Zhong Cheng's intention was clear, which was to accelerate the preparations for a manned landing on Mars, making it as comprehensive as possible.
If there was really no other choice, humanity would have to take the risk.
There wasn't even a need for psychological fortification—this was a war, an interstellar war. Those living aboard the March were not ordinary employees but soldiers of the Space Force; this was their mission.
The second phase of the reconstruction project for the March was still just a draft plan, with the main focus on the design research of the spaceport, along with adaptation and reliability tests. The state of March when heading to Mars wouldn't change much.
The current March had only four docking ports. When heading to Mars, it could essentially carry the necessary supplies itself. According to the current plan of the Aerospace Development Committee, it was to carry two shuttles, leaving two ports as spares.