Chapter 25 24. The last days before leaving Nanjing

Rabe didn't sleep a wink that night.What worries him the most is still the hundreds of thousands of homeless refugees staying in the safe zone.Today the refugees staying in the safe zone are some of the poorest and most in need of help from others. Most of them are people who have been beaten, injured or severely destroyed by the Japanese army and have lost their ability to live. If there is no one to get food for them Yes, arrange accommodation, maybe this winter will be difficult to pass.Originally, as an occupying force, the Japanese side had the responsibility to manage these refugees and at least provide them with basic living conditions, but the Japanese army didn’t seem to care about this. In addition to continuously pulling people from these refugees to serve as labor labor, As for whether they were still alive tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, the Japanese army obviously didn't care, and even deliberately obstructed and destroyed everything that Rabe and his safety committee did to the refugees, such as the issue of food for the winter. More than 200,000 people need a huge amount of food supplies every day, but there is not much food in the safe zone.

Mr. Beders, a member of the international committee at that time, described it in a letter to his wife: the prospect of food supply is bleak.The Japanese refused to sell it to us, neither from us nor from others in the safe zone, or let us ship grain from Shanghai.This is the result of long and hard negotiations. We have a considerable amount of cash, 2,300 bags of rice (one stone or 200 pounds each), and we take out 100 bags every day and distribute them free of charge to the most needy people and porridge factories.The Hongzi Society obtained rice from a secret service and opened two large porridge factories. The "Self-government Committee" was regarded as the main agent for the distribution of the Japanese army, and even a monopoly.But in fact they have received 500 bags of food in 10 days, a total of 2,500 bags in 5 weeks - this is what we transported by truck for them and the Red Cross Society.Daily consumption is between 1500 and 2000 bags.For some flours, we moved a little faster in the initial distribution and sales.The price of most vegetables has almost doubled by 10 times, and the price of some vegetables has also been lowered by 5 times.Thousands of people have never touched anything other than rice mush.We're trying to get 1,000 pounds of cod liver oil through the gunboat for medical supplies.On the whole the Japanese military side was indifferent, and no one among the Japanese gave the slightest thought or attention to the civilian problem.Coal in porridge factories is a problem.We get away with it day in and day out, usually without any official permission.The food supply in the city was about to run out, and no one was coming.The various ministries of the Japanese army are plundering and squandering.A large amount of coal, rice and wheat were burned...

The most hateful thing is that the few traitor officials in the newly established "Autonomous Committee" all have evil intentions, thinking about how to take the opportunity to make money for themselves.I don't care about the suffering of the refugees! "No one cares, we have to manage, and we must manage to the end." Rabe believes that as long as he is in Nanjing for a day, he will have to take care of the refugees for a day.Thinking of this, he turned on the kerosene lamp again, thinking that he should write a letter to the three most important people: they are Mr. Alison of the American Embassy, ​​Mr. Bron of the British Embassy, ​​and his old friend Dr. Rosen of the German Embassy. .These three diplomats are people who can directly play a role in Nanking, Rabe thinks so, so he wrote: Dear gentlemen:

Each of you has kindly given attention to how to feed the city's 250,000 civilians.As expressed in Mr. Dr. Smythe's letter to Mr. Alison of January 17th (a copy has been sent to you), we have emphatically made three recommendations to the Japanese, namely: 1. Realize as soon as possible the distribution of rice, flour and coal through commercial channels by autonomous committees; 2. Allow the International Committee to bring in the 3,000 bags of rice and 9,000 bags of wheat we purchased from the Shanghai Commercial Savings Bank for relief (these grains are currently stored in Xiaguan, Sanchahe and Hanximenwai);

3. Allow the International Committee to ship 600 tons of supplementary food from Shanghai to here. When Mr. Dr. Smythe asked for an answer to these suggestions for the third time yesterday, Mr. Fukui sent him to Mr. Tanaka.Mr. Smythe and Mr. Fitch then approached Mr. Tanaka, who told them that the Japanese had confiscated the rice and wheat in the warehouse mentioned above.When they reminded him that it was private property and not the property of the Chinese army, he thought that the grain stockpiles might be used by the Japanese army for Chinese civilians.The two gentlemen mentioned above repeatedly asked the Japanese authorities for permission to ship 3,000 bags of rice from Shanghai, but each request was rejected with a simple "No".He told them that there would be no boats to carry the 3,000 sacks of rice and another 600 tons of supplementary grain.When Mr. Smythe and Mr. Fitch mentioned the Japanese ships, Tanaka explained that "both were used for military purposes".When the two gentlemen proposed to use British ships again, Mr. Tanaka did not answer them.They had no choice but to ask the Japanese what plans they had now, and Mr. Tanaka replied that the Japanese army would take responsibility for solving the food problem for Chinese civilians.

