Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 633 06.0632: "Drumming Operation"

"Gentlemen, I trust that you have heard of the daring mission we are about to undertake. Before you is the star map of the gate worlds of the T'au Empire."

Horatio stood in front of the table, and 15 naval lieutenants stood neatly in front of him.

The light was dim, casting a mixture of light and dark shadows on them, illuminating everyone's serious faces.

Many of them were captains he had led before. In the long-term commerce-breaking war, they followed Horatio closely, accumulated rich experience, and won many military exploits. With these exploits, they were promoted at an extraordinary speed.

"Due to the great victory of the Imperial Navy in the last battle, the Tau fleet suffered heavy losses. They had to abandon half of the sub-sector, retreat urgently, gather the fleet, and prepare to fight us to the death at the gate of their home world in the southeast."

Horatio's voice echoed in the room, steady and powerful. "From the intelligence obtained by our spies, we learned that the Tau did not declare defeat in this battle. Instead, they declared themselves the victors, claiming to have sunk more than ten warships of the Imperial Navy. They also towed the wreckage of the salvaged warships back to the country for exhibition to prove their 'great victory.'"

When mentioning the alien's tricks, Horatio did not get angry but laughed instead, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, his smile full of disdain.

"How dare they?"

"These damn aliens are so shameless!"

The captains of the attack ships whispered to each other, expressing their indignation at the aliens' despicable behavior of confusing right and wrong.

"But everyone, war reports may lie, but battle lines will not."

Horatio stretched out his finger and tapped the star map, his eyes sharp as an eagle, "For this mission, we will split our troops into three groups, from the east, west, and northwest, to attack the enemy's home world right under their noses and spread fear."

"Sir, why not attack from the south? Isn't that the main deployment direction of the alien fleet?" a major asked puzzledly.

"Your question is a good one." Horatio turned his gaze towards the questioner, his expression serious. "Because the south is the attack direction of the main fleet of the Imperial Navy Expedition, the Tau have already stockpiled heavy troops there and are defending the southern front. If you want to weaken their defense by destroying warships, this is indeed a good choice.

But fighting the Imperial Navy on the southern front is exactly what the aliens want, and how can we let them choose the battlefield? In this galaxy, it is our Imperial Navy that rules the galaxy that has the final say, not these arrogant new aliens!"

"Yes! The lieutenant colonel is right!"

"Show them some color and make them retreat back to their nests!"

Horatio's passionate speech effectively boosted the morale of the captains.

"We are a long-range cruiser attack fleet. Since we are fighting over long distances, we must make full use of the strategic value of long distances."

Horatio glanced at the young captains in front of him and said earnestly, "So, we will carry out harassment from the east, west, and northwest to stir up public opinion in the Tau Empire and force them to disperse the fleet assembled in the south to the other three directions."

Horatio's eyes became more determined, and his tone became more resolute: "Since we are going to take action, we must make a big noise! ​​Under their watchful eyes, destroy their high-value transport ships, whether military or civilian, even the public passenger ships that transport Tau civilians, and never let them go! Focus on attacking the passenger ships. Only in this way can we completely ignite their public opinion.

The battle report can be blocked, but the list of the dead and missing cannot be concealed. We will plunge the Tau people into endless panic!"

"That's right. The news of the death of friends and relatives spreads the fastest, no matter which race it is." The captains nodded in agreement with this seemingly cruel but effective plan.

If it were in Horatio's original universe, attacking the passenger ship would undoubtedly be a despicable act, a serious violation of international law, and a war crime.

However, this is the dark and cold 41st millennium. In this universe where the strong prey on the weak, what does the non-existent "international law" count for?
It is not even as good as the Holy Scriptures. At least the Holy Scriptures can be used to cover up one's own mistakes, and some people who understand it thoroughly can even really learn something from it. However, the "international law" that does not exist in this time and space is meaningless.

In this dark void galaxy, every race has a common goal - to do everything they can to eliminate alien races, and to do it in the most efficient way.

How to do it? Kill!

The value of unrestricted submarine warfare is increasing day by day in the 40K universe.

"The Northwest Strike Fleet and the Western Strike Fleet will first launch an attack outside the Home World. I will lead the Eastern Strike Fleet and penetrate deep into the enemy's rear from the southeast."

