79: Farewell to Darwin City, the Anti-Japanese Army decided to shift its strategy

Darwin City was uncharacteristically calm at this moment.

The war had finally ended, the municipal system was rapidly resuming operations, and people were generally returning to their daily lives.

The Anti-War Army itself was organizing supplies and equipment, planning to leave Darwin City and relocate elsewhere.

During this interim.

Fang Le gathered thousands of soldiers in an open field on the outskirts of the city and delivered a speech.

"Gentlemen, a month has passed since we first took action."

"It has also been half a month since we experienced the war."

"Although the total time is not long, the situation has been turned upside down."

"We have done things we never thought we would do before."

"We repelled the powerful U.S. Military and obtained a ceasefire treaty favorable to us."

"Among you, some joined the Anti-War Army from the beginning, while others joined temporarily during the war. Everyone, more or less, has suffered from the war, but I have not seen a single one of you complain, tire, or fear death."

"I thank you for your efforts and sacrifices, and now, the terrible things are finally all over."

"The Anti-War Army will completely withdraw from Darwin City within a week, returning peace to this city."

"Now, anyone among you who wishes to leave the army can go to the Anti-War Army's retirement affairs department to go through the retirement process."

"The army will provide each retired soldier with compensation commensurate with their contributions. If your body is disabled due to the war, the Anti-War Army will also provide disability pensions."

"Alright, that's all. Does anyone have anything to say? You are free to speak."

As soon as Fang Le finished speaking, the thousands of people below buzzed with discussion, and someone immediately asked loudly:

"Commander-in-Chief, why are we leaving Darwin City?"

Fang Le: "Because I don't want to bring more disaster to this city."

"Then, Commander-in-Chief, where are we relocating next?"

Fang Le: "It's not yet decided, but we will not leave Australia."

Then a large number of people shouted:

"We are not leaving the Anti-War Army."

"Once a member of the Anti-War Army, always a member of the Anti-War Army!"

"We want to relocate with the main force—"

Fang Le watched the unanimous shouts from the crowd without emotion.

Most of these people in front of him were ordinary soldiers.

It was unlikely that he would take these people on a major strategic relocation.

There was a huge gap between ordinary soldiers and synthetic soldiers in terms of combat ability and physical will, and even more so in terms of loyalty.

Therefore, in previous battles, Fang Le continuously used newly manifested synthetic soldiers to fill the gaps in units caused by casualties among ordinary soldiers, purifying the entire Anti-War Army.

This timing was the best opportunity to dismiss a large number of unqualified ordinary soldiers at once.

Just as Fang Le finished speaking and was about to order dismissal, a large crowd of people, a dense mass, came from the city entrance.

Looking closely at their attire, they seemed to be ordinary citizens.

To show a more approachable side, Fang Le had to actively approach the group of people.

He noticed that the leader of the citizens was none other than Zhuang Zimo, the head of the Chinese party, and his heart stirred.

Zhuang Zimo was full of excitement, holding one of Fang Le's hands with both of his, shaking it to express:

"Comrades of the Anti-War Army, Commander Fang, we heard that your army plans to withdraw from this city. How can this be?"

"You protected this city. If you leave, to whom shall we turn for help?"

"On behalf of Darwin City, I hope your army will stay. We need your army's protection!"

This was representing the ordinary people, coming to Fang Le for an explanation.

Fang Le had no choice but to loudly explain to these ordinary citizens:

"Residents of Darwin City, I understand your current concerns and doubts."

"Please rest assured, the ceasefire agreement between the People's Army and the U.S. Military stipulates that the U.S. Military shall not hold any person or organization in Darwin City accountable, and the U.S. Military is not allowed to enter Darwin City without the permission of the Darwin City City Hall."

"If the People's Army remains in Darwin City, once the ceasefire period ends, the U.S. Military may not rule out another attack on the city."

"That would once again implicate the ordinary people in the city, which is something the People's Army is unwilling to see."

"Therefore, the Anti-War Army will leave, taking this karma with them, and returning peace and stability to Darwin City."

"At the same time, on behalf of the Anti-War Army, I deeply apologize for the inconvenience caused to you during this period."

Fang Le bowed to these ordinary citizens.

His bow was sincere, and his words were from his heart.

Darwin City was originally a peaceful place; if not for him completing system tasks, there wouldn't have been a large-scale war.

As the crowd returned to the city, Zhuang Zimo requested to ride in the same military vehicle as Fang Le.

In the car, having shed the pretense of his public performance, Zhuang Zimo directly asked: "Commander Fang, why are you abandoning Darwin City, which was so hard to conquer?"

Although from Councilman Zhuang's perspective, the Anti-War Army leaving the city would benefit the ordinary people of the city, from the Anti-War Army's perspective, Darwin City was after all a modern city with complete facilities in all aspects, very suitable for operating as a stronghold.

To put it more sinisterly, with the ordinary people in the city as human shields, when the war started again, the U.S. Military would have to hold back somewhat, otherwise accidental injuries to civilians would cause many humanitarian disaster and public opinion troubles.

Fang Le, however, said: "Let professional soldiers handle the war; I don't want ordinary people involved."

Zhuang Zimo: "But... where are you going to relocate?"

"You said you wouldn't leave Australia, but in Australia, at least in the northern part, the only place that can be called a city is Darwin."

Fang Le smiled mysteriously.

"Thank you for Councilman Zhuang's kind intentions. I have my own considerations for where to relocate, but I am more interested in Councilman Zhuang's affairs."

"Now that the war is over, Darwin City needs to return to a normal political ecosystem."

"The city's new mayor is undecided, and I'm afraid you'll soon hold the mayoral election that was delayed by the war. Councilman Zhuang will certainly participate in the election, do you have confidence in winning?"

Zhuang Zimo pouted. His previous words were actually asked on behalf of the Dragon Country, but he hadn't gotten any answers.