Chapter 22 Toshiro Diary (20)

The moon always makes people sad. Looking at the moon, I can't help but think of many things, and a little sadness gradually surfaced in my heart. The water vapor from the lake rises and disappears into the air.The moon is reflected on the lake through the water vapor.The barking of wild dogs in the distance deepened the feeling of loneliness. The little black pigs scurry across the lake like mice. Standing there looking at the silent scenery, I couldn't help being moved by the scene, and I missed my hometown. February 17th. After standing guard and returning to the dormitory, I visited the temple again.

Today is not the same as in the past, there is a strong wind blowing, and the wind blows the sand and rushes towards the face, making people unable to open their eyes. The temple is very simple and simple, with the words "Qing Dynasty Daoguang" on it.The roof of the temple gate is wide and heavy. Pass through the temple gate and walk across the circular stone bridge to the main hall.Inside the main hall are life-size statues unique to China. For some reason, I feel restless and restless all day today.Spread the mat in the sunny place, lie on it and continue my hometown dream, the moon from last night is still in my heart.

When I thought about when I would be able to return to my homeland, I fell into deep nostalgia, ah!The homesickness that cannot be dismissed. When I am particularly homesick, I often have this urge: I want to kill the Chinese people with a knife, listen to their screams, or shoot into the Chinese people's body.It might be more comfortable that way. It was originally planned to be stationed in Ci County for a month, but with the expansion of the front line, we had to move forward. It should have departed at two o'clock in the afternoon, but temporarily changed to depart by train at seven o'clock in the afternoon.

It's wonderful not having to walk. The moon is not up tonight, and it is dark everywhere.At the station, compressed biscuits, rice, and soy sauce were piled up into hills, and sentries from the Utsunomiya Regiment stood by to watch, and when they caught Chinese people who came to steal, they tied them to trees and kicked them.The Chinese man's face was covered with blood, and he cried out in pain and begged for mercy. In the dark open space, some coolies wearing white armbands, one one, two, three, four, five... Numbered in Japanese in sequence, it seems that there are forty-eight people in total.

From the guard camp came the scolding and beating of "Humph! Bastard", followed by the cry of the Chinese people.It seems that these Utsunomiya soldiers really hate the Chinese who steal things. We saw that the black train began to spray steam. It is an amazing invention that such a heavy body can be pushed by steam! Two and a half hours later, the train stopped at Zhangde Station.This place does not look small, and the station is also very large. There is a Rizhang Hotel in front of the station, which is obviously remodeled temporarily.A woman in a Japanese kimono walked into the hotel after getting off the train. It seemed that the brave Japanese citizens followed to Changde.

We walked five or six hundred meters from the station, and came to the city to find a dormitory. There were many brick houses lined up on both sides of an alley.Our squadron will be staying here. We knocked on doors from door to door, shouting in Chinese: "Open the door! Open the door!" But no one opened the door for us.In the end we hit the door with a pick, but the solid door didn't budge.After a lot of effort, I rushed in to have a look, only to see an old man shivering in fright, and the others had long since disappeared. Maybe when we shouted "open the door" outside, the women and children took the opportunity to slip away, but there is no back door in this house, how did they escape?Is it impossible to escape from the roof?

We yelled at the old man: "You old man! We didn't mean to harm you, but you made us spend so much effort!" Then we went into the room and lay down. The food and daily necessities that have been supplied recently are inexhaustible.In the guard, it has always been like this. We each went out after we were full. February eighteenth. Zhangde is very big, especially during the day, there are so many people like going to a market.The rickshaw we took left the city from the back gate.The vast and long land is stretched with high city walls. This is a scenery that can only be seen in the mainland, and it is as majestic as a picture in a movie.

spectacular. There are many brothels in front of the railway station outside the city, there may be thirty or forty brothels.Most of them are North Korean prostitutes.I don't know why I want to find a prostitute today.The five of us took a fancy to a brothel, thinking that there might be beautiful prostitutes there.Unexpectedly, when we went in and asked, we couldn't find five prostitutes at once, so we had to return.Sitting in a rickshaw, think how fortunate no prostitutes were found. February nineteenth. But when I went out that day, I still walked into a brothel. It may be too relaxed recently, and it is often difficult to fall asleep at night. I think it is time to find a place to vent.