Mr. Smythe and Mr. Fitch then explained to him that since December 13th the Japanese army had provided only 2,200 bags of rice and 1,000 bags of flour for sale to Chinese civilians.Tanaka believed that the supply was more than this, but there was no numerical material at hand (the Japanese army handed over 1,200 bags of rice to the Self-Government Committee on January 10, 1,000 bags of rice and 1,000 bags of flour on January 17, and the second batch of grain should be sold in the south of the city. The International Committee helped to transport the food, since the Japanese Army did not provide transport).

At the end of the conversation, Mr. Smythe asked Mr. Tanaka whether he should tell me that our request for permission to import the rice purchased at Shimonoseki and to ship grain from Shanghai had now been refused by the Japanese authorities.The answer to this is: yes! A telegram signed by Mr. Fitch to Mr. Boynton of the National Church of Shanghai (with whom we have been in correspondence on this matter) was immediately followed, and it remains to be seen what Shanghai can do about it. Rabe's intention is very clear: I hope that these diplomats will pay more attention to the refugees in the safe zone after he leaves, and continue his unfinished tasks as much as possible.His heart is completely led by the suffering Nanjing people.Funds are obviously the most important thing to ensure that the refugees in the safe zone can survive hard.After writing the letters to the three diplomats, Rabe suddenly felt that Mr. Bron of the British embassy had more ways to deal with the funding issue, so a few days later Rabe picked up his pen again and wrote to Mr. Bron:

Rabe is a worrying life.Everything comes into his hands, in every detail.In addition to food and housing, water and electricity are also necessities of life.For this reason, Rabe personally led dozens of workers to work in waterworks and power plants along the Yangtze River, risking being massacred by the Japanese army halfway.The worst thing was the power plant. Rabe had visited many times before the war, but after more than a month, the power plant was completely changed. The 43 skilled workers here were tied up by the Japanese army as military personnel and slaughtered by the Yangtze River.Plants and machinery were also damaged.What makes Rabe angry is that those who destroyed the power plant—the Japanese army are now clamoring for him to help repair the power plant and generate electricity.According to Rabe's personality, he was unwilling to work for the "destroyer", but when he thought that the refugees and the members of the International Committee also needed electricity, Rabe "swallowed his breath" and reluctantly took the job, and personally went to the Shanghai Ocean Bank headquarters to hire Several professional engineers, together helped to get the power plant back to work.

At the end of January 1938, the diplomats of the German embassy got the news from the Japanese embassy: From February 4th, the Japanese army will officially begin to evacuate all refugees in the safe zone.This is a major matter, and Rabe believes that it must be discussed urgently with the members of the International Committee. On the 29th, Rabe convened a meeting of members of the International Committee, focusing on requesting diplomats from relevant countries to go to Japan to clarify the following situations: first, whether the Japanese will expel Chinese refugees from foreign jurisdictions and residences of foreign nationals; It is whether the Japanese allow Rabe and others to accommodate more refugees in the small safe zone where they live.

