Chapter 11 [Volume 3 Blood Sacrifice of the Nation, My Rizhi Incident Battle Record]

【Section 1】 Zhongniao Troop (16th Division) Ohno Troops (Twentieth Regiment) Nishizaki Troops (First Battalion) Moriyama Team (Third Squadron) Murakami Squad (Third Squad) From Dalian in January of the thirteenth year of the Showa era to the second crusade against the northern branch of the army, to April 21 and departure to the Xuzhou battlefield on January 31. The dream of returning home from Dalian was ruthlessly shattered.At four o'clock in the afternoon, we set off from the dormitory and went to the battlefield again in a tank truck.Today is the old calendar year.Everywhere is full of people setting off firecrackers to celebrate the New Year.

Does it snow in my hometown?Everyone must celebrate the New Year in the snow! Our tin wagons have been temporarily converted into two decks.In order to transport soldiers as much as possible.In the small and dark compartment, we were like monkeys in an iron cage, unable to move.I sleep on the upper floor.Kinoshita and I are separated by a bed, and we are making a fuss.As long as there is no war, he is very energetic. Military trains headed north without stopping.More than 70 soldiers were stuffed into each carriage.We were wrapped in quilts requisitioned from Nanjing to resist the biting cold.The river froze and turned into a glacier.

The desert land, the boundless land, after arriving in the mainland, we have a deeper understanding of the concept of land.From the gap between the trains, I saw the earth receding continuously.It has passed Fengda.I thought I would go further north, but the compass pointed to the west. Is it going to North China again? As I expected, the train arrived at Shanhaiguan.There are some stone houses scattered on the vast land, and there are many towering mountains.They are acute-angled, and mountains of this shape are not seen in the interior.On the same railway, we once rushed to Central China with high morale, but now we take the train north with full of melancholy.

When the train was coming to a stop, Kinoshita wanted to seize the few minutes to go to the bathroom. Unexpectedly, in a hurry, he rolled from the truck onto the frozen railroad tracks. He seemed to be bent over, lying on the ground and humming. With the help of her, Heng Heng Qingqing finally stood up. Kinoshita is usually temperamental, and when he falls, he makes use of it and makes a scene.He even yelled at the soldiers who helped him up. Finally, those soldiers were also furious, and they left one after another.In this way, he had to climb back to the train alone, risking another fall.But Kinoshita sat there like a coquettish child and yelled.How can it be so painful?All his comrades cast distrustful eyes, and no one sympathized with him. In the end, he simply lay on the ground and cried.The comrades were helpless now, so they had to carry him to his upper bunk.

On the way to the bed, he was still cursing, as if his comrades had pushed him off the train. After lying on the bed, Kinoshita never stopped moaning.During this period, if someone accidentally touched him with his hands or feet, he would curse at the top of his voice.The comrades couldn't help arguing with him.Kinoshita used to be vexatious, but now he scolded more and more vigorously, without showing any sign of weakness.Later, everyone felt that it was useless to argue with him, so they stopped talking. He is like a neglected child, in order to attract others' attention, sometimes kicking this, sometimes scolding that, his words and deeds attract more scolding.In the small stuffy tank truck, someone would touch him from time to time, even if he touched his finger, he would scream like a wayward child.Finally Kinoshita took out his sewing needle, and he would poke whoever touched him.Everyone was dumbfounded by this.During this time, he started urinating in the car again, what a shameless guy.

But his absurd behavior also brought a little fun to the depressing long journey. Passing through Tianjin and bypassing Changxindian, we can see the vast land of North China.The train was speeding south, and it was getting warmer in the compartment.You can see matchbox-like mud houses along the railway.The land on both sides of the railway has been carefully cultivated just like the fields in the interior.When our train passed, the farmers stopped their hoes and looked into the distance, and the children raised their hands and shouted.As soon as the train stopped at the station, dirty children gathered around to beg for leftovers, shouting: Give some!Give some!

