Warhammer: Primarch's Life from the Beginning

The meeting was drawing to a close in the spacious hall of the Royal Palace of Terra.

The files on the table were piled higher, and the recorders were still transcribing them. The expressions on the high lords' faces were different from when the meeting had started; there was less arguing and more calculation. Many people were no longer trying to interrupt, but were instead calculating how many manpower and resources they could still squeeze out from their ranks. Guilliman had already left.

After intensive discussions and feedback from various departments, a more concrete plan gradually took shape.

The meeting was attended by high-ranking members of the Empire, and they were all well aware of many taboo topics in the warp, so there was no need to hide them.

Court representative Cleopatra Ers rubbed her temples, her voice tinged with barely suppressed frustration.

"Even if we crush all the cult strongholds we've discovered so far, cleaning up the effects of Chaos will still be incredibly troublesome. The Holy Hammer Order will have to sift through people who have been tainted by evil objects or come into contact with forbidden things, as well as the contaminated neighborhoods and warehouses. Many secrets will be hard to keep hidden."

Leo sat in the main seat and looked at him.

"I don't care how you kill them afterwards."

"Now we must focus on the present. The influence of the demons is closely related to the Star Torch malfunction. Only by solving this problem can the Empire resume operation, the air routes within the Holy Land be restored to normal, and the collection of the eleventh tax be resumed normally."

The Consul General of Xingjuting and the Abbot of Xingyuting both nodded slightly; this was correct.

Leo continued.

"The current deployment can only delay the invasion and weaken the intensity of the upcoming war. The only way to truly solve the problem is for the Star Torch Court to hurry up and repair the Star Torch, so that the Emperor's Holy Light can return to Terra."

Pope Desius XXIII of the State Church took a slow breath, and the servant's arm injected another stimulant into his body. He looked at the Consul General of the Star Torch Court, urging her to hurry. The Consul General ignored him, only solemnly flipping through the documents in front of her, checking for problems one by one.

After reading through the thick stack of papers, Leo tossed them into the hands of the servant beside him.

"There is one more thing you must understand. This kind of subspace force with strong religious characteristics has a great influence on certain things in the mysticism. The sacred number of this demon force is eight. If the demon legion at that time is not eight great demons and eighty-eight legions, then they will have a large part of their group blessing reduced."

"The scattered demon army is not a threat, nor is it invincible, so it is appropriate to expand the battlefield to the hive outside the palace."

The Chief Legal Officer, preoccupied with the contemplative crowd, silently issued orders: "Evacuate the people and fortify the capital."

"Yes." Leo looked at him. "So the Ministry of Justice is cooperating with the Astral Army to build safe zones in various hives to accommodate the remaining normal people, and strive to transform the streets and traffic hubs of the hives into trench fortresses as quickly as possible."

The Minister of the Interior immediately whispered a few words to his attendant behind him, who quickly retreated with the board in his arms. The Ministry of Military Affairs truly lived up to its reputation as one of the few highly efficient departments; nearly 10 billion units of the Astronaut Army had been mobilized to key locations throughout Terra to await orders.

Headmistress of the Battle Sisters, Morven Val, almost stood up and placed her hand on her chest.

"The Battle Sisters will immediately deploy to all key areas."

She seemed to have finally gotten her chance to leave the conference table and get down to business. The nuns around her straightened their backs, clearly eager to rush to the front lines.

The two high lords of the state religion seemed to have emptied their coffers, and a vast army of church troops marched into and stationed themselves in various hives of Terra.

The meeting was almost over. Leo looked around and realized that this was the limit of what this bloated organization could do, so he stood up.

Perhaps Guilliman could have done better.

Meeting adjourned.

People in the spacious hall rose one after another, the sound of chair legs scraping against the floor echoing through the room. Many had no time for pleasantries, turning to give orders to their attendants. Some looked grim, others anxious; the Primarch's return meant changes in the jurisdiction of most departments.

The specific implementation of the plan would take some time, so Leo decided to ask Trajan to accompany him to see how the reinforcement of the palace's outer defenses was progressing.

Tura didn't say much, simply following Leo's steps. Kara and the nuns immediately formed a protective formation behind them. There were still many people hurrying to and fro in the corridor outside the hall, and upon seeing the Primarch emerge, they all pressed themselves against the walls to make way.

Court representative Cleopatra Ers caught up with Leo's retreating figure.

"Your Highness."

Leo turned around and glanced at him.

As Ers approached, he bowed first, his tone completely devoid of the sharpness he had displayed in the hall just moments before.

"Although the state religion got there first, all departments of the empire are interconnected."

"The Inquisition will not allow the Emperor's enemies to exist on Terra. Opportunities to hold a full Highlords meeting like this are rare, and this war requires a commander-in-chief. My men will be by your side to relay messages."

Leo looked at him with an expression that said, "Are you kidding me?"

"Is the court trying to spy on me?"

After hearing this, Ers showed no embarrassment, but rather a faint hint of fatigue.

"I may be mediocre, but I am not stupid, Your Highness."

He paused.

"Furthermore, I suggest that Catherine, with whom you have had contact, be your adjutant."

