Great Commander, When Did You Arrive?

With the arrival of the Ascension Day of Sanguinius, Baal also celebrates its most important annual event.

Unlike the enclaves within the Ultramar 500 Worlds, the Baal Sector is not as wealthy; in fact, it is among the poorest of the Primarch homeworld kingdoms.

But there is one thing that no other world has: religion.

Because Everyone Loves the Archangel, even though Sanguinius has been gone for ten thousand years, Baal remains the third pilgrimage site after Holy Terra.

If you ask why it's the third pilgrimage site, it's because in the past ten thousand years, the Hera Fortress in Makurag has become more popular than the Baal Monastery.

Fortress of Hera has the Sleeping Primarch as an exhibit, a living Primarch. For a very small fee, you can buy a ticket to visit and pay homage to His Majesty the God-Emperor 'His Majesty 13th son.

Moreover, the mere fact that Guilliman is a selling point has allowed Ultramarines to enjoy a fantastic lifestyle, with tourist tickets and various expenses incurred while visiting attractions making it a pillar industry of Macragge.

Of course, even within the Ultramarines, there were disagreements about using their own Old Man as an exhibit. But in any case, the Smurfs certainly reaped huge benefits from the era's advantages, to the point that when Guilliman awoke, the entire Macragge's fiscal revenue plummeted.

But it was all worth it. With Guilliman becoming the first Primarch to return to the Empire, all the Ultramarines were ecstatic. Even when the news reached Baal, a group of Ultramarines were seen excitedly playing the saxophone.

They weren't that calm at all.

Space Marine with Primarchs and those without Primarchs can be considered two separate groups. Once close friends who lived together, they have now formed a thick barrier between them.

It would be a lie to say I'm not envious, but there's no use in being envious. Guilliman was so Ambition that he was already thinking about what would happen after his death while he was still alive, and he was finding people to arrange for his resurrection.

Thanks to the Great Angel's reputation and the foreign exchange brought by pilgrims, Baal has completely escaped the Death World, except that the local specialty wine still tastes worse than urine.

Take Dante as an example. His family had made a living selling salt for generations. Although they lived a hard life, they were able to survive. Even after their house was smashed into ruins by a huge block of salt falling from the sky, they managed to rebuild their house by cutting and selling the salt.

This is all thanks to Atlas's massive aid program, which completely transformed Baal's natural environment, turning a Death World filled with radioactive wasteland into the home planet we know today, and leaving behind a vast amount of permanent infrastructure.

But that's only one aspect. From the early stages of the war, apart from the Ultramarines, the major legions had no interest in farming. They were skilled in battle, but when it came to farming and supporting their families, they were completely useless, especially in those harsh environments of the Death World, which were the poorest and most desolate places.

In fact, for the Empire, even in the 40k era when its technology had declined across the board, planetary terraforming technology was not some kind of Dark Technology; it all depended on whether you wanted to or not.

In this regard, the Ultramarines have always been marginalized, have done the best, while the other legions have not done as well.

The fundamental reason is that they believe the harsh environment of Death World can forge more resilient warriors, and the recruitment process is so abstract that it is difficult to understand.

This abstract fact ended when Mordred became Warmaster, not because they were obedient, but because Mordred forced them to.

Through cooperation with various legions, Atlas proved that it could handle 70% of the legions' workload during the Great Crusade.

After the logistics volume was determined, Mordred's words carried more weight than anything else; he had plenty of ways and means to get these crazy guys to change their bad habits.

The Warmaster is not just a title; it represents the supreme commander during the Great Crusade, who truly has the authority to deploy troops. Mordred is simply lazy, delegating all the work to his subordinates, but he is not without temper; on the contrary, he is quite ruthless.

If you don't listen to me, then go and take on the toughest challenges for me. Pick any job that's demanding, has lots of work, and little recognition. You'll be chosen without a word.

Logistics and supplies are easier to manage. Once everyone is used to heavy firepower coverage, the issue of weapons and ammunition is well under control.

What do you think when you're forced to advance slowly due to slow supply lines, while your allies have already reached the Xenos lair, earned the honor of being the first to scale the walls, and are even specially brought before the Primarch to receive their medals?

Once the gap widens, given how the Space Marine value honor above all else, they won't be able to get over it on their own. Moreover, Mordred treats everyone equally; apart from the equally ruthless Zhuang Sen, no Primarch has escaped being beaten. He even dares to openly insult the Emperor.

