Chapter 9 Chapter 6 The Technical Secrets of Germ Warfare

Unit 731 has the second directly-administered aviation squad, meteorological squad and airport.The runway is very close to the runway of the 8372 Air Force, almost connected together.At a corner of the airport about one kilometer away from the "Kou" building, there are two hangars, with a maximum of 11 aircraft. "Including modified American Douglas aircraft and completely unserviceable aircraft" (testimony of former military personnel), the composition of the 11 aircraft is as follows: Swallow bomber, Type 97 heavy bomber, Type 97 II heavy bomber, Type 99 twin-engine light bomber, Type 99 single-engine light bomber, bombing trainer, transport trainer, Falcon fighter, patient transport plane, AT airliner and unusable And the patriotic planes that have been placed there, etc.

The flight crew includes about 60 people including meteorological, communications and maintenance personnel. There are more bombers, which is sure to catch the reader's attention.This is the need for germ warfare experiments and operations. Unit 731 has a "Uji-style pottery bomb" invented by the commander of the unit, Shiro Ishii. There are three main ways to carry out germ warfare: the first is strategy.Bacteria were sprinkled into rivers, dams and reservoirs by the "death squads" who penetrated deep into the enemy's depths to pollute them.The second is to use shells to load small animals, objects and food contaminated by bacteria into the shells and make them explode in enemy areas.The third is to use aircraft bombing for spreading.

Lieutenant General Ishii advocated getting rid of the previous "narrow method" of treating germ warfare as a means of strategic warfare carried out by a small number of "death squads", and placing it in the position of one of the frontal operations of modern warfare. Therefore, he proposed The idea of ​​using an airplane to drop a germ bomb. "However, this creates a difficult problem ... the idea of ​​bombs filled with plague-contaminated fleas and then dropped is all right. But if they are stopped by anti-aircraft guns before being dropped, there is a risk that they will be killed by friendly forces. Explosion over the sky...In order to avoid this situation, it was conceived to fly more than the altitude, but after the air becomes thinner, the fleas will die again. In addition, when the bomb explodes, the high temperature generated by the gunpowder will kill most of the fleas How to make the bomb explode without killing the fleas, and spread the fleas contaminated by Yersinia pestis in a limited area... The results of many research experiments using "Marutai" have finally been developed A new type of pottery bomb... The old man Ishii came up with this method in the middle of the night one day, he was very excited, and loudly ordered the cadres of Unit 731 to roll their names at night."

This is the testimony of former military personnel.Bombs made of pottery instead of metal rely on a small amount of explosives filled in the detonation trench of the outer cylinder to explode at a place not too high from the ground.If the bomb is filled with fleas contaminated with Yersinia pestis, once the fleas are scattered on the ground, they will immediately look for lukewarm human blood and start "action"-this is the secret of the Uji-style earthenware bomb. From 1939 until the defeat in the summer of 1945, many "experiments" using plague fleas and pottery bombs were carried out.The Anda Experimental Field has become a stage for "experiments".Anda is where the Daqing Oilfield is today.

Regarding this issue, the aforementioned former military doctor Major General Kawashima testified. He is well-known among the relevant personnel. ——After the 15 subjects for the experiment were released from the prison in the military courtyard, they were bound to the pillars specially buried in the experiment site. It is also set to raise the flag and release smoke on the experimental field. ——The special plane took off from the Pingfang Station. The plane circled over the experimental field area. When it flew over the experimental field, it dropped about 20 bombs. The bomb exploded in the air one to two hundred meters above the ground, and the bomb was filled with plague fleas Jump out of it.These plague fleas spread throughout the region.

——After the bomb was dropped, in order for the fleas to spread and infect the subjects, they waited for quite a long time.Afterwards, after these people were disinfected, they were sent back to the prison in the military barracks near Pingfang Station by plane to observe and study whether these people were infected by the plague... The "Pingfang Station" mentioned in Kawashima's testimony is where Unit 731 is located.He concealed the existence of the aviation flight, and used very clever wording, which made people feel that it was the 8372 Air Force. "However, no matter how many there are, it is not really spreading plague fleas. If they do that, the personnel of Unit 731 stationed in the Anda area will also be in danger, so it is a kind of experiment using the fleas loaded into the bomb as imaginary plague fleas. The experiment...waited for four or five hours so that the fleas could find the body of 'Maruta' and start sucking human blood. When 'Maruta' knew that there were countless fleas crawling up from his feet, he thought it was plague fleas, Struggling and crying, because their limbs were tightly bound to the pillars, they could not avoid the fleas. There were about 30,000 fleas in a bomb," recalled a former member of the army.Due to the many experiments with pottery bombs and fleas, these experiments were all filmed as documentaries.

In the equipment department of Unit 731, there are a large number of quilts, blankets and armor, which are all used for experiments with "Marutai" as the object. During the war, there was something called "air defense turban", which was a national must-have.The thick turbans filled with lots of cotton were used to protect the head from bomb fragments and to protect the head from damage caused by the shock wave of the bomb explosion causing the house to collapse in the event of an air raid by an American aircraft.People wear hijab with them when they go to school, work or go out.Soon after the U.S. military began indiscriminate firebombing, the hoods were of little use.Because although it can effectively prevent shrapnel, it cannot prevent the attack of radiant heat.