The moment the suggestion was uttered, Kara's lips tightened. She wanted to say that the Church of England had already sent people, and the Primarch didn't need the Inquisition's interference. But this was a conversation between the High Lord and the Primarch, and she had no right to participate, so she could only suppress her dissatisfaction.

But at that moment, Leo thought of many other things.

In official history, the biggest obstacle to Guilliman's Indomitable Expedition in its earliest planning stages was the Inquisition and the Pope of the State Church. This was because Guilliman's return would weaken the Inquisition's power, and Guilliman did not acknowledge himself as a demigod or a god, believing himself to be just a human being, which contradicted the doctrines of the State Church.

Now that he was already standing here, he should clear away some of these obstacles for Guilliman, at least to prevent the situation from deteriorating to the point where it had to be ended by massacring the high-ranking officials.

After thinking it over, Leo nodded.

"Can."

Ers's shoulders relaxed a little, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"I will get her there as soon as possible."

After a while, Leo got off the transport ship and arrived at the main gate of the palace.

The conversation in the State Council's main hall affected the entire Terra. Everyone inside and outside the palace was mobilized. Transport vehicles, servants, soldiers, priests, engineers, and attendants crowded the passageways. New artillery positions were being set up, and ammunition boxes and obstacles were being continuously transported in.

Several passing Imperial Guards whispered among themselves, agreeing with Leo's decision not to abandon the civilians outside the palace.

Leo immediately set up a temporary crisis response team at the royal gate as the war command center, with General Trajan serving as the commander of the palace defenses.

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Time quickly passed and evening arrived.

Inside the command post, ordinary officers, guards, nuns, and clerks from the Ministry of the Interior moved back and forth, none of them having time to stop and catch their breath.

Leo stood by a platform, his golden power armor glowing in the lamplight, as he spoke in hushed tones with Trajan about the Khorne Demon's immunity to ranged attacks.

Kara stood guard not far away, her expression still upright, but when she looked to the other side, she saw a thorn in her side.

Because Catherine has already arrived.

She frowned as she processed the news she had just received, then walked up to Leo with the data tablet in her hand.

"The overall progress has been sorted out, but some bad news has still come in."

Leo glanced at her.

"Send the intelligence to the built-in channel on my helmet."

"clear."

The next moment, a series of data and images unfolded before Leo's eyes.

Catherine began her report.

"A dedicated emergency supply line from Mars to Terra has been successfully established, enabling the orderly transfer and distribution of supplies. The Ultramarines and Grey Knights have wiped out numerous cult strongholds, eliminated Chaos Wizards, strengthened the martial law in each hive, and effectively suppressed the spread of the cult and the corruption of Chaos."

Leo looked at the areas that were marked in red and then turned yellow, hummed in agreement, and the next batch of content popped up immediately.

"However, due to a variety of factors, numerous accidents and incidents have occurred throughout Terra, resulting in heavy losses."

Leo's gaze swept downwards.

"Poor communication between departments led to frequent delays in instructions and misjudgments of information. Furthermore, the complex environment of the city provided opportunities for cultists, triggering large-scale public riots and causing the stationed troops to expend a significant amount of manpower and resources."

"During the transport of supplies, the ships were repeatedly attacked by various forces controlled by cult members, resulting in frequent damage to transport ships and supplies, causing serious waste. During the infrastructure repair, the Mechanized Cult's protective forces were repeatedly ambushed by cult infiltrators and attacked by chaos bombs, resulting in damage to repair equipment and serious casualties."

A picture of a transport platform after an explosion shows several engineering machines lying in flames, with severed limbs of Christian guards nearby.

"During the inspection and distribution of supplies, there were incidents of cult infiltrators disguising themselves as staff or civilians to launch surprise attacks, causing explosions, pollution and other accidents. These incidents not only resulted in casualties but also contaminated a large amount of supplies. In addition, there were cases of uneven distribution of supplies and some individuals embezzling supplies, which aroused dissatisfaction among civilians and led to several small-scale conflicts."

Leo was not surprised by any of this; on the contrary, if everything went smoothly, he would suspect that Tzeentch was using his powers.

"Poor communication between departments has led to overlapping territorial divisions and unclear responsibilities, resulting in defense vacuums in some areas. In some hives, fierce resistance from the Genestealer Cult has also been detected."

When Leo heard this, the corners of his mouth turned up.

"Oh right, there is a group of Xenomorphs in Terra."

"Should I contact my colleagues in the Alien Inquisition to dispatch the Deathwatch Chapter?"

"We'll cook them later; they're still useful for now."

Catherine nodded.

"But overall, the spread of chaos on Terra has been temporarily halted."

A burst of crisp applause rang out, and Trajan, leaning against a pillar, clapped as he spoke:

"It's really not easy to get those old guys to cooperate so well."

Looking at the fluctuating data and images before him, Leo knew very well that such results could not have been achieved by a single Primarch alone.

What was truly mobilized was the empire, this heavy and outdated machine, and only after it was awakened did it truly reveal its due power.

In the war seats of the galaxy, Space Marines are ultimately a minority; those who truly fight on the front lines are mostly mortals who grit their teeth and hold their ground.

Leo looked up at the crowd still rushing about outside the Imperial Gate.

Although his prophetic abilities were just for show, it's easy to see that Khorne's plans had been thwarted, and he should make a move.