The Imperial Fists' Shocking Scandal

Perhaps because he knew where his original body had been taken, and after realizing that the existing military force was simply not enough to save his father, Tu'Shan began his struggle with the Salamanders.

This struggle isn't about getting a particularly good mustache; it's a military reform aimed at addressing the current state of the Salamanders.

Despite being a startup group, the Salamanders haven't even reached the minimum requirement to activate the Last Wall Protocol. Even Guilliman's toilet paper clearly stipulates that the maximum number of people in a startup group is 10,000.

Don't be fooled by the fact that it's only 10,000 people; it's a lot. Guilliman initially split the warbands into groups of 1,000 people each. Later, Primarchs like Johnson Felus and Forgrim couldn't stand it anymore, so they raised the limit for the initial mother group to 10,000 people.

But how many Salamanders are there? 4800! This includes the Black Dragon Chapter, the Kraken Chapter, the Storm Giants, the Steel Drakes, and the Covenant of Fire, who are suspected to Word Bearers but are actually Vulkan's offspring.

The Salamanders were already small in number, and their Scion Chapter were even smaller, totaling only 4,800 people. This might have been manageable before the Great Rift unfolded, but in the current era of the Second Founding Reconstruction, 4,800 people are simply not enough.

Most importantly, the Salamanders were incredibly honest. When they said they had 4,800 men, they really meant 4,800. While everyone else was exaggerating their Chapter numbers, they neither embezzled funds nor secretly expanded their army; instead, they reported the true number of men.

I don't know who gave Tu'Shan the courage, but as soon as he gathered the Scion Chapter together, he went to the Great Commander to ask for orders. Mordred was quite happy to see his good nephew arrive, and said that he could ask for anything.

Mordred was already prepared to bleed a lot of money, and even planned to ask his other brothers to contribute some of the Salamanders's belongings.

But Tu'Shan immediately demanded that the Great Commander release them for an expedition, which infuriated Mordred so much that he couldn't speak. He then confronted the two men, telling them to get out of there. "If the legion's strength is less than 20,000 men, even if Vulkan becomes a father, I won't let you go to rescue him."

Tu'Shan understood that the Great Commander meant well for them, but as a native Nightfall Star, he had no idea how to run a business and had no choice but to seek outside help.

And this external aid is the Imperial Fists.

Because the Salamanders suffered heavy losses during the Beast Wars, a portion of the Imperial Fists, the second largest legion, was transferred from Dorn to the command of Vulkan, resulting in a friendly relationship between the two legions.

As the least prominent First Founding Chapter Master in history, Gregor, despite lacking prestige, managed the Legion very well after merging with the Black Templars.

Whether it was Dorn cheated or Guilliman who had an affair, Gregor was arguably the most capable manager among all the Lemon Cans, but nobody paid him any attention.

Seeing his good buddies come to him for help, Gregor, who was being stared at with longing eyes by the group of Salamanders, was overjoyed. Like a certain President of the Plain White Banner, he was extremely satisfied and didn't hold back at all, directly sharing his management experience. "Brothers, I understand the situation of the Salamanders. What I'm about to say might be a bit harsh, but this is indeed the reality you are facing."

"Speak up, we'll listen to whatever you say."

Gregor stated bluntly, "Your numbers are useless if you go out now. You're less than a fraction of the force you had during the Beast Wars. It's impossible for you to rescue Vulkan. In fact, sending you to Armageddon would only cause trouble for the Soul Drinkers and the Space Wolves."

In the course of tens of thousands of years of continuous warfare, the Empire has a very clear understanding of the Orks and has developed a fairly complete set of tactics.

Once the Orks develop to the size of Pocket Imperium, their leaders become Combat Power, untouchable by ordinary Space Marine. Therefore, the only option is to rely on numerical superiority to behead the mid-level Orks leaders, gradually wearing down the Orks.

In the era of Chapter, battles like this would require multiple Chapter to unite, and even need to pool equipment and concentrate superior firepower. These battles could last for decades, or even hundreds of years.

But things are different now. With the merger of the Chapter, the Atlas Armory is operating at full capacity, and the Adeptus Mechanicus has also begun to compete for market share. The weapons and equipment that were once rare are no longer in short supply; what is lacking is manpower.

"Brother, times have changed. The era of the Primarchs has not ended; on the contrary, it has yielded abundant results. Now, the role of the Legiones Astartes is to stand alone and become the sharp blade that tears everything apart."

