58: The funeral ceremony of the anti-Japanese army was touching and attracted worldwide attention

Darwin City.

The first day of combat concluded.

...

On the second day, likely due to the heavy losses on the first day, the U.S. Military did not advance again. Instead, they consolidated their defensive lines, seemingly adjusting their next offensive plan.

This granted both the U.S. Military and the People's Army a full day of rest, and both sides tacitly refrained from launching attacks.

Inside the Anti-War Army's General Headquarters, Commander-in-Chief Fang Le suddenly had an idea.

“General Yue, Political Commissar Zhao, gather the high-ranking officers of the headquarters.”

“I want to hold a funeral ceremony for the People's Army soldiers who died the day before.”

—

Darwin City, Central Plaza, a non-combat zone, was now teeming with people.

Fang Le, Yue Hanshan, Zhao Gang, and a host of other high-ranking officers from the headquarters were present, as were many ordinary officers and soldiers who were not on defense duty.

In addition, countless Darwin City residents had come spontaneously upon hearing the news.

Everyone remained silent.

Because right in the center of the plaza, on stretcher carts, lay rows upon rows of the fallen's remains.

They were all dressed in the Anti-War Army's uniforms, and judging by their epaulets and styles, there were both officers and soldiers among them.

They lay there quietly, utterly silent.

Fang Le began his opening remarks.

“Today is a very somber day for Darwin City.”

“In yesterday's defense of the city, the People's Army sacrificed a total of three hundred and twenty-three brave warriors.”

“There are also some warriors whose remains could not be found, so their clothing and personal belongings had to be used as substitutes.”

“Yesterday, the American military's attacking force was more than twice our size; they deployed a vast array of equipment, unleashed countless rounds of ammunition and firepower, and are considered the most powerful military group in the world!”

“But we held our ground. Every one of our warriors fought with the strength of ten, displaying unmatched bravery.”

“The warriors, undeterred by the disparity in numbers or the vast difference in weaponry, fully leveraged their initiative, wisdom, and courage, creating a miracle of winning against overwhelming odds!”

“Yesterday, we not only withstood the American military's assault but ultimately pushed their front line back.”

“The American military's casualties were at least three to four times ours, and the People's Army captured a large number of U.S. Military prisoners.”

“Some prisoners even raised their arms in surrender at the first encounter.”

“It wasn't that they were weak; it was because they witnessed the heroism of the People's Army soldiers and their fearlessness in the face of death, which caused them to lose their will to fight.”

“And where did the People's Army's fighting will come from?”

“It comes from our mission. The army's mission is to protect the people; we are the People's Army, the people's soldiers!”

“We have been fighting tenaciously in the outer combat zones, preventing the fighting from spreading into the inner non-combat zones.”

“Even if we all sacrifice ourselves, we must not allow the American military's iron cavalry to step one inch into the non-combat zones!”

Fang Le's opening remarks were purely impromptu, speaking whatever came to mind, focusing on genuine emotion.

Coupled with his timely hand gestures, his speech was incredibly compelling.

Many were moved, some even wiping away tears.

But Fang Le's main impact was yet to come.

“Chen Yinglei, squad leader of a certain infantry squad in the Third Division, when surrounded by the American military, with all his comrades sacrificed and only himself remaining, detonated a grenade in front of the American military...”

“Pan Zhendong, battalion commander of a certain combined arms battalion in the Second Division, because the American military's armored offensive was too fierce, in order to block the American military, led a group of daredevils, braving the American military's machine gun fire, rushed to the American military's tanks, used his body to block the tanks' advance, and detonated the high explosives he carried...”

“All the soldiers of a certain platoon in a certain company of a certain battalion of a certain regiment of the First Division, after holding a position until their ammunition and supplies ran out, resolutely detonated the explosives buried throughout the entire building, perishing with a large number of American military who had entered the building. Not only that, the collapsed building also blocked the path of the American military's armored units...”

Fang Le recounted the heroic and tragic deeds of the fallen one by one, and he himself choked up at times due to his excessive immersion.

And the many officers, soldiers, and ordinary citizens listening below also began to sob.

Fang Le wiped away his tears and began the next segment.

“Next, I will read the names of the fallen one by one.”

“After the memorial ceremony, the families of the fallen will be escorted by guards to claim the warriors' remains.”

“First, Wang Dahe.”

No one claimed him.

This was inevitable.

Because he was a synthetic human warrior.

“Second...”

As Fang Le read the names, families continuously came forward to claim the bodies, weeping as they looked at the remains of the fallen.

Thus, one by one, the bodies were claimed by their families.

When another name of a fallen soldier was read and no one responded, an elderly person in the crowd suddenly raised his hand high, as if wanting to say something.

The guards invited him over. The elderly man looked at the blurred face of the remains on the stretcher bed, then looked up at the podium.

“Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, may I make a request?”

Fang Le: “Please speak, elder.”

The elderly man: “In my life, I once had a child, but he died young.”

“Since then, I have been alone, without children.”

“May I adopt this fallen soldier as my child?”

Even Fang Le was stunned.

He was absolutely certain that this elderly man's appearance was not a pre-arranged part of the memorial ceremony.

“Elder, but he has already—”

The elderly man interrupted: “I know, old man, I just want to say... I don't want this child, after sacrificing his life to protect our city, to not even have a family member to claim him.”

“From now on, he is my child.”

“I don't care what his name is, or what his original identity was.”

“Every year on this day, I will bring offerings to his tombstone and speak to him.”

The elderly man's words were simple and unadorned, but they genuinely moved all who listened.

Even Fang Le choked up.

“As long as you are willing, he is your child.”

With this elderly man taking the lead, whenever a body with no family to claim it was read next, someone would come forward to “recognize” them.

These scenes were deeply moving.

People are emotional beings, and soon the entire atmosphere of the scene was elevated to its peak.

Among them, some families of the fallen spontaneously came to the stage to give speeches.

They would recount various past events of their children, husbands, and fathers; though the person had passed away, their voice, appearance, and smiles seemed to linger.

Those who heard were saddened, and those who listened shed tears.

From the stage and among the audience, muffled sobs periodically emerged.

The final segment involved Fang Le, the highest commander, presenting wreaths to each of the fallen, bowing in salute to each warrior, and observing a moment of silence.

By evening, crimson flags fluttered in the field, red like blood, reflecting the setting sun.

These scenes from Darwin City were also uploaded to the internet, sparking heated discussions.