The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 414 Can it hold on? (Bonus chapter 13 for AT)

...If you were severely tortured by the Japanese, could you do what those anti-Japanese predecessors did and not betray your compatriots?
To be honest, I couldn't, and I didn't even dare to, fall alive into the hands of the Japanese.

According to later statistics, the Japanese used 34 categories of torture, totaling more than 500 types.

These numerous forms of torture are almost all forms of extreme torment to the human body, mind, and even soul.

No normal carbon-based life form could withstand it.

But I also know, and have even witnessed firsthand, that many of our ancestors endured such severe torture.

They were not professionally trained agents, but simply some thin-handed intellectuals, some students and farmers, some mothers, and some ordinary people.

What made them do this? It wasn't just their beliefs, but even more so, their hatred—a deep-seated hatred for these invaders…

...Excerpt from Hu Biao's diary collection "Hu Shuo"...

A little after 4 a.m. on the 6th, Natsuki Tsugio, a private second class of the Japanese 5th Division, walked towards Nanning City behind him, yawning repeatedly.

He was so tired that he staggered as he walked through the trenches.

There was no other way! The Japanese troops at the grassroots level didn't have cooking squads at all; the daily food rations were distributed to the squads and platoons by the chief accountant.

In this kind of field environment, one either eats some marching rations.

Either before mealtime, some soldiers would be randomly selected from the squad or platoon to cook the food.

However, such random selections will basically fall on privates like Natsuki Tsuyoshi, who have been in the army for less than a year and haven't even been promoted to private first class.

And look! Considering that in recent days, the Nationalist army has often launched attacks as soon as it gets light and that these attacks have lasted for almost the entire day.

Private Natsuki Tsuyoshi, who hadn't slept well at all, had to get up while his comrades were still sleeping.

After rushing to fetch water, I prepared breakfast for everyone in the class so that we could prepare for the Nationalist army's attack after everyone had eaten.

But today's situation was a little different. As he walked, he suddenly heard a gunshot, followed by a shrill warning sound of "enemy attack".

Under the still relatively bright moonlight, Natsuki Tsuji looked out of the position in alarm and saw hundreds of Nationalist soldiers bending over and rushing towards them.

"These Nationalist soldiers must be crazy. They launched an attack before dawn. Don't they need to rest?"

After uttering that curse, Private Natsuki Tsuyoshi no longer cared about fetching water and rushed towards the position assigned to his platoon.

They picked up their rifles and began to fight.

In the midst of the fierce battle, the private, whether it was his imagination or not, felt that the Nationalist army's offensive attitude and intensity today were at least one level stronger than in the previous days.

In fact, Natsuki Tsuyoshi's intuition as a new Japanese recruit was absolutely correct after receiving Hu Biao's request from the battlefield of Daito-go.

Commander Bai acknowledged the tactical necessity of intensifying the offensive, putting more pressure on the Japanese troops in the city, and forcing them to request reinforcements.

Before dawn, they immediately ordered the attacking troops to launch an immediate attack, and to launch a full-scale attack at all costs.

Two hours later, as dawn broke, they were at a starting position in the northwest of the city.

A regimental commander of the 175th Division of the Guangxi Army shouted at the division commander who had come to inspect the troops, his voice trembling with tears:

"Commander, please have mercy! Let the brothers step back and rest. If we continue attacking like this, our regiment will be wiped out by noon at the latest."

Upon hearing this, the division commander's face turned ashen as he began to berate him:
"Step down? Don't even think about it."

Commander Bai gave me a death order: the 170th Division must capture and firmly control the Japanese positions 17 to 20 before nightfall, or I'll lose my head.

So even if your entire regiment is wiped out, you must take position 17 for me; once you take it, I will send another regiment to replace you and continue the attack on position 18.

"Otherwise, before Commander Bai takes my head, I'll chop off yours first."

Upon hearing this order, the regimental commander's eyes instantly turned red, and he roared, "The entire guard company, assemble! Even if we have to bite our way through, we must take down the front line!"

This scene was just one example among many attacking forces outside Nanning.

With the war having progressed to this point, neither the bald-headed principal nor the bigwigs of the Guangxi Army could accept the outcome of losing what they had almost obtained.

Under their pressure, the Central Army and Guangxi Army troops outside the city were completely desperate.

They suffered heavy casualties, but they also successfully captured one of the Japanese outer positions after another.

Yesterday, they were full of confidence, but late at night they received reinforcements from the Independent Mixed Brigade No. 19. Ando Rikichi and Imamura Hitoshi, two Japanese soldiers who had been completely wiped out, began to feel immense pressure.

******
At 10:00 a.m., in a dense forest west of Dadong Township, in the concealed area of ​​a regiment of the 36th Army of the Central Army.