"This is our best effort to protect more refugees in emergency situations. Of course, if the Japanese can continue to maintain our original safe zone in other ways, this is of course the best plan. But now we need to make the most Bad plan. In the words of the Chinese, on the issue of the safe zone, it seems that the Japanese are trying to get rid of us!" Rabe analyzed. The members of the committee were all silent and indignant. "Today's Nanjing is the world of the Japanese. All we can do is try our best to save these poor children and their families." Rabe said, "I think although the Chinese call several officials of the Autonomous Committee as traitors, the After all, they are now exercising the administrative power to manage Nanjing City, so we have to fight for them."

"Those people are even more corrupt than the Japanese, what can we win from them?" Maggie didn't believe it. Rabe said: "Did you forget that before the Japanese occupation, the then mayor of Ma promised 10,000 bags of rice and 10,000 bags of flour? After the Japanese occupation, these grains have been kept by the Japanese. We let them The people from the Self-Government Committee went to the Japanese to use it as a disaster relief for the refugees. On the one hand, it also gives the people from the Self-Government Committee a chance to make meritorious deeds, right?" "Haha...the hamburger businessman is really shrewd and cunning!" Smythe, Magee and others couldn't help teasing Rabe. It was later proved that Rabe's idea really achieved a certain purpose. Although the Japanese did not use all the food for the relief of refugees, at least the Japanese army vomited some blood. January 30th is the 30th day of the Chinese Lunar New Year.At around 4:00 p.m., Rabe was driving to Pingcang Lane. When he arrived at Hankou Road, he was stopped by about 50 Chinese people. "Mr. Rabe, hurry up and save that girl!" The Chinese said to Rabe and gestured. As soon as Rabe heard it, he knew three points: the Japanese soldiers must be raping women again! "Let's go!" Without saying a word, Rabe followed the Chinese to No. 4 Jiangjia Lane. "The Japanese soldiers are inside..." someone said. Rabe pushed the door open and entered.The inside of the house had already been looted by the Japanese army.In an open back room, there is a coffin.Going to a room next door where straw and debris were piled up, Rabe found a Japanese soldier raping a woman.Rabe became angry, stepped forward and picked up the Japanese soldier by the back collar and dragged it out, and dragged it all the way out of the corridor. "Your! What is your job? Your..." The Japanese soldier was angry and annoyed. "Your robber! The work of the beast! I will never allow it!" Rabe also responded and reprimanded angrily. The Japanese soldier looked at Rabe, then at the car with the German flag parked aside, and fled with his trousers in his hands. "Hahaha... the little devil is also afraid!" The Chinese clapped their hands and cheered, and gave Rabe a thumbs up. "Everyone get out of here, maybe the Japanese will come over soon." Rabe waved to the Chinese surrounding him, telling them to leave as soon as possible.After everyone at the scene had left, he boarded the car and left. The first day of the Lunar New Year is the most festive day for Chinese people.The refugees in Rabe's yard got up early in the morning and lined up to bow three times to their savior, Mr. Rabe.The girls also presented him with a piece of red silk cloth 3 meters long and 2 meters wide, with a long line of Chinese characters written on it.Rabe couldn't read this line of Chinese characters, so someone translated it to him like this: You are a living Bodhisattva of hundreds of thousands of people! "God, how can I accept such a great gift!" Rabe blushed when he heard this, saying that he could not bear such praise no matter what.A former Chinese government official who took refuge here was a scholar. He came to Rabe with a smile and said, "Let me translate this sentence into a poem that you can understand!" "Great!" Rabe clapped his hands in agreement. The translated refugee message looks like this—— "Thank you, thank you! May God bless you too!" Rabe was once again moved by his "subjects". On this day, Rabe felt a little warmth from the sun.Because when he looked out, he found that the corpse of the Chinese soldier outside the courtyard wall had finally been removed and buried. On February 4th, which is the fourth day of the Chinese New Year, Rabe got up early on this day, because he was going to stand guard on this day-"Today I have to stand guard in person, that is to say, I have to watch My own refugee shelter, with eyes on the 600 refugees in the German school behind my house and about 5,000 refugees in the middle school in front of my house. If