Emperor's Bane

Chapter 976 The Gathering of the Dawn Warriors

"That's the situation."

"The two lords' orders are clear: they need the full power of the Salamas sector."

"Listen carefully: It's all the power!"

“I think you know what this word means: I don’t need to explain it to you a second time.”

"Similarly, I don't want to see anyone trying to play tricks on this issue: the consequences would be very serious."

……

Upon returning to the Salamas sector, the first thing Danteok did was to summon all his independent commanders: they had to arrive at the Warsmith's meeting room by a deadline.

There was no compromise, no exceptions, and no room for negotiation: either stop what you're doing immediately and return as quickly as possible, or remove your rank and insignia and wait for the war blacksmith to choose a more suitable replacement.

This sentence was written in black and white on the letter sent to every Dawn Warrior unit. The first reaction of almost all the independent commanders who received this emergency order was to frown and be puzzled.

Whether they were Olympian veterans who had followed Danteok for over a hundred years or rising stars of the Legion who had risen to prominence in less than twenty years, they had never seen their superiors so rude. They even had to wonder whether the letter was actually written by the Warsmith or was a trick by some enemy.
However, after a brief hesitation, the commanders scattered across the land quickly packed their bags, stopped everything they were doing, selected the fastest ships they could find, and began to rush to the War Blacksmith's base.

No one dared to disobey Danteok's orders.

To outsiders, the Grand Duke of Salamas may seem like a cautious, amiable man, the epitome of a good-natured, salamander-like figure. But only those who actually served under the War Blacksmith knew that he was truly worthy of his status as the son of Perturabo. When it came to his responsibilities and mission, Danteok was just as stubborn, even inflexible, as his genetic father.

That's right, he certainly won't punish people arbitrarily.

But if he specifies the punishment in his order, then he will definitely carry it out.

Even if he is the one who should be punished.

It was out of awe of this that, three days before the deadline set by the War Blacksmith, his conference room was already filled with independent commanders from all over the world.

The number was as high as over a hundred.

Even Danteok was somewhat surprised.

But soon he felt relieved: rather, the scene before him was the normal situation.

The war blacksmith sat in his seat, his eyes quickly scanning the hundreds of faces on either side of the long table.

Those sitting in front of him were all people he knew.

He was a veteran who had participated in the war of unification, an old comrade who had come out of Olympia with him, a comrade who had fought side by side with him when he was a private, and the first batch of reinforcements that were dispatched from the legion after he led his company to the Far East frontier.

Of course, we can't forget the first batch of promising talents he discovered in Salamas: over time, they have all grown into capable individuals.

These more senior members have more formal titles on their shoulder insignia, mostly company commanders, or lower-ranking titles such as platoon leader or centurion. The lowest rank is a senior sergeant, who has the authority to lead troops independently within the Astartes Legion's organizational structure.

They were all separated from the main camp by the Legion's administrative orders personally signed by Danteok, with the purpose of guarding various important worlds and fortresses: it was this group of "regular" personnel who were able to efficiently control and accurately search for information on war blacksmiths.

Unfortunately, these people combined only made up a quarter of everyone present.

Sitting further away, three-quarters of the faces that left Danteok bewildered and unfamiliar, were the main force of the [Dawn Warriors].

Almost without exception, they were from the Far East, with only a very few coming from the Iron Warriors Legion's own lineage: some were the last few batches of support from Peturabo, while others were disciples and descendants secretly sent back under various pretexts after many Dawn Warriors returned to the Fourth Legion.

It is extremely difficult to figure out the titles and ranks on these people's shoulders, because their units are almost non-existent in any official documents: they are mostly units that were temporarily dispatched by their superiors, namely company commanders, platoon leaders, or senior sergeants, for some reason and were not recalled in time.

As for the officers of these temporary units, their titles are quite varied: some more formal ones will give themselves the title of senior sergeant or task force commander, while others will choose a hybrid title like combat group leader or low-ranking administrator.

As for the loosest ones: Danteok even saw the titles of Brotherhood Chief Representative and Fortress Commander.

He made a mental note that after the meeting, the first thing he would do to rectify was this chaotic situation.

This kind of warlordism cannot be tolerated during wartime.

Incidentally, he also needed to figure out what had caused his troops to scatter like this.

