China began withdrawing the first batch of 40,000 troops Monday from three provinces hit by the massive May 12 earthquake as authorities shifted focus from rescue to reconstruction work.

The order, signed by President Hu Jintao who also heads up the Central Military Commission, went into effect Monday, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

China had mobilized about 130,000 troops and armed police to help with relief and reconstruction in the provinces of Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi following the 7.9-magnitude earthquake.

The quake had destroyed a massive swath of Sichuan as well as the other two neighboring provinces, leaving 70,000 dead and another 18,000 missing. An estimated 5 million people were left homeless.

The first group of soldiers, about 500 paratroopers, left the Sichuan capital of Chengdu by train at 9:45 am, Xinhua said.

The remaining troops will continue their work in repairing roads, clearing up and epidemic prevention, Xinhua quoted Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army as saying.

As of July 18, the troops and armed forces had repaired more than 9,100 miles of roads, installed 220,000 shelters and relocated more than 1.4 million people, Xinhua said.