Chapter 63 1. Matsui stone roots walking towards the gallows

Since the existence of human society, there has been a distinction between good and evil in the world.The history of the development of human society is indeed a history of the struggle between justice and evil.No matter how the devils do everything possible to fool the people, create lies, and dress themselves up as the savior and living Bodhisattva, their devil face will eventually be exposed in broad daylight, despised by human beings, and cast aside by history.With the defeat and surrender of the Japanese Empire, the invincible demons, who used to bark their teeth and claws, finally walked towards the doomsday of decline step by step, paying the price for their own evil deeds back then.

On May 3, 1946, the trial of the Japanese Class A war criminals by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East finally began. This auditorium is half-hidden and half-exposed in the woods on a high ground. From the outside, it looks like a very stylish modern building, but in fact it was the base camp where the fascist soldiers planned their invasion plots.Now this place that the imperial generals are proud of has become an international court for trying Japanese war criminals. This is really a merciless punishment and mockery of history! Eleven judges appointed by the 11 countries of the Far East Committee sat on the solemn and sacred bench.The presiding judge, Australian Judge Weber, sat in the middle, and on his left was Chinese Judge Mei Ruao.Mei Ru'ao was wearing a dark suit, and his black hair was neatly cut, showing his solemnity and rigor.Dr. Mei Ru'ao will sit on this solemn judging seat as a representative of the country that suffered the most from Japanese aggression in the Second World War, holding high the sword of justice to severely punish the stubborn.This made him feel particularly proud and excited, and he cherished the appointment of the Chinese government and the entrustment of the 400 million compatriots.American General Claymer sat to Webb's right.On the two sides are Sir Patrick of the United Kingdom and General Yeyangnov of the Soviet Union, and judges from other countries sit in turn.Behind the judges, there are 11 national flags of 11 countries including the Soviet Union, the United States, China, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, the Netherlands, India, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. The strong sunlight shines in from the window, reflecting the 11 national flags exceptionally Majestic and eye-catching.

At 9:30, presiding judge Webb announced the opening of the trial. After saying "bring the accused", 28 Japanese Class A war criminals were escorted by the International Marshals and filed into the courtroom and onto the dock. In the auditorium, all the audience opened their eyes wide, watching these leaders of the former empire.Reporters rushed to take pictures one after another, and the spotlight kept shining.After the trial began, Keenan, the public prosecutor, read the indictment first. Keenan stood up with a serious expression, and read out the voice of justice and justice with majestic righteousness and a resonant voice.This is an angry and sad history, the conspiracy of the empire, the madness of war criminals, bloody crimes, and tragic massacres, all exposed in broad daylight.For two days, everyone in the hall held their breath and listened intently, sometimes surprised, sometimes angry, sometimes sad and sighed.What shocked many Japanese listeners was that they had never heard of it, and they never dared to imagine that the sacred Great East Asian Jihad in their minds was so bloody, barbaric and crazy. There are so many big people who have done so many despicable and dirty deeds that cannot be seen in the sun.After the prosecution, the court entered the stage of establishing evidence. Since the "Nanjing Massacre" shocked China and the world, the court established evidence and tried it as a special case.

Prosecutors and judges of many allied countries believed that the "Nanjing Massacre" was tried as a major case in Tokyo, and it would shock the world just like the Auschwitz concentration camp massacre in Nazi Germany.Therefore, Matsui Iwane, the supreme commander who directly commanded the attack on Nanjing, the capital of China, and the chief culprit of the "Nanjing Massacre", was quickly tried and held accountable. On June 4, 1946, after Chief Prosecutor Keenan made a speech, prosecutor Moreau reported the massacres that occurred after the Japanese army occupied Nanjing, and listed numerous criminal evidences.Because of his excitement and indignation, he made some generalizations and conclusions from time to time. According to British and American laws, it is not allowed to do so during the prosecution stage. Therefore, the judge had to remind or even interrupt his speech several times.

After the public prosecutor spoke, the judge asked: "Matsui Iwane, do you think the crimes listed by the public prosecutor are all facts?" Matsui Iwane replied after a moment of contemplation. He gave an idyllic description of his activities in China: “During my military service, I spent nearly 12 years in North China and South China. Everything that can be done...I always firmly believe that the struggle between Japan and China is a quarrel between brothers in the so-called 'Asian family', and Japan will inevitably use force to save Japanese expatriates living in China and protect our rights , which is no different from an older brother driving away a disobedient younger brother after a long period of patience. The purpose of taking this action is to make China change its mind, and the motive behind this action is not hatred but love."