During the Great Crusade, when enemies were everywhere, the Xenos forces entrenched in the galaxy were increasingly erratic, truly treating the Space Marine like common soldiers.

If your recruitment efficiency is slow, your legion size will fall into a vicious cycle, and eventually you'll be sitting at the table of children, only fit to be a helper to other legions.

Therefore, during the Great Crusade, under the combined influence of external and internal factors, all legions abandoned the abstract conscription model and began to systematically and formally recruit soldiers. Even promising candidates who did not pass the initial selection would be absorbed into the legions and trained as Auxilia officers.

This is why the veterans who are still alive today cherish the memory of the Great Crusade so much; even the Chaos Warrior who have fallen into Chaos praise it as a Golden Age.

During that period, they didn't have to think too much. As long as they followed the rules and fought bravely on the front lines, Atlas's powerful logistics would make all the necessary preparations. They were professional soldiers.

Unfortunately, with the end of the Primarch era and the issuance of Guilliman's Benevolence Decree, the Space Marine were no longer the pure soldiers they once were, to the point that some small Chapter had to worry about their livelihoods.

Forming alliances for mutual support is impossible, and expanding their scale is also blocked. Without logistical support, the Chapter still have to be at the mercy of the Adeptus Mechanicus and even have to pay a seed tax. This combination of measures certainly eliminates the possibility of another Great Heresy, but what is the cost?

The trade-off is extremely poor risk resistance!

If Chapter has weak farming capabilities or is located in a chaotic area, it will have no chance to recover and will easily perish once it suffers heavy losses.

Add to that the various Abstract Maneuver carried out by the Imperial High Lords Council in order to centralize power, the internal struggles of various forces, the internal conflicts between factions, and all sorts of historical problems, and even Emperor Chongzhen would have to say that the Ming Dynasty was too united. He probably would have even had to go and dance at his brother's grave.

In gaming terms, the separated Chapter are the players, each character has a health bar above their head, and since Chapter are military organizations, combat is inevitable.

As your health bar gradually decreases, if your healing ability doesn't improve, your health will keep dropping until you reach a critical point where you can be eliminated in one go.

Therefore, even though the Book of Astartes Codex can be called a Space Marine's exclusive STC operation manual, no one speaks highly of Guilliman. Instead, they criticize him for Ambition. This is also the main reason why, after Guilliman's resurrection, the Chapter were very resistant to the Second Founding and did not even participate in Guilliman's Indomitable Expedition. Ultimately, they were afraid.

In their eyes, Guilliman was a traitor, betraying the Legion, the Chapter, and even us Astartes. Some Chaos Warrior would even call him Ambition.

Moreover, they also have something to say: Who established those Vermin- like High Lord? Why are we living such a miserable life? In the end, when there's really no other way, it's good to put a big label on them and send them on Penitent Expedition.

With morale low, the army becomes difficult to lead. Therefore, Mordred must find good brothers, because only the Primarch can unite the Legion once again, and the results are obvious.

As more and more Primarchs returned, the majority of the Astartes began to implement military reforms, transforming the small, scattered Chapter into legions, which were then supplied by the combined forces of the Atlas and the Ultramarines.

What the empire lacks most is trust, and trust is something that cannot be gained by words alone; everyone must see concrete actions. Only by taking action can everyone see hope.

While Guilliman was cursing his past self for being an idiot and fixing the Shishan code, Zhuang Sen, who had been elected Warmaster, lived up to expectations and began leading the Dark Angels and Blood Angels to put out fires in the Imperium Nihilus. Meanwhile, Mordred launched a heavy crackdown on internal strife.

With this combination of tactics, the three leaders of the Second Imperium successfully won over the hearts and minds of the people, and with the return of Sisyphus, Luojia, Mortarion, and Russ, they successfully revitalized half of the current empire.

As the empire expanded, and with the steel war machine of the Empire roaring into action, the previously impoverished Atlas finally became wealthy thanks to the vast resources recovered through war, and was able to provide financial support to other legions.

You didn't have the chance before because you were too poor to afford it. Now, billions in subsidies are not only being given away for free, but they're being practically handed to you. If you still don't take it, you'd be crazy.

Among them, the one who received the most assistance was Baal.

Looking at the festive decorations outside, even the Dark Angels, those unapproachable, dark green Canned One, were wearing red hats and celebrating the holiday with the soldiers, Dante couldn't help but sigh.

