Although the idea of fighting on the front lines while simultaneously engaging in large-scale construction in the rear might sound a bit outlandish, it's not uncommon in interstellar warfare.
This is especially true for the Imperium of Man, a military empire that exists in a state of perpetual war.
After all, the Imperium of Man does not truly lack resources; the power that can be amassed from a million worlds is astonishing.
From the abundant harvests of agricultural worlds to the ceaseless production of weapons and equipment from Forge Worlds; from the rare minerals extracted from mining worlds to the countless soldiers provided by Hive Worlds…
These resources converge to form a war potential capable of striking fear into any enemy.
Many times, the Imperium of Man can drown its opponents with a deluge of resources, much like a tide submerging reefs.
In the history of the Imperium of Man, it is not uncommon to see entire fleets annihilated in the effort to capture a strategic location, only for an even larger fleet to be redeployed from other Star Districts to continue the fight.
However, for the Imperium of Man, possessing the resources of a million worlds and being able to mobilize those resources are two different concepts.
Due to the bloated bureaucracy, the unpredictability of Warp travel, and the deeply entrenched localism of various worlds, the Imperium of Man's resource allocation often leads to laughable situations.
Transport fleets might get lost in the Warp for decades, and by the time they reach their destination, the urgently needed supplies are already obsolete; or, due to cumbersome approval processes, a supply request might have to pass through dozens of departments before being approved.
And those are still the better scenarios.
The reality is often that some Imperial Worlds have mountains of supplies, even vast stockpiles from the Great Crusade Era.
On some remote storage worlds, you can still find perfectly preserved ancient war machines, meticulously sealed in massive underground warehouses, covered with thick dust covers, or even kept within stasis fields.
And on other industrial worlds, brand-new tanks and artillery are neatly lined up in warehouses, awaiting orders that will never come.
Yet, another Imperial World not far away is so impoverished that it's almost out of bullets, with frontline soldiers forced to reuse every shell casing, even engaging in close combat with aliens using bayonets.
However, in the Rostov Sub-Sector, things are different. The construction work on Rostov II has not affected the front-line battles—on the contrary, under the tacit cooperation of three legendary Commanders, the entire Sub-Sector's defense system operates efficiently like a precise war machine.
This is partly due to the excellent command of Sigismund and others; as 30k Legion veterans from the Great Crusade Era, their military command abilities are extremely solid.
These warriors, who emerged from the Great Crusade Era, are each a living epic of war; their tactical thinking and battlefield intuition have long surpassed the scope of ordinary Astartes.
After all, as 30k Legion veterans who have experienced the crucible of war during the Great Crusade Era, the art of command of these warriors has already reached perfection.
Especially Sigismund, Rogal Dorn's most outstanding son, who perfectly inherited his genefather's defensive talent.
When Alex entrusted the Heavenly Lion Battle Group and the Black Templars, two of Dorn's successor Chapters, to his command, this iron warrior seemed to instantly activate the "engineer" gene in his bloodline.
Under his command, the two Battle Groups constructed an iron defense line spanning the Donetsk system with astonishing efficiency.
These defensive fortifications, perfectly coordinated with mobile fleets, firmly held the main force of the Necrons' attack in the Donetsk system, like an insurmountable Great Wall of steel, preventing further enemy advances.
And Loken, as a high-ranking Legion Commander who could enter the Luna Wolves' Four Kings Council and become part of Horus's advisory group, naturally found this level of defensive operation not difficult to command.
This former Luna Wolves First Company Captain demonstrated impressive tactical flexibility in the Zaporozhye system.
Although the Necrons did not appear during the Great Crusade Era, and Loken had no experience fighting the Necrons, how many xenos do you think the Imperium of Man's Astartes Legions crushed during the Great Crusade Era?
The fact that most areas of the The Galaxy / Milky Way today only contain Imperium of Man planets does not mean these planets were empty in the past.
It is important to know that in this The Galaxy / Milky Way, there once existed organizations like the Galactic Council, a The Galaxy / Milky Way-level organization composed of various alien races from different civilizations, and they even once reserved a place for humanity.
And when the Emperor began the Great Crusade from Holy Terra, it was when the Aeldari Empire had just collapsed due to Slaanesh's birth-scream; during this period, the The Galaxy / Milky Way was teeming with an alarming number of strange and terrifying entities.
They are now merely an unmentioned footnote in the Imperium of Man's vast records of conquest and historical documents.
Therefore, even when facing unseen xenos, Loken made no mistakes in this regard, likewise organizing a remarkably solid defense, holding the enemy in the Zaporozhye system.
However, Loken is different from Sigismund; the Imperial Fists excel at defensive fortifications, while the Luna Wolves are all-around model warriors!
It should be known that during the Great Crusade Era, when many Primarchs first returned to the Imperium of Man, in order to help them manage their Legions and familiarize them with the Imperium of Man, these Primarchs fought alongside their Legions, following behind the Luna Wolves.
Although Loken was not commanding the original Luna Wolves, as the last of the Luna Wolves, he perfectly commanded his subordinate forces.
While Ventanus had some differences from the two mentioned above, as the Ultramarines' most skilled operator, he proactively took over logistics-related tasks, providing strong support to the other two.
The current battlefield situation is that the Necrons are attacking the Imperium of Man's territory in the Rostov Sub-Sector from two directions, Donetsk and Zaporozhye, and have been blocked by two defensive lines.
Kherson, where Ventanus is located, is behind these two systems, and beyond Kherson lies Rostov, where Alex is located.
It can be said that the position Ventanus holds is both the last line of defense and a crucial hub connecting Rostov with the front line.
Various weapons and equipment produced by the Mariupol Forge World, various supplies and reinforcements transported from the Star Sector Capital, and other logistical supplies procured by Rostov…
All these items must first be sent to Kherson before they can be transported to the front line.
Although Imperium of Man ships can bypass Kherson and directly reach the front line, it is very dangerous to rush directly to the front line due to the active Space Necron Fleet.
Ventanus also arranged for an Imperium of Man fleet escort, enabling him to ship various supplies transported from the rear to the front line in batches at regular intervals.
What is even more commendable is that this Ultramarines was not content with mere defense; under his meticulous preparation, an elite counter-attack force is already poised, waiting for the enemy to reveal a weakness before delivering a fatal blow.
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