Canteen System Assistance Notes

"It's dangerous, don't come over here!" The man shouted as he ran out. He was holding a baby's swaddling clothes, and after throwing the baby to the ground, he turned around and ran back into the house. But this time, he fell to the ground after running a few steps and never got up again. Someone recognized that this man was Kenji Oda, a doctor in the Japanese community.

"I already knew what was going on. Keimuro was shaking with anger. He yelled at the Japanese residents, saying, 'Dr. Oda works so hard for everyone's health and lives, and you just watched him collapse at the door without helping him—you didn't even try to drag him out.'"

Sakaki Saburo gave a wry smile. "All of a sudden, those Japanese residents who weren't affected exploded. Who knows what you're saying?" "Didn't Oda himself tell us not to go over there?" "You make it sound so simple, why didn't you come and rescue him sooner!"

There were shouts and curses, all sorts of things. Fortunately, an Eighth Route Army comrade nearby yelled back a curse. But when they saw the submachine guns carried by our soldiers, they suddenly quieted down. "It's hard to gain the masses' genuine support by relying solely on bullets."

"Well, you're right. But sometimes, this is an effective method."

The two sat in the office, Saburo Sakaki took a sip of water and continued talking.

Next, I donned my gas mask and entered the house to investigate. The furnishings were simple, typical of Japanese residences. My chemical defense comrades and I quickly discovered the homeowner's identity and the source of the poison gas: a glass bottle filled with liquid cyanic acid.

"Green acid is hydrocyanic acid, Wang Sang. Actually, hydrocyanic acid is not a poison gas commonly used by the Japanese army.

"Although this substance is highly toxic, inhaling it can cause unconsciousness within five seconds and death within minutes, it's inconvenient to pack into metal shells and bombs, and it easily decomposes in the presence of light, requiring it to be stored in sealed glass bottles. Therefore, rather than being used on the battlefield, it's often used to kill people in confined spaces.

'The bottle of acid was placed in a small wooden box with a spring-loaded hammer on top. Once someone unlocked the box, the hammer would fall, shattering the bottle and releasing the pressurized acid. But I noticed that next to the bottle were scraps of paper, about the size of banknotes.'

At this point, Saburo Sakaki suddenly laughed. He laughed for a long time, even tears came out, and there was a hint of anger in his tone.

"I thought about it for a long time and still couldn't figure it out. This is like walking into a house with a knife and killing someone, yet putting so much effort into choosing the material and decoration of the scabbard. It's simply unreasonable: Why kill this Japanese family? Why kill a remnant spy who was working for 'one of their own'? Why spend so much time on the killing device?

"Wang Sang, I'm wondering if it's because I've been in the Eighth Route Army for so long that my thinking has become less 'Japanese'? Or is it that my current thinking seems too normal, making it out of place with other Japanese people?"

The person opposite Saburo Sakaki did not speak, but gestured for Sakaki to continue.

"Finally, at some point, it was as if a long-forgotten switch in the depths of my brain was flipped. I suddenly understood the 'logic' of this.

"This remaining spy from Shillong, having completed his mission of digging and releasing mustard gas, is no longer of any value to the Field Gas Unit. His family, naturally, is also useless waste, something to be sacrificed. And this 'thing' must be properly disposed of, otherwise it might leak secrets.

"Just like me, a downed pilot must die, becoming a military god. Then, a remaining spy who completes his mission must also die, discarded like a rag—perhaps that's their logic." Sakaki panted, as if recalling something he didn't want to remember. Then, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"This kind of logic frightens me: When was this thing instilled in me?" he said. "However, I heard that the Mongolian Army's field gas unit, the most likely perpetrator of this incident, had been bombarded by the Eighth Route Army's air force during combat, and almost all of them had been killed. At that time, I was very happy, but also felt a little regretful - I felt a little regretful that they had not been captured by our troops, put on public trial, and sentenced to death."

"Perhaps this is what it's like to feel completely unaware of any guilt?"

