Chapter 55 4. Miss Hua Vautrin

While Rabe, Fitch, Smith and other international friends are running around for the fate of refugees in the safe zone, another international friend, Minnie Vautrin, is also working hard and fighting for the fate of women in the safe zone. Minnie Vautrin, American, was born on September 27, 1886 in a blacksmith's family in the small town of Seacole, Illinois, USA. His father, Edmund, was a French immigrant. When Vautrin was 6 years old, her mother died of illness, and she has lived a life of poverty and difficulty ever since.She is diligent, studious, and extremely intelligent. She worked hard while studying and finished middle school tenaciously.At this time she had converted to Christianity and became a devout Christian. In 1907, Vautrin graduated with honors from Illinois State University. Five years later, she was sent by the Christian Church to work in China.The young Christian came to Hefei, Anhui Province with full of love and longing for a better life in the future, and successively served as the principal of Sanyu Girls Primary School and Sanyu Girls Middle School.

In October 1919, she came to Nanjing and was hired as the dean of Jinling Women's University and acted as the principal. Since then, she has had an indissoluble bond with Jinling Women's University for more than 20 years. After the Shanghai Songhu Anti-Japanese War broke out in 1937, the specter of disaster has shrouded Nanjing. On the morning of September 20, Paxton, an official from the US embassy in China, came to Jinling Women's University, told her that the Japanese army would launch a large-scale bombing of Nanjing, and advised her to leave Nanjing temporarily.But Vautrin considered that this most dangerous time was also the time when Jinling Women's University needed her the most, so she wrote a reply letter to the American embassy the next day, expressing that she had decided not to leave Nanjing and Jinling Women's University. Big.And she made it clear that she voluntarily took the risk to stay, and no matter what happened, she did not want to embarrass the US government and Jinling Women's University, "All responsibilities are borne by myself."

In the blink of an eye, in mid-November, the situation worsened, and the US embassy called Vautrin through someone else, urging her to evacuate Nanjing.But Vautrin's attitude is still very firm, that is indeed "stay with those who need help".She said to Paxton: "I can't leave my colleagues and neighbors at Jinling Women's University, because they need me." Ms. Vautrin, who stayed behind, immediately devoted herself to the preparation and establishment of the Nanjing International Committee and the safety zone. She and Many foreign friends held high the great banner of internationalism and humanitarianism, bravely stayed in Nanjing, and faced the bloody wars, hardships, and even personal dangers that were coming and unpredictable.

Vautrin is about 50 years old, tall and slender, with a high nose bridge, blond curly hair against her fair skin, and lake blue eyes full of kindness and kindness.Her Chinese name is Hua Qun, and people call her Miss Hua because she has never been married. Ms. Vautrin, who voluntarily stayed in Nanjing, held high the banner of humanitarianism. With her weak shoulders, she took up the difficult task of protecting tens of millions of women in Nanjing. Ms. Hua was in charge of the management of the asylum of Jinling Women's College of Arts and Sciences. At the beginning, 4,000 women and children were taken in here. Later, Japanese soldiers raped everywhere, and women flocked in panic, and the number suddenly increased to more than 10,000.Stairs, corridors, and balconies were crowded with people, and even a lot of temporary tents were set up under the eaves and at the foot of the walls, which were neither windproof nor rainproof.Well-dressed ladies, displaced country girls, staggering old women, women with children... The war drives women together.The coveting and harassment of the Japanese beast soldiers, the eating, drinking, teasing and spreading of tens of thousands of people, the panic, noise and panic all fell on Miss Hua's frail and brave shoulders.

Ms. Hua's ability, knowledge, courage and personality are severely tested here, and they are also fully reflected and brought into play.She selected some capable single women as assistants, and managed tens of thousands of people in an orderly manner.There are strict management systems for housing number registration, food hygiene, and entrance and exit gates. The assistants divide the work and take responsibility for each. She herself sits by the iron gate of Jinling Women's Arts and Sciences College all day.With awe-inspiring righteousness and fearless spirit, he faced the lust, madness and ferocity of the beasts.

