Guilliman: My Legion Still Has Too Few People

Terra, the Golden Palace.

Nimrod's Psionic Energy projection descended across the void amidst the chanting of the Astropath.

As he took his seat, he glanced around at the seating arrangement in the War Council, noting that it had changed somewhat compared to the last time.

To Malcador's right, his two neighbors were still Horus Lupercal and Ferrus Manus, followed by Rogal Dorn Dorn.

Hannibal stood beside Dorn, the Legion was still recovering, and Fulgrim, who had followed Horus, lagged behind.

Nimrod was still sitting next to Leman Russ, while Robert Guilliman rose rapidly to sit opposite Dorn, with Vulkan beside him.

As expected, Dorn and Guilliman's speed of conquering the world surpassed that Primarch the other Primarchs.

Hmm, at the next War Council, I probably won't be accompanied by the Wolf King, whom I loathe.

"Nimrod, how many of your sorcerer brats are left after that great war?"

"I have more offspring than your wolf cubs," Nimrod replied coldly, without looking at Russ.

Horus was about to speak to ease the tension when Hannibal spoke first.

"Nimrod, my brother, thank you for the Salamanders meat. It was so tender and juicy, truly unforgettable."

To increase the chances of obtaining the remaining Astartes of the Second Legion in the future, Nimrod gifted some of the Salamanders meat he had dismembered to Hannibal and his sons.

[Hmm, what was Hannibal's intention in bringing this up in the War Council?]

Does this imply that I should send some Rangdan prisoners for him and the Faceless Ones to enjoy?

As Nimrod was making his guesses, Russ, who had won a competitive eating contest, spoke in a rough and boisterous tone.

"Hannibal, you like to eat, and I like to eat too. How about we have an eating contest?"

"I have no interest in competing with you. I enjoy the food, not wolfing it down." Hannibal maintained his elegant smile and refused decisively.

"Russ, if you want to compete, I'll compete with you." Horus maintained his elder brother image and tried to ease the tension.

Nimrod keenly sensed Horus's hidden true emotions, as well as the loathing most people felt towards Russ.

He knew that Guilliman, one of the hosts present, respected Russ, but the two had not gotten along well due to communication barriers.

The Old Man in Yellow made the right choice in entrusting Horus with the work of his good elder brother; Horus is truly working hard to reconcile the Primarch.

Horus and Russ did not truly connect; their relationship was merely superficially harmonious, but maintaining this state was sufficient for the Old Man in Yellow.

From what he said to Horus and to his arrangements, it is clear that he encouraged competition among the Primarch to accelerate the expedition.

As Nimrod pondered, the doors opened, and the Mars Fabricator-General stepped into the Golden Palace at the last minute and twelfth second, just as he was about to enter.

Finally, the Old Man in Yellow and Constantin Valdor appeared. After everyone bowed, the War Council began.

After the Emperor took his seat, he looked at Nimrod and asked a question.

"How is the battle going with the Spin- Morse?"

"My lord," Nimrod reported, "All the Xenos in Spiral- Morse have been Purification."

The Emperor smiled, "Nimrod, you certainly haven't disappointed me."

Tell me about it, I think everyone is curious.

Nimrod around at the crowd and noticed that Horus, Manus, Guilliman, and Hannibal's eyes were gleaming with obvious interest.

Russ leaned back in his chair, seemingly uninterested.

"In this battle, my legion deployed over 70,000 Shadow of Order, from the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, and Eleventh Chapter, and two companies from the First Chapter."

Nimrod did not give a specific number, but spoke vaguely.

Manus and Guilliman simultaneously began calculating, based on the intelligence they had gathered about the Eleventh Legion: "Each Chapter of the 'Shadow of Order' should have more than ten thousand men."

The 11th Chapter recruited the most men in Vostonia, exceeding 20,000. Its total strength before the war should have been between 130,000 and 140,000.

After obtaining the figures, Guilliman couldn't help but feel that his legion was still too small.

The 13th Legion suffered heavy losses in the suppression of the Osiris rebellion, and although Nimrod to its rescue in time, only 20,000 men remained.

Of Guilliman's followers, 30,000 successfully underwent the modification surgery.

Terran-born, who were out of step with the Legion's culture, were assigned to the 22nd Chapter, specifically tasked with carrying out Exterminatus.