Of course, it's not complicated to understand this.

The reasons why most idle troops are sent out are generally quite similar.

Some units were transferred to a region of space for recruitment or patrol and security work. After not being recalled, they simply settled down there and, after several personnel changes, became a more independent force.

Some troops, while conducting semi-official and semi-private exploration and colonization missions, unwittingly became the guardians of a new frontier in the Far East.

As for those who were temporarily conscripted during battle and did not return after the battle, or whose flight paths were derailed by a warp storm and who settled temporarily in the local area for some reason, or who were simply construction teams building fortresses or giant buildings at their destination and eventually became the local regular defense force: there are so many cases that it would take three days and three nights to tell them all.

This highlights the fine tradition of steel warriors who, though scattered by the wind, take root wherever they are.

Back then, it was this fine tradition, along with the vigorous promotion of Primarch Peturabo, that made the camps of Iron Warriors spread throughout the galaxy: to this day, no one can figure out exactly how many camps the Lord of Olympia sent out during his more than one hundred years of great expeditions.

Peturabo didn't care much anymore.

Although news of new overseas Iron Warriors being discovered came almost every few years, Olympia never bothered to search for them, nor did it take any initiative to recall them: only the Citybreaker Frick issued an official order requiring the overseas War Blacksmiths to lead their troops back to Olympia's homeland as much as possible, when conditions allowed.

Not everyone obeyed the order.

Many war blacksmiths harbored a hatred for Peturabo that clearly outweighed their loyalty to the Primarchs, so they chose to remain in the remote and wild exile grounds, while the local Primarchs mostly turned a blind eye. However, those exile camps in the Far East had an additional option: to secretly travel to the Far Eastern frontier.

Danteok took this matter very seriously.

Through the Dawnbringers in Olympia and by sending his trusted confidants back to the Legion to report, Danteok had come to understand the Fourth Legion's current predicament: although he didn't know exactly what his Gene Father was doing, he knew that such a development would not end well.

At the same time, he also knew that, given his position, he couldn't persuade Peturabo.

All he could do was to preserve as much of the blood and bones of the once-mighty Iron Warriors Legion as possible during those turbulent years.

Although most camps were unwilling to join their former colleagues due to their inherent arrogance, there were also more pragmatic ones: the War Blacksmith eventually recruited several thousand battle-hardened veterans.

He had these people firmly under his control, and they could be considered a qualified firefighting force.

At least, their level of professionalism is far superior to that of the Forged Sons, the Brotherhood of the Fortified, the Broken Blades, and the Ironblood Chapter present here.

"Considering the Primarchs' requests, my next command is quite simple."

Having finished his thoughts, the war blacksmith addressed his subordinates.

"After the meeting, I need you to register the addresses and specific troop strength of your respective units in turn. I will also give you a map marked with assembly points. All you need to do is return to your posts, gather all your forces, and head to the nearest assembly point."

“I will only allow each of you to retain a maximum of 10 percent of the troops: of which only 20 percent can be veterans.”

"The same applies to military supplies."

"Although Lord Zhuang Sen and the Dawnbreakers have promised to solve our supply problem, I don't think they would break their promise on such a small matter. But we can't predict what might happen, so each unit must carry enough supplies before setting off."

"As for the standards: just think of it as a long war that will last for ten years."

"Bring as much as you can, except for the essentials."

"Don't be stingy or worry about the future. If we lose this next battle, we have no right to worry."

Danteok crossed his arms, speaking each word with utmost seriousness. Although many of those present were meeting the War Blacksmith for the first time, they could sense the weight of his words. From beginning to end, no one dared to refute him; everyone simply lowered their heads and quietly accepted his orders.

This silence pleased the war blacksmith.

While Danteok was pleased to see his battle brethren display their talents in architecture and other fields, in matters of war, silence was the most precious asset of the Sons of Peturabo.

They can employ a wide variety of tactics.

Strategically, however, they must obey orders.

However proud they may be of their bloodline in their hearts, on the surface, the War Blacksmith must give everyone a serious warning.

Even if it's just to go through the motions.

“Here, I must warn you.”

"Everyone, we have been separated for a long time, so I don't know all of you very well."