The North Korean prostitute I was looking for was pretty but ignorant. Three yen per hour. She had a portable radio and danced to the music for me.Enjoying the familiar music and dance, I feel very happy. However, when I think about my prostitution, I regret it. It feels like my body is stained with mud.There was an uncontrollable disgust in my body, and I really wanted to spit on my dirty body. The state of mind of the soldiers now is very different from when they were in the Nanjing Military and Political Department.In Nanjing, everyone believed that they had won the victory, and they were all elated and full of vitality. Now the soldiers have lost their former vigor and sighed every day. tension.

It was impossible to restore the enthusiasm of the soldiers, who, having lost that eager anticipation, were now in a state of depression. But this is only a transition period in the psychological process.After this transition period, we will calm down and go all out to prepare for the next military goal. Wine is served today, and we haven't had a drink for a long time.It's not yet full moon, but the moon in the sky is as clear as a magic lantern, and countless stars are as bright as the Milky Way. Even on this cold winter night, we can smell the breath of spring.It won't be long before the spring breeze blowing on your face should bring a strong aroma like freshly squeezed milk.

In the yard, on top of a blazing fire, there are oil cans of hot wine.We sat in a circle around the fire, sang a lot while drinking, and sang a lot of songs, including Sanosha (Sanosha, a ballad that became popular in Japan around 1897, because the tone of Sanosha was added at the end of each sentence) Named.), cassock song (folk song popular in Japan and other areas.), fan song, Xiaoyuan song, etc. Our high-spirited singing broke the silence of the winter night and echoed in the night sky; the beat we played echoed with the singing and echoed in the night sky. The owner of this house, the former old man, clasped his hands, with a look of anxiety and curiosity on his face, watching our unusual behavior in amazement, and listening to our strange tunes. We drank and sang to our heart's content.Until our hands hurt from clapping and we get drunk from drinking, but our high-pitched singing contains a trace of sadness that we don't know when we will be able to return to our hometown. Today is also allowed to go out, but because I did something that should be cast aside yesterday when I went out, I am going to spend it alone in the room. The comrades-in-arms have all gone out. For some reason, I really want to be alone today.I have long been used to the disciplined life of the army. Relaxing like yesterday, I felt very excited at the time, but I only felt bored afterwards. The sound of the erhu came from outside the door.I strode to the door and called in the blind man who sang.He struggled up the stone steps and pulled up the erhu.The thin and trembling strings refresh my lonely heart.The spring breeze gently brushed my cheeks.My heart trembled, as if I had found my grievances, or because I had found my true self.The blind man blinked his blind eyes and played the erhu quietly. Last night, we sang and drank vigorously here. Now, the blind beggar is playing a desolate tune in the same place, and the hoarse erhu sound is directly heard. To the depths of my heart, I can't wait to keep this music in my heart forever.After playing a few pieces of music, the erhu stopped.I gave him ten coins and some rice. The prostitute becomes a bawd when she loses her beauty, the gambler becomes a swindler, and the libertine becomes a beggar. This is an irreversible law that runs through human life. The blind man who is about to enter old age hangs his head as if he has succumbed to this law of life. , slowly walked down the steps. After a while, another old lady in shabby clothes came. She brought a three-year-old child with her, leaning on a thin crutch, and carrying an empty cylindrical jar. She got into her arms and looked at me with wide eyes. Maybe she was a victim of the Anti-Japanese War?I sent her away with some food. Our squadron set off after the third brigade. The first squadron of our squadron acted as a security force between Cixian and Zhangde, and the second brigade was in charge of Zhangde's security. We walked outside the city, stepping on the thick dust and marching towards the vast land. On the way to Tangyin, I saw five or six North Korean prostitutes sitting in the army truck. It seems that they are also moving in step with the troops. The Japanese soldiers always said that the Chinese soldiers took women and children to the trenches, but why are they marching with such unclean bodies now? The first night was camped in the dirty city of Tangyin. Our destination was Xinxiang. The second lieutenant Murashita received supplies from our unit and ate and lived with us. The second lieutenant took out the wine that he carried with him, and we killed chickens. , had a full meal. Looking around, there is land everywhere, and there is not even a single