132: The United States bowed its head and apologized under global pressure

What happened in the distant Alice Springs put immense pressure on the U.S. government and the U.S. Military.

It also largely eroded the moral justification for the U.S. expedition against the Anti-War Army.

Left with no choice, after holding numerous closed-door meetings for a day or two, the U.S. high command decided on a final plan and held a press conference, making a series of statements to the world:

"First, the Alice Springs incident was a mistaken order given by a frontline commander who believed bandits were harbored in the town, leading to its unauthorized encirclement and attack, without considering the safety of the general populace. This was an incorrect directive."

"Second, regarding the shooting of over a thousand Alice Springs residents, it has been investigated and confirmed to be a misunderstanding. When those residents attempted to surrender, they triggered a hidden minefield previously deployed by the bandit forces. Frontline soldiers, unaware of the cause at night, opened fire. This was indeed inexcusable."

"Our side deeply regrets the tragedy caused by a series of misunderstandings by the U.S. Military. We will severely punish the implicated officers and soldiers and subsequently dispatch new generals to replace them."

"Furthermore, we have indirectly contacted Alice Springs, listened to the opinions of its residents, and our side announces the following commitments."

"Our side agrees with the view that Alice Springs is unrelated to this war and supports the demand to designate it as a neutral demilitarized zone. Within a radius of several kilometers around Alice Springs, no U.S. Military operation shall directly affect Alice Springs."

"Finally, the U.S. will compensate the over one thousand ordinary residents mistakenly killed by the U.S. Military and pay for the damage caused to the town by the U.S. Military's shelling."

"The U.S. Military will deeply absorb these lessons and prevent similar tragedies from occurring again..."

It must be said that this time, the U.S. adopted a very low posture, even acceding to some of the somewhat arbitrary demands from Alice Springs, all to quickly quell the incident.

While issuing the announcement, the U.S. government also had its controlled media and cyber forces publish numerous articles, guiding public opinion, promoting U.S. benevolence, and countering various criticisms.

In short, with considerable resources mobilized by the U.S. to suppress it, the Alice Springs incident quickly faded.

Meanwhile, in Alice Springs, Huang Yanbing and his comrades were bidding farewell to all the residents.

The residents were moved and reluctant to part.

If not for Huang Yanbing's 3rd Platoon, the town would still be under the occupation of those ruthless bandit forces; it was the 3rd Platoon that brought the town's liberation.

They very much hoped that Huang Yanbing and his comrades could stay until the war ended.

But Huang Yanbing had difficulties he couldn't express.

It was their arrival, especially the presence of the eight large figures, that made the town a target for the U.S. Military, and because of this, they had to leave.

Ultimately, Old John, a town councilor, suggested that the residents mobilize in large numbers to escort Huang Yanbing and his comrades through the U.S. Military's blockade to a safe area, otherwise, it would be very difficult for Huang Yanbing and his comrades to leave even if they wanted to.

Huang Yanbing agreed to this.

Thus, in broad daylight, thousands of Alice Springs residents collectively mobilized, escorting Huang Yanbing and over thirty others, along with the eight large figures, as they openly passed through the U.S. Military's frontline positions, delivering them to a mountainous area suitable for escape. Only after watching Huang Yanbing and his comrades disappear into the mountains did they return with relief.

Throughout this entire process, the U.S. Military watched helplessly, not daring to obstruct, fearing another conflict or misunderstanding, otherwise, no one could bear the responsibility.

Upon learning the situation, Aris could only sigh, his plan to acquire the Anti-War Army's mysterious "super soldiers" had completely failed this time.

Two days later, the person sent by the U.S. to replace Aris finally appeared.

He was still a four-star general, but from the Army, originating from the U.S. mainland. The only commonality he shared with Aris was that both were considered hawks within the military.

"General Aris, hello."

The newcomer smiled and extended his hand to Aris.

Aris shook it.

"Hello, General Douglas."

After Douglas completed the perfunctory handshake, the smile on his face instantly vanished, replaced by an air of arrogance.

"General Aris, I heard your grandmother was Japanese, but I don't see many Japanese features in you."

Aris's mouth twitched, and he forced an explanation:

"Actually, I only have 1/8 Japanese ancestry. My grandfather back then—"

Douglas seemed completely uninterested in Aris's explanation, waving his hand and saying, "Alright, alright, that's not important... Currently, the People's Army's total troop deployment has reached 150,000, which is basically the maximum troop capacity for the MacDonnell Ranges area. Any more people would need to be stationed in the wilderness."

"This time, the Department of Defense sent me here with another objective: we must engage in a large-scale decisive battle with the Anti-War Army."

"Give me a detailed overview of the People's Army's current overall deployment. After the handover, stay on temporarily as a deputy."

Aris breathed a sigh of relief.

That was great; since he was being kept on instead of being ordered to immediately return to the U.S. for questioning, he wouldn't be severely punished for the Alice Springs incident. At the very least, he could atone for his sins before the war ended.

Of course, this also indicated that the U.S. Department of Defense highly valued his previous experience fighting the Anti-War Army.

—

MacDonnell Ranges, Anti-War Army Mountain Base.

Fang Le also received news of the new U.S. commander Douglas's arrival.

He even investigated Douglas online, only confirming that he was a hawk, decisive in his methods, and had personally commanded several wars in the Middle East, making him a formidable opponent.

Whether he was formidable or not didn't matter; Fang Le only hoped that both sides would start fighting as soon as possible, the sooner the battle began, the sooner it would end.