the Japanese break in by force, I can't stop them, but at least I can be a witness , observe the situation to inform the world. I must try to protect my own house, we will see if they dare to insult the German flag in front of me!" Rabe wrote in his diary that day.The action throughout the day does the same.He wore a particularly neat suit with prominent Nazi badges on the sleeves, all of which showed that he would never allow the Japanese to destroy his safe zone and bully the Chinese refugees he took in at will in front of him. At night, Rabe wrote in his diary: "The day of fear and fear passed, February 4th, and everything was calm. This means that as long as the Japanese have scruples, we will not be in trouble. We all feel that Very happy. Today is the last day of the Chinese New Year holiday. Although the weather is not good and it is raining and snowing, the Chinese are still excitedly setting off firecrackers in the yard. These poor people are so content: as long as they are not beaten to death, they are satisfied ..." Writing here, Rabe remembered what happened the day before—— "Mr. Rabe, you must come forward to rescue the refugees in the Qixia Mountain Temple. They are too pitiful! No matter what, you have to come forward." Sindberg, a Danish friend from the Jiangnan Cement Factory, came. He met Rabe, Before he could talk about the matter, he immediately asked Rabe to agree to his request for help. "Tell me, report the situation to me." Rabe knew that it must be another infuriating thing. Only then did Sindberg remember to take something out of his pocket. "It's an open letter from the monks to you and everyone involved..." Rabe took the letter, looked at it, and his hands began to shake—obviously with uncontrollable anger.The content of the open letter is: After reading the letter, Rabe let out a long sigh, and said, "The situation in the city is actually not much better than that of the Qixia Mountain Temple. Look at the situation report that Smythe and others have compiled in the past few days..." Rabe casually picked up a few sheets of paper from the table and showed them to Sindberg.This is a follow-up to the "Report on Japanese Atrocities in Nanjing", which has registered more than 300 cases. Sindberg saw the following report—— On the afternoon of February 2, Mr. Zhu wanted to return to his home on Jiankang Road, and he was walking with his friends.When they arrived at Iron Pipe Lane, they were blocked by five Japanese soldiers. They had to obey the orders of the Japanese soldiers and work for them until late at night.From then on, they never dared to have the idea of ​​trying to go home. On February 2, Mr. Jiang was about to return to his residence in Xinjiekou. At a street corner at the intersection of Yunnan Road and Zhongshan North Road, five or six Japanese soldiers met him and forced him to pick up tableware and go to Yijiang Hotel.He was about to go home after finishing his work, when he encountered Japanese soldiers near the Ministry of Railways and asked him to carry the rice to Shangyuanmen. February 3: At 9 a.m., an 18-year-old young man named Cai Xiaoxi (transliteration) left the refugee shelter and went home. When he walked to the Sixiang Bridge, he was arrested by the soldier because he did not bow to the Japanese soldier immediately. Stabbed with a bayonet.This afternoon, he came back to us to be treated by doctors. February 3: Around 10 am, seven or eight Japanese soldiers broke into the home of Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Jiang in Baixia Road—they had just returned home from the safe zone. The Japanese soldiers ordered Mr. Jiang to go out in an attempt to rape his wife.Jiang immediately pointed to the "International Committee" logo on his sleeve, and the Japanese soldiers walked away resentfully.Jiang took his wife back to the safe zone that night. They said it was too scary to go home, so they decided to stay in the refugee shelter. On February 3, on her way home, Mrs. Ma was caught by three Japanese soldiers in front of a house on Tongren Street, dragged into a house and gang-raped. ... The latter are all about the cases of many women who were raped and gang-raped by Japanese soldiers either at home or on the way when they left the safe zone and tried to go home to live.Sindberg scolded without watching a few: "Disgusting!" "In this case, if we abandon the safe zone, it will be tantamount to helping the Japanese massacre Nanjing people again!" Sindberg said to Rabe, "We can't do this anyway!" Rabe patted his Danish friend on the shoulder and said: "We are in contact with the embassies of various countries in China to seek their support, and we are coordinating with the Japanese side and the newly established Nanjing Autonomous Government, striving to retain the