Warhammer: Starting with Industrial Revolution

"Galan, assemble all combat troops." Ronin's voice was unusually calm, but his clenched fists betrayed the turmoil in his heart.

The screams of the advance team soldiers still echoed in his ears. Those were not cold numbers, but soldiers he had personally selected and encouraged.

Garland was taken aback, then quickly advised, "Sir, calm down! The advance team has just been attacked, and we don't yet know the enemy's firepower configuration in the ruins. It's not too late to make a thorough plan before setting off!"

"I'm perfectly calm." Ronin raised his head and looked at Garan. His expressionless face only made Garan feel more terrified.

But Ronin turned to Viktor beside him, bowed respectfully and said, "Lord Viktor, I have to trouble you a little more. I need the help of the Mechanicus."

Viktor's prosthetic mechanical eye flashed red, and without further ado, he slowly nodded: "A creation of the God of Machines, it will serve to purify the ruins and recover the sacred relics."

Subsequently, Luo Ning issued a recruitment order in the Lower Nest District, gathering a large number of laborers to develop the Death Forest outside the Nest City.

Ronin's plan was simple: use the large number of people in the Lower Nest area, along with the equipment of the Cult of Mechanism, to build a passage through the Forest of Death, so that both heavy tanks and infantry units could advance quickly.

Once they cross the natural barrier of the Death Forest, their troops can spread out completely and launch a full-scale fire suppression against the enemy in the ruins.

Although he was reluctant to bombard the ancient colonies, it was clear from the current situation that approaching them by air was no longer an option.

Scattered ground forces are highly vulnerable to the endless unknown threats on the planet. Only when large forces cover each other and coordinate can casualties be minimized.

According to previous intelligence, the detected servo skull would only be attacked when it was very close to the ruins, but the transport plane was shot down at a distance of three kilometers from the ruins.

In other words, the other side may have acquired some kind of air defense equipment, but its ground defenses remain rudimentary.

This is also the main reason why he calmed down and decided to use a large ground force to invade the border.

Ronin immediately ordered an emergency conscription order to be issued in the Lower Nest district, and Governor Karl personally stamped and promulgated the proclamation:

All residents of the Lower Nest District who participate in this Death Forest Expansion Project will be eligible to move into the new housing area established by the Nest City. The new housing area has a stable supply of electricity and water, and each person can receive one kilogram of artificial protein every month.

If a laborer participating in the operation dies unexpectedly, the victim's family will receive half of the food ration from the Governor-General's Office for life, and the children will be sponsored by the Governor-General's Office until they turn 16.

As soon as the announcement was broadcast through the loudspeakers of Chaodu, the registration point was packed with people.

Countless ragged residents surged forward, their faces filled with an almost frantic desire.

Although Ronin has built numerous factories and the Loyal Academy is constantly training hive maintenance teams, most people in the Lower Hive District still do not have a proper job and can only survive on the meager relief food that barely keeps them alive.

Under Luo Ning's reforms, the lives of workers in those light industrial factories, recycling centers, and the Nest City maintenance teams have undergone tremendous changes.

It can be said that if one could get a chance to serve the Governor's Office, one's life could take a turn for the better.

Luo Ning planned to recruit 2,000 migrant workers, but the target was exceeded in less than half an hour. In the end, he could only select the 2,000 most capable people based on their physical condition and work experience.

Meanwhile, Victor transferred a large amount of heavy equipment from the Mechanical Church's warehouse and transported it to the Lower Nest via the freight elevator.

Luo Ning also had two thousand sets of light protective suits, work gloves, and explosion-proof helmets retrieved from the armory and distributed to every migrant worker.

As the migrant workers dressed in their best and boarded the transport trucks, the 2,000-strong procession headed towards the exit of Chaodu.

Based on the terrain data transmitted back by the servo skull, Ronin and Victor jointly planned an optimal route: avoiding areas with excessively high radiation concentrations, bypassing known mutated creature nests, and choosing the fastest direction to the ruins.

The instructions for the Death Forest Expansion Project were simple: build a road thirty meters wide.

The mechanical church's engineering vehicles were responsible for clearing the way, while the workers' main task was to clean up the dead corners that the engineering vehicles could not reach, and to clear tree stumps, large rocks and level the road surface.

At the same time, the felled trees were piled up on both sides of the road to create a complete isolation zone.

Before they set off, Ronin gave a passionate speech, praising them for their service to the hive and their loyalty to the Empire.

They were repeatedly warned that if they encountered danger, they should not panic or run around, but immediately seek protection by using the engineering vehicle as cover, and that the planetary defense forces accompanying them would deal with all enemies.

Meanwhile, in the defense force's camp, ten squads of 100 men each were selected. Most of them were soldiers who had previously gone with Ronin to clear out the mutants deep in the forest.

With these experienced soldiers leading the way, the missions for the ten squads were quickly finalized.

Their main responsibilities include providing frontline reconnaissance, flank protection, and maintaining order for the pioneering teams in the Death Forest.

The terrain of the Death Forest is complex, and a large number of mutated creatures and man-eating plants could attack the pioneering team at any time. Ronin was always worried, so he had Garan arrange ten squads to follow behind the pioneering team and be ready to provide support at any time.

Time passed slowly, and in the command center, Luo Ning gazed quietly out the window.

This two-thousand-strong pioneering team was extremely efficient, especially with the help of the mechanical church's heavy machinery. In a short time, they had already carved out a gap at the edge of the Death Forest.

But he still felt it was too slow. Of the 200-kilometer straight-line distance, more than 80 kilometers were covered by the Death Forest. At this rate of development, it would probably take two days to build the road.

But the problem is, he doesn’t believe there were no survivors among the downed advance team. If there were, how long could they hold out in the ruins with little food and water and facing an unknown enemy?

But Luo Ning's thoughts were quickly pulled back by the alarm sounding in the combat laboratory. On the holographic projection, several red dots were rapidly approaching the pioneer team.

Meanwhile, a report came through the communicator from the vanguard squad: "Sir! We've been attacked by small mutated creatures! They're giant poisonous lizards from the Death Forest, about thirty in number!"

At the same time, the sounds of gunfire and the roars of the giant lizards mingled over the communicator, but quickly subsided.

"Report, the threat has been neutralized," the squad leader quickly relayed the report.

"Keep on alert," Garland replied calmly. The captains of the front-line squads had all participated in the extermination of mutant camps with Ronning, so their combat capabilities were not a concern.

But when he turned his head, he only saw that Luo Ning's face was getting worse and worse.