Twenty-six days after the moon of war began construction, Noah once again left United.
This time, he did not leave alone, but brought along the Space Marines from United.
One million Space Marines on United Star were mobilized by Noah and prepared for combat.
It wasn't that Noah didn't want to mobilize more Space Marines, but after the war in Misty Star Field World 108, the number of troops had significantly decreased.
Space Marines from the core 28 worlds were transferred to Misty Star Field World 108 for garrison duty.
At the same time, a large number of Space Marines were dispatched, forming more warbands based on existing Space Marine veterans and officers, distributing them across various planets for defense.
Due to the large-scale consumption of resources, Noah also lacked additional resources to expand the Imperial Army at this time.
Anyway, the Imperial Navy was the most important main force in interstellar warfare, wasn't it?
Under these circumstances, after considering the remaining resources in his new district and mobilizing a batch of resources and a small number of warships, Zhou Qing only managed to gather these 2 million Space Marines.
However, even though there were only 2 million, it should still be enough to launch a war.
When Noah arrived at Terra with his army, Guilliman looked at Noah with a weary expression.
"Can't this war just not be fought?"
Hmm.
In just over twenty days, Guilliman had become incredibly haggard; he pounced on Noah's leg and held on tightly.
"We're out of money, really out of money! And you're fighting greenskins; what profit can be gained from them? When we conquer their planets, we'll still have to develop them. We'll lose a fortune."
Seeing the Imperium of Man's supplies becoming increasingly scarce, with remaining resources not only needed to support the construction of the moon of war but also to be allocated for the Imperial Navy's upcoming conflicts, Guilliman could no longer bear it.
To raise the necessary supplies and resources for Noah, along with a huge amount of expenses, the regent racked his brains to save resources from various places, finally gathering 4 billion Astra Militarum personnel for Noah, as well as 400,000 Space Marine troops stationed in various locations.
At the same time, he secured a Rogue Trader dynasty's transport fleet for Noah to ensure the transportation of the Imperial Army.
This deployment of troops, the Rogue Trader dynasty, and the subsequent war consumption had almost completely drained the Imperium of Man.
It truly was hard for Guilliman to come up with this money.
"No, no, if we don't continue to expand our territory and develop, the Imperium's income next year won't be enough."
"Greenskin planets haven't been developed much, which is precisely why they have greater value and significance for development."
"The enemies we will face next are incredibly strong; we will need to confront a large number of powerful foes. How can we not have enough income?"
"For the future of humanity, I know you are tired, Guilliman, but please persevere; everything will have a bright future."
Although Guilliman was a Primarch, there was a huge difference in strength between him and Noah. With a slight effort, Noah successfully pulled Guilliman away from his leg.
However, Noah was ultimately a bit soft-hearted. Seeing Guilliman's utter despair, he also racked his brains to find a reason to comfort him.
"Don't be sad, don't be sad. Think about the good side?"
"If we successfully launch a war against the greenskins, won't the Imperial Army save money on war expenses against the greenskins next year?"
"As long as we win this war, the Imperium's future resource expenditure can clearly be greatly reduced."
"After all, the greenskins were heavily damaged by us in this year's operations, so the cost of war against the greenskins next year can undoubtedly be saved."
"Ultimately, this year's hard work is for a happier life next year, isn't it? Don't be sad, come on, smile."
Guilliman's face showed a very forced smile.
Alright.
He had to admit that Noah made sense.
As the regent of the imperium, he naturally knew how much the Imperium spent annually on wars against the greenskins.
If Noah's war could reduce some of the conflicts with the greenskins, then this war would actually be valuable.
Moreover, he was just complaining verbally; in reality, he had already prepared the supplies and troops for Noah.
"You said it, next year's greenskin war must cost less money. If not, it's also good if you specifically set up a few worlds to produce greenskins."
"These greenskin meats have an excellent taste and are extremely energetic, making them a rare delicacy for the people of the Imperium."