responsibilities of the International Committee. " "Is there a result?" The polite Sindberg seemed to be driven crazy by the situation. "I believe there will be some results." Rabe said, "Please convey my greetings to the abbots of Qixia Mountain. We will definitely coordinate and take care of their situation. The biggest problem now is how to strengthen our confidence in the safe zone and autonomy, especially the basic guarantee of food." "Understood." With a glimmer of hope from Chairman Rabe, Sindberg left the dirty and scorched urban area.He said to Rabe: "If it weren't for the more than 20,000 refugees on my side, I wouldn't want to go to the city even once..." Rabe smiled wryly: "But we still have to guard the city of Nanjing, which is full of corpses, 24 hours a day. Because our post is here - more than 200,000 refugees are waiting for us every moment." Yes, no matter how miserable and dirty Nanjing City was, no matter how suffocating and foul-smelling the air was, Rabe could not leave. February 4th was the first day that Japan required the refugees in the safe zone to evacuate. However, except for Rabe and the refugees in the residences of several Americans who were not driven out by the Japanese army, almost all other places were forcibly removed by the Japanese army. Barbaric destruction, harassment.The refugees in the High School Attached to Jinling University, which was close to where Rabe had been concerned, also fled back one after another. On the 5th, Mr. Grimes, who was in charge of the refugees in the middle school, sent a distress letter to Rabe: Dear Mr. Rabe: Here, allow me to convey to you that more and more refugees are returning to our schools for protection.They said it was impossible for them to stay at home because of the constant harassment by the Japanese, who wanted girls from them.Threatened to kill them if they did not comply.The situation has never been more dire than it is now.Under such circumstances, how can refugees return to their shelters?Give them your merciful favor, and I can ask no one for protection but you and your friends.Please discuss this with the German, American and Japanese embassies.Refugees came to me for help, but I was powerless to help.The Self-Government Committee does not affect the Japanese in the slightest.We were told that no one could protect them except the International Committee, and that even the wives of the officials of the Self-Government Committee were as vulnerable to rape by the Japanese army as ordinary people.I just can't understand it.How could the Self-Government Committee ask the refugees to return to their places of residence under such dire circumstances.It also knows very well that outside the safe zone, no one can protect the refugees from the bullying of the Japanese. It is indescribable how pitiful these refugees are.I pray to God, don't leave China, save us!If you and your friends don't help us, who will?I implore you and your friends to think about ways to help these refugees. Dear, dear Mr. Rabe, you are our forerunner. I have tears streaming down my face as I write this letter. May God be with you. Please pray for us! Your DG Grimes (Signature) "Notify a council immediately!" said Rabe to Smythe.In the afternoon, at the request of Rabe, the International Committee held an emergency meeting of the Council again, focusing on the situation after the Japanese army expelled the refugees in the safe zone, how to resettle the returned refugees and the work in the future. "Gentlemen and ladies: At present, we can say that we have reached the most difficult moment since the establishment of the committee. No matter how much you want to strengthen our beliefs and determination, you should actually have reasons to stick to the responsibilities of our safe zone. In fact, despite the fact that Fang does not admit it directly, but the international community generally supports and sympathizes with our work. What we are facing now is: the autonomous government asks the citizens to go home, but most of the refugees dare not go home, or they go home because they are afraid of Japan The harassment of the soldiers has returned to the safe zone. What does this mean? It means that most of the refugees are people who trust us and not the Japanese and the self-government. Is there any more reason for us to continue to serve them than this? So as long as We insist that victory must belong to us!" Rabe is a businessman, and he rarely utters such passionate words of encouragement, but this day he said it, very much like a German politician.Smythe and other American friends gave Rabe a high evaluation. It is extremely important for the members of the international committee to have a firm will to fight. "Winter will always pass. Bread is indispensable." Everyone