Horatio continued to deploy the battle plan. "Your attack must be fierce enough to prevent the Tau from paying attention to the southwest and being busy dealing with it. This way, the resistance we face when we penetrate the core area will be greatly reduced."

"Sir, where in the core area do you plan to go?" Major Prien leaned forward slightly and asked curiously.

"Good question, Major Prien." Horatio lowered the brim of his hat, the shadow covering his eyes, but it could not hide the cold light flashing in his eyes, "E-96 will quietly go to the most important military town in the south of the Tau, D'YANOI (pronounced: D'Yanoi), under the nose of the enemy.

I plan to create a big chaos there and then evacuate quickly. To realize this plan, our 16 attack ships must work together and coordinate perfectly. "

"God Emperor! That is a stronghold of the Tau military!"

"What an exciting adventure! You are worthy of being our Wolf King!"

"The Emperor bless you, sir, and I salute your courage!"

Everyone exclaimed in amazement, shocked and in awe of Horatio's bold plan.

"The code name for this operation is Operation 'Drumbeat'!"
-
Horatio stood in the infirmary, the soft light shining down, illuminating his slightly tired face after thinking about the strategy.

He stretched out his fingers and gently teased the blond baby in the cradle in front of him.

The baby giggled, waving its little hands, trying to grab his fingers. That innocent smile dispelled the gloom and fatigue accumulated by Horatio's previous battles.

"Captain, the Epic has completed the replenishment of personnel and supplies. The Mechanical Priest and the Damage Control Team are conducting a final inspection to prevent the Epic from having any hidden damage that is difficult to detect with the naked eye during the previous battle. A careful inspection is needed."

First Captain Collingwood walked in quickly with a list under his arm and said respectfully.

This kind of inspection is extremely necessary. Many minor damages cannot be seen by the naked eye, but in the subsequent fierce battles, they may become the lost horseshoe nail and lead to the destruction of the entire kingdom.

The inspection work is also fraught with difficulties, requiring professional priests to use the professional equipment of the Mechanical Order to detect damage, and the damage control team to use percussion auscultation to make judgments.

"Understood. Let the damage control team check carefully. We are about to jump to the southern city of the Tau Empire, create chaos there and then evacuate quickly. I don't want any mechanical failures on the way." Horatio frowned slightly, his expression serious, his eyes still on the baby.

"Understood, Captain. I'll let Leidos supervise the work of the damage control team." Archie immediately stood at attention, saluted with a standard military salute, then turned around and walked away quickly to carry out the captain's orders.

Horatio looked at the baby in front of him, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, as if trying to calm the waves in his heart.

“Look at our boy, little Horace, how happy he is smiling.

I really hope that he can live in a peaceful and hopeful era."

Farida walked up to him without knowing when, with a gentle light in her eyes. She stretched out her white-gloved fingers and gently touched the warm glass beside her, fearing that she would disturb the tired child who was gradually sinking into a sweet dream.

"This is why we fight. We live in a world at war, and humans have been fighting all kinds of heretics and aliens for generations."

Horatio's voice was low and firm, "I firmly believe that one day, a ray of light will penetrate the clouds in the sky and illuminate the world beyond the war, a world that we may never be able to reach.

Our descendants will surely see the day when peace comes, and mankind will live in the warm sunshine, singing and laughing, and we will have wise rulers, brave warriors, and dedicated officials. "

Farida smiled bitterly, with a hint of helplessness and worry in her smile: "I hope so. But Horatio, we can't take him on the mission this time. It's too dangerous."

“My uncle said that little Horace will return with him, enjoy the sunshine and grow healthily on the warm land of Aurora.

In a few months, we will return and take him home." Horatio said softly, as if to encourage himself and Farida.

"Take him home." Farida repeated his words, her voice soft but powerful.

"Believe me, we will come back for him."

Horatio smiled and put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. He leaned forward slightly, and Farida also tilted her head back slightly, and their lips touched gently.

At that moment, tenderness and warmth filled the air, dispelling the icy chill in the room, as if the whole world was left with only them and their sleeping child of love.

'I believe that one day, a ray of light will shine through the clouds in the sky, illuminating the world outside the war, a world that we can never reach.'

(End of this chapter)