"Then I walked out of the house and saw people busy outside." He continued, "Yamada Kazuo, also known as Yamada-san, was performing CPR on Dr. Oda.

"Before joining the Anti-War Alliance, he had been a top student in the Faculty of Medicine at Tokyo Imperial University and an experienced doctor. Normally, he was a very gentle man, but now, I saw him sweating profusely, shouting loudly, and repeatedly pressing on the patient's chest—but in the end, we arrived too late.

Mrs. Imanishi, who had opened the box, was pronounced dead first. Dalang, lying motionless in bed, was also dead, with no breathing or heartbeat. Aside from the baby, who had been brought out first and had begun to cry, Kenji Oda eventually died. Mr. Yamada and other Eighth Route Army comrades performed resuscitation efforts for nearly an hour, even injecting him with a nitrite antidote, but ultimately, they were unable to save him.

"From what we know, Doctor Kenji Oda is quite famous in Yunzhong City," Wang Sang replied. "Although he's Japanese, he also treats Chinese patients. He even secretly prescribes Western medicine to Chinese people, something the Japanese wouldn't allow Japanese doctors to do."

Well, yes, he was a good man. But he wasn't the only good man to die in the war. Not to mention the countless officers and soldiers who sacrificed their lives, there were several members of the Anti-War Alliance who died on the battlefield." Sakaki Saburo lowered his head. "But what really puzzles me, and why I came to you, Wang-san, is what happened next."

"Comrade Sakaki, please wait a moment."

Wang Sang, noticing Sakaki Saburo's change of mood, raised his hand to stop the Tongmenghui secretary from speaking. He stood up and poured hot water into Sakaki's teacup. "Thank you."

The warmth in his hand made Sakaki feel a little better. He took a deep breath and finally began his final narration.

Chapter 509: Japanese Story: Sakaki Saburo's Decision (End)

(Catch up on last night)

"Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is extremely physically demanding. When I was receiving training, even the strongest couldn't hold out for 20 minutes. In rescuing several victims at the scene, Eighth Route Army comrades and Dr. Yamada took turns and persisted for an hour. By the end, everyone was exhausted and gasping for breath, but in the end, Dr. Yamada's life could not be saved.

"People who died from cyanic acid had pink skin. It was a particularly eerie color. I later learned from reading that cyanic acid can deprive the victim's cells of the ability to use oxygen. So after poisoning, the venous blood, which was originally rich in carbon dioxide, turns bright red."

Saburo Sakaki took a sip of hot tea and recalled the scene.

Some shook their heads and sighed, some were at a loss, some were indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with them, and some were full of impatience...

After the announcement of Dr. Kenji Oda's death, a woman wailed heartbreakingly. She rushed out of the crowd and threw herself beside Dr. Oda, who was covered with a sheet. She lifted the sheet, held Oda's cold but strangely flushed face, and cried out his name.

Because they were afraid that some hydrogen cyanide gas might be absorbed in the clothes and cause secondary damage, Keimuro Keiyuki went to stop them. Immediately, an Eighth Route Army soldier came over to pull the woman away. But no one expected that this short, even skinny woman could burst out with such great strength that she pushed the soldier back.

"Don't come over here! Don't come over here!"

She looked like a madman, her tone was sharp, and her voice was filled with deep sorrow.

"This must be Dr. Oda's relative, that's what I thought at the time."

Saburo Sakaki said, "It is a great pain for anyone to see a loved one die in front of them... Since joining the Tongmenghui, I have visited many bases and witnessed many tragedies of separation of families and loved ones. I tried to stand in their perspective, to understand their pain, to empathize with their feelings, and through this, I also understood the great pain that the Japanese invaders brought to the Chinese people."

"Over time, I thought I'd gotten used to and understood this situation—war is intense, leaving no time for ruminating, and death is common—and then I heard someone say, 'Ah, poor Fanzi, she's lost her husband.'"

"Her name is Fanzi, right?" asked Wang Sang, who was sitting opposite Sakaki.

