The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

"The cause of these crimes is this abominable war, and the fascists and Japanese militarists who initiated this war are the main culprits of all this! Mr. Judge, ladies and gentlemen. I do not intend to defend Lieutenant Colonel Zhang. He is a soldier, a commander, and issuing such an order is not a decision a normal soldier should make."

"Here are some authoritative mental health reports from various medical institutions on Lieutenant Colonel Zhang and several soldiers who have previously confessed. They clearly show that they suffered from prolonged mental depression and abnormal conditions, leading to mania, anxiety, and extreme violent tendencies. From a medical perspective, they are patients, and severely mentally ill."

Following the defense of attorney Edward Powers, his assistant presented some materials to the presiding judge and the jury. After everyone reviewed the materials, Powers continued his defense: "Your Honor, ladies and gentlemen, Colonel Zhang made an error in judgment and issued an erroneous order precisely when he saw his fellow soldiers, who had fought alongside him, being ruthlessly attacked and killed. This is when war syndrome, a mental illness, is most susceptible to attacks. Reputable medical institutions have confirmed this. According to traditional laws, the actions of a mentally ill person during a period of insanity should be mitigated and not considered a crime. Therefore, although I am deeply saddened by the consequences of Colonel Zhang's erroneous order and the lives lost, I still implore your Honor and the jury to sentence Colonel Zhang with leniency."

The Military Court had the most challenging job. Not only did they have to find excellent lawyers and defend these soldiers, but they also had to prosecute their crimes! As Lieutenant Colonel Zhang's prosecutor, Colonel Li Jinai, Director of the Law Enforcement Department of the Military Court, had to stand up again and refute Attorney Bowers's defense. He had no idea how much this rebuttal, drafted by Yang Hong, would influence the Allied sentencing of Japanese war criminals, and even later, German war criminals. Because of this rebuttal, he became a famous figure in world legal history.

He first bowed politely to the judge and jury, then saluted Attorney Bowes and the audience. This time, to demonstrate the rule of law and civilization in China, at the behest of the higher-ups, the entire trial was largely based on the relevant conditions of the International Court of Justice. It was a trial that blended Eastern and Western elements. Colonel Li Jinai, representing the prosecution, began his rebuttal:

Your Honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, defense attorneys, ladies and gentlemen present.

Just now, Attorney Bowes presented his defense regarding Lieutenant Colonel Zhang's violation of military law. On behalf of the prosecution, I must admit that Attorney Bowes's defense is well-reasoned and the facts fully demonstrate that Lieutenant Colonel Zhang made erroneous judgments and issued erroneous orders, indicating that he was indeed experiencing a mental breakdown. A joint military and medical investigation has left me with regret: our troops, our soldiers, and our people have suffered tremendous physical and mental trauma in this horrific and brutal war. This is especially true of the people of China and those countries invaded and persecuted by Japan. They are constantly seeking revenge, returning to the Japanese tenfold for all they inflicted. The Japanese slaughter, looting, and burning of foreign lands are all vividly remembered. The Nanjing Massacre, the Panjiayu Massacre, the Pingyang Massacre, the Zhenjiang Massacre, the Changjiao Massacre, the brutal "Three Alls" policy in the Central Plains region of China, the Burma Massacre, the Manila Massacre, the Bataan Death March, the infamous human experiments, and biological warfare, to name a few, are examples I won't recount here.

These ironclad facts demonstrate the brutality and atrocities of Japanese militarism. Today, we have defeated them. How could those who suffered so much not want revenge? If our soldiers and people were to retaliate against the enemy and the defeated nation using the same methods as those inflicted during the war, and use the wounds and mental disorders they suffered during the war to cover up their guilt, then the entire Japanese people would suffer retaliation tenfold, a hundredfold, and with all due justice!

However, our victory over fascism and Japanese militarism was not for revenge or endless slaughter. Our ultimate goal was to eliminate evil, to end war, and to strive for justice and peace for the world!

I must solemnly state that the Japanese people are guilty of allowing the Japanese militarists to reach this point. They instigated, participated in, and reveled in the war. They profited from the war, and driven by profit, they further encouraged the militarists, disregarded humanity and the law, and perpetrated these atrocities, pushing Japan towards militarism as a whole. Therefore, Japan suffered retaliation and Allied bombing in the later stages of the war, a self-inflicted trap. We cannot sympathize or pity them simply because of their plight today!

Returning to Attorney Bowes's defense, I'd like to ask Lieutenant Colonel Zhang: Do you think you were right to order the massacre of the villagers? From a military perspective, is shooting civilians justified? I think, as a man of conscience, a pure soldier, your answer should be no! Every nation and people who have suffered invasion and persecution have the right to retaliate against the Japanese militarists and hold them accountable for their crimes, even if they are already dead.

The war against Japan is over, although we still have a decisive battle with the even more evil German fascism. As a soldier, even if I die on the battlefield, I will never regret it!

However, we cannot retaliate against ordinary civilians. Although they are guilty, they did not bear arms and participate in the invasion and killing. Therefore, Lieutenant Colonel Zhang, no matter what your mentality is, when you ordered the massacre of ordinary civilians, especially those ignorant children, you are no longer a soldier. You are a bandit and a robber, no different from the Japanese militarists!

Here, I implore your Honor and the jury to find Lieutenant Colonel Zhang guilty. According to military law, he must receive a fair trial!

Of course, I must reiterate that prosecuting Lieutenant Colonel Zhang and others is not an excuse for the Japanese. On the contrary, I firmly believe that the Japanese are guilty! Moreover, we must investigate thoroughly and will not let off a single Japanese person who committed war crimes, whether they are the Japanese Emperor, an ordinary soldier, or a civilian. As long as they participated in initiating the war, inciting the war, participating in the war, and committing crimes in the process, we will not tolerate them!