Chapter 322 05.0321: "Meeting with the Astra Militarum"

"Oh, Lord Peru, it's been a long time since we last hunted the crocodile alien together in Colonia." A general of the Astra Militarum took the lead and stepped forward to greet him.

Horatio looked at the red-coated general, who was wearing a military uniform similar to that of the British generals in the Napoleonic era. His clothes were gorgeous, and matched with his calm and casual temperament, he looked noble and dignified.

Compared to other Astra Militarum commanders who generally had stern faces, this British general in a red uniform who was willing to say hello first and show goodwill was obviously familiar with Brigadier General Peru.

"Welcome, fellow Astra Militarum. General Charles Cornwallis, it has been a long time since we last met. I never thought we would still be serving the God-Emperor on the same planet."

Although the communication between the two men could be considered relatively familiar, Horatio could still clearly feel the gap between the Imperial Navy and the Astra Militarum.

Ever since Guilliman issued a code that split the Mortal Auxiliary Army into two parts: the Imperial Navy and the Imperial Guard.

The two sides can actually be said to have separated, and the relationship between them has been completely severed.

Apart from basic courtesy and respect between each other, the two sides actually do their own things in their respective fields and lack communication and coordination.

But considering that the Imperial Guard is often a passenger of the Imperial Navy, the Navy tends to be slightly more powerful in Imperial politics.

At the same time, due to the differences in organization, the military ranks between the two do not match at all, which is even greater than the difference between the Imperial Naval Aviation and the Imperial Navy.

The ranks of the Imperial Navy are determined and granted by the Star Domain Navy Department, and then confirmed by issuing a letter of commission.

The officers of the Astra Militarum are appointed by the Military Affairs Department of the Ministry of the Interior of the conscripting world.

There is a colonel in a regiment of the Astra Militarum, and there are also lieutenant colonels, majors and dozens of lieutenants in the regiment headquarters.

Each regiment is commanded by a lieutenant colonel or major, and each battalion has nearly ten companies.

Each company is commanded by a captain, with more lieutenants and second lieutenants serving as platoon leaders.

The proportion of colonels among the officers of the Astra Militarum far exceeds that of the Imperial Navy.

In contrast, in the navy, a ship with a subspace navigation capability only has a captain as its head.

Naval lieutenants usually perform the functions of middle and lower-level officers in the Star Army.

Based on the regulations of the Ministry of Military Affairs, the rank of naval lieutenants sent to the Astra Militarum as fleet liaison officers should not be lower than that of the regimental staff.

In other words, the naval lieutenant sits at the same table with the colonel commander in the Astra Militarum.

But most of the civilians in the Empire, including the grassroots soldiers of the Astra Militarum and even some young but arrogant Astra Militarum majors, often cause all kinds of misunderstandings because they cannot distinguish the differences between these organizations and military systems.

As far as Horatio knew, there had been a case where a major in the Astra Militarum had treated a naval captain liaison officer as a junior officer of the Astra Militarum company commander level and used him at will.

As a result, the naval captain immediately boarded the plane and left without looking back. In the end, it was not until the Colonel Commander of the Star Army personally apologized and dismissed the major from his position that the matter was finally settled.

"We heard the good news on the way. We heard that your unit successfully established several safe landing sites within 8000 kilometers of the enemy's core area. It's unbelievable. How did you do it? How many casualties did you suffer?" The red-clothed general asked with an incredulous look on his face and a curious smile.

As soon as these words were spoken, the other Astra Militarum commanders who had stern faces nearby were also moved and began to whisper to each other.

Doesn't the Imperial Navy lack the ability to launch a large-scale ground offensive?

How did they break through several circular encirclements within a range of 8000 kilometers?

Even if all the naval armed forces were sent down, these heavily armored light infantry would not be able to advance at such a fast speed!
"To achieve this, dozens of our Imperial Navy's elite soldiers have sacrificed their precious lives." Brigadier General Peru expressed regret:
"But their sacrifice was not in vain. This operation proved the feasibility of our recent experimental new tactical and strategic concept, and proved the value of the Imperial Navy's special tactical forces with practical actions!"

"Only a few dozen casualties???"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions on the faces of the officers and generals of the Astra Militarum became even more surprised. Their stern faces could no longer hold back and the volume of their whispers suddenly rose to a higher level.

The Astra Militarum risked orbital bombardment by sending tens of thousands of soldiers to the ground to fight for key points, and it would cost tens of thousands of casualties before they could capture a landing point.

How was it possible that the Imperial Navy was able to capture so many landing sites and disable multiple anti-aircraft positions such as the orbital bombardment cannon with only a few dozen casualties?

If the battle line didn't lie, they would never have believed the words of the commodore.

Did the Imperial Navy bring the Astartes on board?
It's impossible! As Emperor Angels, the Imperial Navy only has the right to dispatch their void forces. But directly dispatching these angels as assault forces to conduct airborne operations is absolutely impossible!
"Commodore, how did the Imperial Navy do it?" A Modian commander in a blue uniform finally couldn't help it and stepped forward to ask, the usual cold and hard lines on his face twitching slightly.