"Yes, it's a very common female name in Japan. But I saw her face quickly, and almost instantly I confirmed her identity." Sakaki Saburo lowered his head, his voice seeming to crawl out of the ground. "It was at that moment that I knew. Even though I had previously imagined how tragic the situation was, I had actually always been somewhat superior... a bystander's perspective. Before, I had never truly experienced even half of that pain firsthand.

"Yes, Wang-san, Oda Shigeko. Her former name was Fueki Shigeko, but according to Japanese custom, after marriage, one takes their husband's surname. That's her. She was my neighbor in Japan, someone I've known before."

Meeting Shigeko Fueki here was like a huge joke.

For Saburo Sakaki, the memories of his time in Japan have gradually faded away, but they still remain a piece of pure land deep in his mind: there, his father would lie on a chair in the sun, chattering endlessly about the past prosperity; his mother would use a bamboo and rattan paddle to beat the bedding that was drying in the sun, while he would run wildly on the dirt road in the countryside to show his childhood sweetheart the proof of his admission to the Hamamatsu Army Flying School - an acceptance letter.

Shigeko back then was not what she is now. "Shigeko, Shigeko, I'm going to the pilot school!" "Ah, Sakaki-kun, are you going to the army?"

"Yes! Not only am I going to join the army, I'm going to be a pilot!"

At that time, being admitted to a flight school in rural Japan was a remarkable achievement. Young Sakaki puffed out his chest with pride, "When I come back, I'll be a pilot! I'll fly a plane, wear a uniform, and come back to marry you!" "Oh, oh, Sakaki-kun, what nonsense are you talking about!" The girl had no resistance to the earthy confession and blushed. "But if you go there later, will I never see you again?"

"Don't worry! I will definitely write to you..."

"I didn't have any idea about war at the time. I just thought it was something that could change my fate and contribute to the so-called imperial country. Later, when I was in school and in the aviation team, I often wrote to her. I also kept a diary to record my daily life, preparing to tell stories to Shigeko later. I even suffered a lot of bullying from veterans because of this incident." Sakaki, who has grown up a lot now, touched his nose and said self-deprecatingly,

"Later, I was sent to China to fight. My plane was bombed at the airport, and I was captured by our soldiers. You must know what happened next, Wang Sang. Militaristic Japan needs a dead military god like Sakaki, not a living me. I became a dead man in Japan, unable even to write a letter to Fanzi."

"So, Comrade Sakaki, are you sad that your childhood sweetheart is marrying someone else?" Wang Sang jokingly said, "That's not surprising, young people are like that..."

No, no, no, that's not the case. Since I'm already dead in Japan, how could I possibly blame Shigeko for getting married because of this? I do feel a little bit reluctant, but Dr. Kenji Oda is a very reputable and brave man, so I don't have any personal feelings about it."

Sakaki Saburo's expression turned serious. "What shocked me was what happened next."

"Fanzi did not come to China 'voluntarily'."

He paused and emphasized, "No, in the eyes of the Japanese, it might be 'voluntary'."

Dr. Oda and his group of Japanese expatriates were the pioneers of Japan's so-called Manchuria and Mongolia colonization group. Although this was considered Type B resource migration, it was actually a movement orchestrated by the militaristic government and military. By claiming to expand the country's territory and fulfill their loyalty to the emperor, and boasting about the abundant resources of Manchuria and Mongolia and the promise of improving their lives, they deceived many Japanese who sold their property and came to China at their own expense.

"And since the proportion of men among them was very high, the Japanese government came up with a solution - to organize a group of unmarried girls to come to China."

"Actually, for many Japanese people, China is far away and unfamiliar. Plus, the Japanese government has been promoting Japan as the best, cleanest, and greatest country in the world for years, so many people are reluctant to come." Saburo Sakaki explained this phenomenon, which is completely different from China. "But the Japanese government can't forcibly arrest people, as this would be exploited by political enemies.