stone on the stretch of flat land. Our troops are moving slowly on this land like swarms of ants. There was no water supply on the way, so after filling up the water bottle before departure in the morning, we had to rely on it until we reached the campsite at night.Walking across flat land and over hills, we camped at a very poor farmhouse in Houshiqiao the next night.I saw that they were really poor, so I took some snacks for their dirty children. No matter how poor a family in North China is, there is a door, and this family is no exception.There was not a single window facing outside in their house, and it was impossible to attack from the outside. The rooms inside are arranged in a "concave" shape. This family raises chickens, and chickens are considered a considerable fortune for them. We were chasing and catching chickens everywhere, but we didn't expect that the chickens in Northern China were like birds, they could fly into the air, and we couldn't catch them at all.Chickens flew up to the tops of tall birch trees, and hopped from one birch tree to another.But at night, the chickens still obediently returned to their nests to sleep.When we waited for them to enter the nest, we caught two and slaughtered them. We are stepping on the sky again.Marching on cloud-like soft land.The sky and the earth meet in the distance, and the earth shows us its greatness and breadth. We walk on this land like machines. In the ocean of this land, woods can be seen from time to time, and where there are woods, there must be villages.Except for the occasional glimpse of these trees, all we see is the land and the sky.Not even a sparrow. In the land where no birds can be seen in Northern China, for those remote and backward villages, the only way to communicate with the outside world is the dusty road. Roads became the only means of transportation.The farmers here have suffered from exorbitant taxes for generations. When the wheat harvest is not good, they can only lament. The people born on this land do not know the outside world and have no contact with civilization, so they just suffer. Exploitation, labor in silence, and finally buried in this land. The sun rose from the horizon and disappeared on the horizon. We set off at sunrise and were exhausted by the rapid march. I asked the peasants to help me carry the backpack several times, but then I thought it was an exercise of will. Without opening my mouth, I was covered in sweat and muddy water, and slowly followed the team more than two hundred meters behind with heavy steps.The baggage soldiers rode over easily, and when they came to me talking and laughing loudly, I was too tired to speak. When I thought that our infantry were so tired, they were talking and laughing on horseback, as if they were relaxing on horseback, I became very angry and thought to myself, as long as they dare to say a word to me, I will arrest them , scolded severely, to vent the anger in my heart. I must know that they didn't talk to me at all, they just talked and laughed happily with their own people, and the brisk hoofbeats gradually faded away.I stared at the horse's ass, and took another step, and the military boots fell listlessly on the ground like raindrops. After a while, we arrived at Daokou Town.Originally, the Ping-Han Railway had a branch line extending to Daokou Town, but now the railway sleepers have been removed and the rails have been removed.According to the guarding soldiers, the railroad tracks were dismantled by the enemy to prevent us from using them, and the sleepers were stolen by the residents and burned as firewood. Firewood has always been a problem in this treeless area.Wheat stalks are the only firewood, and people here also dry horse manure for firewood. Daokou Town is not big, it is very dirty, there are no big buildings, it does not seem to be a wealthy town, and it cannot be compared with the prosperous Zhangde.Our team entered a dirty and cramped house.There is an old man in this house. Second Lieutenant Murashita asked us to kill a pig and bought a bottle of Chinese wine.We had a dinner party around the fire around the house, and we all got drunk.We've been having this kind of dinner party almost every night lately, singing and drinking. Everyone was drunk and rested, and Tanaka and I were left talking around the fire. There are countless stars shining in the night sky.Tanaka said, "If I go back, I will work hard." I replied, "I will work hard, too." He is thirty-six years old, and he used to be a carpenter.In the end we didn't say a word, we looked at the stars in the sky and blinked.Tanaka also went to sleep, and I lay down beside the fire with my eyes closed. The past flashed through my mind like a revolving lantern. When I think of home, when I think of my hometown, I especially want to go back to my country.Why do you fall in love with home so much recently? The second big break, I got up at nine in the morning and went to the bathhouse.It costs ten yuan to take a bath, and our brigade has already reserved the bathhouse, so there is no need for individuals