Chapter 3043 The Forge of Blood and Fire
When the Ecclesiastical Fleet launched its charge, Soshyan had already moved to the bridge of the Eternal Loyalty.
"Chapter Commander, I"
Bahram stood in front of Soshyan with a solemn expression. His whole face was very dry and gray. You can imagine that he had been there during this period. What kind of pressure you endured.
“.I did not command well and let everyone down.”
Soshyan did not answer the call, but took the data pad from Talos, with rows of dazzling damage reports on it.
So far, the entire fleet has 117 ships sunk or lost combat effectiveness. Among them, the fleet affiliated to the Light Legion (Star Knights + White Templar) has lost 49 ships and 5 capital ships. Sunk, Lunar-class cruiser Nessen's Blade, Tyrant-class cruiser Aegis, Executioner, Pluto-class heavy cruiser Invisible Terror, Vanguard-class strike cruiser Tornado, and Mars-class battlecruiser Triumph, battle barge Three battleships, including the Soul Messenger and the Dictator-class heavy cruiser Spinel, were withdrawn from combat due to severe damage and loss of combat effectiveness. It can be said that they suffered heavy losses, and this was just for the ships.
In terms of personnel, the number of casualties in the legion reached 247. Some of them were sacrificed in the anti-jump gang operations, and some were sacrificed in ground operations. If the number of sacrifices from other battle groups is added, the entire Suffering Alliance was killed. The number of Astartes reached 621, which can be said to have wiped out a battle group. In fact, the Mantis Warriors suffered the highest battle losses among all battle groups, because they were mainly deployed on the ground, with a total of 174 warriors sacrificed. .
Although no one said anything publicly, for Bahram, silence may be a kind of accusation. During these four days, he wavered again and again, reflected on himself again and again, and Blaming himself, looking at the increasing casualties and losses, as well as the seemingly endless tide of insects, he felt like a rat stuck in a bellows. If there was a hole, he would rather get in, or fight with the Tyranids. Go head-to-head and meet a glorious death.
But no, responsibility is something heavier than death, he can only grit his teeth and persist.
Now that Soshyan is here, he can't let it go because he feels that it's all his own fault.
Putting down the data pad, Soshyan looked at Bahram.
"Does anyone suggest you retreat?"
Hearing Soshyan ask, Bahram was silent for a moment, and then a low hiss sounded in his throat that was dry and crawling.
“Yes”
"Why didn't you adopt it?"
"I was too conceited. I didn't listen."
"Bahram, I know exactly what kind of person you are, I'm not grilling you, nor am I asking you to admit your fault, I just want to know what you really think."
"I have a lot of people here. What will they do if we leave? I didn't expect it at the time. The Tyranids are so huge. I thought if I delay, the reinforcements will arrive soon, and there will be no need to make fearless sacrifices."
Soshyan smiled, walked over, and put his hand on Bahram's shoulder. Go up, and then turn around with the other person.
"I still remember that when I took you to the Thunder Eagle, I remember that you also had such a hesitant expression. And your hesitation at that time was because of Haomo's abandoned companion, right? Bahram, this This is what I have always admired most about you. No matter what environment you are in or what your identity is, your compassion and kindness have not changed. Some people think that these things should not belong to the Astartes, but countless experiences And lessons tell us that ruthless weapons are the easiest to get lost and defaced. If everyone has no idea why they should become Astartes, then I think the Legion is likely to be lost, including myself."< br>
As they spoke, the two walked to the huge observation window and stared at the void killing field where blood and fire intertwined.
"Bahram, what was your first thought after becoming an Astartes?" "I finally became an angel protecting mankind."
< br>"Do you think that everything I have done, whether it is building a legion, building an independent territory, or treating the holy scriptures and imperial laws as nothing, is it more like a selfish warlord?"
Bahram lowered his head and thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Chapter Master, how many people can an Astartes save in his lifetime?"
Soshiyang was slightly startled, but he did not expect that the other party would ask him in turn. , and then replied:
“The minimum number may be only a few hundred people, and the maximum number may be tens of billions of people.”
“But you saved more than hundreds of billions of people in the maelstrom. There are tens of billions of people in the Mori Galaxy and tens of billions of people in the Bracato Galaxy. You have given them a better life and protected them from unprovoked violence, disease, pollution and the poison of foreign enemies. If such behavior counts Selfish, so what are some governors and Astartes who may not have saved a single person in their entire life, and even killed billions of people and lived a mediocre life? Even the Inquisition always emphasizes this? The result is always greater than the process. Failure is as unforgivable as betrayal. In terms of results, Chapter Leader, you have saved many people and protected many people. This is the greatest justice. Bullets are not the only thing that can save people."< br>
Soshyan looked at him, nodded slightly, then turned around and glanced at Talos, who was holding his arms and smiling next to the tactical instrument, and finally said:
"Talos did not choose the wrong person. We must not forget our responsibilities. No matter what we do, we must remember the meaning of our existence. If our weapons are only fired for ourselves, then it will confirm many people's guesses that we have indeed transformed into warlords, so this tough battle is We must fight, the Legion needs a forge of blood and fire to forge itself, and I would have made the same decision."
Then he patted Bahram on the shoulder.
“Thank you, too. I know you have no experience in commanding a large fleet, which can easily give others reasons to oppose you, but your tactical sense is keen, even in absolutely unfavorable situations. We can still find some solutions, and the current situation is actually much better than I expected."
At this time, Bahram suddenly said:
"Then Chapter Leader, these Eldar"
"Let's deal with the Tyranids first and then talk about other things. We currently don't have more power to do additional things."
See Soshiyang's response He didn't pay much attention to this matter, and Bahram didn't insist anymore. Instead, he said:
"Chapter Commander, I want to lead the company to the ground to help the refugees evacuate."
So Shi Yang looked at each other and nodded.
"Okay, you will take the 10th and 11th companies to Westeros No. 5. By the way, you can also take the knights of the Dubandrin family. It will take some time for the people to evacuate, but the Tyranid data on this planet is already very high. It’s so huge that it won’t be easy to handle without knights. I will command the fleet to clean up the enemies in orbit and seize the time to transport people to the transport ships. Fortunately, the National Church has provided enough transport ships this time, otherwise it would be really difficult to handle.”< br>
When Talos brought the 11th company to the front line, he did not bring the Knight family with him, because Soshyan unexpectedly returned to the cardinal world and specifically needed to talk to the High King of the Dupondlin family about the matter. There was a temporary delay, and it was not until Soshyan led the fleet to set off that the Knight family truly reached the front line against Tyran.
“Yes!”
Then Soshyan turned around and looked at Talos.
"Brother, let Sablin lead the team this time. I still need your help here."
Talos nodded.
"No problem, Kassati is in the company."