"They used organizations like the Women's National Defense Association and the East Asia Industrial Promotion Society to coerce women into voluntary membership in these so-called women's groups. If they refused, their families would be gossiped about, ostracized, and even cut off from the village. This was the so-called 'village stigma'—ultimately, even families would push their daughters out to 'voluntarily join' in order to escape this situation as quickly as possible."

Many of these girls contracted illness and died along the way. Some remained in the Northeast, marrying men they had never met. Some perished on the battlefield. Fanzi also became a target for these people. Perhaps because of my death, she became known in the village as an 'unmarried widow,' and was forced to voluntarily join these groups.

"It's just that Shigeko was luckier. She ended up joining the Colonization Corps, rather than the so-called 'Warfield Comfort Corps' or 'Warfield Comfort Corps'... And she also met a good doctor like Kenji Oda, and starting a family is not a bad thing."

Sakaki Sanyou looked at Wang Sang and said, "So I think Shigeko should be considered a victim of militaristic Japan. Moreover, it was the Japanese army that killed her husband with poison gas right before her eyes—I think this should be an irreconcilable hatred."

Wang Sang nodded, but said nothing.

But…but, Sakaki's voice trembled. "I called out Shigeko's name, and Shigeko turned and saw me. When she noticed the Anti-War Alliance patch on my chest, her expression first turned to shock, then fear, and finally, to outright anger."

"She rushed towards me, grabbed my clothes, and tore at me like a wounded animal. She questioned me and angrily scolded me for surrendering to the Communist army.

Why did she help the communist army that killed her husband?

"She cried and screamed, calling me a liar, saying I died on the battlefield and why not just die simply and clearly; she said I killed her husband.

She wanted me to return her husband.

"She finally lost her strength, sobbing and saying what a gentle man Dr. Oda was, always thinking of others, taking care of herself and the neighbors with all her heart. She said that if we hadn't launched the attack, Oda wouldn't have died... But why, why did this happen? It was clearly the Japanese army that tricked the Imanishi family into digging for mustard gas, killing Mr. Imanishi; it was clearly the gas unit that used poison gas to silence people, killing her husband right before Shigeko's eyes. Why, Shigeko, clearly a victim of fascism, would defend this damned fascist?!"

Saburo Sakaki covered his head. Even though the incident was long past, and he should have been more rational now, his emotions still surged like the waves of the ocean. "To be honest, Wang Sang, I even had a violent urge to wipe out Fanzi, all these Japanese people...

Huh, huh, huh, the only sound in the room was Sakaki's panting. After a long time, his voice finally returned to normal.

However, this is not what a revolutionary should do: if I were still a Japanese invader, a running dog of the fascists, I could do this, but now I am a revolutionary, a partner of justice, and I should not do this.

"For as long as I can remember, Shigeko and I have been immersed in the propaganda that Japan is the civilized nation of East Asia, the land of the Righteous Way of Heaven. We felt that everyone should dedicate themselves to the imperial state and to the spread of military power throughout the world. The Japanese people would sacrifice their lives without hesitation for the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Belt."

"But this kind of thing brought profound disaster not only to the people of Asia, but also to the Japanese people. Even from the most utilitarian perspective, the Japanese army occupied large tracts of land in Korea, Northeast China, and China, and plundered so much material resources. Did the lives of the Japanese people become better as a result? Not at all. In fact, it made them worse."

Saburo Sakaki's tone grew firmer, his eyes growing clearer. "I've left that environment now, but many people like Shigeko are still deceived by this propaganda—they are victims of war, yet consciously or unconsciously contribute to this heinous invasion. So we not only need to defeat the Japanese army, but also find a way to eradicate this false propaganda, and even Japan's collective consensus. This will surely be an arduous and protracted battle."

Yes, the people have sharp eyes, but these sharp eyes can be blinded, deceived, and misled. Having long been subjected to the false propaganda of militarist Japan, the Japanese people will probably continue to stare at that fascist dream for a long time.

Wang Xuewen said to Wang Sang, who was sitting opposite Sakaki, "Comrade Sakaki, I don't need to say anything since you have such an understanding." He raised the application form in his hand.