to pay.The bathhouse was on the second floor, and it was full of soldiers.The dust and grime from their bodies had turned the bath water into a yellowish mud that looked like balls bobbing up and down in miso soup.Even so, the thought of being able to take a good shower was a joy. I wanted to take a good rest in the afternoon, but I was ordered to be the captain of the sentinel at the south gate.I had no choice but to take the soldiers and rush to the south gate. Considering that we would continue to march from the south gate tomorrow morning, we set off in military uniform. The narrow and dirty roads in Daokou Town were crowded with beggars, and their begging sounds filled the ears.These beggars were dressed in rags, plus dust and dirt, the whole person became black.They begged mournfully, bowls in hand, and wandered about like wild dogs. The Chinese members of the pacification team who advanced with us wore Japanese military uniforms and Japanese military caps, and were busy distributing various leaflets and posting notices everywhere.In the past, we often saw residents picking up the surrender sheets distributed by Japanese planes from the sky, and stuffing them into their arms like lifeblood.The flags of Japan and China are painted on the bill of surrender (but the flag of China on it is the flag of the Qing Dynasty (the flag of the Qing Dynasty here refers to the flag of the puppet Manchukuo.), not the flag of the revolutionary government), and there is also a flag on it. It was written that "those who surrender with this leaflet will be spared their lives". On the leaflets they are distributing now, there is a picture - on the execution ground, Chiang Kai-shek was frightened by successive defeats, fell to the ground, and hysterically ordered to shoot Li Zongren, Feng Yuxiang, Song Zheyuan, Han Fuju and others. At the south gate, there are security guards standing guard with dum guns. They are purely for show and cannot play the role of guards at all. On the way, I saw a tree that was hundreds of years old. White cloth strips hung from the tree like a baby's bib, with the inscription "Sincerity leads to spirit", which is very similar to praying to gods and worshiping Buddha in rural Japan. February 23rd. The sun was shining on the vast land, and we marched slowly like ants. We could not see a tree, a mountain, or a stone under our feet. Although it is only February 23, it is equivalent to the climate in April and May in the Mainland. The strong sunlight made people unable to keep their eyes open. After a while, we were sweating, but when we stopped, our backs felt chilly. After noon, on our way to Gaosong Village, our campsite for tonight, we suddenly found a clear spring five or six hundred meters ahead, as well as forests and villages.We cheered: "Ah, there is water ahead!" Continue to march west, ready to cross the bridge to drink water.Under the sunlight, you can see the arc of spring water.The vanguard is also heading towards the spring, should they have crossed the bridge?There were villages and woods, and trees and people seemed to be in the water, broken in half like reflections in a spring. We thought the spring was in front of us, but no matter how long we walked, the spring was still so far away that we couldn't get close to it.It turns out that this is an illusion, formed by water vapor evaporating from the ground.This is probably what people often call a mirage! This is the first time I have seen this strange phenomenon. Maybe it is the phantom formed by the Yang Qi on the ground in the open land when the weather is fine? In the small village of Gaosong, there was not a single villager, and they probably all ran away in fright when they saw the troops. The march itself was a chore, but considering that there were no enemies and no battles, it was an easy one.The squadron requisitioned a cart to carry the stragglers' backpacks. On the 24th, after I loaded all the backpacks on the squadron's cart, I went to requisition a donkey myself.Step on the donkey, and start the journey on the back of the donkey, as Don Quixote did back then.Riding on the back of a donkey, basking in the bright sunshine, it is really comfortable to march like this. Occasionally, the donkey will make a neighing sound, which sounds like lamenting or weeping for the subjugation of the country.The donkey walked slowly under my buttocks.In Northern China, you can often see some stone tablets erected by the roadside, with the words "Fangming Qianguliu" or "Jiefu" written on it, and the specific content is engraved in small characters below.I browsed these steles all the way, and arrived at Ji County (Wei Hui) inadvertently. The city wall of Ji County was built firmly and majesticly.The water of the moat is clear, and some of the water has overflowed to the road.We picked dry places on the flooded road and finally entered the city.We came to a spacious house.The owner of this house is handsome, and his face is reminiscent of the portrait of Song Taizu, giving people a majestic and majestic feeling. There is a cathedral in front