At this point, the Eleventh Black Expedition ended. Compared with the original history, the casualties in this “Skull Collection” were much smaller.
Aside from a Forge World rebellion, several hive cities destroyed, and a thousand Ecclesiarchs killed, there were few other casualties.
However, Abaddon still accomplished his goal and got closer to the Blackstone Fortress. Once the Blackstone Fortress was obtained, he would have a chance to break the forbidden area of Cadia.
Therefore, there will definitely be another war in the Sabai Star Cluster in the future. In order to gain an advantage before the war, Said conducted a purification expedition against the Sabai Star Cluster.
Just as Chagatai Khan’s term ended, Said appointed Lane, who was more adept at this, as the commander of the theater, and Chagatai Khan became the commander of the extreme theater because of his outstanding military achievements.
Compared with other theaters, the extreme theater area is larger, the situation is more complex, more troops are commanded, the influence is higher, and the theater commander has a higher status.
Khan was very satisfied with this appointment. In his eyes, the Extreme War Zone was a vast battlefield where the White Scars Army could gallop and perform freely.
Ryan was originally the deputy commander of the Misty War Zone, in charge of the Gothic Sector. Due to the impregnable Cadia defense line, the Misty War Zone was particularly boring.
The Gothic Sector is full of sporadic pirates and minor rebellions, and there are no strong enough enemies. Ryan guards the Blackstone Fortress and feels like he is retiring.
On the other hand, Iron Hands Faenus is much more comfortable. In charge of the Calixis sector there are all kinds of monsters, chaos space warriors, green-skinned bandits, worms and other three evils, so there is no need to worry about fighting.
For most Primarchs, war was not only a matter of duty, but a reflection of their personal worth, the purpose for which they were designed by the Emperor.
They were born for war and naturally lived for war. Among the original bodies, this group was called the Warring Faction and was also the headquarters of the Purity Faction.
The entire galaxy knows that the empire has fought three wars in the Taiping Star Territory, two with aliens and one with chaos. Judging from the situation, there will definitely be another war in the future.
Therefore, the commander of the Taiping Theater is particularly critical.
Said appointed Ryan as the commander of the theater precisely because he was targeting the four black stone fortresses in his hands.
Said’s Blackstone Fortress will guard Cadia and the Maelstrom. If Abaddon takes away the seventh Blackstone Fortress, Lion’s Blackstone Fortress will be needed as the final insurance.
After listening to Said’s story, Ryan immediately promised:
“Don’t worry, Your Highness, the loyal First Legion will ensure to clear out the Taiping Star Territory, find the seventh Blackstone Fortress, and eliminate any invading enemies.”
Said instructed: “The summary is in place, but these three points are just means. The ultimate goal is to prevent Blackstone Fortress from falling into the enemy’s hands.”
“The final goal has the highest priority. You can do whatever you want at critical times. Even if you destroy the seventh fortress, you still have to prevent the fortress from falling into the enemy’s hands. Do you understand?”
Said was worried that Lion lacked the overall situation and was confused about the priorities of his goals, which led to the Blackstone Fortress falling into Abaddon’s hands.
Ryan nodded: “Understood, Your Highness, I will never let Blackstone Fortress fall into the hands of the enemy!”
After Ryan took office, he immediately cooperated with the scientific research ship to launch a purification expedition, purging one imperial world after another to ensure that these imperial worlds were in a pure state when the war started.
Half a month later, Said received the report and couldn’t help feeling that the three evils were like weeds, which could not be burned away by fire but would grow in the wind.
Less than a hundred years since the last purification, 30% of the worlds in the Taiping Star Territory have green skins, 20% of the worlds have chicken thieves, 50% of the worlds have chaos cults, and some have been infiltrated by the Tau.
In addition to the above-mentioned main enemies of the empire, there are various weird-looking aliens in almost all worlds, and most of them are extremely harmful.
They come to the imperial territory due to various reasons. Some follow the merchant fleet, some deliberately infiltrate, some are directly thrown out of the subspace, and some are thrown by the turbulent currents of the universe…
In short, they have taken root in various imperial worlds and spread quietly. Although they have not yet become a phenomenon, the harm in the future cannot be underestimated.
Said was horrified by what he saw and said to himself: “Sure enough, the greatest enemy of mankind is itself. No matter which world it is, it is a wise saying that one must first calm down the internal situation before fighting against external forces.”
“This is true for the Taiping Star Territory, and what will happen to other imperial worlds, so the normalization of purification expeditions must not be shaken!”
So he immediately authorized Ryan to purify the pollution. In an instant, countless worlds were plunged into war, and no crime or pollution could escape.
The Inquisition penetrates into the nooks and crannies of every world, ferreting out the filth and cleansing it with their loyal chainswords and bolters, and as countless heads fall to the ground, the Emperor’s authority is restored.
As the worlds in the Pacific Star Territory were cleansed, Ryan turned his attention to the vast void among the stars.
