The Emperor’s Angel of Death

“Erebus.”

Szohyang recalled the somewhat familiar name.

Erebus, First Chaplain of the Word Bearers Legion, deputy to the fallen Primarch, responsible for the infamous Calth massacre and many other horrific tragedies, a veritable traitor.

However, after the Great Scouring, he seemed to have been less active, with only occasional attacks and terror sacrifices targeting Imperial worlds. This made Szohyang wonder if he really posed such a significant threat to Huron.

He voiced this doubt shortly after.

“Are those Word Bearers so powerful? Can they really tie down Huron's forces of over ten thousand with less than ten thousand troops?”

Helbrecht answered Szohyang's question.

“I doubt Huron truly fears Ghalmek. What he really fears is the entire Word Bearers Legion, or more specifically, the Daemon Primarch.”

Szohyang grinned.

“Look at him, he wasn't afraid of these things when he served the Emperor, but now he's scared after turning traitor. That's the most laughable thing about traitors.”

Then, he shifted the conversation.

“So, Huron seems to be in a similar predicament as us. Both sides find it difficult to launch large-scale operations for the time being. But what I want to say is, time is not on our side. As you all know, we have a duty to conduct this crusade. We can't just sit here idly. The High Lords of Terra won't be happy. At the same time, Huron will have time to fortify his territory. This man may not be great at attacking, but he is quite capable of defending. The defense of Badab Primaris back then proves this point. And whether Huron can handle the Word Bearers behind him is also unknown. We can't pin our hopes on this to restrain Huron. Once he frees up his hands, we who are passively waiting will be in great trouble.

Saying this, Szohyang held up two fingers.

“The general principle of this crusade can be summarized in two sentences: the crusade cannot be rushed, but the battle cannot be delayed. Do you all understand what I mean?”

He glanced around, noticing that only a few people had understood, and then explained:

“This crusade is destined to be a protracted war, so we can't be impatient when formulating strategic plans. However, we can't just sit still with Huron. We must make him move immediately, so he doesn't have time to complete his deployments methodically.”

“Where do we start?”

Helbrecht, as always, cut to the core of the issue.

“First, we start with the Badab Sector. I personally divide this crusade into three phases. In the first phase, we will block the Red Corsairs' smuggling and raiding routes, and force Huron to commit most of his forces to several disconnected and unfavorable battlefields. The goal of this phase is not to win, but to mobilize the enemy, to make them move, to make their fleets move. In the second phase, at least most of the Astra Militarum provided by the Departmento Munitorum will have arrived, including the Navy, and the first batch of newly trained recruits should also be ready. At this time, we will open three fronts. The first front will be from the Opulence System to the Lamptan System. This is the closest to Huron's lair and a key node connecting New Badab to the Maelstrom. The second front is here.”

Saying this, Szohyang pointed to Angstrom, and said coldly:

“If loyalty isn't absolute, then it's absolutely disloyal. Since these Adeptus Mechanicus have chosen to betray the Imperium, then we have no reason to continue to tolerate them. In the second phase, we will completely remove these fickle Mechanicus heretics and hand them over to truly loyal Adeptus Mechanicus believers, using it as a bridgehead to attack the Maelstrom. The third front is the Badab Sector. We will cleanse this area again. Even if this place is empty in the future, we must ensure that it belongs to the Imperium and will never pose a threat again.”

The crowd looked at the star chart, using the powerful thinking expansion capabilities of the Astartes, outlining lines of attack and even complete war zone maps in their minds.

“In the third phase, we will concentrate all our forces to attack the Maelstrom from several directions. If Huron is determined to fight us to the death here, then we will fight him to the death in the name of the Emperor. If he retreats, then the basic goal of this crusade will be achieved. Afterwards, we can consider how to attack New Badab, but without these territories, I believe the Red Corsairs will be nothing more than a candle in the wind.”

Afterward, Szohyang pointed to the Badab Sector, then the star cluster zoomed in, and everyone's vision focused on the Dicabrus System.

“This is the beginning of the first phase. We will launch an attack on the Dicabrus System from the Khelemar System in the Crevasse Drift. This place is very close to old Badab Primaris, and Huron will definitely have to rescue it. But this place is far from his controlled territory and separated by Angstrom, which is very conducive to mobilizing the enemy. If the enemy's main force arrives, we will temporarily retreat and launch a new attack on the Hatusa System. So the Badab Sector is very important. This will become our anvil for hammering the Red Corsairs. Perhaps we won't have any victories, but Huron will need to invest more. Even if he intends to attack the Ghoul Stars, the White Scars of Sengrad and the forces deployed in the Khelemar System will make him think twice.”

Saying this, Szohyang laughed.

“Wasn't he giving us trouble in Kolkaria? Okay, then we'll give him a problem too. Unless Huron can decisively abandon the Badab Sector, this will be his 'Kolkaria'. What do you all think?”

Helbrecht stared at the star chart for a long time, then nodded slightly.

“Good, it's a good strategy. I am willing to lead the team to enter the Khelemar System.”

Szohyang waved his hand with a smile.

“There's no rush yet, because before executing the strategic plan, we still have a problem to solve.”

Saying this, he tapped the table, the star chart rapidly zoomed out, and then green dots appeared one after another.

“The Maelstrom area, since the Great Crusade, there have been thousands of large-scale wars, and it is difficult to judge right from wrong. But all historians can notice that no matter how the various forces here rise and fall, there is always a touch of filthy green.”

Szohyang pointed to those abhorrent alien smiling faces.

“Orks are the biggest hidden danger to the current expeditionary force. They may pose a threat to our supply lines at any time. Although these alien beasts rarely cooperate with people, it cannot be guaranteed that Huron has no means to impress and drive them. Therefore, before all actions are launched, we must remove these threats around us, and the most important one is here.”

Saying this, he pointed to an area between the Sagan System and the Grief System, where there were several barren planets and an asteroid belt, several of which had been marked with the Orks' abhorrent smiling face totem.

The old group was blown up by the Penguin Great Demon, and the new group is at the end of the chapter or in the introduction area. Alas, I encountered this bad thing on my birthday