Learn from Huron. After becoming the Blood Ravens, he had nearly 10,000 Blackshields under his command, and the number is still growing. Even though he came from a humble background, he can still stand on equal footing with us veterans, all because of his power.

"Look at you Salamanders, you basically recruit on Nightfall Star. You know the environment on Nightfall Star, it's simply not enough to support a legion. You need to find new sources of income."

"Open source?" The group of Salamanders nodded repeatedly; this was exactly what they wanted to hear.

"The so-called open source, to put it more bluntly, is just rampant expansion. The Salamanders's military structure is too simple, consisting entirely of heavy infantry."

That won't work. You need to build a fleet, incorporate knight families, construct the Titan Legion, and attract foreign investment to build an industrial base belonging to the legion.

Besides, don't you Salamanders also have your own artisan apprentices? Even on the battlefield, you can't just charge headlong into battle. Wasting your precious superior forces in a meaningless war of attrition is a pure waste."

Seeing the group of Salamanders deep in thought, Gregor gestured to his servants to bring his favorite Pineapple Canned Food. As he ate with his buddies, he continued his argument, "And you see, the Great Commander isn't angry because there are too few of you, it's because you're brainless."

Actually, it's not your fault. It's mainly because you Salamanders don't have any elders who have survived from the Great Crusade to guide you.

What is a Legion? A Legion is not just a collection of tens or hundreds of thousands of Astartes; it is an Imperial Army organization that spans multiple worlds.

The Great Commander's minimum requirement for you is to expand your force by 20,000. But what's the point of expanding by 20,000 ordinary soldiers? You need to establish your own territory, with supporting auxiliary forces, the Imperial Navy, the Astra Militarum, the Titan Legion, heavily armored assault troops, and heavy firepower support troops—

Even maintaining security forces in the rear is necessary, not to mention the industrial, logistical, personnel, and economic systems that support the legion's operations. These are all things a Chapter Master should be responsible for, especially since you are now Legion Commander."

"Wow, there are so many twists and turns."

The Salamanders high command was quite surprised. They hadn't thought about it that much before. In fact, Tu'Shan's appointment as Chapter Master was somewhat accidental, simply because he was a skilled fighter who single-handedly killed the legendary Salamanders lord on Nightfall Star.

To be fair, the Salamanders might be the purest and simplest of all the legions, but simplicity can't put food on the table. Soldiers can be mindless, but the command must be.

"Then what should I do?"

"What should we do?" Gregor opened another Pineapple Canned Food, pointed to his nose and said, "Look at me, although I, Gregor, don't have your great strength, nor Mephisto's Psychic Power talent, nor Dante's charisma."

"My presence is less noticeable than my Captain Lysander, my command ability is less than Torgaddon's, and my popularity is less than that of Grand Marshal Blaichett of the Black Templars. So why am I still the Legion Commander even after merging with the Black Templars?"

"Yeah, how did someone as useless as you become Legion Commander?"

Gregor didn't like hearing this. What do you mean by "useless"? I became a Legion Commander because I was in charge of money, food, and soldiers.

It was I who transformed the Imperial Fists, which couldn't even get the Mountain Array activated, into a legion of over 40,000 men. You have no idea how poor the Imperial Fists was before I became the Chapter Master.

"But by contracting Atlas's civil engineering business, our Imperial Fists has been getting all sorts of weapons, equipment, and logistical supplies. Don't be fooled by the fact that we only have 40,000 people now; I'm confident that we can double the legion's size in less than ten years."

This is why I, Gregor, am a Legion Commander with the lowest profile, yet command the respect of everyone. And the secret is my love of reading.

"Books, are there any more books here?"

Knowing this would be the reaction, Gregor immediately took a thick, well-worn book from the bookshelf and tossed it into Tu'Shan's hands.

"The Astartes Codex! Isn't this toilet paper?"

"No, no, no, although the Astartes Codex is jokingly called toilet paper, it is undeniable that His Highness Guilliman has something that is truly righteous. As long as you learn that lord's management, you will be a World Eaters and be able to build a Chapter."

This thing has been printed for 10,000 years. Both the Empire and Chaos have been reading it, and I've even heard that the Tau are studying it. The important thing is to understand it.

Once you learn how to manage Chapter, stop looking at the rules. Instead, read them the opposite way: the more rules they set, the less you should follow them. That's how you become a good Legion Commander.

