"Alex, the Magnificent Stone has been shot down, but our losses are heavy." Gutierrez reported the battle situation to Alex, his voice heavy, as if every word weighed on his chest.
His gaze swept across the battlefield, the devastated ground and the army full of wounded soldiers, made him feel extremely suppressed.
"How many people were lost?" At this moment, Alex was answering Gutierrez's communication while continuing to direct the battle.
His voice was a little hurried, obviously eager to know the situation on the ground, but at the same time, he also had to command the battle in space: "The barrage on the port side is too thin, what are the gunners doing?"
Ignoring the noisy sounds coming from Alex's side, Gutierrez took a deep breath and continued to report: "Of the fifty Death Company warriors of the Blood Angels, twenty-seven were killed in action, and thirteen were seriously wounded and in suspended animation.
If they are not given Primaris surgeries later, they can only be put into Dreadnoughts.
Your Ash Knights Dreadnought was destroyed, only two tactical squad members are left, three Terminators were killed, and two Veterans of the Guard were also killed, almost completely wiped out.
The Weeping Angels were lucky this time, only two died, and one also fell into suspended animation."
"This is truly… heavy casualties." Alex's breathing stopped for a few seconds, as if he was instantly overwhelmed by the heavy reality.
But he quickly adjusted his emotions and continued to ask: "What about the Astra Militarum and the Defense Force? What is the fleet doing? Focus fire on that cruiser! Sink it for me!"
His voice carried a hint of suppressed anger, clearly extremely dissatisfied with the current battle situation.
Listening to Alex's obviously angry voice, Gutierrez didn't want to provoke Alex further, but under Alex's repeated urging, he still stated the losses of the Defense Force and the Astra Militarum: "Two Astra Militarum regiments suffered over half casualties, and almost all vehicles were destroyed.
Of the seven Defense Force regiments, two were almost completely wiped out, and three suffered over half casualties.
However, the recruit regiments and militia regiments, because they were not put into combat, did not suffer any casualties."
After saying this, Gutierrez asked Alex for instructions again: "Now that the Magnificent Stone has been destroyed, but the Necron army is still attacking, do you have any instructions? Should we continue to defend and wait for you to resolve the space battle before counterattacking?
Or should I organize a counterattack with the forces I have at hand? And a quick reminder, the Sisters of Battle are very unhappy with your order to keep them in the vineyard, and they are frantically requesting to join the fight."
"Then let them go! Replenish the three regiments that suffered over half casualties with the three new recruit regiments, strengthen the Astra Militarum with the remaining two recruit regiments, withdraw the two nearly wiped out regiments to rest, and prepare the militia regiments to be ready for battle as well." Alex issued a series of instructions, his tone carrying an unquestionable resolve.
However, he then hesitated.
He knew that the battle had reached a critical moment, and he was still hesitating whether to use his last trump card.
That hidden Ash Knights unit was his last ace, and using it might attract unnecessary attention and trouble.
After all, the modification of Astartes could bring more than just a little trouble, but the current situation no longer allowed him to hesitate.
Gutierrez knew what Alex was hesitating about, so he said to him: "I think the reinforcements can be brought out, at least 32 still has a cruiser and a frigate, joining the battle can end the space battle as soon as possible.
As for the Ash Knights you've hidden, there's no harm in bringing them out. There are only about twenty years left until the Great Rift opens. We can block the news during this time, shift the blame to Cawl, and gloss over it without a problem."
Alex was silent for a moment, rapidly weighing the pros and cons in his mind.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and made a decision: "Alright! I'll send Shi Dong out, and when they arrive, you can launch the counterattack."
His voice carried a hint of determination, clearly having made up his mind.
After all, he couldn't watch the Defense Force fight to the death while he held a force that could change the tide of battle without using it.
Gutierrez nodded, and although Alex couldn't see his movements, he knew that the other party had understood his determination.
He quickly began to deploy the next actions, and at the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief, at least they wouldn't lose this battle after fighting with all their might.
Gutierrez looked up at the sky, and with an Astartes' vision, he could easily see the fleet engaged in fierce combat in space, which filled his heart with immense worry.
Gutierrez knew that a Necron Dynasty existed within the Sub-Sector, and Alex and others also knew.
They originally planned to leave it alone, not awaken these iron skeletons, and when the Great Rift opened and the Regent launched the Indomitus Crusade, they would just bring an Indomitus fleet over and wipe it out.
But from the current situation, this Necron Dynasty might have already been awakened.
If that were the case, then the Rostov Sub-Sector would quickly become a huge meat grinder.
After all, the Imperium would never abandon the sanctus wine on Rostov II, so the Department of Internal Affairs would inevitably decide to defend this planet to the death.
By then, the extent of the war would be beyond their control.
"It seems I need to have a good talk with Alex about this." Gutierrez kept this in mind, then continued to direct the battle.
—
In the Ash Knights Chapter Monastery on Rostov IV, Shi Dong, who had received Alex's order, was assembling his troops.
In addition to the original thirty-three Primaris Astartes, after such a long period of training, the first batch of fifty new recruits for the Ash Knights had also been fully trained, and they would also join the battle this time.
Although they were only quickly conscripted, relying on the physical quality of the Primaris Astartes, their combat effectiveness could still play a crucial role on this battlefield.
After all, they were fifty Primaris Astartes, and even as quickly conscripted troops, their combat power was far stronger than ordinary Astra Militarum.
However, although they were already assembled, they still had to wait for 32's forge ship to arrive before they could go to support the battle on Rostov II.
Alex had only exchanged for one strike cruiser for the Ash Knights at that time, and Shi Dong and his team did not have any warships available, because Alex had not expected to put them into battle so quickly.
However, Shi Dong didn't care about this; what he and the Ash Knights warriors longed for was to enter the battle as soon as possible.
Even if they were just chess pieces and not real people, their inner desire for combat as Astartes would not change.
However, they did not wait for 32's forge ship.
It was Mai Mai and Twilight's Gabbro that came to pick them up.
This ship had to be moved to Rostov III for docking earlier because Rostov II Starport was full, but now it seemed to have turned a misfortune into a blessing, becoming a mobile force that could be deployed.
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