of the panel.

He suddenly realized that having a reliable brother by his side might not be such a bad thing.

Chapter Fifty-One: Killing the Green-Skinned Warlord

The starlight from the Firewheel sector cast interlaced stripes of light and shadow on Qin Qiong's tactical panel, revealing the orc defense line nodes that had been marked for nearly half a year before him, layer by layer.

He stood on the bridge of the "Huang Piao" heavy assault ship, with the Imperial Dragon Legion assault formation fully equipped and ready to go behind him.

He had been waiting in the outer star system of the Firewheel sector for months, during which time he remained in a passive detection state, watching the Space Wolves struggle to advance through the orcish waves.

After Ruth's distress signal arrived, Qin Qiong did not linger for a moment.

As early as his first month on the outskirts of the Firewheel sector, he dispatched unmanned forces to conduct a comprehensive reconnaissance of the target star system, marking every weak point in the orc defenses on the tactical panel.

He had originally shared all of this with Ruth, but what Ruth lacked was not intelligence, but the ability for Space Wolves to launch direct attacks.

Those crudely made turret arrays, overlapping blind spots, and welded seams in the armor plates on the surface of the war boulders...

All of this was exposed during the Emperor Dragon Legion's reconnaissance. Even Qin Qiong, a general who was not good at commanding battles, felt that these green-skinned soldiers' defenses were absolutely terrible.

It's purely by forcefully throwing bricks and relying on my unreasonable thinking to hold up this defensive line.

Qin Qiong had been lacking a suitable opportunity to enter the fray, but now it was time for him to step up.

"The First Fleet, with the Ironborn formation as the vanguard, will land with heavy firepower and prioritize the removal of all welded joints on the surface of the War Boulder."

"The Second Fleet's main strike force will cut in after the Ironborn open a breach, clearing the interior defense zone of the War Boulder as quickly as possible, heading straight for the bridge and power core."

"Third Fleet, decapitation strike in progress. I'm leading a crack squad to parachute onto the surface of the Orc homeworld to ensure the greenskin warlords are eliminated as soon as the War Rock is under control."

No one questioned it; Qin Qiong's instructions were transmitted through the communication channel to every Qin ship involved in the operation.

"The rest of the fleet will cooperate with Lord Ruth to achieve victory in the naval battle."

The bridge lighting on the heavy assault ship "Huang Piao" was dimmed by half a level, and the dots on the tactical panel were clearly arranged in the darkness, displaying the real-time situation of the entire battlefield layer by layer with cool-toned lines and markings.

Qin Qiong stood in front of the main control panel, his fingertips lingering on the edge of the panel for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the dense array of enemy ship markings before he raised his hand.

"Tell Lord Ruth that the Imperial Dragon Legion will launch an attack on War Rock in forty minutes. Ask him to simultaneously put pressure on the main orc fleet, and our fleet will cooperate from the side."

The communications officer turned to the console and sent Qin Qiong's instructions out via an encrypted channel.

Qin Qiong's fleet completed all preparations within thirty-five minutes of receiving the order. The heavy assault ships and Ironborn landing barges were precisely arranged into the predetermined attack formation under the command of their respective fleet commanders.

The Ironborn fleet was positioned at the forefront, the living metal hulls of the warships gleaming with a dark gray-green luster under the starlight, while the heavy explosive shells and thermal fuses on the internal weapon racks remained in a stable standby state in zero gravity.

The second tier of the fleet consists of main assault ships, whose hulls have been reinforced with dwarven technology, resulting in armor thickness and impact resistance far exceeding Imperial standards.

Their void shields activated simultaneously the moment the formation was completed, connecting the entire fleet's defenses into a continuous energy network that enveloped the front of the entire assault formation.

Qin Qiong stood in front of the main control console, watching the dots representing the Ironblood Fleet light up one by one on the tactical panel, confirming that all units had completed the final weapon warm-up and system self-check.

Russ's confirmation signal came through the communication channel: the Space Wolves' fleet had begun moving toward the main orc defensive line. The gray-painted ships advanced in loose attack columns through an area repeatedly bombarded by artillery fire, heading toward the forefront of the orc lines.

The orcs' main force began to lose focus as the Space Wolf Fleet approached.

Their turret arrays slowly rotated their muzzles, gradually shifting from the direction facing the outer perimeter of the War Boulder towards the advancing route of the Wolf Fleet. During this process, the frequency of the sensor arrays also showed a significant band change.

Qin Qiong issued the attack order at the exact same moment that the main force of the orcs completed their turning maneuver.

"First Fleet, depart. Target: War Boulder surface turret base. Clear the turret."