"Is this the mental process behind writing this report?"

"Yes."

Sakaki Saburo said firmly,

"I've decided to start with what I can do. Wang Sang, I want to apply to go to the battlefield. I'm not just going to shout, but like the soldiers of the Eighth Route Army, I'm going to take up arms and fight to put an end to this unjust war!"

Chapter 510 Okamura's Solution

The great defeat in the North China battlefield ultimately sent shockwaves through the country. The "disappearance" of an army-level unit under a front was a rare occurrence in the history of Japan's foreign aggression.

Such a huge pot requires huge people to carry it. In September 1941, the three Japanese army chiefs who committed such irreparable crimes: Army Minister Hideki Tojo, Director of Education Otozo Yamada, and Chief of Staff Seishirō Itagaki had to go to the palace to resign collectively, and handed in their resignation letters to Tiannaohei Ka, ready to work together to carry the huge pot.

However, the Emperor did not approve the three resignations, instead choosing to "keep them in the palace"—a move that, in Japanese politics, means: "The Emperor has high hopes for you, and is giving you and the Army a chance to redeem yourself." After all, if the three resigned now, who would take over?

As a result, the Japanese Army Headquarters began to actively promote the "finding a venue" operation. In North China, Mr. Okamura Yasuji also received new good news amid his growing anxiety. "What? They actually passed?"

"Hey! Commander, not only has the headquarters approved your request for reinforcements, they've also coordinated additional troops to come and provide support!"

"That's good, that's good!" The gloomy old man Okamura Ningji finally relaxed a little, "Go and inform Tanabe-kun to convene a staff meeting immediately.

Discuss!"

"Hi!"

The operating method of Japan's staff system is "arbitration and control".

In short, the commander is responsible for proposing a rough goal and general direction, and then the specific plan, implementation method and step details are broken down and formulated by the Showa staff. The plan is then reviewed and revised by the deputy chief of staff and the chief of staff, and finally reported to the commander for decision: if it doesn't work, it will be sent back for revision; if it does, then it will be implemented.

This system, aside from the fact that it allowed young staff officers to act independently, had been working quite well on the Chinese battlefield. However, recently, Okamura Yasuji had begun to directly participate in the staff's planning process more and more frequently, personally adjusting some of the details of their plans. Many staff officers on this side felt that the commander was becoming increasingly neurotic.

But when they saw the current situation in North China, everything seemed to make sense again. The staff kept silent, skillfully placing small flags on the sand table, and the situation in North China unfolded before Okamura Yasuji.

The situation in North China at this time had changed significantly from its historical perspective, even more so than six months prior. Blockade trenches, bamboo fences, and other such things were no longer possible. The Japanese army in North China now relied solely on railways and several high-grade highways to maintain a nominal isolation from several major bases.

"After the Mongolian troops were defeated, the situation became much worse."

Okamura initially set his sights on the First Army. As the primary Japanese force entrenched in Shanxi Province, the First Army was tasked not only with suppressing the Communists but also with mining coal, plundering food supplies, and even destroying sewing machines and expelling Communist products, creating a market for Japanese-made goods.

(The smashing of sewing machines in Shanxi Province is a true historical event, very weird.) Well, the current task is to preserve the existence of the First Army.

Okamura actually wanted to write a report to the headquarters and directly withdraw the First Army back to the North China Plain. This way, once the troops were reduced, the security of the Pinghan and Jinpu railways could be completely guaranteed, and sufficient troops would be used to block the infiltration of the Communist army.

But this is politically impossible, and even has significant tactical risks.

The First Army, now paralyzed by the division between north and south, was less immobilized by a lack of manpower than by a state of paralysis. Following the Suiyuan Campaign, fearing a mysterious "Communist heavy force" in the north and spooked by rumors and battle reports, the First Army withdrew most of its 65th Division (formerly the 16th Independent Mixed Division) stationed in the Fen River Valley in Jinzhong and marched it to reinforce the 52nd Division (formerly the 3rd Independent Mixed Division) defending the Sanggan River front in Shuozhou.