"I don't know if this long period of peace has made you complacent or selfish."

"But please hear me out."

"I don't care what you think, I don't care what your views are on this war, and I don't want to know how arduous your pioneering journey has been."

"But on the issue of the army and supplies."

"Nobody can outsmart me."

"If any of you dare to act like those lowly warlords among mortals, hiding soldiers and supplies that can go to the battlefield in order to preserve your own strength at this critical moment when the entire empire is facing life and death: then don't blame me for personally leading the attack on your base and then personally cutting off your head that has tarnished the honor of the legion."

The war blacksmith's broad hands slammed loudly on the desk, and everyone bowed their heads humbly, silently making their vows.

At this point, Danteok was unwilling to be too harsh.

"Of course, these are just necessary warnings."

So he smiled slightly.

"After all, we all know that the Dawnbreakers are very clear about the manpower and resources we all have."

Upon hearing this, even the newcomers sitting furthest away couldn't help but burst into laughter a few times.

Because they knew the war blacksmith wasn't lying. This involves a rather amusing fact.

That is, although the ranks of the Dawn Warriors may seem to have become a disorganized mess, they have never actually been out of the control of the Dawn Warriors themselves.

The reason why Danteok's companies, the task force, and the Brotherhood were able to grow so wildly was precisely because of the indulgence of Morgan's sons.

The reason is also very simple.

For the Dawnbreakers, whose forces were already insufficient, the territory in the Far East was still too vast. They could not possibly cover everything. At this time, a well-timed force of Dawnbreaker warriors could often solve the problems of several remote star systems for the Sons of Morgan.

This is precisely why many Dawn Warriors have unwittingly turned short-term missions into long-term missions, a result of the Dawn Warriors manipulating things behind the scenes.

By keeping them in those remote areas, the Dawnbreakers' own forces can be freed up: these Dawnbreaker warriors will not have to bear any expectations or pressure, and their role is actually no different from that of the mortal troops, except that as Astartes warriors, it is better to have them.

Danteok understood this perfectly, which is why he never actually tried to take stock of the number of people under his command: because that in itself meant taking back command of all the troops under his command.

Morgan might not care, but the war blacksmith never forgot that he was his customer.

Compared to Ahriman, Morgan's biological son who was practically a painting off the other side and had no blood relation to him, Danteok was ultimately a little too reserved.

For this reason, the Dawn Warriors and the Dawnbreakers have always maintained a tacit mutual restraint: just as the forces under Danteok never dared to openly exceed the total strength of the Second Legion, the Dawnbreakers have always been closely monitoring this powerful ally.

A classic joke is that although Morgan always claimed the strength of the Dawn Warriors based entirely on the figures reported by Danteok, the Lord of Avalon actually knew exactly how many Dawn Warriors there were: she knew even better than Danteok himself.

The evidence is that when the Warsmith did not change the total number of legions for a long time on several occasions, he received subtle hints from the Lord of Avalon.

Your main camp should have more people.

It is this sense of complete control that makes the Warsmith always respect the Primarch more than he cares for him.

Danteok dared not even count the exact number of soldiers in each of his units, but even the Dawn Warriors, who had drifted the farthest and were the smallest in number, had their recruitment strictly monitored by the Dawnbreakers, or the Dawnbreakers' mortal inspectors, and then compiled into a book and placed in Morgan's personal archives.

This is why Zhuang Sen so easily believed Danteok's report on the total troop strength: because he had already seen a more detailed report beforehand, and knew that the War Blacksmith was indeed not lying about these issues.

Even the recruitment process, in which the Dawn Warriors had complete control, was like this: needless to say, the supply of materials, which was entirely the responsibility of the Dawn Warriors, was even more problematic.

As a purely military force, the Dawn Warriors have no right to make private alliances with any local power. They will indeed protect the world around their base, but whether it is the planetary governor or the Forging World, their return gifts must be distributed and allocated through Avalon's unified command.

This is also an important reason why the two legions with almost the same number of members have been able to coexist for a long time: the lifeline of the Dawn Warriors is firmly held in the hands of Avalon.

Without Morgan's approval, while his Dawn Warriors wouldn't starve or die of thirst, they would never be able to replenish their supplies of explosives, gunpowder, and advanced weaponry.