The Ironborn fleet's engines roared to full power at the same time, and hundreds of assault ships and landing barges cut into the defensive perimeter of the Warstone in dense column formations.

The green-skinned turrets were adjusting their angles to deal with the threat coming from the direction of the Space Wolves. When they realized that the Ironborn fleet was approaching at high speed from another direction, some of the turrets began to turn around urgently, but the speed of their turn was far from keeping up with the speed of the Ironborn fleet's advance.

Those heavy armored ships took some of the fire as they passed through the defended area.

The green-skinned turrets' shells and laser cannons left a series of ripples on the surface of their void shields, but none of them slowed down or deviated from their intended course. The Ironborn fleet's assault ships instantly activated their macro cannons and light spear arrays, quickly clearing out part of the turrets on the surface of the war monolith.

When the enemy was close enough, the heavily armored Ironborn units were released.

As the outer shell of the heavy iron race shattered, it stepped onto the surface of the war monolith. Its living metal skeleton and adamantite outer armor remained intact upon impact, and its built-in weapon systems locked onto the nearest target the instant it touched the ground.

The welded seams of those crudely made green turret bases gradually cracked under the simultaneous firing of multiple heavy Ironborn turrets.

Under the continuous firepower of the heavy iron-blooded enemy, the welded seams of the turret base began to deform visibly. The welds at the metal joints softened and melted in the high temperature. The thick gun barrels, having lost the support of the base, began to tilt and fall to one side.

Any greens who tried to rush up to stop them were all killed by the Ironbloods.

Their towering size, comparable to the Dreadnought, and their superior firepower and casting materials allowed them to roam freely among the war boulders.

After clearing the turret base, the Ironborn turned their attention to the armor plate seams and maintenance access entrances on the surface of the war megalith.

Those passageway entrances were originally designed by the Greenskin Technicians for the quick access of the internal Technician Boys. Their armor plates were thinner than the main armor layer, and they quickly shattered and peeled off under the close-range fire of the heavy Ironblood armor.

Qin Qiong received confirmation from the First Fleet that "the breach has been opened" and issued orders forward.

"Go inside and completely dismantle the boulder of war."

Upon receiving the order, the main assault fleet quickly dropped more airdrop pods onto War Boulder, and then continued to bombard War Boulder with firepower.

The internal spatial structure of the War Rock is very complex. How could the Orks possibly think that much? And how could they care whether the War Rock conforms to the laws of physics?

It can fly, it can crash, it can fire cannons, and we can take them to fight the Great Waaaagh Conquest. Isn't that enough?

The passageway was irregular in height and width, and the walls were covered with rough welding marks and pipes of varying thicknesses. If these were the Empire's oil makers, they would probably be completely baffled at this moment.

However, the Ironborn's scanning system began building a three-dimensional model as soon as it entered the interior, marking the forks in the passages, hidden doors, and potential ambush points on the tactical panel one by one.

For artificial intelligence, chaotic environments will not disturb them, as long as the brain core units can withstand the stress, they will not be interfered with.

After enduring hours of internal destruction by the Ironborn, the massive green-skinned construct suffered a fatal fracture in its internal keel and began to disintegrate completely from the inside out.

Qin Qiong stood on the bridge of the Huang Piao ship, watching the war boulder gradually tilt and then begin to disintegrate. He confirmed that the Ironborn had all evacuated as planned during the operation. Then he closed the tactical panel and connected to Russ's communication channel.

"Lord Ruth, the war boulder has been cleared, and the ground assault forces are ready to land on the Greenskins homeworld at any time. Once you have rested, we can proceed with a synchronized advance."

Qin Qiong thought about it and realized that he still couldn't be greedy. If he stole all the wolves' achievements, where would Russ's face be?

Ruth stood on the bridge of the HRAFINKER, looking at the slowly disintegrating wreckage of the war-torn megaliths, then looked down at the brief message displayed on the communications panel.

"Order the entire army to prepare for the landing operation. We can't fall behind. Let the brothers of the Emperor Dragon Legion see that the teeth of the Space Wolf are not to be trifled with."

On the ground, the aftershocks of the War Boulder explosion had not yet completely subsided. The airdrop pods and landing craft that had poured down from orbit had already penetrated the planet's atmosphere, casting tens of thousands of flashes of light across the surface of the Greenskinned Prime.

The Space Wolves' landing force landed on the open equatorial plain, their power armor kicking up clouds of dust as it struck the ground.

They poured out of the drop pods, quickly formed a loose attack formation, and advanced toward the nearest Greenskin settlement.

The green-skinned fortifications reacted quickly after the ground troops deployed, and the crudely made turrets scattered along the edge of the plain began to unleash fire toward the Space Wolves. The shells landed haphazardly, but with a high enough density.