At this point, Gregor couldn't help but sigh, "Prince Guilliman is indeed Ambition. If he hadn't written this toilet paper, the Chaos Warband starved him to death."

"And you must remember, the most important thing for a commander is not military strength but brains. You can put aside your pride, but you must seek benefits for your brothers, feed them well, and stockpile plenty of ammunition. Only in this way can the legion have combat effectiveness."

The Great Commander values you highly. Just ask him for anything. You could even Great Commander for the Titan Group; I'm sure he'd give it to you. He's practically feeding you, but you just won't open your mouths.

Alas! Poor me, the Imperial Fists, nobody cares for me, nobody loves me, and I have to grind dust to get supplies. You guys are better off, at least you know where your Primarch is. But what about me?

Father, where have you gone?

Tu'Shan was deeply shocked, but he found it very reasonable. Before he could think about it further, a squad of Atlas arrived at the Mountain Array's base.

The Khan, who was leading the team, was overjoyed to see Tu'Shan and Gregor. He immediately gestured to his underlings to unload the two large boxes. "I've been looking for you for a long time. Hurry up and get the goods. These are the smart assistants that Father and His Highness Guilliman provided to each Legion Commander. I still have to deliver them to others."

At this point, the Khan suddenly paused, a malicious glint in his eyes. "Gregor, I remember the Imperial Fists and the Iron Warriors don't get along, right?"

"Nonsense, are we bad? We're mortal enemies! Those short, stout guys were forced into Chaos, but a traitor is a traitor. They even tried to steal our Mountain Array once, it's outrageous!"

They even kidnapped my Captain and humiliated him, forcing him to wear the Iron Warriors armor and making him clean toilets—for 20 years straight! That Daemon Primarch even forced Lysander to call her "Mother," ugh!

As is well known, the Imperial Fists is the second shortest among all legions, only becoming the third shortest after the Soul Drinkers joined the Empire. However, even the third shortest ranking is highly inflated, and they are roughly equal in height to the Iron Warriors.

The Khan couldn't help but laugh at the thought of what was going to happen next, and hurriedly urged the two Legion Commander to open the box.

Sure enough, as the cargo box opened, Gregor's face turned green instantly, and he punched the Blasphemous Artifact that was only 1.5 meters tall. "Perturabo, you deserve to die!"

"Smack!"

"Um?"

What was even more humiliating was that Gregor's furious attack was caught by Abo Sister with one hand, instantly proving that Gregor was indeed the weakest Legion Commander.

What are you doing?

For some reason, upon being swept over by those iron-gray pupils, Gregor's knees immediately buckled, and he knelt down before the tiny figure. His previously devastating rage vanished instantly, replaced by a strange, inexplicable joy.

"Damn bastard, what kind of witchcraft is this?"

The commotion attracted a crowd, and the Imperial Fists Guard, hearing the noise, rushed to the rescue. But a strange thing happened: Gregor's condition also appeared among the Imperial Fists Guard.

Half of the guards trembled, some even shedding tears of emotion. Only those former Black Templars with black crosses on their shoulder armor remained unaffected and seemed utterly bewildered.

Perhaps realizing something, they used Perturabo's original genetic code, combined with Biochemical Alchemy, through counterfeit Primarch craftsmanship, combined with the Logic Core the Necron, added Icarus's computational program, and then corrupted it with the Emperor's power, and finally purified Abo Sister a second time by Fel Energy.

This unprecedented Chimera raised its head, walked barefoot to the desk, and finally picked up the Pineapple Canned Food that Gregor particularly liked, and began to eat expressionlessly.

This scene reminded the Khan, the ancient soldier, of something from ten thousand years ago. Just as Atlas had a strange fondness for orange juice, the Fourth Primarch, Perturabo, the Lord of Iron, was also extremely fond of pineapples.

A bold idea formed in the Khan's mind, especially since the Black Knights leader, who was more like Dark Angels than Dark Angels himself, made him tremble with excitement at this little secret.

"No, I have to tell Father this little secret: the Legion Commander of the Imperial Fists is actually an Iron Warriors."

Meanwhile, far away in the Eye of Terror, Perturabo frowned, his vision shifting before finally settling on the Astartes clad in bright yellow armor.

Looking down at the Pineapple Canned Food in his hand, Perturabo fell into deep thought, "Where am I?"