The quilts, blankets, iron armor and other things of Unit 731 are a kind of "head scarf" with belts that can cover the whole body. It can be said that the iron armor and steel helmets used by baseball pitchers and referees, cotton coats and quilts that cover the whole body something combined. The brown iron armor is made of iron, with one on the front and one on the back, and the "Maruta" is sandwiched between the two iron shields.These things are made to "protect" germ bombs and shells for test blasting and test firing. After letting "Maruta" take off his clothes, he was wrapped in a hard quilt filled with cotton, tied tightly with ropes, and put iron armor on the front and back breasts, and then tied tightly with ropes to fix his body.

Unit 731 often has five or six hundred sets of this special armor and quilts.From the improvement experiment of pottery bombs to the experiment of the method of "living" fleas to improve the contamination of Yersinia pestis, Adachi conducted many experiments at the special experimental field. The AT passenger plane of the 731 Air Force Air Class transported the "Maruta" wearing blindfolds and handcuffs to Anda Airport.Fearing that they would be surprised if they were seen by outsiders, they were asked to wear civilian clothes.In a corner of the airport, only the shackles of "Maruta" were removed, and then they were transported by truck to the "Maruta" shelter in the special experimental field.

However, there is a total distance of about 120 kilometers from the bungalow where Unit 731 is located to Anda.The air transportation of "Marutai" is different from the ground transportation, and the security personnel on board are limited.If "Maruta" makes a fuss in the AT airliner, he and the pilot will surely suffer a painful end... The reason why "Maruta" wears civilian clothes is also because of this accidental situation .In the event of an accident, you can say "this happened on the way to escort the prisoners" and hesitate.Whenever the "Maruta" was transported, the pilot was always very nervous before flying over Anda.

In a corner of the experimental field, there is a pillar for binding "Marutai" every 5 to 10 meters.The "Maruta", which was covered with quilts and iron armor for full body protection, was firmly fixed to the pillar. In order to successfully develop bacterial weapons, explosions are carried out from various angles and heights to confirm its effects, and detailed information on the relationship between the explosion site and the scope of bacterial contamination is collected. After the explosion, the bomb or shrapnel injures "Maruta" and dies, then the effect of the experiment will be in vain.Due to the need to persist in a calm and thorough investigation of the death rate caused by bacterial contamination, grotesque armor of various colors and quilts for full body protection were developed. Various experiments were carried out on the "Maruta" who was wearing a special armor and was tightly tied to a wooden post. Once, more than a dozen "Malutai" were forced to infect their buttocks with gas gangrene. The so-called gas gangrene is caused by infection with a group of bacteria called gas gangrene.Injured on the battlefield, the wound is not clean, once the gas gangrene invades, swelling and severe pain will occur within six to seven hours, and the affected area will swell like an air pillow. The only effective way is to cut and amputate the limbs early. Targeting the exposed buttocks of "Maruta", it exploded a shrapnel bomb that was contaminated with gas necrosis bacteria. Countless shrapnel went deep into "Maruta"'s buttocks, and "Maruta" groaned in pain.The army personnel "checked" one by one to see if the gas gangrene had hit "Marutai". Afterwards, "Maruta" was sent back to the special prison, and their process from onset to death was carefully observed and recorded without any treatment.No, wounds are not allowed to be treated at all. What Unit 731 needs is the process of the gas gangrenous bacteria greedily eating the butt meat of "Marutai". A week later, a strong stench was emitted from the rotten meat of the "Maruta", and all the "Maruta" who were the subjects of the experiment died. "Gas gangrene experiments have been carried out many times. Not only gas gangrene... but also pen-type bacterial pistol shooting experiments and more primitive experiments. For example, the explosion near the exposed buttocks of 'Malutai', and then investigate the penetration of shrapnel into the body In this case, use a rifle to aim at the head, shoot from different angles, then dissect the brain, make a specimen, beat it to death with a square stick, check the muscle injury, and leave information..." In the special experimental field in Anda, not only the "experiments" of bacterial weapons and killing are carried out, but also the experiments of general weapons are carried out.That is, the lethal performance experiment using "Marutai" as the material. One day in the summer of 1943, more than a dozen old tanks and armored vehicles that were about to be scrapped were placed