"What you said before is correct: only when the common people live well can the economy circulate and develop faster. So if the greenskin planets really have no value, just use them for farming."
Having served as the regent of the imperium for so long, and previously as the Lord of Ultramar, Guilliman had a thorough understanding of the value of greenskins.
greenskin farms could not only increase employment but also provide a large amount of high-quality meat to the Imperium of Man. More importantly, greenskin meat was not just meat.
Greenskins were a type of fungus; they were also vegetarian. Eating a greenskin meat feast was basically equivalent to a balanced meal of meat and vegetables.
Although the Imperium of Man did not lack population, the increase in the average lifespan of the Imperium's citizens also meant a huge income and wealth.
Of course, the increase in lifespan for the people of the Imperium was not like the 2k era, where commoners could live to seventy or eighty and enjoy old age, but rather to extend the life of ordinary Imperial citizens to 30-40 years.
At 30-40 years old, a person is still in their prime, and they can still create a lot of value for the Imperium of Man.
So, even from the most cold and ruthless perspective, increasing the lifespan of ordinary citizens was a sure-fire profitable venture for the Imperium of Man.
"No problem, but don't think too much; the number of troops we can mobilize for this war is limited, after all, and greenskins are not made of mud."
"For this expedition, my estimated goal is to reclaim about 20 star systems, and that will be enough. As for more… well, the reality is we truly don't have the money to continue fighting."
Noah was still clear about this. 20 star systems was the most precise operational goal that the Imperium could achieve after mobilizing its available resources.
Fighting for more would lead to losses. Moreover, the 20 star systems Noah had chosen were all interconnected.
The distance between star systems was only 4 light-years.
This distance was approximately 1.5 to 2 light-years shorter than the distance between ordinary star systems.
Although Noah had always been very cautious in his actions and never needed anyone to worry, the sense of crisis due to lack of money had always stimulated Guilliman.
It wasn't until he heard Noah tell him that his war objective was only 20 star systems that Guilliman finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Wealth was always the most troublesome problem an interstellar civilization had to face.
The Imperium of Man's complex internal political system and its vast army all required massive amounts of resources.
This Imperium, at least during this period, had blossomed with a different kind of vitality; it was striving to develop, whereas once it was merely a dying giant.
It was just that this giant was large enough; although it was tottering, its thick health bar allowed it to persevere.
Noah received the troop data provided by Guilliman. From a certain perspective, Guilliman was truly remarkable.
Previously, Noah had already developed a basic power armor for the Astra Militarum that they could use.
However, given the immense scale of the Imperium of Man's army, it was naturally impossible to equip every single Astra Militarum soldier.
A large number of power armor suits were distributed to the most crucial war zones, to contend with the incessant incursions of Chaos Gods, as well as the wars against Orks and some Xenos.
Although the power armor Noah designed for the Astra Militarum was simple enough and easy to produce,
the vast area of warfare in the galaxy for humanity also required the consumption of a large amount of power armor, with countless armaments constantly going missing.
Why didn't the Imperium of Man equip the Astra Militarum with power armor before?
One reason was the Imperium of Man's production capacity at the time, and another was the issue of cost.
While these were major reasons, the most significant factor was the consumption of resources during war.
The Imperium of Man was constantly in a state of war, and the consumption of military supplies was enormous. The Imperium of Man at the time simply could not afford such expenditures.
Now, with Noah's help, the Imperium of Man has begun to re-equip with these Astra Militarum-specific power armor suits, but the scale is so vast that essentially only well-known Astra Militarum regiments can be fully equipped.
Yet, in such a challenging environment, Guilliman managed to assemble an Astra Militarum force of 4 billion people for Noah, with every single one of them wearing power armor.
More importantly, after accomplishing this, Guilliman even continued to maintain the Imperium of Man's perfect balance.
Within the Imperium, humanity still held its ground, and even after this force was transferred, the Imperium of Man's defenses remained as solid as a Titan.
To achieve this, Noah couldn't help but exclaim that Guilliman was simply a born regent.