encouraged each other, and the difficulties seemed to be as light as a feather in front of this group of foreigners. It was February 6, 1938. Rabe received a warm letter from one of his assistants, Tao Zhongliang from the safety zone of Jinling Theological Seminary, thanking Rabe on behalf of all the refugees he was in charge of.The letter reads: Since the Japanese army announced that they would expel the refugees in the safe zone, Rabe’s nerves have been in a state of extreme tension every day. Most of the time, it is a matter of worry, but occasionally there are happy things. For example, he learned from Dr. Rosen that , Through the efforts of Rabe and other parties, Shanghai has shipped 100 tons of broad beans to Nanjing.This is life-saving good news for the Nanjing refugees who are on the verge of starvation and death, and for Rabe and others, it gives his international committee a credibility, because such material assistance is even more important to Japan. The military is hard to destroy.It belongs to charity aid, and the eyes of the international community are all on it!Could Rabe be unhappy? But at the same time, Rabe received several bad news that made him feel depressed.One of them said that a Japanese soldier broke into a house where a woman and her two daughters lived.The soldier tried to rape 2 girls, but was resisted.Afterwards, the Japanese soldiers locked the three women in the house and set fire to the house. Finally, the two daughters were burnt to coke, and the mother escaped half-dead... Faced with such constant atrocities and bad news, Rabe could only hold back fist. "What can be done is to help those poor refugees more, or give them more bowls of porridge to drink, and let them sleep safely for one more night..." Rabe prayed to God again and again in his heart. The international committee's struggle has never stopped, and Rabe has been directly proposing solutions to the Japanese side. On February 10, on behalf of the International Committee, he made requests to the Japanese authorities on issues such as "restoration of order and discipline", "food supply" and "hospital and health center personnel". While sending the above letter to the Japanese embassy, ​​Rabe also received a news report from Hamburg, Germany reprinted in a Shanghai poster: fruitful work of a german (Shanghai, January 10th) Many reports in Nanjing unanimously affirmed the praiseworthy and fruitful work of Rabe, the representative of Siemens Matheson (China) in Nanjing.Since the Chinese authorities completely withdrew in November, as chairman of the refugee district committee, he has actually done the job of mayor.With the support of other Germans and foreigners, he maintained social order and cared about the welfare of citizens.According to a report by a representative of the Japanese embassy, ​​Rabe's work is important for the transitional period, as well as for the current cooperation with the occupying forces for the benefit of the population and refugees.The Chinese residents who stayed in Nanjing appreciated Rabe's help with gratitude. Rabe is a person with a strong sense of honor, and he especially cares about the news from his own country. This is also one of the sources of strength for him to persevere and dedicate himself to Chinese refugees.After reading this news, he told his friends many times. The day of leaving Nanjing was getting closer, and Rabe felt that as the "chairman", he had to do two things: audit the financial situation during his tenure as the chairman of the committee and make an arrangement for the fate of the future committee.This once again shows and embodies the rigor of his work as a "smart burger businessman". Soon, financial statements and future financial budgets were sent. "Employees' wages and doctors' wages must be implemented one by one. If there are problems in this regard, I would rather not leave!" Rabe asked for details in the financial statement submitted by Jinling University. supplement. Now, Rabe is going to sign what he considers to be the most important document after he left, which is to change the name of "Nanjing Safety Zone International Committee" to "Nanjing International Relief Committee". "We chose this name to better fit its current nature of work as a purely non-governmental relief organization. In order to better express the reason for our existence, Dr. Smythe and I formally made the above request to the Japanese side. Myself —will not lead in the new institution, but I hope that Smythe, Magee, Sperling, Rev. Mills, etc. will be the leaders of this new institution. The past work has proved that they are excellent..." 