Courtyard House: Home Alone

At this moment, accompanied by his two apprentices, Master Tang walked onto the high platform. Today's public trial will be presided over by Master Tang.

He walked to the center of the platform, tapped the microphone, tested the sound, cleared his throat, and his voice carried throughout the entire venue through the loudspeaker: "Fellow citizens of Beiping, distinguished guests, today we are holding a public trial here to try those Japanese war criminals whose hands are stained with the blood of our compatriots!"

They committed arson, murder, looting, and all sorts of atrocities on Chinese soil, committing heinous crimes! Today, we will make them pay the price for their actions!

"Now, I declare the public trial of the island nation's war criminals officially open! First, bring the Japanese war criminals up to the stage." Shi Tou and the others, who had been preparing backstage, immediately stepped forward and brought out the war criminals from the shacks one by one.

Kris Lin also put on a headgear and followed them onto the stage.

Kenji Doihara was being supported by two teammates, his face ashen, his once sinister and calculating eyes now empty and lifeless.

Prince Asaka Yasuhiko, however, still carried a morbid arrogance, holding his head high as if he were not a prisoner but someone attending a grand ceremony.

When he saw the dark mass of people below the stage and their angry gazes, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

The other war criminals were so terrified their legs went weak, and they were practically dragged up to the platform. As soon as they appeared, a thunderous roar erupted from below: "Kill them!"

"A blood debt must be paid in blood!"

"Beast! Demon!" A wave of angry shouts surged toward the platform like a tidal wave, making everyone's eardrums buzz.

Grandpa Tang raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet. After the room calmed down a bit, he pointed at Kenji Doihara and said in a deep and powerful voice, "Fellow villagers, this is Kenji Doihara, the head of the Japanese secret service! It was he who planned the September 18 Incident, single-handedly established the puppet state of Manchukuo, and countless compatriots died because of his conspiracies and schemes!"

Then, he pointed to Prince Asaka Yasuhiko: "This one is a member of the Japanese imperial family, Prince Asaka Yasuhiko! He was one of the masterminds behind the Nanjing Massacre! More than 300,000 unarmed compatriots died tragically under their swords!"

With each crime mentioned, the anger of the people in the audience intensified, and many were already sobbing uncontrollably, a result of the pain of losing loved ones and the deep-seated hatred for the invaders.

"Next, please welcome Judge Ouyang Qiming, who has returned from studying in the UK. Judge Ouyang will now take the stage to preside over the trial."

Judge Ouyang, dressed in a crisp black robe, with a solemn face and sharp, eagle-like eyes, walked to the center of the judge's bench. His gaze slowly swept over the thousands of expectant eyes below the bench, as well as the war criminals being escorted from the platform.

He spoke in a deep voice: "Silence! This court is now beginning the public trial of war criminals such as Prince Asaka Yasuhiko and Kenji Doihara. According to the Law on the Trial of War Crimes and relevant international conventions, any individual who violates humanitarian principles and commits crimes such as massacre, mistreatment of civilians, and disruption of peace during wartime shall bear corresponding legal responsibility."

His voice, clear through the microphone, resonated throughout the room with undeniable authority, instantly silencing the noise. Everyone held their breath, watching every move on the judge's bench.

"Call the witnesses!" As soon as Judge Ouyang finished speaking, two bailiffs escorted an elderly man with gray hair and a hunched back to the witness stand.

The old man's face was lined with deep wrinkles, each one bearing the marks of years of hardship and the wounds of war.

He raised his withered hand with trembling hands, his voice hoarse but unusually firm: "My name is Old Man Wang, and I live in the south of Nanjing. In the winter of 1937, the Japanese invaders entered the city."

My wife, son, daughter-in-law, and my three-year-old grandson were all... were killed by them with bayonets!

I hid in the cellar of the woodshed and watched those beasts break into my house, steal my only food, and then there was a chorus of cries and gunshots…

At this point, the old man could no longer contain his grief. Tears streamed down his face as he beat his chest and stamped his feet, crying out, "My home! My poor little grandson, he's only just learned to call me grandpa!"

A suppressed sob immediately rose from the audience. Many people who had similar experiences could no longer control their emotions and began to cry out.

Judge Ouyang gestured to the bailiff to hand the elderly man a glass of water. After the man calmed down a bit, Judge Ouyang continued, "Mr. Wang, please carefully identify whether any of the war criminals on the platform are the perpetrators you saw back then?"

Old Wang wiped away his tears, his cloudy eyes fixed on Prince Asaka Yasuhiko on the high platform. Suddenly, he pointed sharply at him, his voice becoming shrill with extreme anger: "It's him! It's him! Even though so many years have passed, I will never mistake him!"

That day, he rode in on a tall horse, leading a group of Japanese soldiers into our street! He even smiled and said something to the officer beside him, and then those Japanese soldiers started killing like madmen! He was the mastermind! His hands are stained with the blood of hundreds of thousands of our compatriots in Nanjing!

Prince Asaka Yasuhiko's face turned deathly pale, his body trembled uncontrollably, and he let out a low growl that was difficult to understand, his eyes filled with fear and despair.

Kenji Doihara, on the other hand, was relatively calmer, but his clenched fists and the cold sweat on his forehead betrayed his inner panic.

Judge Ouyang's gaze was piercing as he coldly stared at Prince Asaka Yasuhiko: "War criminal Prince Asaka Yasuhiko, what is your defense regarding the testimony of witness Old Man Wang?"

Prince Asaka Yasuhiko opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. He knew that in the face of such irrefutable evidence and overwhelming public outrage, any defense would be pale and powerless.

Subsequently, several more victims and survivors from different regions came to the stage to testify. Some had lost their relatives and homes, some had suffered permanent physical disabilities, and some had witnessed firsthand the various atrocities committed by the Japanese army, including burning, killing, and looting.

Every story is stained with blood and tears, every accusation is resounding, and the crimes of the war criminals are laid bare before the world.

The anger in the audience was like a volcano about to erupt, the air thick with suppressed hatred and anxious anticipation of justice.

"A blood debt must be paid in blood!"

Suddenly, a roar erupted from below the stage.

"A blood debt must be repaid in blood!" The roar that erupted from the audience almost shook the entire venue. Countless angry fists were waving, and countless eyes were spitting out flames of revenge.

This was not merely a slogan, but a blood-and-tears accusation that had been pent up in the hearts of the people of Beiping for far too long; it was the most direct and intense denunciation of the invaders. Wives who had lost their husbands, mothers who had lost their sons, and displaced people who had lost their homes—at this moment, they poured all their grief and anger into these four words and shouted them out with all their might.

The sound pierced through the dawn, echoing above the gunpowder factory, and seemed to transcend time and space, offering solace to the souls who perished in the flames of war.