in the wide Anda Special Experimental Field. After a while, a vehicle painted in grass green and white camouflage color arrived here from the airport.More than a dozen "Maruta" tied up in a string with handcuffs and shackles got out of the car. The photography team of Unit 731 quickly picked up the camera and pressed the shutter.It was a very hot day. Forced to put on grass-green army civilian uniforms, the "Marutai" were slowly dragged to the front of the tanks and armored vehicles, untied one by one, and forced into the scrapped tanks and armored vehicles in front of them.Surrounded by special squad members armed with light machine guns and rifles, resistance and escape were impossible. Two people per tank, one person per armored vehicle.Maruta, who was deprived of freedom of hands and feet, was pushed in through the narrow entrance, and then the lid was closed with a bang. "Maruta" bent over in the sealed cabin, sweating all over his body.Baked by the summer sun, the tanks and armored vehicles were as stuffy as a steam bath. When the "Marutai" all entered the sealed cabin, a team of Kwantung Army appeared from a corner of Anda's special experimental field. Soldiers sent by the headquarters.The soldiers carried a grass-green canister, which contained compressed air, gasoline, and liquid fuel (burning agent) composed of heavy oil.Protruding from the right shoulder of the tank is a hose with a metal nozzle at the tip.This is the flamethrower.Soldiers with flamethrowers stood 10 meters, 20 meters, and 30 meters away from the tanks, and the photography team also stood by and stood by.High-pitched orders commanded the experimental site, the soldiers kneeled and fired, and aimed the nozzles of the flamethrowers at tanks and armored vehicles.It was obvious what was going to happen now.They were about to experiment with the Army's new incendiary agent and flamethrower. With a high-pitched voice again, the order was issued.Then, there was a frightening scene. White-hot flames spewed out from the nozzles held tightly by the soldiers, which surrounded the tanks and armored vehicles related to "Marutai". The scorching heat above 1000°C Inferno enveloped the vehicle, rumbling, and there was a small explosion.About 20 seconds, no, it may be about 10 seconds, the length of time varies. In the thick red and black smoke, various scenes of burning vehicles can be seen.The guns of the tanks were on fire, the tracks and armor plates were deformed due to the high temperature, and some vehicles had already tilted down. After the residual heat has cooled, start inspecting the interior of the vehicle."Marutai" in tanks and armored vehicles has been charred.Due to the high heat baking, "Maruta" has been charred.The photography team took pictures of all the scenes of each car. "Most of the 'Malutai' are workers, intellectuals and students. When they are brought out of the special prison, they feel that death is imminent. So, they are unwilling to come out... The interpreter of Unit 731 fucks Russia and China They reassured them with words: "I won't do anything to harm you, just get into the car, and I will release you after the end." Tricked them into taking a plane or car to the Anda Experimental Site," the former military personnel said in their testimony . In Anda, such an experiment was even carried out: they blindfolded the "Marutai" they had brought in, and divided them into several groups, one next to each other, and every 10 people were tightly arranged in a column.One group wore thick winter clothes, the other group wore ordinary military uniforms, and some were naked from the upper body. In front of the "Marutai" lined up in various groups, the personnel holding the 38-type rifle made a standing shooting posture and aimed at the "Marutai" in the front from a short distance. "Shoot!" With an order, the 38-type rifles fired together.A bullet caused the bodies of the "Maruta" to fall down one by one starting from the first one. "Penetrated five people. We penetrated four people. We penetrated three people." The team members holding the recording paper kept "38-style rifles shooting at XX meters close-range to cotton-padded clothes, ordinary military uniforms and naked people." Permeability" was recorded.This experiment has been carried out many times.They used "Maruta" as an experimental material for stabbing. On the one hand, Unit 731 conducted cruel "experiments" targeting "Marutai"; on the other hand, it also conducted bacterial warfare on the ground.This is also well known. Regarding the "evidence" of germ warfare, the testimony of military doctor Zossi at the public trial court of the Far East Military Trial in Khabarovsk confessed the general situation at that time.Defendant Xi was originally the Minister of Education of Unit 731. He was transferred to the Sun Wu branch (Unit 673) from July to August 1945 before the end of the war and was in charge of commanding this branch. The testimony is very long, and only the parts of West's testimony on germ warfare are quoted from the "public trial documents". Q: Tell us what