18th, Rabe delivered a "farewell" speech at the last council meeting of the International Committee, and Smythe took careful notes of the meeting.These precious materials were later left at Yale University in the United States and became important historical archives for the world to study the Nanjing Massacre.The author was fortunate enough to read them, just like talking with the missionaries, Christians, and doctors of that period of unforgettable vicissitudes... Rabe’s deeds of presiding over the refugee safety zone in Nanjing are known to almost justice-loving countries all over the world, not to mention his influence in Nanjing, so when the news came out that he was going to leave Nanjing, many refugees wrote to him one after another pay tribute.The following letter signed by 24 refugees is one of them. Rabe is a very conscientious person. He responds to all letters like this one by one, and always tries his best to deal with and arrange what the other party expects. On February 21, the headquarters of the International Committee held a grand reception, which was specially held to send off Rabe.The reception kicked off with a melodious and slightly sad piece - "Nanjing Refugee Chorus".This song was specially written for Rabe by the master of humor, Reverend McCallum. The lyrics are unique: "We want beans for our breakfast, beans for our lunch..." (Chinese: We want broad beans for breakfast, we want broad beans for lunch... …) When Pastor McCallum told everyone the lyrics he had written, the audience roared with laughter, and even the invited Japanese diplomats could not help but laugh wildly.Rabe thinks that McCallum is a genius. He was able to use a serious and complicated diplomatic issue and a difficult problem concerning the life and death of hundreds of thousands of refugees as the theme song of today's grand and grand farewell ceremony with a naughty tune. It also instantly filled the entire reception with an atmosphere of hard work. On behalf of the International Committee, Smythe announced that they had convened an interim committee meeting in Rabe's absence, and read out a decision from the meeting addressed to Rabe: This "resolution" written by Mr. Dong Shenyu and signed by all the members of the International Committee of the Nanjing Safety Zone, the heads of the districts, and the directors of refugee shelters is still preserved in the Second Historical Archives of China. The long signature is enough to prove that the Bay's performance and prestige during his tenure as the chairman of the International Committee. It is Rabe's highest honor, although it is unofficial. On February 23, accompanied by his most trusted Chinese assistant Han Xianglin and company assistant Sperling, Rabe boarded the British gunboat "Bee" docked on the Yangtze River.The British embassy and the commander of the gunboat warmly welcomed his arrival. "Woo--" The gunboat let out a long whistle, and the billowing Yangtze River water suddenly rolled up at the stern of the boat... At this moment, Rabe waved frequently to the crowd on the pier.He couldn't help but feel uncontrollable waves in his heart: Ah, goodbye, my dear Nanjing!Farewell, our hundreds of thousands of suffering and worrying refugees! At 2:00 pm on February 25, 1938, Rabe's boat arrived in Shanghai.On the pier, he reunited with his long-lost wife.The two embraced for a long time, and the scene was touching. On the second day after arriving in Shanghai, Rabe saw a short commentary titled "Homage to Mr. John Rabe" in the just-published Shanghai German newspaper.This review says: When Japanese forces advanced with breakneck speed on the Chinese capital of Nanking in late November, the idea of ​​a safe zone arose in private circles among foreigners, where foreign nationals and Chinese civilians could escape in anticipation of fighting. Find a place of shelter. Thus the International Committee was born.It unites citizens of different countries (among them 3 Germans, but also Americans, British, etc.).Mr. John Rabe, the representative of Siemens Matheson (China) Nanjing Office, was appointed as the chairman of the committee under the confidence of all his members. When fighting broke out, the safe zone had already been organized.The members of the committee could have taken refuge on a ship moored on the Yangzi River, which was not difficult.However, Mr. Rabe and his commissioners gave up the opportunity to get themselves to safety, determined to carry out the mission undertaken to the end.Thanks to their unafraid self-sacrifice actions, in those difficult days after the retreat of the Chinese troops and the occupation of Nanking by the Japanese, hundreds of thousands of people were spared from hunger and cold, and protected them, as far as they could, from horrific encounters. The members of the International Committee can make this purely humanitarian contribution only if they give their all, regardless of personal safety. The