Odinson’s plan was flawless, except for the enormous resources it would require.
According to his plan, each worker would need an average of 10 to 20 kilograms of starch and 3 units of vitamin tablets per day.
Since the project primarily involved relocating existing factories and installing existing equipment, the overall timeframe was relatively short, lasting approximately one year.
In other words, the Astral Claws Chapter would need to spend one to two million tons of corpse starch and 300 million units of vitamin tablets daily, a process that would last a full year.
Starch was manageable; they had seized a considerable amount.
However, vitamin tablets were a luxury item; the entire Chapter didn’t even have 100 million units, let alone 300 million units per day.
This substance was of mediocre value; nobles would only use it to reward their servants, and even confiscating it would only yield a few billion units, a drop in the ocean for the entire project.
Without the system, Huron was helpless; he could only try to find a reason to exploit the nobles or simply cut off this portion of the bonuses.
However, with the system, such trouble was unnecessary.
The civilian factories’ function of producing consumer goods directly solved the problem.
A single civilian factory could produce 1 billion units of vitamin tablets per day.
After this plan was completed, a project appeared on the otherwise bare “Construction” interface of the system panel.
“Starch Factory Expansion.
Estimated completion time: one year.
Number of civilian factories available (0/10).
Expected acceleration of up to six months.”
Huron didn’t hesitate and immediately deployed all 10 civilian factories, halving the project time.
Adding the civilian factory scheduled to produce vitamin tablets, Huron had two spare civilian factories remaining.
He planned to use these two civilian factories to supply the warband’s auxiliary forces.
Because he found items like “Astra Militarum Gene Enhancer” and “Human Enhancement Agent” in the “Civilian Consumer Goods” catalog — universally applicable drugs that could enhance the human body.
Even though the first and subsequent batches of auxiliary troops were primarily administrative personnel, Huron didn’t mind giving them minor physical enhancements, as the later Astartes reserves would be selected from among them.
Having finalized the plan, Huron had Odinson and his government team begin their preparatory work.
He himself, however, began working on the army’s organization.
The army training interface was largely the same as the original, containing everything needed, except that the units all had Warhammer characteristics, and there were special formations like the “Astartes Company.”
That’s right, Huron could directly train the Astartes through the system, rapidly increasing their proficiency.
This was also the reason Huron dared to harvest and transplant the gene-seed as soon as it matured, without needing to accumulate and absorb veteran experience.
Although the training speed of this special army wasn’t as fast as the regular army’s 2-4 months to reach Level 2 “Trained,” it was only a few months longer.
The staffing for training administrative personnel was simple: just fill in whichever unit had the most people.
And that’s how a super infantry division consisting entirely of infantry battalions came about.
Now all that’s left is to finalize the manpower.
Once enough personnel are available, training will begin immediately.
In just two months, they’ll reach a “Trained” level, equivalent to the average Astra Militarum soldier, without considering weaponry.
Some might wonder if this level of skill is sufficient for entry-level administrative positions.
The answer is undoubtedly yes.
Due to the Imperium’s dismal administrative capabilities, 99% of its population is essentially illiterate, barely better than uneducated.
In contrast, the Astra Militarum, as a standing interplanetary combat force, possesses a significantly higher level of education than the average hive city resident, excluding exceptional cases.
Common Imperial knowledge, weapons maintenance and usage regulations, training manuals, fleet transport rules… these training programs ensure that the Astra Militarum soldiers not only have basic literacy skills but also a remarkably broad vocabulary and knowledge base.
While their overall education level is roughly equivalent to that of a primary school student in a major 2K era nation, it’s more than enough to serve as entry-level administrative staff.
Huron wasn’t looking for geniuses capable of governing a country; he just needed people who could speak, read, and write, and had a basic understanding of common sense.
The rest could be learned through practice.
Besides the all-infantry battalion of elite soldiers used to train administrative officers, Huron also began adjusting the organization of the “Astartes Companies.”
After the recruits’ implantation was completed, Huron and other high-ranking officers of the Chapter held a small meeting and finalized the new Chapter organization.
Based on the Codex Astartes, the entire Chapter was divided into two thousand-man companies.
The internal organization was largely the same as the Codex Company, except that the scout company and training company were removed, leaving only combat companies.
Company 1 served as the veteran company and was also the future Terminator company.
Companies 2-6 were battle companies, including tactical squads, fire support squads, and close-combat / assault squads.
Companies 7-8 were fire support companies, specializing in tanks, artillery, and anti-armor forces.
Companies 9 and 10 are assault companies, concentrating most of the Astartes vehicles for pursuit, penetration, and flanking attacks.
The Dreadnought Elders are directly under the command of the Chapter headquarters and will join the companies in joint operations when necessary.
After organizing the companies, Huron directly filled in the designated personnel and began the exercises.
The exercise’s highest level is Level 3, “Regular,” which in Astartes terms is equivalent to just leaving the neophyte category but not yet reaching the veteran level.
While it seems mediocre, this level is actually at the Astartes average, since most Astartes don’t live to become veterans — otherwise, why would they be called veterans?
Huron checked the training progress of the two companies.
Without any other bonuses, just pure brute force training, it would take about five years to reach the “Regular” level.
This speed seems slow, but it’s actually alarming.
These recruits were just ordinary people a few days ago; their bodies haven’t even fully developed yet — they’re practically blank slates with no experience.
Other Chapters, on the other hand, spend years adapting and training their troops, and even after the implantation is complete, it can take decades to reach this level.
With this alone, Huron is confident he can go toe-to-toe with Abaddon.
Your ancient veterans are constantly being depleted, while my skilled recruits are endless.
Having settled another matter, Huron turned his attention to the fleet.
There’s not much to say about this now.
The Chapter’s defeat in the pursuit of the Orks in 715.M41 left its fleet pitifully small, and all of it in ruins, with nowhere to repair it.
In the original timeline, by 908.M41, during the Badab War, Huron, who had monopolized the tithes of the Maelstrom region for over a century, had a fleet smaller than that of the notoriously poor Lamenters Legion.
The Lamenters at that time had a repair dock serving as a mobile monastery, 2 forge ships, 12 support ships, 2 battle barges, 6 strike cruisers, 3 Vanguard-class light cruisers, and 22 other warships.
And the Astral Claws?
2 battle barges, 1 Cardinal-class heavy cruiser, 7 strike cruisers, 30 other warships, and 1 repair dock.
This was the result of Huron’s construction efforts, built upon over a century of plundered tithes from the Maelstrom; even the Lamenters were probably laughing.
And now, the Chapter’s fleet was pitifully small: two battle barges, four strike cruisers, and six Gladius-class corvettes — gone.
Moreover, every single one was damaged; two Gladius-class corvettes even had holes in their keels.
But due to the tense relationship with the High Lords of Terra, Astral Claws couldn’t even find a place to repair these warships and had to find a way to do it themselves.
Using the only three docks to repair the least damaged Gladius-class corvette, and looking at the 1 year and 3 months remaining on the panel, Huron finally relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief.
He had done everything he could; now he just had to wait for time to pass and see how the system’s power fared.