"You've worked hard, Guilliman. Once our wealth increases a bit, you won't have to work so hard."
For the first time, Noah gave Guilliman an aquila salute.
It's worth noting that Noah never offered any salutes, even when meeting the Emperor.
After all, Noah's status was clear, and the Emperor naturally wouldn't be so tactless as to demand a salute from Noah. Yet, this same Noah, who wouldn't salute the Emperor, now saluted Guilliman.
He didn't even use the Federation's etiquette, but instead performed the Imperium of Man's aquila salute, which was a significant gesture of respect.
The very haggard Guilliman, upon seeing Noah's salute, instantly became invigorated, as if he had received a shot of adrenaline.
A big shot like Noah saluting him, incredible!
In that instant, Guilliman suddenly felt that all his hard work had been perfectly vindicated.
All fatigue and other chaotic things completely vanished, replaced only by a sense of psychological satisfaction.
The conversation in the palace ended there. After giving Guilliman an aquila salute, Noah turned and left the palace.
Guilliman had done all he could for now, so it was naturally his turn to perform.
To save costs, the moon of war was not deployed this time. Noah only mobilized a Patrol Fleet.
Noah himself was stationed on a titan warship.
"Depart! For the Imperium, for humanity, to expand our territory, to secure enough benefits for all of mankind!"
The horn of war had already sounded.
The large-scale fleets that had gathered near Terra began to move, with transport ships glowing as they headed towards the location of the stargate.
They would pass through the stargate network to the outermost fringes of the Imperium of Man's border, and wage war against the Orks, plundering 20 Ork worlds.
Countless streams of light continuously flew across the skies of Terra, a sight that filled everyone on Terra with longing.
Whether in the past or present, they rarely saw so many warships and armies preparing for war in the skies above Terra.
At this moment, Guilliman even paused his administrative duties, also watching the departing fleet and silently praying in his heart,
"Emperor protect us, may the war be successful!"
It wasn't just Guilliman praying in his heart; the Imperial citizens on Terra also continuously murmured in their thoughts:
"May the God-Emperor bless the human army with triumphant beginnings and invincibility!"
Each prayer flowed into the ears of the Emperor, who sat upon the Golden Throne. Now, the Emperor, whose humanity was nearing full restoration, also sensed Noah's departure.
However, he was different from others. The Emperor could use the perspective of the Warp to constantly watch Noah, and the direction of the fleet, watching Noah.
Should any unforeseen event befall Noah, he would immediately intervene, unleashing his Binding Legion to ensure the Scientist's safety and the victory of the war.
Of course, the Emperor wasn't the only one watching Noah. After the period of being attacked by Noah's bombs, the four Chaos Gods had gradually regained their former spirit.
Indeed, to this day, those special Warp bombs of Noah's continue to explode in the Warp, weakening their Chaos Daemons' military strength.
The four Chaos Gods had no choice but to devote most of their energy to dealing with this matter.
But time had passed for so long, and the pride of the Chaos Gods would not allow them to only passively endure attacks here.
It was time to fight back, wasn't it?
Besides the Emperor's gaze constantly fixed on Noah, the four Chaos Gods also directed their attention towards Noah's direction.
Tzeentch knew a little about the situation of the Imperium of Man. The Imperium of Man's current material reserves were extremely depleted.
This meant that if they could disrupt Noah's strategy and make him spend more resources in the war against the Orks, then they would have hope of making Noah stop bombing the Warp.
Ultimately, the bombs Noah deployed into their Warp also came at a high cost. If the Imperium of Man truly needed to consume a large amount of resources due to the war,
then it was almost without question that Noah would have to stop deploying those expensive bombs into the Warp, and they would be able to enjoy a long-awaited peace.
For this, the four Chaos Gods of the Warp all sprang into action. They began to mobilize their daemon armies, and Tzeentch even started to pluck at the threads of destiny.
"Everything is according to plan. Even a Scientist like you, who shouldn't exist in the Imperium of Man, will be part of my plan."