When Perturabo's Iron Warriors attempted to break through the Imperial defenses on the Eastern Front, they quickly realized that this enemy was far from the ordinary mortal Legions they had faced in the past.
The Imperial Guard, 68th Heavy Combined Brigade, with its astonishing information warfare capabilities and highly efficient battlefield coordination strategies, shattered the Iron Warriors' proud tactical advantages.
Under Perturabo's command, the Iron Warriors had always relied on the precise coordination of heavy armor and defensive fortifications to weaken the enemy's offensive efficiency.
However, facing Li Feng's forces' long-range artillery, advanced fighter jets, and extremely precise firepower, they found their tactics being systematically dismantled.
Throughout the entire engagement, the Iron Warriors didn't even see the mortal Soldiers of the Imperial Guard; shells, missiles, and aerial bombs flew over their heads or beside them as if they had eyes... as if those shells were personally guided by the Emperor himself... "Report! The enemy is using high-precision artillery to attack our defensive line, with heavy losses!"
In Perturabo's command center, a Chaos Lord anxiously reported the battle situation. However, Perturabo remained expressionless, watching the real-time holographic images of the battlefield, a trace of imperceptible anger flashing in his eyes.
In the images, the Iron Warriors' frontline troops were annihilated by waves of strikes from Imperial howitzers and guided weapons. Their heavy armor and fortifications were unable to withstand the precise and devastating attacks of these modern weapons.
"From where are the enemy's artillery pieces firing?" Perturabo's deep voice carried a chill.
"Our reconnaissance teams have not yet found the exact location; the enemy's artillery units rapidly relocate after firing, leaving behind only ruins," the reconnaissance officer replied with a trembling voice.
The Imperial Air Force and ground armored units continued to apply pressure. F-16s, Su-34s, and J-10 fighter jets swiftly streaked across the battlefield, unleashing precision-guided bombs on Chaos positions.
Each bombing run tore apart the Chaos defensive lines, while long-range artillery launched devastating strikes against the Iron Warriors.
Perturabo's Iron Warriors had always disdained mortal armies, viewing them as weaklings that could be easily crushed. However, the current situation completely overturned their perception.
On the industrial front, a squad of Iron Warriors had just completed the capture of an Imperial outpost.
However, as they began to move into the next phase, several Su-34 attack aircraft suddenly appeared in the sky, carrying guided bombs and air-to-ground missiles.
"Boom—" Explosions erupted one after another, shattering the Iron Warriors' tactical formation. An Iron Warrior attempted to use his heavy Bolter to provide "human anti-air defense," but the fighter jets' agile maneuverability and extremely high speed rendered his attacks ineffective.
Perturabo slammed his fist onto the command console, roaring, "This is an unprecedented disgrace! These mortals actually have the ability to erect an impregnable defense in front of us?!"
An Iron Warrior cautiously replied, "Commander, these mortals are no longer ordinary Soldiers; their combat system is extremely precise. From artillery to air superiority, every move we make is under the enemy's control."
Perturabo took a deep breath and calmed down. He realized that this war was not just a contest between Chaos and the Imperium, but also a clash of tactical systems and technological power.
"Order all units to withdraw to the second defensive line," Perturabo commanded in a deep voice, "Let those arrogant mortals feel true fear."
Commissar Cain and the Valhalla 597th Heavy Reinforced Regiment watched Perturabo's retreat from the command center via tactical screens.
He ordered Somme: "While the enemy is in disarray, send out rapid response units to pursue and seize the initiative on the battlefield. At the same time, have our air force and long-range strike units continue to apply pressure, giving them no chance to reorganize their defenses."
Somme immediately responded: "Understood, Political Commissar! The armored company is already en route, and mechanized infantry will also coordinate the pursuit."
The roar of F-16s once again echoed across the sky, signaling the accelerating arrival of the Imperium's victory. And the Iron Warriors, once considered an invincible Chaos Legion, were beginning to experience failure and humiliation they had never known.
Cain knew that victory in war was not just about defeating the enemy. He ordered continued fortification of the industrial zone's defenses and instructed the Adeptus Mechanicus to conduct a new round of tactical assessments to ensure that the Chaos Forces could not return.
"This war has only just begun," Cain murmured, his gaze piercing through the tactical screen, as if seeing through to greater crises and opportunities in the future.
While the Iron Warriors continued to hold the line at the front, Perturabo's logistics suffered severe problems because Chaos no longer held air or naval superiority.
When he arrived at the fallback line to reorganize his troops, he was surprised to find that due to the "terrifying bombardments by the Imperial Air Force," and Abaddon and Mortarion still "fighting and retreating" with the Imperial Navy, the Iron Warriors were completely out of ammunition.
Their ammunition depots and logistics supply stores had been "priority targets" for the Imperial Air Force.
Crucially, whenever the adjutants urged the Black Legion and Death Guard in the sky, they would always give perfunctory excuses, as they were currently circling Cadia with the Imperial Navy.
At this point, Perturabo was furious. Late at night, he took his adjutants to an open area, filled with dead Iron Warriors, their bodies lined up in rows, with Apothecaries individually collecting their gene-seed.
Soon after, Abaddon and Mortarion's bridges received a video call from Perturabo, and the content of this call was immediately intercepted by the Imperial electronic warfare units...
Late at night, Perturabo stood beside the bodies of his sons, holding a small flashlight, pointing at the corpses:
"These are the Iron Warriors who died today; they still have fresh blood. Look!"
As he spoke, Perturabo gestured towards the bodies, and the adjutant holding the camera also panned to them, showing countless Iron Warriors lying there, with Apothecaries occasionally passing by...
Suddenly, Perturabo's large face appeared in the frame, emotional:
"Now listen to me, cyka blyat! Whose sons are these? They are old enough to be anyone's grandfathers, fathers, sons! Those who don't give us ammunition! Cyka! Their guts will be eaten by those bugs!"
"We now have a 70% ammunition shortage! Abaddon! Mortarion! Where the f*** is my ammunition! Look at them!"
Saying this, an emotional Perturabo immediately pointed at the corpses again...
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