The regimental commander, whose hair was already turning gray, finished a cigarette with mixed feelings and glanced at the two hundred or so veterans who formed the backbone of the entire regiment.

After a pause, he solemnly began to speak:

"According to Commander Yao's orders, our regiment is to select a platoon of veterans to go on some special operations with several officers from the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment. To put it bluntly, it's about fighting the Japanese scouts to cover the main force's movements—a mission with a nine-out-of-ten chance of survival."

So those who are willing to go should step forward first, and I'll give them thirty silver dollars as a reward.

If there aren't enough volunteers, then we'll draw lots. Those who draw lots can only blame their bad luck; they can't complain about anything else, and they'll still get twenty silver dollars.

After the voice faded, a man with an unsightly scar on his face stepped forward.

He said in a carefree manner, "I'm a jinx. I've wanted to fight the Japanese with Commander Hu and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment for a long time."

"Forget about the reward money, keep it with you for now, Commander. If I'm alive, I'll come back and get it to treat the brothers to drinks; if I die, you can treat the brothers to drinks in my place."

"Alright! When you, you jinx, come back alive, you'll treat the brothers to drinks." The commander agreed, without saying anything pointless like "the money will be sent to your family."

Because everyone in the group knew that everyone in the jinx's family except for him was dead, and they died in a place called Jinling City.

In the following time, one by one, the veterans spontaneously stepped forward, and soon enough people had gathered to form a platoon.

Some accepted the reward money, while others refused, but that's not important; what matters is that every veteran who volunteered to come forward was prepared to fight to the death.

And such scenes are playing out one after another in the dense forests surrounding Dadong Township...

At the same time, Lao Yu was awakened by the sound of the door opening.

Last night, he chatted with Mr. Yang while waiting for the Japanese interrogators to arrive, but they didn't come by dawn. He eventually fell asleep leaning against the wall.

After being woken up, I was still in a daze.

He and Master Yang were then lifted up by their arms and dragged outside.

Before long, he was dragged into a large room with all the windows sealed off. The room was filled with instruments of torture that he recognized and did not recognize.

The instruments of torture, as well as the ground and walls, were covered in blackened bloodstains, and the stench of blood was extremely pungent.

The Japanese occupied Nanning on November 24th last year, which is only about 40 days ago, and they have already turned a perfectly good room into this mess.

God knows! In such a short time, they committed a great many sins.

After being brought here, their hands were tied up, clearly indicating that they were about to be tortured.

It was at this moment that Old Yu prepared to bite open the oil paper package on his collar; but just as he lowered his head, Old Master Yang from next door shouted angrily:
"You little devils, every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. If you have the guts, come at me."

Upon hearing this, Lao Yu looked towards the door and saw two Japanese soldiers dragging a pregnant woman in; they then pressed her down onto a table and tore at her clothes.

Although the woman struggled fiercely, she was no match for the strength of the two Japanese soldiers.

Upon seeing the woman, Old Yu even forgot about his suicide attempt; for he recognized her as Master Yang's daughter-in-law, who was seven or eight months pregnant.

It is said that after a famous doctor in the city took his pulse, he said it was a boy, which made Mr. Yang, who had been the only son in his family for generations, very happy for a long time.

These Japanese devils probably thought Master Yang was the mastermind, while Lao Yu was just a nobody.

As a captain took off his clothes, he said to Mr. Yang, "Mr. Yang, I think you'd better confess. How did you contact the National Army? Where are their strongholds now?"

Otherwise, my soldiers and I would be very lonely and want to find a woman to relieve our loneliness.

"Besides, you must really miss your grandson. I can even use a military knife to pry him out for you to take a look later."

Although the Japanese devil used a euphemism, the meaning behind it was extremely vicious, something that no one with even a shred of humanity could do.

Faced with such a threat, Master Yang was so enraged that he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Even so, he still did not compromise, and said to the woman in a mournful voice:
"Xiuer! Don't blame me for being heartless as your father-in-law. These Japanese pirates are not trustworthy people. Even if I told them, our family would still not escape their clutches."

Rather than that, it's better to preserve this loyalty and righteousness.

"You little devils, even if I become a ghost, I will not let you go!"

Towards the end, Master Yang began to hurl insults, and his daughter-in-law, who had been holding back her tears, finally broke down in sobs.

When the Japanese captain saw that his threats were ineffective, he became enraged and walked towards the woman, and a tragedy was about to occur.

Indeed! As long as Lao Yu lowers his head and bites hard, he doesn't have to worry about anything else. He just has to think about what will happen and how he can bring himself to bite them. He has to find a way to save the two of them.

How to save them? It's simple in some ways, and difficult in others.

Simply put, it's about letting the Japanese know that you're the big fish, making them focus their attention on you.

Difficult? That's what Lao Yu muttered to himself: "Damn it! I wonder if I can withstand the Japanese torture..."

(End of this chapter)