you know about the use of germ warfare weapons by Unit 731. A: I heard that germ weapons were used against China in 1940. During August and September 1940, I was working at the headquarters of the Ministry of Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply in Beijing, where I heard that bacteria had been used near the city of Ningbo in central China. Q: From whom and how did you hear about the situation? Answer: When I was at the headquarters of the Ministry of Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply in Beijing, the Ministry of Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply in Nanjing sent a document from the headquarters.From this document I learned that bacteria were used near Ningbo city.Later, Lieutenant Yoshimura of the Beijing Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department told me that the plague bacteria used in China was brought from Ishii's troops. (abbreviated below) Q: Regarding the Chinese dispatch team, please talk about what you saw in Unit 731. Answer: I have seen a documentary film about the activities of the 731 troops dispatched to central China in 1940. The first scene in the film is to put a special container containing plague-infected fleas into the fuselage of the plane; the second One scene shows the installation of the spreader under the wing of an airplane, and instructions are given for special containers containing plague fleas.Then four or five people got on the plane, but I don't know who got on the plane.According to the commentary, after the plane took off, it flew to the enemy area.After scenes of airplanes, Chinese troops marching, and Chinese countryside appeared one after another, white smoke came out from under the wings of the airplane.From the commentary, we know that this white smoke is the plague fleas that spread to the enemy. Nishi Zhongzuo continued to testify on the documentary film of the germ warfare he saw. ...The plane returned to the airport, and the words "The battle is over" appeared on the screen.After the plane landed, people flocked to the plane, these people were disinfection staff.The scene of disinfecting the plane also appeared in the movie.Only after disinfection did people appear.The first to get out of the plane was Lieutenant General Ishii, followed by Major Ikari, The others were people I didn't recognize.The word "End" appeared on the film, introducing the reports from Chinese newspapers and the Japanese translation.The commentary said that the plague suddenly began to spread in the vicinity of Ningbo with a ferocious momentum.In the final scene, Chinese health soldiers in white work clothes are disinfecting plague-endemic areas.I clearly learned from this movie that bacteriological weapons were used in the area around Ningbo. Q: What else do you know about the use of bacteriological weapons? A: I know that during the Heihe Incident, Ishii's troops used bacteriological weapons. In July 1944, I was transferred from the Sun Wu branch to the chief education officer of Unit 731 stationed at Pingfang Station.My predecessor was Nakasa Sonoda, and I had a handover from him.On the same day, Sonoda Nakasa returned to Japan. When I opened his file box, I found a document that recorded the use of bacterial weapons during the Nomonkan incident, that is, the Heihe incident. There are photographic negatives taken at that time, a list of death squads that participated in this battle, and orders from Major Ikari. The death squad is composed of about 20 people including two officers and soldiers.I remember the words signed in blood at the bottom of the list. Although Xi's testimony is still ongoing, he said that he had seen the documentary film of the germ warfare "near Ningbo in central China" in 1940, which was remarkable. In fact, the people who watched the documentary film of Unit 731's bacterial warfare in Ningbo area were not just the Western Army doctor Zhong Zuo and other members of Unit 731 and related personnel of the Kwantung Army. At that time, there was an army reporter sent to Xinjing (Changchun) Kwantung Army Headquarters as a member of the base camp reporter corps. He was called M. He also saw the same documentary film in the Army Headquarters. This person interviewed around Unit 731. of a person. For the time being, let us listen to the personal experience that M talked about called "731 Foreign History"! On July 25, 1942, the government of Manchukuo (now Northeast China) and General Yoshijiro Umezu, commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, requested the Army Reporting Department of the base camp to send a base camp reporter team to Manchukuo. At that time, Xinjing (Changchun) was holding activities to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of Manchukuo, and it was very lively. General Meijin is the Commander-in-Chief of the Kwantung Army and concurrently the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Manchuria. "On the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, I hope that the base camp reporter group will visit the current situation of the