Warhammer: Starting with Industrial Revolution

"Oh no, Luo Ning!"

As soon as he stepped into the governor's mansion, Governor Karl rushed straight into Ronin's arms with tears streaming down his face, and the latter quickly dodged to the side.

"Sir, please be mindful of the situation! There are so many people here!"

"There's no time to pay attention, something terrible must have happened!" Governor Karl looked visibly frightened, which made Ronin take it seriously as well.

The two entered the governor's office, where they were alone, allowing them to relax a bit more.

"What exactly happened, sir? The Imperial Inquisitors are here again?" he asked, frowning.

Governor Carl handed over a report from the table. "You'd be better off as a judge. Something's happened at the mine!"

A mine?

Luo Ning immediately perked up. The mines were the lifeblood of their planet. Whether it was the production of ammunition or the entire planet's economy, everything was closely related to them. The mines absolutely could not be allowed to have any problems!

He snatched the report and examined it closely. It was a report from the Planetary Defense Force headquarters, detailing the recent problems.

One of the most urgent matters requiring a decision from the Governor's Office was the recent frequent disappearances of the guards surrounding the mine. They vanished without a trace, as if they had evaporated into thin air; the entire squad had disappeared.

This situation has occurred four times in a row, and the Defense Forces Headquarters has repeatedly increased manpower, but the result remains the same.

The defense forces have now adopted a contractionary defense strategy, retaining only defensive positions, but have ceased individual squad patrols.

The conclusion drawn was that there might be an alien gathering in the Death Forest surrounding the mine, requiring a large-scale military operation to clear it out.

"I knew this damn planet wouldn't stay peaceful forever. We can't even have a single good day, and now this kind of crazy thing has happened again."

Governor Karl grumbled incessantly beside Ronin, scratching his already dwindling hair. "Ronin, could it be some kind of Chaos Legion or Green-skinned insectoid race coming to our planet? If a war breaks out, can we win?"

"We can't win. If the aliens come, we're all doomed. Not just you and me, but billions of people in the entire Nest City are doomed."

Ronin pursed his lips, noticing that Governor Karl's face had turned deathly pale before continuing, "But Governor, there's no need to worry. If it were truly those monsters invading our planet, there would be no need for this kind of sneak attack on patrols."

However, the situation was not as easy as he made it out to be.

This is highly suspicious. The entire defense force has vanished without even a warning. Clearly, the defense patrol has been ambushed.

The defensive forces made the right choice. Facing an enemy that is adept at using terrain advantages to launch surprise attacks, a large-scale corps march was the best option.

No matter what world you're in, might makes right is the rule. The team's mysterious disappearance was simply due to insufficient combat power.

However, this is also a good thing. The current training level of the defense force is too low, and there is still a lot of room for improvement in its overall combat effectiveness. At the same time, the plan that he has been brewing in his heart for a long time can be implemented with this opportunity.

"Governor, I'm leaving the capital to you. I'm going to set off with the defense forces to deal with these bastards who plotted against our soldiers."

After thinking it over in his mind, Ronin turned to Governor Karl and said something. The latter plopped down on the ground, his face deathly pale.

"Luo Ning, are you crazy? What am I supposed to do if you get lost too? Without you, I might as well find a rope and hang myself from the ceiling for a quicker death."

"Pah! Pah! Why are you talking like I'm going to my death?" Ronin shook off Governor Karl, who was clinging tightly to his trouser leg, looking disgusted. "My lord, please rest assured, I will make full preparations. You know I'm not the kind of fool who acts without thinking."

Governor Karl looked up pitifully at Ronin, and after a long while, he finally nodded as if he had made up his mind.

"Alright, since you say so, I'll believe you. When you come back, I..."

"Shut up!" Luo Ning rushed forward, angrily blocking the other person's path. "There was nothing wrong to begin with, why did you have to set this up for me!"

"What is that?" Governor Karl asked, puzzled, but Ronin just rubbed his head and didn't explain.

He then connected to the sector governor's hotline, and after a polite greeting, Ronin presented his new plan.

"Recruit the refugees from the Lower Nest District to expand the PDF army? How many more people do you plan to add?" Sector Commander Mason narrowed his eyes upon hearing Ronin's plan.

"Two hundred thousand people," Luo Ning answered without hesitation, but before the other party could raise any questions, he had already taken the initiative to explain.

"After the previous battles, the Planetary Defense Force has suffered a severe shortage of personnel. Currently, the available military force is less than 100,000, most of whom are responsible for maintaining order and security in the city."

"The problem is that the Death Forest near the hive has recently been attacked again. The current defenses are no longer sufficient to guarantee the stability of the entire hive, so we need to recruit new soldiers. I have already sent you the list of the existing troops."

Hearing Ronin's words, the commander of the Mason Sector hesitated.

On their marginal planet, an army of 100,000 is considered a lot. Every year, a portion of the army is transferred from the reserves to the active duty force to fill the tithing conscription quota.

Luo Ning's plan to expand his army by a full 200,000 men is so powerful that even the Inquisition might suspect them of rebellion.

However, the Dead Forest near the hive city has been harassing the mines by the enemy, which is indeed a problem that must be solved. If the number of troops continues to decrease, affecting the stability of the hive city and consequently the collection of tithes, it will be a losing proposition.

Without much hesitation, Sector Commander Mason finally made the decision.

"I've approved this military expansion, but only by 100,000 troops. You can also reserve an additional 100,000 as reserves. Furthermore, I require you to send me a detailed report, with a complete background check for every recruit. I don't need to elaborate on the other requirements, do I?"

Needless to say, even in the dark universe of Warhammer 40K, recruiting refugees into the army requires an extremely complex investigation process.

The main purpose is to prevent those with wavering faith or genetic problems from joining the military and becoming the seeds of rebellion.

On the other hand, it is also to be able to identify any potential or mutated psionic users in a timely manner. These psionic users are strictly prohibited from staying in their own territory and must be handed over directly to the Star Language Court and the Black Ship.

However, Luo Ning knew that they hadn't actually become landlords after being turned over as peasants; the vast majority of them were sent to be burned as firewood for the emperor, but that wasn't something Luo Ning needed to worry about.

The expansion plan was submitted more smoothly than expected, but the training of the new troops still requires a lot of time. The primary objective now is to eliminate the enemy hidden in the Death Forest.

Under Luo Ning's organization, the punitive force was quickly counted.

Ronin divided the soldiers into twenty squads. Each squad was mainly composed of standard line infantry, supplemented by chimera armored vehicles and scouts, and also equipped with heavy fire support soldiers.

With the enemy hiding in the Death Jungle outside the city, armored units were unable to exert their combat effectiveness, and air units were unable to play a good reconnaissance role. Ronin's favorite long-range heavy firepower ground attack tactic could not be used.

The team quickly assembled and, as instructed by Luo Ning, split into two groups to enter in a tiered formation and conduct a thorough sweep.