of our dormitory, and it is said that three or four hundred girls took refuge there.In any remote corner of China, the footprints of these foreigners can be seen. No matter how powerful we are, we cannot enter this church with the French flag hanging high without permission.Therefore, the Catholic Church is the safest place for Chinese people to come here. An elegant foreigner walked in, wearing a black hat and black clothes, and all his belongings were black.Maybe he's a priest?I can't help but be in awe when I think of them being far away from their homeland, living in obscurity and dedicating their lives in an uninhabited place. We couldn't find firewood here, so we didn't care about the host's displeasure, so he chopped up tables, chairs and other furniture for firewood.The houses of the Chinese people are all ostentatious but not useful.This family has a grand appearance, like a mansion, but the inside is full of dust, and the layout of the rooms is also very unreasonable. Today we are leaving for Xinxiang. The task of our squadron is to carry the military flag.This family has a good horse, which is different from ordinary Chinese horses. It is fat and strong, and no one can pick out any thorns. The sixteen of us who fell behind have a cart pulled by a donkey, and we are going to take this horse. Horses are also used to pull carts.We promised the master that we would return the horses when we arrived in Xinxiang, so he lent us his horses and servants. China's carriage is very strong, and the wheels are quite large, but the body is too heavy.The coolie cracked his whip and yelled at three donkeys and a horse to go on their way. Today is different from the past, the wind is blowing, and the dust rolled up forms a yellow mist.We are like walking into a desert ravaged by wind and sand, and sometimes we can't see people clearly.In desperation, we had to wear dust-proof glasses.During the difficult march, wearing a mask would only make it difficult to breathe, so no one wore a mask, and everyone walked forward while sucking in the dust.The dust sweeps across the fields and through the villages, and it goes where the wind blows. The villagers in almost all the villages fled, of course they did not forget to add strong locks to their doors.In one village, the five-color flag of the new government and the sun flag made in a hurry were hung, and a sign saying "Welcome the Great Japanese Army" was displayed.The village chief led the villagers to greet him at the entrance of the village. When the officer walked up to him, he took out his business card and handed it over. They also put tea on the table, but none of us drank it, only the North Koreans who sold wine went up to drink a few sips.From Cixian County, these North Koreans used carts to pull the wine called Shijiechang and sold it behind the troops. Our noses were choked with sand, our mouths were full of sand, and our faces were covered in thick dust.In this way, at five o'clock in the afternoon, we arrived in Xinxiang like a snowman. February twenty-fifth. Our squadron was camped not far from the city gate.My team was assigned to a family in a narrow alley.The house is fairly neat and tidy.We occupied the inner room and drove their whole family to the outer room to wish us to stay here for a month, so we had to arrange all the equipment.After we have arranged the kitchen, bedroom, toilet, gun rack, etc., we are going to spend a month here quietly. During the long-distance march, no matter how heavy the luggage was, I did not throw away the two books I bought in Dalian, "The Record of Burning Bamboo in the Last Night" and "Standing and Watching the Unrest". February 26th. In Wu Chuansu's "Standing and Watching the Unrest", he quoted a section of Hitler's.Said that Hitler "had patriotism in his heart, and when he went to the battlefield, it felt like going to a dance hall to have a banquet." He heard the news of Germany's surrender while he was hospitalized with poison gas in his eyes.He said while weeping: "I have never cried since standing in front of my mother's grave. The ups and downs of my youth have increased my resistance. In this protracted war, our team I have lost many comrades-in-arms, but I have never shed tears for them. Because they died for their homeland, Germany, and it is a sin to lament their death. But this time, I couldn't hold back my tears." As I read it, I feel more and more that I should reflect.Haven't we been on the battlefield for only six months?But we have prayed for an early return home.What we talked about most every day was: "When can I go back to my country?" We couldn't imagine staying on the battlefield for two or three years.People far away in their hometown have never said something like "come back soon", but we are all eager to return home, what a shame! The World War (Here refers to the First World War.) lasted for two years, even in the second year, Hitler was still unwilling to surrender, he would rather choose to fight.And we're tired of a war that's only six months old, and that's not okay.We have to keep fighting.