development of the Manchurian Empire in detail, and convey it to the country through their eyes." This is the name of the request to send a press corps.The proposer of this plan was Shao Zuo Hasegawa Yuichi, the report squad leader of the Kwantung Army at that time, and Major General Qin, the deputy chief of staff of the Kwantung Army at that time, adopted it as a good suggestion and put it into practice. According to the requirements of the Kwantung Army, the Army Reporting Department of the base camp designated various newspapers that sent reporters: "Asahi", "East Japan" (now "Daily"), "Yomiuri", "Tou" (now "Tokyo"), There are 10 newspapers including "Furi", "Alliance Communication", "Dalu Xinbao" (Seoul), "Manchuria Daily", "Manchuria News", and "Kant News". "The Kwantung Army is in a hurry..." someone said in the M newspaper that was appointed to send reporters, "Yes, this is because the headquarters and staff headquarters are currently watching the southern front. Although the existence of the Kwantung Army is acknowledged, But the focus of current military strategy is not on Manchuria." The leader of the Kwantung Army is not happy about this, so they must use the opportunity of celebrating the 10th anniversary of the founding of Manchukuo to let the Japanese people know about the existence of Manchuria, an important base for fighting in the north, and the Kwantung Army that ruled Manchuria... Request a press corps The purpose of coming here is here. "No, it is an excuse to let the Japanese people know. In fact, it is a manifestation of the anger of the generals of the Kwantung Army such as General Umezu: 'Headquarters! You should care more about the Kwantung Army!' So invite various newspapers Reporters to interview, let them write more reports." "Having said that, the Kwantung Army has given generously to receive the so-called Manchukuo state guest treatment... It is said that each reporter will be given 1,500 yen for travel expenses!" At that time, in the Tokyo branch of the M News Agency, there was a tall, long-faced reporter who was proficient in Russian.He is the M who appears in this section.M, who was 29 years old at the time, was selected as one of the members of the base camp reporter group sent by the M News Agency to Manchuria. The schedule of M and others dispatching a journalist group is planned to be three weeks. They are scheduled to visit the economic, cultural, military, etc. Condition.The Kwantung Army gave each reporter 1,500 yen in travel expenses. 1,500 yen was a huge amount at the time, and it was enough to build a house that was bought together with the land in the countryside. "I'm not a military reporter, but why did I specifically ask me to go there on behalf of the M News Agency...", M said, "At that time, I was researching the military, economic and cultural conditions of the Soviet Union, which attracted the attention of the General Staff Headquarters... I was The investigation and research are aimed at developing forests and underground resources in the depths of Siberia, and the second Siberian Railway (commonly known as the Baikal Railway, short for the Baikal-Amur Line) under construction...is also an advisory body of the Tojo Cabinet— Temporary lecturer of the 'National Policy Research Association'...Because of this relationship, I became one of the members of the press corps sent to Manchuria." On the night of July 29, 1942, the press corps set off from Tokyo.Before the press corps set off, Chief of Army Reporting Chief Kagyu Tani Hagina smiled and said to reporter M: ^ "I'm afraid Manchuria is the only country that welcomes journalists with state guest treatment! This is the first time in the world. Then you can fly freely! However, if you drink raw water from Manchuria, you will definitely suffer from dysentery, so be careful... I heard that The Kwantung Army has a special unit called the Water Supply Department for Epidemic Prevention, and it doesn’t matter if you use a filter they invented to filter the water.” Kwantung Army Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department... Special Forces. Reporter M heard the name for the first time. "In short, at that time, the Army Staff Headquarters had only such a level of understanding of Unit 731...It was at the beginning of the Pacific War, and the Japanese army had achieved great results on the southern front, and the General Staff Headquarters was elated...The Army Commander-in-Chief really had this kind of thinking: As long as the Soviet Union fought desperately against Nazi Germany on the European front, there would be no special tension on the Soviet-Manchurian border... Therefore, he revealed to me the designation of the Kwantung Army's Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department in a relaxed tone... At that time, it was not yet possible Know that it is the notorious germ warfare unit... Manchurian Unit 731." Reporter M and his party arrived in Busan on the Guanbu Ferry. The next day, they met with Commander Sakagaki at the North Korean Army Headquarters in Beijing (Seoul), and then