Warlords: Rising from the Northwest Border and Sweeping Across the Powers

Chapter 508: Taking over Wanxi City without a single drop of blood

A strange atmosphere quietly permeated the city gate. The originally tightly closed city gate was now slowly opened by the soldiers' spontaneous actions, making a heavy creaking sound, as if telling of years of perseverance and the upcoming separation.

The soldiers in the city, who were once warriors who swore to defend this land, now put down their weapons one by one, with mixed emotions on their faces. Some soldiers had a light of relief in their eyes, as if they had finally found a way out of the endless war; others shed tears silently, their hearts filled with longing for their hometown and confusion about the future.

"Let's go, brothers, let's go home." An old soldier stood in the crowd, his voice hoarse but firm. His face was full of traces of time, but his eyes revealed an indescribable calmness.

"Yes, it's time for us to go home." The surrounding soldiers echoed one after another, and their voices echoed at the city gate with an inexplicable sadness.

As the city gates were fully opened, the soldiers began to walk out of the city one after another. Although their steps were heavy, they gradually showed relaxed smiles on their faces. They knew that this step out meant that they would no longer have to work for the Southern Government that had abandoned them.

Not far from the city gate, Liu Fang stood silently. He stared at the soldiers who were leaving the city to surrender, with a complex expression on his face. He knew that this moment was a relief for those soldiers, but for him, it was an unspeakable loss and helplessness.

He watched his brothers who had fought side by side leave one by one, and an indescribable sadness welled up in his heart. He thought of the soldiers who had sacrificed their lives for the Southern Government, and their vows and perseverance, but now, all of this had come to nothing.

"Commander, are we really just going to watch them leave like this?" Chai An stood beside Liu Fang, with a hint of reluctance and confusion in his voice.

Liu Fang did not answer, but just silently watched the soldiers leaving. His heart was full of contradictions and struggles. On the one hand, he understood the soldiers' choices, but on the other hand, he could not accept this cruel reality.

The scene at the city gate gradually became blurred, and Liu Fang seemed to see the soldiers returning to their hometowns and reuniting with their families. Their faces were filled with happy smiles, and their eyes were shining with expectations for the future. But he could only stand here, silently enduring the pain and helplessness brought by all this.

"Perhaps this is their fate." Liu Fang finally spoke, his voice low and full of emotion, "They once fought desperately for the Southern Government, but now, they should think about themselves."

After the officers left the city, the scene in front of them made their eyes moist instantly. Under the city wall, the relatives had been waiting for a long time, their faces full of expectation and worry. As the officers approached step by step, the relatives could no longer suppress their excitement and rushed forward.

"Son! You are finally back!" An old mother hugged her son tightly, tears welling up in her eyes. She stroked her son's thin face, her heart filled with heartache and relief.

"Mom!" The officer buried his head in his mother's arms, his voice choked with sobs. He felt his mother's familiar embrace, as if he had found the long-lost warmth.

On the other side, a young couple also hugged each other tightly. The wife looked at her husband's tired face and said distressedly: "You have become thinner and darker. From now on, we will never separate again."

The husband held his wife's hand tightly, with a firm light in his eyes: "Yes, we want to go home together and start a new life."

At this time, the hungry soldiers also lined up in a long queue at the call of the expeditionary logistics battalion. Their eyes revealed their desire for food, but also full of hope for the future.

"Come on, come on, everyone will have a share, don't worry." The soldiers from the logistics battalion greeted them warmly, and they handed baskets of steaming buns to the defending soldiers.

"Thank you! Thank you!" The soldiers took the buns and ate them voraciously. They felt the warmth and strength brought by the buns, as if they had regained hope in life.

In this warm and touching scene, both officers and soldiers showed long-lost smiles on their faces. They knew that at this moment, they finally ended the long years of war and ushered in a new beginning.

Beside Chen Tong, the commander of the guard battalion said angrily, "These rebels of the Southern Government followed Huang Guangtai and betrayed the country. We are feeding them buns. I think we should just starve them to death."

Chen Tong looked over with a sharp gaze and said firmly, "We can use any means to deal with the devils, we can be ruthless and kill them all, but after all, they are our compatriots, the descendants of Yan and Huang. Civil war and internal consumption are not what I want. We must be tolerant enough for our own people and give them a chance to start over. Do you understand?"

The guard battalion commander didn't dare to look Chen Tong in the eye and nodded silently.

"Brother, eat slowly! There are plenty of buns. We will settle you in Changxiong Port first and send you back as soon as possible to reunite with your families."

"The situation in our country is thriving now. If you come from the countryside, your family would have been allocated land a long time ago. If you go back and work hard, you won't starve to death. You can live a good life with a wife, children, and a warm bed."

Inside the city, as the gates slowly closed, a different kind of tranquility was left behind. The soldiers who had fought bloody battles for the Southern Government were filled with emotion at this moment. They hugged each other with tears in their eyes. Many of these soldiers had never thought that they would have the opportunity to escape the vortex of war and return to their hometown full of fireworks and family affection in their lifetime.

At the command center in the city, Liu Fang stood quietly with a deep look in his eyes.

He turned to Chai An beside him and said, "Xiao An, I remember you should be from Bizhou Jinling, you should surrender too and go home with them."

Chai An was stunned when he heard this, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Commander, you know I am not afraid of death. I am only afraid that I can't fight side by side with you to the end."

Liu Fang shook his head slightly, his eyes revealing an indescribable determination: "Xiao An, the war is over, we can't let more people die. You should go home and enjoy the peaceful life you deserve."

"What about you, Commander!" Chai An stared at Liu Fang closely, his voice filled with a hint of anxiety and worry.

Liu Fang raised his head and looked into the distance, as if he had penetrated the barrier of time and space and saw the once glorious Southern Government. He spoke slowly, his voice low and firm: "The old president has been very kind to me. Although it is an indisputable fact that we have been abandoned, I will never betray the old president or the Southern Government."

Chai An felt a pang of pain in his heart when he heard this. He knew that Liu Fang was a man who was loyal to his beliefs and would not easily give up his principles even in the face of great difficulties. He gritted his teeth and said firmly: "Commander, no matter what, I will accompany you!"

Liu Fang turned around and looked at Chai An, with a hint of relief and emotion in his eyes. He patted Chai An on the shoulder, and his voice revealed a deep gratitude: "Xiao An, I appreciate your kindness. But you must obey orders and go home."

Chai An was silent for a moment. He knew Liu Fang's character. Once he made a decision, it would be difficult to change it. He took a deep breath and nodded: "Yes, Commander. I will obey your orders, but I will never forget the days when we fought side by side."

Liu Fang smiled and nodded, his eyes revealing a calm and composed look.