But the most interesting point is the way the Dawnbreakers supply the Dawnbreaker Warriors.

This is also why, as Danteok mentioned, the Dawnbreakers never worry about the Dawn Warriors exaggerating their numbers.

For a long time, any scholar who has carefully studied the way these two legions interact has had a question: the Dawn Warriors' manpower is so inflated that it is unbearable for any officer with even a little professional competence, so how will the Dawn Warriors ensure their supply of materials in the future?
it's actually really easy.

Every so often, the Dawn Warriors would find the Dawnbringer command headquarters to which their encampment belonged and deliver the required amount of supplies.

No matter how much the number on this piece of paper is, or how outrageous it may be, the Dawnbreakers will offer it all without reservation: as much as you want, they will give you.

In any case, this amount of material consumption is negligible compared to Avalon's overall production capacity.

Even if the Dawn Warriors were to overreport, they wouldn't dare to report any excessively outrageous numbers.

Not to mention that, under the earnest teachings of their predecessors, although the various Dawn Warriors were scattered in all directions, their good habits of diligence and thrift were never lost. Apart from the necessary war supplies, everything the Dawn Warriors had could be obtained through their own efforts.

They are even skilled at digging wells to solve their drinking water problem without relying on any external force.

Therefore, under Morgan's pampering, the Dawnbreakers, who were already used to spending lavishly, would find the Dawnbreakers' requests somewhat meager. In many cases, the Dawnbreakers would even proactively subsidize some supplies, which left most of the Dawnbreakers with a surplus of resources.

However, these supplies will be meticulously recorded by the Dawnbreakers for unforeseen circumstances.

This is exactly the situation Dantik was referring to.

"Ms. Morgan knew very well how much power we could mobilize, and she truthfully handed over all the data to Mr. Johnson."

"If we say that Mr. Morgan is somewhat kind-hearted and willing to make exceptions for us in many ways."

"Then Lord Zhuang Sen is the other extreme: on matters of war, even I would never dare to touch his beard."

“I think you’ve all heard of his reputation.”

So, don't make him angry.

"We must mobilize all our resources."

"..."

"Wait a minute, Danteok."

Of all those present, only one person dared to interrupt the war blacksmith at this moment.

Because their ranks are the same.

The person who said those words was Kyle Warren.

He was also a war blacksmith.

Danteok was the war blacksmith of the 14th Battalion. Valen, on the other hand, was the war blacksmith of the 77th Battalion. After the battle that annihilated the Hruds, which caused heavy losses to the entire Fourth Army, Valen, who harbored ulterior motives, accepted Danteok's invitation to come to the Far Eastern frontier and stayed there for a long time.

The troops under his command were the most well-organized and in the best condition among Danteok's forces.

Therefore, he must respect Valen's voice.

"I have a question, old man."

Valen looked at the war blacksmith sitting upright with his only remaining eye.

"Those retired old guys: should we send them back to the reserves?"

"of course."

Danteok answered without hesitation.

“I told Mr. Johnson that we can pull up several thousand to ten thousand more veterans than expected.”

"If we don't include them, how can it be enough?"

"That's going to be a bit tricky."

Valen shrugged.

“Since you signed their death notices, these old guys have long since gone into hiding; some of them have been gone for almost a hundred years.”

"Nobody knows where they are now."

"A bunch of guys over three meters tall, tell me you can't find them, where are they now?"

"There's not much that can be confirmed, sir."

Danteok's adjutant agreed with this view.

"The largest of these was a group of about three hundred retired veterans led by a technical sergeant. They had built their own city in a civilized world and taken in orphans they had found during several expeditions. Many of them complained that their bodies had deteriorated and they were no longer able to adapt to the battlefields of the Great Expedition."

“I’m not here to listen to their complaints.”

Danteok muttered something.

But soon, he hesitated.

"Never mind, just remind me: I'll go talk to them in person before I leave."

"Three hundred veterans are worth trying to recruit."

"As for everyone here."

The war blacksmith slowly stood up.

"I think I've made myself very clear."

"If there are no further questions, let's adjourn the meeting."

"Go back and assemble your troops; we will head together to the western front on the Far East border."

"And I want to tell you in advance."

“We will be deployed to the west and southwest of Avalon.”