went to Mukden (Shenyang). Reporter M and others dispatched a delegation of journalists to visit Fengtian (Shenyang), Fushun, Anshan, Jilin, Xinjing (Changchun) and then entered Harbin on August 11. The evening edition of "Harbin Daily News" reported that: "The base camp reporter group visited the Harbin municipal government today." On the afternoon of the day they arrived in Harbin, Reporter M and others visited the Harbin secret service.Because they are responsible for leading the press team to visit the city and taking care of their board and lodging.The unanimous desire of the reporters is to know the real situation of the secret service agencies centered in Harbin and their "activities". Since the head of the Secret Service, Nakasho Yanagida, was not at home, the assistant to the head of the Secret Service, Mr. Asaoka, met with the reporter as a representative. "Today I am very happy to see the press corps dispatched by the headquarters..." Assistant Asaoka was a tall man with a tanned face, and he spoke in a very candid tone as soon as he took his seat, "Today It's a pity that your Excellency the Director is not at home. He will come back in the evening, and I think he will attend the welcome banquet held at the Yamato Hotel tonight... Then, please ask any questions you have! You are not outsiders , I have nothing to hide, I will answer everyone's questions bluntly. After you return to your country, you can report to the base camp and the staff headquarters exactly." Since he is a reporter from a representative newspaper, everyone recommended reporter M to ask questions. "The first thing I would like to ask is the issue of public security. Is Manchuria really a kingly land, as the government claims..." There was an uproar from the press corps for his frank questions.Assistant Asaoka showed a wry smile on his face. "Although it is a royal paradise... Please don't forget that it is Manchukuo stationed by the 700,000 elite Kwantung Army." The assistant chief of Asaoka's voice became a bit harsh, "Generally speaking, the Japanese living in Manchuria are Because they are all living a happy life, they seem to believe that this is a royal land, but this is a purely political concept. Oh... In fact, Manchuria is a battle zone. Because of this, there are many problems. Japan in Manchuria People don't seem to feel the slightest bit of these problems..." Reporter M asked about the specific content of "many problems" in law and order. "You..." Assistant Asaoka glanced at reporter M, and continued: "You asked about the state of security in Manchuria. Manchuria was supposed to be a royal paradise, but the Kuomintang army, the Communist Eighth Route Army, and Russian spies are ready to move here...especially this one in Harbin. It is the den of spies, and it is also the stronghold for instigating anti-Manchurian disturbances... Destroyed railway lines, set fire to it, and just 20 days ago, the Harbin power station was bombed, and we suffered great losses." He said something new, and the press corps heard the sound of flipping through notebooks and taking notes. Reporter M continued to ask: "Then, the Secret Service and the Gendarmerie must be busy catching spies!" Assistant Asaoka nodded: "As we all know, Harbin is an international city with tens of thousands of White Russians living there. If they harbor spies from the Soviet Union, it will be very difficult to catch them. Therefore, the gendarmerie set up a police station in Harbin. The White Russian Affairs Bureau has registered every single White Russian that lives in Manchuria, and closely monitored it...but there are too many of them, so it is not so easy!" "Where did the spies sneak in?" Reporter M continued to ask. "There is an area called Fujiadian in Harbin. Damoku Street, which accounts for nearly a quarter of the urban area of ​​Harbin, is here. People of various races live in Damoku Street, homeless, unemployed and criminals... spies Sneaked into this area. The roads in Fujiadian are like an ant's nest where people get lost. It is not easy for people who have just arrived there to get out... Sometimes, they are stripped naked and turned into corpses in a short time. Lying at the entrance of Fujiadian”, Assistant Asaoka’s eyes flashed when he spoke, “The Japanese criminal police enter Fujiadian to hunt down criminals, but sometimes they become dead bodies floating on the Songhua River... you must be careful Stay away from this great devil's lair. We cannot guarantee your safety." But behind this remark lies a major "secret" related to Unit 731. Reporter M soon found out about this matter. The assistant chief of the Asaoka Secret Service continued to the dispatched reporter group: "Needless to say the whole of Manchuria, including North China, the opium black market was also set up by Fujiadian. . . . In this area, there are people with an economy that can paralyze the economy of North Manchuria in a day. The leaders of the power, as well as the beggar-like residents in ragged clothes... In order to make a living, they not only steal, but even kill." The