This method of robbing Peter to pay Paul formed a heavily defended line along the Sanggan River, preventing the Communist army from advancing southward. However, southern Shanxi suffered.

Okamura had recently received numerous telegrams from the First Army, stating that the 65th Division, now largely depleted of its forces, was no longer able to hold the entire defense zone. The entire Jinzhong region was under the control of the Communist Lüliang and Taihang Military Sub-districts (newly established). To protect the railway line in the Fen River valley, the 65th Division was unable to spare even the smallest units to rescue the smaller garrisons in the outlying areas, forcing them to be annihilated within their strongholds or ambushed on their way out.

So, is it okay to not send people to the north?

No way. If we don't send people, believe it or not, the Eighth Route Army tanks will soon cross the Sanggan River and arrive at the enemy's doorstep. "The battlefield in Shanxi Province has been strategically divided into two parts," Okamura said. "This is really bad."

"We can withdraw troops from the 58th Division (formerly the 9th Independent Mixed Division) in Jinyang City, the 53rd Division (formerly the 4th Independent Mixed Division) in Yangquan, and the 41st Division in Pingyang, and advance north and south to eliminate the Communist forces around the Fen River." A staff officer suggested, "The Communist guerrilla forces are powerless against the squadron attacks reinforced by battalion artillery. This battle is certain to be won."

"No, we don't care."

Okamura flatly rejected this suggestion. "The 41st and 37th Divisions in southern Shanxi need to monitor the Communist Army and the Guojian Army in Guanzhong, and also guard against the Communist Army in the Hejin Triangle. If something really happens, they can go through the Zhongtiao Mountain area and move in with the assistance of the 36th Division."

After resolving the Shanxi issue with top-tier tactics, Okamura began to focus on another major battlefield in North China, Shandong Province, and the 12th Army, which was responsible for the main force there. Their situation was not optimistic either.

It was no secret that the main enemy in Shandong Province was the Communist Army's Tiger General 101 and his partner, Luo Shenzhen. Okamura recalled the intelligence summaries he had read. They had been operating in Shanxi Province for more than three years, and although they had been killed two or three times, they had managed to thrive throughout their operations, establishing numerous bases and military sub-districts, including those in the Hebei-Shandong border area, Qinghe, Jiaodong, Central Shandong, Southern Shandong, and Binhai.

According to the little intelligence the Japanese army had, these bases were not separated by the Japanese blockade line at all. Instead, they communicated with each other and had contacts and exchanges.

The only reliable transportation line that the Japanese army in the entire Shandong Province could control was the Jiaoji Railway.

Even on the Weiwei Highway to Weihaiwei, the Japanese army could only ensure that the strongholds along the way existed in a point-to-point state.

When the 32nd Division was still around, Shandong Province could still maintain a basic balance of power. But now, the 32nd Division has lost two regiments and most of its artillery in the "Cross-Central Hebei Enemy Campaign," and the remaining regiment can't even command many puppet troops. They can only hunker down in Yanzhou City, using their last few Type 94 mountain guns and Type 31 guns to protect themselves, watching the security outside the city gradually deteriorate... or simply go out of town and buy a pack of Communist Army "Big Rooster% Bi" cigarettes to smoke. Lie down and forget it.

"By the way, the Communist Army Wang Jianan has not been expelled yet? What's the latest situation?" Okamura asked. He saw a red flag in Fangzi Town, Weixian County.

Suddenly, I felt uncomfortable all over. "Can the 12th Army solve the problem on its own?"

About 10 days ago, the 12th Army reported that Wang Jianan's troops in central Shandong took advantage of the lack of troops in Shandong Province and cooperated with Yang Guofu's troops in Qinghe to raid Fangzi Town in Weixian County, occupying the key intersection of the Jiaoji Railway and the Weiwei Highway, and completely isolating the 54th Division (formerly the 5th Independent Mixed Division) located in Weihaiwei and Donglai.