Including them, there are now only 53,800 people, less than half of the Eleventh Legion.

Although it took only three years to develop the 13th Legion to its current state, second only to the four corps of the brothers who returned earlier—the Eleventh, Sixteenth, Tenth, and Sixth Corps— Guilliman was not satisfied.

I must quicken my pace, conquer more worlds, and train more Warrior.

Guilliman thought of more of the world, and that's when he thought of Thalassa.

In his first wave of expansion, he conquered twelve star systems and twenty-six worlds. Among them, Thalassa was impeccable in terms of resources, population, industrial base, and location.

Thalassa could have been a strategic foothold for expansion, but he missed it and has yet to find a comparable one.

While Guilliman was pondering, Nimrod had already briefly finished his account.

"More than five thousand people Shadow of Order in this battle."

"Although the Xenos of Spiral- Morse have been Purification, through interrogation and other methods, it is possible that the Xenos in this system are only a part of this force."

The Emperor's golden eyes were deep, and he remained silent.

Nimrod waited a few seconds before continuing.

"A new Xenos has emerged in the northern part of the Galaxy."

"The Rogue Trader Lewis von Valentius has discovered an evil Xenos kingdom called Mitu in the northeastern part of the Galaxy."

"..."

Nimrod presented the prepared materials to the members of the War Council.

The Sigillite frowned. "The Imperium must completely eradicate this tyrannical Xenos force and bring light to the hundreds of billions of enslaved humans."

"The Eleventh Legion has suffered heavy losses and should no longer be responsible for large-scale battles," Dorn stated bluntly. "My Legion will deliver a crushing blow to the Xenos."

Nimrod knew that Dorn spoke frankly and didn't find it offensive.

Before he could speak, Horus said, "The First Legion is eager for a chance to prove itself."

The Emperor looked at his winged Pegasus and asked.

"Nimrod, regarding the battle at Spiral- Morse, you only deployed six Chapter and two companies from the First Chapter. Do you still have the capability to continue fighting?"

Nimrod knew that the Old Man in Yellow wanted to hand over the Mitu to him, which suited his own thoughts perfectly.

The Arcane Technology of the Mitu, the mineral resources of the Colonid Star Sector, and the House Veroni are all rewards that can be obtained.

And there's the Forge World Mezoa, the Macharius of Baroda, and the Knight Houses Ventus...

"My lord, my legions are capable of Purification the Mitu Xenos."

"But I am also willing to give Ulian Bendregg the opportunity to prove that he is capable of serving as commander of the First Legion Corps."

He could deploy the XIV Legion at his own discretion, and with the First Legion, there were nearly 70,000 troops, so he didn't need to send out the entire corps.

"Bendregg would be pleased to hear this news. The First Legion will accept your leadership and punish the Mitu Xenos."

The Emperor's gavel sealed the decision. Nimrod glanced at Dorn, his expression remaining calm.

"I will obey your command."

"Everyone else leave, Nimrod, you stay."

Nimrod didn't know why the Old Man in Yellow had asked him to stay, and he remained in the Golden Hall with a sense of unease.

"Nimrod, your legion needs time to assemble. Before you set out, come with me to bring your brothers back."

"The Fifteenth Legion is under your command, but they are in crisis; it's time for their father to return."

Nimrod understood what the Old Man in Yellow meant by "it's time"; he already knew that Magnus had fallen in Prospero and its location.

Magnus is unique among the Primarch; he possesses the highest Psionic Energy and has maintained Psionic Energy communication with the Old Man in Yellow.

If Horus was ostensibly the Primarch Genesis that the Old Man in Yellow had kept by his side the longest, then Alpharius was the one he actually kept by his side the longest, and Magnus was the one he communicated with the most.

As for why Magnus wasn't welcomed back before, it might be because of the obstruction caused by Warp Storm.

After learning of Guilliman's whereabouts in Espandor, the Old Man in Yellow's voyage was disrupted by a sudden Warp Storm, causing him to deviate from his course.

Of course, it's also possible that the Old Man in Yellow had some considerations.

[Hmm, going to Prospero with the Old Man in Yellow might be a good idea. I can exchange ideas with Magnus about Psionic Energy and the ten layers of Mindset he created, and also get some auxiliary materials for the "Mentor of Disorder" —Soul-Eater Bee.]

As you wish.