assistant chief of the Secret Service looked around the press group, and said: "There are several opium dens underground in Fujiadian. Some people smoked opium and wandered staggeringly on the road. If it was winter, they would freeze to death by the roadside." .” "As long as the Kwantung Army wants to do it, wouldn't it be easy to clean up that devil's cave?..." The reporter group asked a question politely. "Can it be done?" Assistant Qian Shan looked at the reporter group with a smile, "Where are the tens of thousands of people living in Fujiadian housed?...Guiding them to find a proper job is just one thing. Difficult thing to do." Unexpectedly, this meeting with reporters seemed to be a meeting of the Harbin secret service to promote the Great Demon Cave. The second night was a free day. Reporter M was invited by Kimura, a reporter from Harbin Daily, to a Russian bar in the bustling street of Harbin. "Harbin Daily" reporter Kimura said while drinking beer: "Hey... If you say what you heard from me, it will be difficult. What you said about Fujiadian yesterday has another meaning." Kimura said to reporter M, who was listening attentively: "Fujiadian is indeed a terrifying area. There is nothing wrong with that... But just like the question raised during the meeting with reporters, the Kwantung Army cannot intervene, and there are reasons for it... Here The Secret Service, the Gendarmerie and the Municipal Police Bureau all hoped to make Fujiadian a terrifying dark street, and made up horror legends that people who entered this area disappeared." "Then... are there strategic words?" Kimura nodded. "In January, more than two years ago, something like this happened... a young man was frozen to death lying on the side of Zhengyang Street at the entrance of Fujiadian. According to the results of the police investigation, the cause of death was that Morimoto had smoked opium a long time ago. On that day, after he finished smoking opium in an opium den in Fujian, he staggered and froze to death while walking. . . . However, his colleagues all said in unison that Morimoto had never had the habit of smoking opium." "So... why did he interview?" An imaginary thought flashed through reporter M's mind. "Yes, Morimoto is a reporter responsible for covering the situation of the military, and he is very concerned about the issue of 'defense'." "Prevention... is the epidemic prevention and water supply department?" Reporter M has this name in his memory. It is the name of the special unit of the Kwantung Army told him by Chief of Army Reporting Chief Tani Hina Huaxiong with a smile before leaving Japan. "Then he died because he got closer than necessary to some kind of military secret?" "No, I haven't imagined that step yet," the reporter of "Harbin Daily" said, with a embarrassed expression on his face, feeling uncomfortable recalling the past.That ended the conversation that night. M said that reporter Kimura obviously felt that he had said unnecessary words, and seemed to regret it. "When meeting with reporters, Asaoka, assistant chief of the Harbin Secret Service, emphasized that 'the secret service has special anti-espionage missions and anti-espionage units'... According to reports, the so-called 'special anti-espionage units' are all organized by Belarus. The anonymous force called "Asano Force" is headed by General Asano of the Harbin Secret Service...Why did you organize the White Russian anonymous force? Assistant Asaoka did not explain. It recalls that one of its purposes is to protect the 731 20 kilometers south of Harbin For the secrets of the army... For the offensive and defensive battle between those who are trying to find out the actual situation of the Ministry of Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply and the Harbin Secret Service who are trying to eliminate these people, the Great Demon Cave in Fujiadian is the most suitable place." M went on. During the interview with the reporter by the Harbin secret service, reporter M clearly remembered another thing. At the end of the press meeting, reporter M asked another question: "Well, I will ask one last question. According to the information we obtained from the Kwantung Army headquarters after we came to Manchuria this time, there are currently three The Soviet Far Eastern Army is deployed on all fronts (east, west, and north). Although the Soviet Union is fighting fiercely against the German army, there is no sign of mobilizing troops and vehicles to the Soviet-German front. Rather, it is increasing.” When reporter M said this, he paused for a moment, peeking at the expression of the assistant chief of the Asaoka Secret Service, and continued to ask: "In the near future, if there is a situation in which the Soviet Army suddenly conducts operations from the front, what is the Kwantung Army's northern strategic vision? Can the northern operations be successfully completed?" At that time, there was a secret agreement between the Operations Section of the Army Staff Headquarters and the head of the Kwantung Army, that is, the idea of ​​launching a military operation called "Northern Operations" should something happen. Through the so-called "Guan Special Exercise" (Kwantung Army Special Exercise) in 1941, the strategic system from Manchuria (Northeast China), North Korea to South Sakhalin was completed.The Kwantung Army, which originally had only 360,000 men, nearly doubled to 700,000 men. The "Guan Special Performance" is not simply a military exercise in Manchuria, but seems to have a more gunpowder-like nature.The correspondents in the Army Ministry felt this vaguely. Since the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese Army has been the enemy of the Soviet Union.To defeat the Soviet Union has become the traditional mission of the Japanese Army. The Kwantung Army "Defending the North" took the Soviet Union as its imaginary enemy and drew up various combat plans based on this tradition.The Kwantung Army's trick was to act arbitrarily and ignoring the central government's intentions.这也多半是源自以苏联为敌的日本生命线边防军的强烈意识。 “关特演”初年度的计划打算把14个师（加上驻朝鲜的两个师）一下子扩充到34个师。企图在远东苏军的威压前取得优势。 陆军为了取得在全军中的主动权，必须把国民的关心引向北方，必须把日本的舆论引向日本的生命线——满洲，正是由于这种缘故，关东军才独断专行地进行了多次示威行动。“关特演”迎来了它的全盛时代。 全盛时代正值随着太平洋战争的激化，（日本的）军事力量全被吸引在南方的时候。派遣记者团来满洲正是这个全盛时代出现缺口的时候。 总之，一旦和远东苏军打起来以后，关东军有无胜利的把握——“苏联通”的M记者提出的问题集中在这一点上。 哈尔滨特务机关长助理浅冈表情变得认真起来，他做了如此回答：“我完全明白了你提问的意图。目前，日军的主力正在南方战线不断同美、英进行激烈战斗……您似乎担心我们在这种情况下能否和远东军进行作战的问题。但是……我关东军的对苏战略是毫不动摇的。” “是否有点过于抽象……”，记者团中有人表示了这样的意见。 接着，特务机关长助理做了一个莫名其妙的回答：“我丝毫也没有搞抽象论的想法……我关东军实际上有着取得对苏战争胜利的保证，从很久以前，为了对苏作战就一直在认真地研制新式武器，近来好不容易才走上轨道，在数量上也已处于令人满意的状态……剩下的是提高质量的问题，估计这一问题迟早也会得到解决的。”一听研制新武器，记者团中许多人马上明白了。因为离开日本前，东条首相在帝国议会的预算委员会上回答咨询时表示说，“目前，正在认真研制新武器”云云。他说的新武器和关东军研制的“已经走上轨道”的新武器是否相同呢？ 浅冈特务机关长助理听完记者团提出的疑问以后，边舐着嘴唇边说道： “对了……今天碰巧，请各位看一部有趣的记录影片吧！” “喂……”，他向在座的一个年轻的大尉命令说，“立即准备那部影片！” 从哈尔滨市傅家甸大魔窟的话题一转，会见记者转向了一个奇怪的方向。 人们能够想象到即将上映的这部“电影”同新武器有关，但却不了解它的内容。充满好奇心的记者们边低声交谈边等待着。不一会儿，那个刚才接受命令的年轻大尉回来了。 跟随在年轻大尉后面走进室内的是一个手中拿着16毫米放映机、白色银幕和黑色窗帘的放映技师。 放映技师和大尉把哈尔滨特务机关用来会见记者的那间屋关起来，用黑色窗帘挡上窗户，并在房间的正面挂起了银幕。 8月的晌午，这间窄小而又昏暗的房间里，像蒸笼一样，十分闷热。熄灯后，银幕上映出了电影的数字：“八、七、六、五、四、三、二……” 接着一架飞机突然充满画面。 银幕上映出的是关东军拥有的99式双引擎轻轰炸机。地勤人员把两种大小不同的炸弹形状的容器装进了两翼涂有太阳旗标志的轰炸机内。 大型容器，与其说是炸弹，不如说它的外形像一个运牛奶用的大型容器。在不了解情况的外部人员看来，似乎是正在把装饮水用的大桶装入机内。 小型容器则像装入木箱内的成套工具那么大。由于是记录影片，根据影片放映场面，速度有不同，人的动作显然拙笨而又慌张。飞机发动前，地勤人员繁忙地相继从轰炸机的下腹部把大型容器装了进去。 这是在记者团围绕着关东军试制成功的“新武器”提出问题和进行答复之后进行的。 银幕上映出的东西肯定就是成为问题的“新武器”。在哈尔滨特务机关这间挂上了黑色窗帘的房间里，记者团的记者们用手背擦着汗，充满好奇心地注视着银幕。 在机内满满地装上了15至20个左右的炸弹似的东西之后，银幕上映出航空兵表示可以起飞的小白旗。小旗的对面，一架双引擎轰炸机的螺旋桨正在迅速旋转，不一会儿，它驶入跑道，闪耀着银翼起飞了。 接着，银幕上映出的是从空中俯瞰的辽阔的平原，好像是中国大陆的某一座城市的上空。平原的一角，可以看到正在飞行中的轰炸机机翼的一端。无疑，是从搭载“新武器”的这架轰炸机上拍摄这些镜头的。 平原变成了特写镜头，打开了轰炸机的弹仓，不断地投下了小型的白色容器似的东西。它们从飞机向地面落下，越来越远，不一会儿，变成了一个小点落了下去。 这大概就是“新武器”。记者们吃惊地注视着银幕。在这间封得严严的闷热的暗室里，只听见放映机的马达转动声。 投弹的场面刚一结束，画面就突然转为中国的某一街道。在栉比鳞次的房屋与房屋之间的小巷里、道路与一排排的房屋之间，身着白衣好像是中国军队医疗队人员的士兵们脸上显示出一副紧张的表情，正在忙着工作。他们的手里提着一个细长的铁筒，利用手压式水泵正在忙着撒布药剂似的东西。 这个场面只有几秒钟，一瞬间就从画面上消失。接着出现的场面是，开始出现在画面上的那架机翼上涂有太阳旗标志的轰炸机返回了原来出发的基地。 同刚才几秒钟前消失的场面一样，又映出了几个身穿白衣的士兵，但是，这次是日军的卫生兵。这些带有大型电动喷雾器的卫生兵进入了返回（基地）的轰炸机内，正在对机内仔细地进行消毒。白衣士兵从轰炸机走下来时，电影放映机发出空转声音的同时，银幕变成了白色。电灯一亮，人们连忙打开了这间已经变成蒸气浴室似的房间的窗户。 哈尔滨特务机关长助理浅冈以一种不知怎么说才好的表情环视了一下解开衬衣钮扣、正在搧扇子的记者们，高兴地期待着每一名记者做出反应似地慢腾腾地说道： “这部记录影片是驻哈尔滨大直街的关东军防疫给水部拍摄的，只是略微进行了一点尝试……在华中战线使用了细菌。” 记者团中嘈杂起来。电影中没有任何字幕解说词，只映出了轰炸机和饮水桶似的容器装载场面、身着白衣的中日两军卫生兵的活动场面。感觉敏锐的记者边看电影边进行了大概的猜测，但是，有的记者似乎直到最后也未弄清究竟是怎么一回事。 浅冈特务机关长助理短短的这一句话才使他们恍然大悟。所谓“新武器”就是细菌！ M从记者说：“当听到关东军防疫给水部这个名称时，我只是答应着点点头。当时根本无法知道731部队实际上正在以急性传染病菌等作为素材制造武器，并进行了数千人的活体实验。在看过这部记录影片的记者团中，听了浅冈助理的说明之后，仍有不少人并未注意到这一新武器所具有的重大的意义。他们只感到他们干着了不起的事呢……” 但是，让记者团看了当时列为“绝密”等级的这部使用“新武器”的记录影片，似乎是浅冈助理的失算。后来听说由于一个有洞察力的记者向关东军司令部的领导干部谈了看电影以后的感想，关东军司令部很不高兴，认为浅冈助理轻率地向新闻界泄露了军事机密，为此给予浅冈助理以严重警告处分。 731部队拥有一个十公顷多的大农场。坐落在宿舍区北部的这个农场一直由八木泽班（负责研究植物）进行管理。乍一看，这是一个同恶魔的细菌战部队极不相称的农场。 农场里种植了大豆、高粱、玉米，到了收割期，包括妇女在内许多中国农民从邻近的四屯来到这里，整天干农活。除这些“临时雇工”外，农场里经常驻有40名左右的中国“苦力”。所谓“苦力”就是不折不扣地从事各种苦役劳动的底层劳动力。 关于这个广阔的自营农场，部队内部做了如下说明：“这是为了保证部队吃粮自给自足而建立的，一旦731部队失去周围的援军而陷于孤立时，如果储备了农场生产的谷物就会发挥很大的作用。731部队将以这里为根据地进行战斗……” 但是，这个说明存在着三个矛盾： 第一个矛盾是，部队在大大小小的仓库里储备了充足的粮食，而部队人员日常的饮食生活中从未吃过高粱和玉米，不，甚至连大豆作为主食出现，每个月也只有一次，特别是在粮食方面，部队并不存在着必须建立谷类自给自足体制的必要性。 第二个矛盾是，八木泽班的研究人员经常保持在15个人至20个人之间。作为一个单纯的农场来说，研究人员太多了。仅仅生产粮食的农场，是不需要这么多研究人员的。 第三个矛盾是，指挥731部队的石井四郎军医中将十分重视这个农场（八木泽班），队长室多次派人前往八木泽班，同班长进行谈话。 石井军医中将是一个彻底的功利主义者，擅长精打细算，不会悠然自得地经营一个不急需的农场。 实际上，八木泽班并非只管理农场，它还有一个约一百多坪（一坪为3.3平方米）的漂亮的玻璃温室。温室里种植着中国和苏联的主要农作物，栽培着各种大麦、小麦、燕麦、玉米、小米和黍子等许多标本作物。 中国东北地区的冬季和春季虽然十分寒冷，但是在八木泽班的玻璃温室中，通过锅炉日夜24小时不停地供气加温，保持植物最易于生长的温度和湿度。 在八木泽班研究楼的一角，还细心地“培育”着患病的麦子、高粱和黍子等农作物。经常保持适当温度的大玻璃温室和被病菌所侵害的农作物“标本”——这里面隐藏着八木泽班的秘密。 我接触过的原八木泽班人员讲话都十分严谨，但是，一个有关人员透露说：“八木泽班秘密地进行了黑穗病的研究。他们管理菌种，研究黑穗菌的特性以及发生黑穗病的机制。” 所谓黑穗病，是由于黑穗菌引起的稻科等高等植物的一种疾病，是在大麦、小麦、燕麦、玉米中发生的重要病害。从大麦、小麦中吸取来的黑穗菌侵入花的子房，随着植物的生长，它在寄主的体内发育，危害花的子房。受黑穗菌侵害的大麦、小麦产生了一种被称为腥膻病的疾病，割下来的穗发出一种恶臭。不到收获期，外壳不破，很难发现。患病的孢子生存下来，又会产生新的感染。 由于黑穗病不均匀地发生于广大的麦田之中，收获期的麦子不可能逐棵检查，除去病麦。如果污染严重的话，就不得不烧掉整个麦田，使收获受到沉重的打击。 部队劳务班一个曾经“征集”过在八木泽班劳动的中国农民和苦力的人做出了如下证词：“731部队中经常有三五百名满人劳动。为了管理部队雇佣的满人，还有十几名满人翻译。……1945年8月9日到10日731部队开始崩溃时，劳务班把在八木泽班农场工作的满人全部都枪杀了……为什么要这样干呢？主要是因为担心他们向外部泄露八木泽班的主要任务……八木泽班进行的关于黑穗病的研究内容，和农业实验场进行的研究一模一样……八木泽班还进行过从空中撒布黑穗菌的研究。农业实验场是为了保护麦穗，而八木泽班是为了破坏它……研究方法相同，但是目的却完全相反，利用黑穗菌是否能够直接袭击苏联的谷仓地带呢？这项研究是赋予八木泽班的主要任务。” 不仅对人而且还要对谷物进行细菌战的准备和研究——这就是这个大农场和玻璃温室的“秘密”所在。