chairman of the safety committee has the most stressful job, and the job's success is largely due to him.During the difficult days in Nanjing, Mr. John Rabe proved himself to be a perfect person. His dedication brought honor to the word "Germany" and his motherland.It must have been made by Kroeger and his friends who went to the Shanghai Ocean Bank headquarters first.Rabe guessed happily in his heart. However, Rabe preferred another "commentary letter" because it was a personal letter from the German ambassador to China, Dr. Tautman.Rabe believes that this can be regarded as the affirmation of his work in Nanjing by the German official and government. Dear Mr. Rabe: In view of your achievements and courageous sacrifices made in a humanitarian spirit at the risk of your life during your voluntary tenure as the chairman of the Nanjing Safety Zone International Committee and later the Nanjing International Relief Committee from November 1937 to February 1938 I express my appreciation to you for your work. In addition, I also sincerely thank you for your courageous personal efforts to protect German possessions in Nanking during this period. Your actions have brought honor to our country. Allow me to inform you that in recognition of your work in Nanking, I have requested the Foreign Office to propose to the German Red Cross a medal for you. German Ambassador (signature) Toddmann was in Shanghai. For the first time, Rabe publicly told the outside world about the atrocities he experienced in the Nanjing Massacre by the Japanese army. Since then, his name has often appeared in news newspapers.In his native Germany, he did the same.However, a few years later, the Second World War ended, the fascism led by Hitler failed, and Japan was also defeated.Rabe's fate was very special: he was praised as a hero for a while, and became a representative of fascism for a while—because his Nazi identity could not escape the severe investigation and investigation after the war. At the critical moment, all walks of life in China and relevant parties came forward to provide Rabe with evidence of his special contribution to the fight against Japanese fascism in Nanjing, which clarified Rabe's "Nazi" status.The following is a court judgment issued by the chairman of the Allied Occupied Areas Committee, Yan Ke: Allied Purge Nazi Tribunal Finds Rabe's verdict for non-Nazis Rabe, who now works as an interpreter and is sometimes hired temporarily by Siemens, lived in China for a long time and joined the National Socialist Workers Party in China in 1934.He established a German school in Nanjing at that time, and it was necessary to obtain the support of the German Empire, so he had to join the party. In 1935, John Rabe temporarily served as the head of the party's Nanjing local organization.The Germans in China at that time did not understand the evil purpose and criminal activities of the National Socialist Party, and the testimony of witnesses can confirm this.The Nanking Safety Zone was established when the Japanese broke through the defenses, and Rabe chaired the committee at the behest of the Americans and British.As chairman of the committee he appears to have kept the safe zone safe from Japanese bombing. In 1938, Rabe returned to Germany. On the way, he took the British "Bee" gunboat as a VIP to Shanghai.Rabe was arrested by the Gestapo for making several reports in Germany on the cruel and inhuman war practices of the Japanese, and was barred from further activities in this regard.During the war, Rabe's job was to look after Siemens staff abroad. Alfred Hope and Albert Almbrewster were in China with Rabe and were not party members, both witnesses and statements obtained in lieu of sworn affidavits attest to all of the above In particular, the factors to be taken into account are that in 1934 the political and imperialist aims of the National Socialist Workers Party were unknown in China. In view of the above, and respecting the humanitarian and social views of the above-mentioned persons, the committee voted by a majority to support the proposal to designate them as non-Nazis. The special meritorious service established by a German "Nazi" in Nanjing, China, put an end to Rabe's fate. One day in the summer of 2014, the author came to Rabe's former residence at No. 1 Xiaofenqiao, Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, and bowed deeply three times in front of the statue of this great international friend.When I stroked the head of this German friend who has been far away from us, I couldn’t calm down for a long time-because I and all Chinese people know that if there was no "safe zone" led by Rabe and his organization, the Japanese army would have been in Nanjing University. The massacre caused more than 300,000 Chinese deaths...