Twenty-five years have passed since the Tyran invasion that reduced Baal to ruins.

During this period, Dante, who was appointed as the Regent of the Dark Side by the three Primarchs, worked diligently and was promoted to a high position. However, Dante did not feel happy, but only tired.

In just 25 years, with Atlas's relentless and frantic aid, the Blood Angels not only recovered but also expanded significantly.

The entire Baal Fortress alone has 120,000 troops stationed in Astartes, including 50,000 Black Angels, 60,000 Blood Angels, 10,000 Greyshields, 80,000 reserve troops, and the Warmaster Lion King in command.

Its forces comprise 13.04 million heavily armed integrated mechanized troops fully equipped with T3-type mechanical exoskeletons, with a reserve force of 39.12 million, 1.63 million tanks, 3.26 million infantry fighting vehicles, and countless other armored vehicles.

The Aerospace Force is comparable to Astartes, perfectly complementing Astartes' frontal combat missions and enabling extreme airdrops to deploy heavily armored units to the required locations in the shortest possible time.

A completely self-sufficient basic industry, an increasingly sophisticated logistics system, and a presence spanning from Baal Sector to Nakmonde 3

The corridor has 13 armed fortresses, and even a trauma team formed by Jeanne as a medical support.

Whether it's the Imperial Navy, the Astra Militarum, or even the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Rogue Trader, they can all obtain ample supplies through these fortresses.

With its military power and the presence of the Dark Angels led by the Lion King, the Baal Sector has become the most important bridgehead for the Imperium's dark side, and Baal even has the capacity to support other Chapter.

Zhuang Sen didn't understand operations, so all of this fell on Dante's shoulders. Dante completed all the tasks perfectly, but Dante couldn't be happy because he was just too tired.

Looking at the Ironclad Terminators, painted in dazzling gold and covered in ornate decorations, which was personally crafted by the Great Commander, Dante knew that the Great Commander feared for his life. The medals hanging on his chest, which could serve as bulletproof vests, were further proof of his honor.

But if you look past that blindingly thick armor, you'll find that Dante is in very poor condition. Even though it's not outwardly apparent, there's a sense that he's about to die suddenly.

Dante was personally modified by Mordred through the Primaris Conversion, and no one knows how much brutal work was done to him. But Dante does know that once, he survived being blasted apart by the Xenos's Melta, and after drinking some water and basking in the sun, he came back to life.

After that experience, no one dared to send him to the front lines. The Lion King even stripped him of his right to go to the battlefield, saying that their jobs were different and that his real battlefield was at his desk.

This went on for a full 23 years. Dante couldn't take it anymore and even contemplated suicide. But whenever he took any action, the Dark Angels outside would burst through the door.

I heard that he was some old soldier from the Broken Claw Chapter. Just four of them pinned Dante to the ground and beat him up. After being beaten, he still had to work while injured. His only leisure time was sunbathing.

Sunbathing is good, Baal's sun is powerful, but Dante wants to go to the battlefield. He has lived long enough, and he wants a grand finale, not dealing with that damned politics every day.

Every night when all was quiet, Dante would pray silently, seeking guidance from the Great Angel. But no matter how much he prayed, it was no use. Until one time, he actually saw Sanguinius in his dream, but the Sanguinius said, "You can't rest yet!"

This short sentence startled Dante awake from his sleep, and cold sweat poured down his face.

"Sigh~ When will this hell end?" Dante sighed, sitting listlessly on the balcony.

"Snap."

"Reporting to the Lord Regent, Primarch, Primarch, he has returned!"

Glancing at the boisterous recruit, Dante shrugged, indicating, "What kind of mess are you making? It's like the Lion King has returned!"

"No, my lord, it's the Primarch, it's the Great Angel has appeared."

"What? Sanguinius? Where is it?!"

"They're near the starport; they've probably reached the fortress platform by now."

Before the recruit could finish speaking, he saw his regent leap down, shouting as he ran, "I can finally retire!"

When Dante reached the platform of guidance, walked through the crowd to the Sanguinius, and saw the tall figure performing a backflip in the air, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died.

Although it resembled his father and even had a hint of his father's features, Dante recognized at a glance that this was not his father. After all, that smile was too wise, possessing a kind of mindless beauty.

"Great Commander, when did you arrive?"