Sending millions of troops to invade and occupy large tracts of land in China is called "the quarrel between brothers"; brutally slaughtering Chinese captives and civilians, raping Chinese women wantonly, and plundering Chinese property is called "the man who drove this action." The motive was not hatred but love."This is really an unprecedented anecdote, a myth in "The Arabian Nights"! Then, he put gold on his face and said: "My code can be boiled down to: the purpose of the struggle in the Shanghai area is only to subdue the Chinese army that opposes us, as for Chinese officials and citizens, they should be appeased and protected as far as possible. .”

Later, he said more mysteriously and falsely: "...Since my desire for many years is to make Japan and China coexist and co-prosper, I took all precautions when occupying Nanjing, so as to prevent this war from becoming a disaster for all Chinese residents. The cause of suffering..." According to this kind of flaunting, the "Nanjing Massacre" is not only nonsense, but Matsui Iwane has become a peace envoy to promote Sino-Japanese friendship and cooperation, and a god of protection for the people of Nanjing. This is really an extremely shameless lie! Prosecutor Nolan immediately questioned and refuted Matsui Iwane's lies with sharp language and detailed criminal evidence.Subsequently, the court summoned witnesses to testify in court.

Wu Changde, a survivor of the "Nanjing Massacre", went to the court. He described his tragic experience in the massacre outside the Hanzhong Gate with his own experience, and then took off his clothes to let everyone see the scars on his back. He said angrily: "Let's see, are the Japanese devils ruthless in killing people? One bayonet stabbed two people together. If it wasn't for my fate, I would have died!" After Wu Changde testified, Liang Tingfang, a survivor of the "Nanjing Massacre", came forward, and he described his narrow escape in the Xiaguan Wharf Massacre:

"I am a Chinese army doctor. When the Japanese army occupied Nanjing, I took off my military uniform and took refuge in a refugee area. After breakfast on the 16th, seven or eight Japanese soldiers came and waved us to go out with them. Go to the compound opposite the Overseas Chinese Guest House. The Japanese army arrested people everywhere and sent them here. By about 5 o’clock in the afternoon, more than 5,000 people had been arrested in the two compound. The Japanese soldiers ordered us to line up in the direction of Xiaguan with 4 people. go. "When we arrived near Xiaguan Wharf, the Japanese army ordered us to line up by the river. It was already past seven o'clock at night, and we heard gunshots not far away. My friend Bai Zengrong said: 'The Japanese devils are going to commit a massacre Now, instead of letting them kill me, I’d rather throw myself into the river to my death.” We joined hands and threw ourselves into the river. Then the machine gun rang out, and the Japanese army saw someone throwing themselves into the river, so they fired at the river again with a machine gun. A bullet pierced through the back of my shoulder. , the front shoulder pierced through. I crouched in the water, the cotton clothes were soaked, cold and painful. The Japanese army slaughtered for three or four hours, and more than 5,000 people were killed by them. After midnight, I came from the shallow water Climbed to the pier and went ashore, and hid in a thatched hut near the electric lamp factory for three days and three nights before escaping with his life."

Chinese witnesses Xu Chuanyin, Shang Deyi, etc. came to the court one by one, and they solemnly swore that the bloody massacres they told in court were all facts! In the auditorium, the hearts of many Japanese listeners were gently fluctuating, and their eyes were full of confusion and surprise. They had never known or heard that the Japanese army had done so many cruel things in Nanjing. After the Chinese witnesses testified, foreign friends also went to court one after another. The director of surgery at Gulou Hospital, American physician Robert Wilson, narrated the facts he had witnessed in court.He described in detail the tragic scenes of the killing by the Japanese army, supplemented by the actions of cutting and shooting, pushing the testimony to a climax.Afterwards, he read a few passages from a diary written by a foreigner in court:

On Sunday, December 19, complete anarchy.The Japanese soldiers set fire to the fire, and some people were brutally killed for no reason.Of the 7 cleaning team members in the refugee area, 6 were killed and 1 was injured and fled back.In the residence of the third secretary of the American embassy, ​​Kim Gengsi, the national flag is still flying, but two servants were killed. One of the bodies is in the garage and the other is under the bed.There are many dead bodies on the street, all civilians. On Wednesday, December 22, at 5 o'clock in the morning, the shooting team started working again, and we heard clear gunshots, above 100. ... Mr. Spoeling and I walked through a pond very close to the office, and saw the corpses of 50 civilians with their hands bound behind their backs. One of them had half his head cut off. Perhaps they were sacrificed by sabers? As another day of the trial began, John Mech, the Anglican pastor, stood up. His testimony as chairman of the Nanjing Committee of the International Red Cross will have special effect.From a humanitarian standpoint, the old pastor accused the Japanese army of crimes.Afterwards, he read aloud several official letters from the Nanjing Safety Zone International Committee to the Japanese embassy. Iwane Matsui's defense attorney, Brooks, couldn't bear it long ago, so he asked, "Pastor Mech, can you tell us what you saw in detail?" "Of course I want to be specific. Let me tell you about the worst thing. At the end of February 1938, Dr. Xu Chuanyin and I came to a refugee family at No. 7 Xinkai Road, Nanjing. Killed. I saw this family in the refugee area. They just returned home from the refugee area. Among the 11 people who died, only their 14-year-old daughter died on two square tables. table and was stabbed twice in the abdomen. An older daughter died on the bed in the same condition as the younger daughter, raped and killed." Brooks asked: "Did you see Japanese soldiers present when you entered the door? If not, how do you know it was done by the Japanese soldiers?" Mech replied: "No, I swear to God, that kind of cruelty can only be done by the Japanese army. Their animal nature is 100 times more brutal than animals!" Brooks still refused to give up: "Have you seen any active rapists? If so, how many?" "I saw with my own eyes a Japanese soldier actually doing this, and I saw two Japanese soldiers pin a 15-year-old girl to a bed." Brooks asked: "Do you think it was a robbery, or was there an incident where you were robbed?" "I've seen Japanese soldiers stealing refrigerators. Besides..." Pastor Mech paused for a moment. He was considering whether to tell the story that was too disgraceful to the Japanese. Brooks asked, "Is there any more?" "Of course. One night, a Japanese soldier visited my house three times. One of the purposes was to rape the little schoolgirl I was protecting and hiding, and the second was to make some money. Every time he came, I shouted loudly. He scolded me, he saw that I was an American, so he ran away, but every time he had to steal some valuables. I think this is too annoying, once the little girl is raped by him, I am too incompetent. In order to send him away Let's go, the last time I deliberately asked him to pick up the only 60 yuan banknotes in my clothes. After getting this windfall, the Japanese soldier said with satisfaction and gratitude, "Your big brother Good’, and fled through the back door like a smoke.” The judges on the trial bench and the many Japanese in the auditorium couldn't help laughing out loud.Only Matsui Iwane couldn't laugh, and lowered his head in embarrassment. His subordinates actually degenerated to the point of being thieves and pickpockets. Chinese judge Mei Ruao then asked: "Matsui Iwane, did you see the documents sent by the International Committee?" Matsui Iwane could no longer deny it, he lowered his head and thought for a while and replied: "I have seen it." "Have you taken any action to stop the atrocities committed by the Japanese army?" "I once issued a notice to rectify military discipline, which was pasted in front of a temple." "Do you think that in the huge city of Nanjing, people are killing people everywhere, and tens of thousands of Chinese men and women are massacred and raped every day. Does such a notice of yours have any effect?" Matsui Iwane was left speechless by the questioning, but he was still unwilling to plead guilty. After thinking for a while, he said, "I also sent military police to maintain order in the city." "How many gendarmes?" "I can't remember clearly, maybe a few dozen." (In fact, only 17 military police were sent to maintain order.) "Do you think these few gendarmes can stop the tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers killing, arsoning, raping, and robbing everywhere?" Matsui Iwane thought for a while, and then replied: "I think so." The voice was so low that only he could hear it. Obviously, even he himself felt that he was at the end of his words. On October 4, 1948, the International Military Tribunal for the Far East began to pronounce sentences on war criminals. The presiding judge Weber stood up solemnly and mightily, scanned the entire hall, and then began to read out the verdict in a steady tone.The verdict was 1,231 pages long and read out over eight days. On November 12, the verdict was read out, and Matsui Iwane, the chief culprit of the "Nanjing Massacre", finally received the punishment he deserved. Zhang Yiyi was hanged. In the middle of the night on December 22 of the same year, the Shinsatsu Buddhist Hall in Hanayama, Tokyo, Japan was illuminated by bright lights. Buddha statues were hung high in the hall, offerings were placed on the table, and the master recited scriptures.Seven war criminals walked to the Buddha statue one by one, signed their names on the suicide note, and then went to the execution ground. Matsui Iwane was the first group to go to the gallows with Tojo Hideki, Doihara Kenji, and Muto Akira. After standing still, Tojo Hideki proposed: "Please Matsui-kun lead us to shout long live His Majesty the Emperor three times." So Matsui Iwane Shouted piously: "Long live His Majesty the Emperor!" Everyone responded in unison: "Long live! Long live! Long live!" After the noose was put around the neck of the criminal, the first bell at midnight rang, and the living things under the feet of the war criminals The board bounced off automatically, and this executioner whose hands were stained with the blood of the Nanjing people finally got what he deserved. It was only 11 years and 10 days since the Japanese army captured Nanjing and the "Nanjing Massacre" began. History is so grim and ruthless!