Brigadier General Peru smiled mysteriously.

"This is a special air-to-ground tactic that only the Imperial Navy can do," he said proudly.

Upon hearing the words "air-ground integration", Commander Modian was speechless and had nothing to say.

Yes, most of the Astra Militarum Army don’t even have their own aviation forces. Just the two legs required for air-ground integrated combat are enough to make the Astra Militarum Army suffer a big limp.

The full name of the Imperial Naval Aviation is the 'Imperial Naval Air Force'. In nature, it is first a subordinate of the Navy, and only secondarily classified as an air force.

The prefix alone indicates that the Imperial Navy has absolute command over this type of air force. Even the Valkyries seconded to the Astra Militarum are still operated by the Imperial Navy as crew members and ground crew.

If you want more advanced air support, the Imperial Navy's fleet liaison officer cannot just apply for it.

This requires the Imperial Navy fleet to have both time and the planet's value to be worth sending a fleet liaison officer.

Only when the right time, right place and right people are in place can the Astra Militarum receive air support from the Imperial Naval Air Force.

"Before the official landing operation, we can only help you so much. Next is the territory of your loyal guards. We will ensure the safety of the void orbit." Brigadier General Peru put his hands behind his back and nodded to the generals of the Star Army.

"Old friend, in view of our friendship over the years, could you please send a fleet liaison officer to the theater of operations under the responsibility of our British Regiment?" General Cornwallis' eyes sparkled as he approached and asked tactfully.

"Well, what theatre of operations is the British regiment in?"

"The Southern Front."

"Okay." Brigadier General Peru looked thoughtful, nodded reluctantly, and turned to look at the captains behind him.

"Then I need to solemnly recommend to you the rising star of our Gothic Fleet, Mr. Captain Horatio Cochrane."

"It's an honor to meet you, Your Excellency." Horatio walked forward, took off his bicorne hat, and saluted politely.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Cochrane. This is... the first time I see a naval captain as young as you." The general looked up and down at the young man, who could be described as being still wet behind the ears. He looked perhaps only 20 years old, or even younger.

Although this young captain did not quite meet his standard of 'senior and experienced'.

But the Astra Militarum has no right to be picky about the people sent by the Navy, it is good enough to have them.

Moreover, his intuition from seeing many people during his long career told him that this person should not be underestimated.

The navy is not like the Astra Militarum where one only needs to be recruited and appointed by the planet's military affairs department to become an officer. It is impossible for him to use money and family reputation to buy his current position.

Based on his understanding of the Imperial Navy over the years, he knew that this man had the ability to become a naval captain at this age. He must have something extraordinary about him and his age should not be underestimated.

The general took off his bicorne and returned the greeting.

“Please allow me to introduce you. Captain Horatio Cochrane is from the bloodline of the famous Admiral Speyer in the Gothic Sector. I believe you must have heard of Admiral Speyer.

Although he is still young, he is an outstanding graduate from the Fleet Maritime Department of Abridal Chuji College with full marks in all subjects. He is definitely a professional.

His letter of commission was issued by the Star Domain Navy Officer Evaluation Committee after personal review without examination. He is currently the chief officer of the aviation department of the Gothic 25th Support Fleet flagship "Indefatigable" and also the fleet liaison officer.

He was also the planner and executor of forward-looking ground operations, such as the battle lines you see now, and he played an indispensable role in them.”

These compliments left the well-informed general of the Star Army dumbfounded.

At first, he was shocked when he heard that he was the heir of the famous Speyer family.

"It's bad. The Imperial Navy has sent their nobles to gild the Astra Militarum with blood."

Then, starting from when he graduated with full marks from Zhongsi College, the general began to feel something was wrong again.

Later, the Star Domain Navy Department personally reviewed and issued a commission without examination, and he became the commander of the flagship aviation department.

Even if the captain tried to curry favor with the heirs of Speyer, he would not allow an incompetent person to be the chief officer and command the fleet's aviation force.

And he was actually the planner and executor of the forward infiltration and sabotage operations on the ground. With the naked results of the battle line in front of him, what else could he question?

"Mr. Peru, the Gothic Fleet has dispatched such an important and valuable talent. We in Britain are very grateful for this favor!" The general excitedly grabbed Brigadier General Peru's hand and held it tightly.

"I only ask that Mr. Horatio Cochrane's personal safety, food and clothing be guaranteed no matter what."

"That's for sure. We will arrange all of Mr. Cochrane's needs on the ground with the treatment of a colonel."

Then the general turned around, looked at a lieutenant colonel behind him, and motioned him to come forward.

This lieutenant colonel was also very young, but much older than Horatio, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with three-dimensional facial features and an upright posture. He looked very heroic, and his tall hooked nose was particularly conspicuous.

Then General Cornwallis turned and introduced Horatio and Brigadier General Peru:
"This is Sir Arthur Wellesley, the cousin of our Queen of Britain."

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(End of this chapter)