In that nameless meteorite belt, in the space filled with ruins, there are all kinds of pirates, including Dark Eldar, Green-skinned Orcs, and even Chaos warbands.
The Imperial Merchant Fleet between the galaxies was plagued by it, while the Imperial Navy fought independently and lacked unified actions, resulting in unsatisfactory results in each clearing campaign.
Therefore, during the era of Chagatai Khan, the imperial fleet in the Taiping Theater organized many encirclement and suppression campaigns, relying on the White Scars Legion for mobility, and achieved considerable results.
But it quickly resurfaces each time.
The universe is really vast, and there are so many places to hide people. The green-skinned pirates can even hollow out a meteorite and find a base camp.
No matter how many imperial reconnaissance ships there are, they cannot provide comprehensive surveillance, not to mention that rogue pirates are usually cunning and do not stay in one place for too long.
Therefore, Ryan focused on intelligence warfare and convened a special group-the Rogue Traders.
The Rogue Trader traveled north and south, and was known as the Columbus of the Empire. He dealt with all kinds of alien pirates all year round, and naturally knew a lot of pirate information.
These are all about eating skills, and ordinary people wouldn’t be able to ask about them, but Dark Angel not only has no secrets himself, but neither does anyone else.
Through the Dark Angel’s unique skills, the Rogue Trader immediately revealed everything he knew, and Ryan obtained complete pirate intelligence.
So they immediately sent out a fleet to clear them up. Within a few days, hundreds of pirate strongholds were blown up, countless three pests died one after another, and the routes in the Taiping Star Territory were cleared instantly.
As the interrogation deepened, the Dark Angel learned a piece of information from the Rogue Trader Werewolf:
The Tau aliens recovered from the poison, and instead of becoming weaker, they were a blessing in disguise. The tribe became physically stronger, and there was even a Fire Caste specializing in close combat.
At the same time, the Tau also became more warlike and tough.
When the Rogue Traders came into contact with them, the Tau forcefully demanded that the Empire convert to the Greater Good. After being rejected by the Rogue Traders, they immediately organized a fleet to prepare for an expedition against the Empire.
After Said learned about it, he immediately questioned the Rogue Trader in person in an attempt to learn more information about the Tau. After the inquiry was over, he couldn’t help but sigh:
“The Tau are so lucky!”
After the Tau tribe was infected with the plague, the entire tribe was weakened for a period of time. Then, under the outstanding leadership of Ether, the entire tribe worked together to successfully defeat the virus and gain physical fitness.
What surprised Said even more was that Nurgle did not take any action to corrupt the Tau!
The reason may be that the epidemic is short-lived, or it may be that there are not many subspace projections of Tau souls, causing the Tau to resolve the crisis before Nurgle notices it.
But whatever the reason, the Tau’s luck is great, and they are preparing to take revenge on the Empire.
According to Rogue Trader’s account, when he fled the Tau Empire, a new batch of fleets had already set off and headed towards the Empire.
If it weren’t for the Tau’s super-light speed, the Rogue Trader wouldn’t have been able to escape.
After understanding the situation clearly, Said put aside the information. The Tau had been severely weakened since the last war, and the ground troops were almost completely damaged.
Even if the main force of the fleet is still there, the force is not as strong as the Empire’s case. The threat of the Tau at this time is not as good as a green skin waaaagh in the Empire.
Not to mention that the commander is still Leon Jonson, who owns four black stone fortresses.
Meanwhile, despair abyss.
A Tau fleet of a thousand warships was sailing, the largest of which was comparable to an Imperial battlecruiser.
It is not difficult to imagine that since the Battle of Daois, the Tau have once again launched a wave of naval forces.
On the flagship Anwa, Yuan Yuan knocked on the door and asked:
“Teacher Qingxi, why do you agree with Ether’s troop dispatch plan? With our current strength, we can’t defeat humans at all! You didn’t let me say it when I questioned it just now, now you can say it!”
Qing Xi coughed a few times. Compared with the last time he was full of energy, he was now older and more haggard, with more wrinkles on his face.
It is not difficult to imagine that the previous virus did a lot of harm to his body, causing him to become weak. He said tiredly:
“Ether knows how powerful humans are. On the surface, this fleet mission is revenge, but in fact it is to gain the power to fight against humans!”
Vision wondered: “The power to fight against humans? What is that?”
Qing Xi said calmly: “Three hundred years ago, the First People’s Rebellion found a coordinate from ancient ruins. The coordinates contained artifacts from a powerful ancient civilization.”
“If we have it, the Tau will have the strength to compete with humans! Even if they can’t compete, humans will use rat weapons when they conquer us.”
Yuan Yuan asked curiously: “Teacher, what kind of artifact is that? Can it instantly bridge the gap in strength?”
Qing Xi said mysteriously: “You will know when the time comes. Is this why Aether wants to let go of the human exploration ships and let them go back to report the news?
It is to involve the main force of mankind in New Hope so that we can seize the real goal! “
Yuan Yuan said happily: “That’s it, the teacher is wise, long live Ether, for the sake of the greater good!”
