Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 976, page 08.975: "Blue and White"

"Everyone line up!"

"Move all these military equipment boxes down!"

"Make way! Watch out for vehicles!!"

On the vast, dust-filled training ground, the soldiers of the New Land Dragoon Regiment—now known as the 13th Dragoon Brigade—stared in astonishment at the scene before them that they could never have imagined.

Rows of brand-new "Arion" eight-wheeled heavy assault vehicles were neatly arranged in front of them, their dark paint reflecting a cold glow under the dim sunlight of Minerva.

Behind them, massive "Thunder" class orbital transport ships are continuously unloading staggering amounts of military supplies.

These supplies were transported here by Horatio from the distant Abyss Harbor, overcoming countless hardships and traversing almost the entire Misty Starfield. Their total quantity is enough to arm hundreds of thousands of troops, not to mention a force comprising six brigades.

In order to balance the tactical flexibility of free combination with the convenience of administrative organization, at Brigadier General Rana's suggestion, the new force was organized into three different brigades with different functions: light air assault, medium mobile, and heavy defense.

Each brigade comprises six battalions with identical equipment and personnel to facilitate logistical coordination and payroll distribution. Based on actual operational needs, commanders can flexibly select different battalions from various brigades to form temporary combat "half-brigades."

But the ideal is far from reality. Selecting personnel for the air assault brigade requires long-term, high-intensity airborne and air-drop training, which is by no means something that can be accomplished overnight.

As for the heavy armored battalion, Horatio has not yet found a suitable retired main battle tank on this planet—this is due to the outrageous wealth of the Sintira Fusiliers, whose tanks are either Lemanrus or Macarius, and even super-heavy weapons like the Poison Blade and Shadowblade.

Although Horatio would love to own one, at this stage, touching any active main battle tank model would be tantamount to slapping the Interior Ministry in the face, and could very likely lead to serious political consequences.

He could only hope that the refurbished Macardo main battle tanks, which he had ordered from Voss Foundry before departing from Abyss Harbor, would arrive as soon as possible in the subsequent transport fleet.

Therefore, the only force that can be assembled immediately is a medium-armored mobile force.

He had sufficient military supplies, enough infantry fighting vehicles and wheeled vehicles, and a ready-made, experienced mobile force.

The 13th Dragoon Brigade was rapidly expanded from the original two battalions of the New Land Dragoon Regiment to a full-strength force of six battalions.

The battalion commander was a professional officer provided by Sintira's military reforms, while Yadviga and Poniatovsky, who were relatively familiar with the unit, selected a group of acting junior officers with outstanding combat achievements and rich experience from the rank-and-file sergeants.

These seasoned veterans will test their ability to command a modern force through their rich combat experience and the rigorous real combat that follows.

At Horatio's personal nomination, Colonel Jadwiga became the first and a half brigade commander of the 13th Dragoon Brigade, while Battalion Commander Poniatovsky became the second and a half brigade commander.

According to the original plan, and for the sake of ease of management and dispatch, the newly established rail landing force should have adopted a dual-track system with the Imperial Navy, with a semi-independent command department, and the brigade commander should have been an officer from within the rail landing force.

Just like in the history of ancient Terra, although the British Royal Marines and the Royal Navy operated under a dual-track system, they also worked together in the Admiralty building.

The beginning is always the hardest. This first commander must be experienced and dedicated enough.

However, with Henry Harvey, the son of a high-ranking officer in the Star Forces, missing, and Louise pregnant and needing to assume the important position of vice-captain, Horatio had no more suitable candidates under his command. Ultimately, he had no choice but to personally assume the position of brigade commander, waiting for a group of capable commanders to emerge from the trials of war before deciding who would become the supreme commander of the unit.

Although the command level faces numerous difficulties due to a shortage of talent, the direction of the large-scale organization of the troops has been established.

Each battalion of the Dragoon Brigade has approximately 4500 combat personnel, a weapons support company of 320, and, with the addition of logistics and engineering units, a total of just over 5000 personnel. Each battalion is organized into nine companies, in accordance with the new military reform regulations formulated by the Sintira military reform faction, "991.M41 Calicus Army Organization Law".

Each battalion comprises six mechanized infantry companies, all equipped with the "Ariov" eight-wheeled motorized combat vehicle.

Each squad has also changed from the original 10-person squad model of the Star Guardians to a more flexible 12-person squad model of the Imperial Navy.

Such a squad, with six people on each side, can not only sit comfortably in the spacious troop transport compartment of the "Arion", but also fit an additional two-person heavy weapons team to enhance the squad's independent combat firepower.

In addition, each battalion also includes a mixed reconnaissance company composed of cavalry and "Pegasus" four-wheeled chariots, as well as two all-terrain mobile companies composed entirely of cavalry.

Indeed, after in-depth consultations with the two and a half brigade commanders, Horatio decided to retain two pure cavalry companies in each battalion. After all, there are always some places where vehicles can't go.

These warhorses, which have undergone thousands of years of genetic selection and hybridization in the harsh environment of Polaberia and can walk sideways on steep cliffs like ibex, are the perfect choice for transporting soldiers and supplies across those formidable chasms.

As an all-terrain assault force, they will become a sharp blade that plunges into the heart of the enemy from the most unexpected place.

"To be honest, I didn't expect the formation of the orbital landing force to proceed so quickly." Horatio, accompanied by two and a half brigade commanders, looked at the mountain of sealed uniform cases in front of him and couldn't help but sigh.

He opened one of the boxes, revealing pristine, undyed plain-colored military uniforms.

"I haven't even decided what color the uniforms for the orbital landing force should be yet, let alone dyed them," he said helplessly.

Everything was proceeding at a rapid and efficient pace. So much so that the plain white uniforms Horatio brought from Abyss Harbor, intended as spare uniforms for the port's defense forces, were being distributed without even being dyed.

A soldier dressed in a plain white military uniform, along with the Imperial Navy's standard Void Blue armor, was taken out of a sealed box and distributed to the soldiers in front of him.

“White…the purest and most beautiful color.” The colonel leaned down, gently pinching the soft synthetic fiber uniform that was both warm and protective against the cold, and said softly, “In the Calissis Sector, white is the color that represents the purest and most loyal.”

Although it had long been monopolized by the corrupt aristocratic class, in the beginning, it was the color of the uniforms worn by the fearless warriors who fought valiantly for the God-Emperor during the Anjou Expedition.

"Just issue these white uniforms to the soldiers; they won't mind that they're too plain. You can dye them later if you come up with a better color scheme," she said with a gentle and warm smile, holding the uniform.

"Alright, that's all for now." All he could do was offer a smile. "Go and explain to those confused soldiers what happened."

She gave a standard military salute and then quickly left.

(End of this chapter)