The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 951: Chapter 710: The Big Detour and Action

It turned out that what the man had said was not false, just as Barton had indicated.

Because just on the second day, General Panxing received an urgent telegram from the government of Minnesota, reporting a large presence of Australasia Army forces in the Newfolden area.

By the time General Panxing called an emergency meeting, two hours had passed, and no one could be certain where the Australasia Army had gotten to or what their objective was.

The worst part for the Western Front Army was that General Panxing had committed most of his 100,000 troops to the front lines, leaving only about 15,000 reserve troops available.

Now, these 15,000 had to delay the onslaught of the Australasia Army, creating an opportunity for the troops on the front lines to retreat.

Yes, General Panxing made the decision to retreat without hesitation.

It was a matter of necessity, after all, if the Australasia Army managed to encircle them, then it was very possible that the entire 100,000 troops of the Western Front Army would be annihilated.

At this moment, General Panxing had no time to ponder why the enemy had so easily flanked them and reached Minnesota.

The most important thing at present was to lead the main forces in retreat, to Minneapolis to start with.

But soon, General Panxing realized the severity of the situation.

The Russian army on the front line had mounted a large-scale offensive, attacking the entire defensive line, targeting the top, middle, and bottom.

The enemy no longer hid its movements, as the Russian army, Philippines army, and Kalimantan army all mobilized, with the count of enemies on the front exceeding 120,000.

Over this period, the Australasians had clearly ascertained General Panxing’s defensive deployments.

That’s why this offensive was mainly targeting locations with large military deployments.

And because of the enemy’s large-scale offensive, General Panxing’s retreat plan was completely disrupted.

If they did not counterattack against the imminent enemy onslaught, their own retreat would become extremely difficult, as the enemy would keep on their tail, making the retreat dangerous no matter where they went.

With a formidable enemy ahead and encirclement from behind, General Panxing sighed and issued his final command: “Strike back with all your might!”

Yes, in General Panxing’s eyes, it was better to go down fighting than to surrender.

Even if the Western Front Army was in its most perilous state, General Panxing refused to be captured by the enemy.

The highest honor for a soldier is to die in battle, and General Panxing decided to do just that, ending his long and brilliant life.

Just as General Panxing resolved to fight to the death, in the farther western Williston, a dramatic scene was unfolding.

A few hours earlier, Barton had sent a telegram to the commander of the 7th Division, announcing he would personally report to the division headquarters with important news.

The 7th Division’s commander had no suspicions, and Barton and his fiercely loyal guards easily entered the division headquarters.

As soon as he entered the headquarters, Barton and his men went straight to the commander.

With a coffee in hand, the 7th Division’s commander was smiling and asking Barton, “Barton, would you like a cup?”

“No need, Commander, I don’t think you’ll be able to drink it soon enough,” Barton said with a smile, shaking his head. His steps didn’t slow in the slightest.

“Hmm?” The color drained from the 7th Division commander’s face as he realized Barton had already approached.

“Please don’t make any sudden movements, Your Excellency. My gun is not merciful. Follow my commands,” Barton said as he grabbed the commander, pointing the handgun, which had been readied in his right hand, directly at the commander’s forehead.

Seeing Barton successfully take control, several guards quickly subdued the division’s staff and other officers.

“Damn it, what are you doing, Barton?” The 7th Division’s commander only then reacted, furiously demanding an explanation.

“I am doing what must be done, Your Excellency,” Barton replied calmly, clearly having prepared himself mentally: “Now, my respected Commander, I am honored to inform you that I have taken over the headquarters.

And to all the gentlemen on staff, please do not make any unnecessary movements. After all, bullets do not discriminate, do they? Thank you for your cooperation.”

With that, Barton and his men, controlling the commander and several staff members, slowly walked out of the tent.

This unusual occurrence soon caught the attention of the soldiers at the headquarters, but because Barton controlled the commander and many staff members, they were powerless against the man who had so boldly kidnapped their commander.

“Now, my respected Commander, please instruct these soldiers to lay down their weapons and surrender,” Barton said, calmly shifting his handgun to prompt the commander.

“Have you gone mad, Barton? You will answer for your actions!” the commander of the 7th Division still didn’t grasp the situation, questioning angrily.