Qing Xi planned to use false news to lure the main force of the empire and launch an attack from the east to the west, but she didn’t know that the empire didn’t pay attention to them at all, and she didn’t know that the strength of the Taiping Star Territory alone was beyond their imagination.
In the eyes of the Tau, the strength of the Damocles Expedition was already the majority of the Empire’s forces, but little did they know that it was just a mixed legion.
There are hundreds of such legions in the Taiping Star Region alone. In the eyes of the Empire, a force of this size is nothing more than a medium-sized greenskin invasion, and the Star District Guard Legion is enough to digest it on its own.
It can be said that the Tau are like arrogant Yelang and the blind man trying to grasp the elephant.
They crossed the abyss of despair, avoided New Hope, entered from the other side of the Sabai star cluster, and soon saw an imperial world.
Upon noticing the incoming fleet, the galaxy immediately organized defenses. The galaxy fortresses and forts were ready, the ship’s muscle groups and minefields were deployed, and the galaxy fleet sailed out of the dock.
But despite this, these defenses are still not enough in front of the Tau fleet. If a fight starts at all costs, humanity will lose.
Therefore, the Tau sent diplomats in an attempt to take over the system without any bloodshed, but the humans responded directly with the diplomats’ heads.
The Purification Crusade had just ended, the horrors were still fresh in our minds, and the Emperor’s authority was at its peak, and no one dared to show disloyalty at this time.
Qingxi ordered the attack, but Yuan Yuan disagreed: “Teacher, why do we waste time here? Can’t we just go get the artifact?”
Qing Xi shook his head and said, “The jump engine needs to be replenished, otherwise it will not be able to drive back at all, and we don’t know what we will encounter ahead, so we must go in the best condition.”
“If the natives hand over their weapons and fuel, we will let them go, but I didn’t expect them to be so loyal to civilization and race. Since you don’t accept the gift of the Greater Good, accept the punishment of the Greater Good!”
After that, he ordered the entire army to open fire. A large number of ion cannons and rail guns focused their fire on the galaxy turrets, and the defenders responded with countless light spears.
In the space between the two sides, a large number of carrier-based aircraft fought each other, and void mines swam like sharks.
Behind the defensive fortress, the light cruiser fleet acted as a mobile turret, releasing carrier-based aircraft and light spears.
As the distance closed, the imperial macro cannon also joined in the shooting, and the Tau tribe’s advancement speed slowed down.
Although the Tau tribe’s long-range firepower and carrier-based aircraft were first-class, the defenders had a defense width bonus and could deploy more light spears and turrets to withstand the Tau tribe’s attack.
Qingxi looked solemn, surprised at the tight defense of human beings. For the Tau Empire, such fortifications consume a huge amount of resources.
It is better to build more warships than to consume the same amount of resources.
However, it does not know that the galaxy fleet is limited in size and can only pile resources on fortifications. Moreover, the empire is vast and rich in resources. The precious resources in the eyes of the Tau are worthless in the eyes of the empire.
In the process of advancing, the Tau encountered unprecedented resistance. It took a whole day and lost one-third of the warships before breaking through the outer defense and killing into the galaxy.
However, at this time, they encountered more void mines and groups of carrier-based aircraft. The galaxy troops fought hard and greatly slowed down the advancement of the Tau.
According to the prince of the empire, it is simple to make people fight fearlessly, that is, to make them fear you more than death!
The purification expedition scared all galaxies. In order to protect their families, power and status, they must fight to the death and prove their loyalty.
Finally, their persistence was responded to. At Mandeville Point, four Blackstone Fortresses jumped out of the void, like an invincible king, and instantly crashed into the Tau fleet.
In an instant, a large number of Tau fleets were destroyed. Qingxi immediately ordered concentrated fire, but could not hurt the Blackstone Fortress at all.
Then, a large number of small black spots appeared around the Blackstone Fortress, instantly generating a huge amount of gravity, sucking in a large number of Tau ships.
When the black spots disappeared, only the extremely compressed iron blocks were left.
Sayid hit the Blackstone Fortress with the Void Claw. The Eldar artifacts combined with the Golden Age weapons made the Blackstone Fortress even more powerful, instantly annihilating the Tau fleet.
Only Qingxi and Yuanjian escaped on the lifeboat the moment the Blackstone Fortress appeared, and successfully escaped.
Yuanjian asked worriedly: “Teacher, what if humans find the information in the wreckage and find the artifact?”
Qingxi said calmly: “Don’t worry, the ship has been destroyed, they can’t find it.”
However, when planning the battlefield, a scientific research ship swept through the wreckage and successfully found clues from the navigation log and a diary.
“Well… This is the end of the voyage, and there is Yuanjian’s diary, which mentions the artifact. It can’t be…”
Relying on the powerful ability to read and integrate information, the empire successfully obtained the coordinates of the Black Stone Fortress.
The king regained his loyalty~