The refugee shelter where thousands of women gathered was naturally the best place for wild beasts to rape and vent their desires. The beast soldiers coveted here day and night, trying to find opportunities to catch prey. One day, two Japanese army vehicles roared to break into the gate, and Ms. Hua bravely stopped at the gate holding the Stars and Stripes.The two sides had a stalemate for a long time, and the angry Japanese soldiers jumped out of the car and forcibly opened the iron gate.In a hurry, Hua Qun threw the Stars and Stripes in front of the wheels of the car.The car stopped, and the Japanese car didn't dare to run over the American Stars and Stripes, hesitated for a while, and drove away.

At night, Japanese soldiers climbed over the bamboo fence in groups of three or four, and the beast soldiers fumbled around, committing adultery when they touched women. The Japanese soldiers proudly called this "lottery". On the night of December 17th, the beast soldiers finally broke into the campus openly.Crying and screaming, women were dragged onto the truck one by one. Hua Qun, Mrs. Deweinan, and Mrs. Chen protested desperately to stop them, but to no avail. Ms. Hua watched with tears in her eyes as more than a dozen women were taken away by the Japanese army. Her helpless heart was filled with pain and suffering, and she really had no other way except to reason and fight.

When the Japanese army hunted down the disarmed Chinese soldiers.Jinling Women's College of Arts and Sciences was also arrested and took hundreds of people away.Miss Hua was in a hurry, and she kept saying to the women: "Those who have been taken away are all you Chinese, you should hurry up and save them!" The women said: "We can't protect ourselves, how can we save them?" Miss Hua said: "Yes! You go and recognize people, son, brother, nephew, you can save as much as you can!" As a result, some bold women rushed away, crying and yelling, children and meat.

The Japanese were stunned, unable to figure out whether it was true or not. Dozens of Chinese were rescued from death. A few days later, a group of Japanese women came to visit the Women’s Shelter of Jinling Women’s College of Arts and Sciences. The Japanese military officers smiled wantonly, introduced the “tranquil life” and “pleasant atmosphere” to the visitors, and showed off the “mercy of the imperial army” and "the rain of grace".Miss Hua looked at them coldly, showing disdainful hatred and contempt. The gorgeous Japanese women patrolled proudly, and suddenly, with the hypocrisy and hypocrisy of a conqueror, they scattered handfuls of candy to the refugees like alms.Some ignorant women rushed up, scrambling over each other, picking up and grabbing, and some pouted their buttocks and crawled under the table or under the bed to search.

The Japanese smiled smugly, click!Click!The accompanying Japanese reporters took photos showing the "Emperor's Paradise" and "Emperor's Enormous Grace" to deceive the world. Miss Hua's face was flushed with anger. After the Japanese left, Miss Hua cried bitterly.She said to the women: "How many Chinese did the Japanese army kill you?! The enemy threw things at you, why did you grab them?! You shouldn't pick up gold! You not only lost the face of the Chinese, but even our Huaqun I've lost all of your face!" When the iron hooves of Japanese fascists trampled on the ancient capitals of the Six Dynasties, and the Qinhuai River flowed endless blood and tears, and many people had no choice but to wear a sun armband on their arms, Ms. Hua strictly stipulated that the sun flag was not allowed to enter Jinling Women's College of Arts and Sciences, and entered and exited. Anyone who wears such an armband must take it off.

One day, a 14-year-old child, wearing a sun armband and carrying a bamboo basket to deliver meals to his sister, came to the shelter of Jinling Women's College of Arts and Sciences. Ms. Hua beckoned him over: "Why are you wearing this thing on your arm?" The child said: "Adults told me to wear it. The Japanese will not kill their heads if they wear this armband." Miss Hua said earnestly: "You don't need to wear this armband, you are Chinese, and your country is not dead! You have to remember when you wore this thing, and you will never forget it!" After finishing speaking, Miss Hua helped him take off the armband. Ms. Hua's words will undoubtedly plant the seeds of patriotism on the soil of this child's young heart, and will take root and grow for a long time.