Chapter 38 3. A New Massacre Conspiracy

This afternoon, the former National Government of Nanjing, the headquarters of the Japanese Central China Front Army. After lunch, Nakajima Kezago came to the headquarters of the Central China Front Army with photos of the handling of the prisoners, and participated in the meeting of division heads held by Matsui Iwane.Also attending the meeting were a large number of senior Japanese generals, including Hatohiko Asaka, Hirasuke Yanagawa, Hisao Tani, Sadao Ushishima, Shigeru Suematsu, Ryosuke Yoshizumi, and Tatehei Ogizu.The meeting was presided over by the chief of staff of the Central China Front Army, Tsukada Ko, and mainly listened to the reports of the divisions and regiments on the mopping up of remnants of the enemy after the capture of Nanjing, and the search and arrest and disposal of prisoners.

Matsui Iwane is in a particularly good mood today. After entering Nanjing, the commander has been immersed in the joy of victory. He looked around his subordinates excitedly and dignifiedly, and then said in a very satisfied tone: "Everyone should remember that I am deploying At the military meeting for attacking Nanjing, I asked you to say that our Japanese Empire has been established for 2600 years, and the imperial army still doesn’t know what it means to lose a battle. Only by reviewing this great historical event can we have the confidence to crush the enemy. We must show our Yamato The spirit of national samurai, overcome any difficulties and obstacles and advance, resolutely take Nanjing, so as to maintain the honor of the empire, and make China awe!" At this point, Matsui Iwane deliberately paused, and once again looked around his subordinates majestically.The generals were all immersed in the joy and excitement of the great victory of capturing Nanjing, and Matsui Iwane was no exception. He raised his voice and continued excitedly: "Now, the goal of capturing Nanjing has been achieved successfully and successfully. The capture of Nanjing was a pioneering feat. Our brave imperial army carried forward the Bushido spirit of the Yamato nation and wrote eternal glory and glory for the history of the Great Japanese Empire!..."

After Matsui Iwane's speech, the division heads successively reported the situation of the troops sweeping up the remnants of the enemy and handling the prisoners. Nakajima Kinzago submitted photos and reported how the troops dealt with the captives in Xiaguan and Zhongshan Wharf. At the end, he also emphasized that the warriors of the 16th Division Mukai Toshiaki and Noda Iwa carried out a competition to kill the Chinese, and the reporter wrote the news , The continuous reports on the "Tokyo Daily News" played a good role in encouraging the soldiers of the imperial army to fight the enemy bravely.

After hearing Commander Nakajima's report, Hisao Tani, who had long been unable to restrain himself, immediately reported the situation of the Sixth Division's disposal of Chinese prisoners by shooting, beheading, and burying them alive in the Yuhuatai, Zhonghuamen, and Hanzhongmen areas.Finally, he reported in a showy tone: "Tanaka Junji, the leader of the warrior squadron of the 45th regiment of our department, carried forward the might of the imperial army, and killed 300 Chinese people with the 'Zhuguang' saber in the battle of capturing Nanjing. It set the highest record of personally beheading the enemy in the Battle of Nanjing, and became the pride of our imperial army!"

Matsui Iwane interjected with great interest: "There are such warriors in the imperial army. This is the glory of our army. We should report their heroic achievements in fighting the enemy bravely. We must report to the base camp to promote the might of the imperial army and grow me up." The ambition of the empire!" The heads of each division successively reported the situation and number of prisoners they had dealt with. The sum of these figures greatly exceeded the number of stragglers left behind when the Chinese army retreated.Obviously, the Japanese army massacred Chinese civilians on the pretext of hunting down and disposing of prisoners.In this regard, Matsui Iwane ignored it. At the end of the meeting, in addition to expressing satisfaction and appreciation for the handling of the prisoners by the various troops, he also put forward a request for further investigation and handling of the prisoners. He said murderously: "Based on reliable information, In the refugee area of ​​the Nanjing International Committee, there are more than 20,000 Chinese soldiers who have changed into civilian clothes and buried a large number of weapons. The imperial army will soon be transferred from Nanjing to the front line. These lurking Chinese soldiers will become the emperor The army is a serious threat! They must be cleared out as soon as possible, and all of them will be dealt with mercilessly! — This is the policy determined by the base camp!"

Matsui Iwane's instigation and connivance made the massacre of Nanjing people by the Japanese army not only not stopped after he entered the city, but further expanded and spread!