“The one who’s crazy is you, Brigadier General,” Barton’s expression remained calm as he looked at the many soldiers surrounding him. “Everyone, please think carefully, who is this war really for?

Our families are still suffering from hunger, does the government provide them any help or subsidies? Even if they do, how did it all come to this?

Our resistance will only lead to more casualties. Don’t you want to go back and see your families again?

Now, the Australasia Army has successfully moved behind us. If we don’t stop resisting, the only outcome for all of us will be capture or being killed.

I promise you, those who lay down their weapons now will receive a severance pay and then be able to return to their hometowns safely.

The war will end soon, the foolish Hoover won’t last much longer. We do not need to risk our lives for someone who disregards the interests of the common people. Our loyalty should be to all Americans, not the American Government.

Look at California, it has become better under Australasia’s administration—isn’t that the best proof?

Our country has rotted under the government’s management, with those officers colluding with capitalists, exploiting us ordinary Americans.

We should establish an America for Americans, where we and our families are away from war, instead of risking our lives for President Hoover.

Put down your weapons now, and I guarantee you can safely return to your homes. But if not, when the Australasia Army comes, you might end up as prisoners as well.

As the commander of the First Infantry Regiment, I order you to lay down all arms and surrender immediately!”

It’s worth mentioning that the over one hundred thousand troops of the Western Front Army were not all recruited from the East; a significant portion came from the Central United States.

This is actually quite normal. Although the Eastern United States has tens of millions of people, in the environment of the economic crisis, particularly after the massacre in Washington which occurred in the East, it was not possible to recruit hundreds of thousands of troops in a short time.

The United States Army Recruiting Office had been established nationwide, and over half of these hundred thousand troops of the Western Front Army were from the Central region.

More importantly, these soldiers were all new recruits, whose beliefs were the most easily shaken.

Especially for those who had been separated from their families for several months and had suffered from war and casualties, these new recruits naturally developed a longing for their homes.

Barton’s words were the best persuasion for them, enabling them to deeply consider whether what they were doing was worth it.

Beyond the initial subsidies during recruitment, the government offered them, and even their families, no help or subsidy during the entire economic crisis.

Does it really make sense to help such a government? Compared to the current situation in California, these soldiers even have trouble distinguishing which government is actually elected by the American people.

Naturally, Barton did not count on all the soldiers giving up resistance. His real trump card lay in the soldiers outside the command post who had already proven their loyalty to him.

These soldiers were carefully selected from Barton’s Infantry Regiment; they all subscribed to Barton’s ideas and believed that ending the war promptly was good news for Americans.

For Barton, it was enough to shake the beliefs of these soldiers. Once his loyal soldiers arrived at the command post, he would be able to smoothly take control of the entire Seventh Division, completing a large part of the plan.

As for the rest, they would simply wait for the Australasia Army to arrive and then hand over the entire area where the Seventh Division was stationed to Australasia’s administration.

Of course, Barton’s previous promise to let these soldiers go was not false.

For Australasia, maintaining a favorable impression among the common American people was very important. Allowing these soldiers to return home would enable them to spread positive news about Australasia, improving the American people’s impression of Australasia.

This favorable impression does not need to be very high, but at least the American people who are indirectly under Australasia’s control should not resist Australasia’s administration.

This is especially important for the future establishment of several countries on the West coast of the United States; fundamentally, the people of these countries are Americans, and gaining their recognition is crucial.

This is why Australasia has not implemented any special policies since occupying the West coast of the United States.

After all, it’s best not to make Australasia out to be the villain; when the time comes to appoint a government made up of Americans, letting a purely American government better manage their own people is the best approach.

This is the famous strategy of using barbarians to control barbarians, allowing Americans to govern Americans, which will at least eliminate concerns about stability.

After all, even if Americans don’t trust Australasians, could they not trust their own fellow countrymen who share the same roots?

Moreover, these officers will certainly be chosen by all Americans themselves in public. If they can’t trust even those they’ve chosen, there will not be many left to trust.

As Barton took action, an Australasia Army had already crossed the Poplar River and was heading towards Williston.

This area was previously patrolled by Barton’s Infantry Regiment, but today it was deserted.

This allowed the Australasia Army to proceed smoothly, reaching Williston within just a few hours.