This boring day lasted for four days, and on the fifth day around six o'clock in the afternoon, the train arrived at a station.It is said that this is Handan Station, but the strange thing is that the lights are turned on at this station.After we got out of the car, we found that there were soldiers in the station using two motors to generate electricity. The troops first set off to the garrison camp, leaving us a few porters.After carrying the luggage, we rushed to the camp along the dark road.Suddenly, presumptuous laughter and inarticulate murmurs of drunks came from the dark place ahead, and they all spoke Japanese. We never dreamed that we would meet people who could speak Japanese in the remote areas of Northern China. woman.

As soon as we arrived at the destination, we were sent to carry our luggage. It was very late, and we dragged our tired bodies to the camp with our heavy backpacks on our shoulders. It's because the anger doesn't hit one place. As we passed them, we turned on our flashlights to see who they were.In the light of the flashlight, a drunken officer and a woman in a dazzling red kimono with heavy make-up were staggering and spitting out obscene words from their mouths.The wine they drank was probably military supplies sent by the people in the rear (the rear here refers to Japan.) with great enthusiasm.

It was an unsightly scene. A shameless woman followed her to the battlefield for prostitution. I despised this officer very much. The coquettish laughter of prostitutes and the murmurs of drunkards came from the darkness and disappeared in the darkness. I spit out a mouthful of saliva, and strode towards the camp. It is said to be a camp, but it is still a dirty dormitory on the battlefield. Walking through the dilapidated gate, the rooms are arranged in a concave shape. The room of our team is on the left, and a straw mat is hung on the door. The room was empty except for the roof and walls.It is as simple as the residence of Dingkuro on the Yamazaki Street (there is a section in Japanese folklore and kabuki called "Yamazaki Street", Dingkuro is a character in the play, with disheveled hair, and lives in a very simple house.).Handan is the place where Lu Sheng dreamed that the princes and generals lived in resplendent palaces, wine pools and meat forests, and squandered.

Shall I also have a well-fed, brocade-clothed dream tonight? I wrapped my coat tightly and lay down on the ground.The room was full of cold air, and the biting air-conditioning on the ground made me shiver. I couldn't fall asleep at all, and got up several times to warm myself by the fire. When we first set off from Dalian, the hot air we exhaled formed a layer of white ice on the iron door of the stuffy tanker.After the train went south, although it got warmer and warmer, it was only during the day and the night was still cold.The temperature during the day did not exceed zero degrees Celsius, but there was no wind, so it didn't feel cold.

The next morning, I poured some river water into the kettle, and it froze in less than three minutes. I couldn’t even pull out the stopper. Today is cloudless again.The further south you go, the more sunny days you get. I felt extremely itchy all over my body. I took off my clothes and saw that there were a few lice crawling around and laying eggs on the white sweater I had just put on for a few days. This was the first time I saw lice in my life, and it scared me. Hurry up and throw away this brand new white undershirt. Today is February 5th, the whole team has a day off, and I walked to the city to visit. There are many ancient temples in Handan City, giving people a sense of long history and antique flavor.The architecture of the city gate is very distinctive: a stone bridge more than ten feet long is erected on the dry outer moat. Cross the bridge and turn left to enter the first city gate, and then turn right to enter the second city gate. This makes you turn left and right The abducted city gate was built in a simple and dignified manner. The moss on the inside of the city wall tells the history of hundreds of years. Tanaka and I walked on this quiet and interesting street, and from time to time we could see finely crafted blue tiles and animal statues on the tiles.Tanaka usually likes to play with antiques, but now he can't take his eyes off them.He wanted these antiques very much, but he had to give up after seeing the notices posted on the wall not to destroy the gendarmerie of the temple at will. This street is the same as other streets in China. There is no stone, but the thick dust almost buries people's feet. Suddenly, I saw a sign of Korean Cuisine Qingniao Restaurant hanging on a street corner in front of me. I went in to get something to eat, but there was nothing decent to eat, only the screams of whores. This shop originally sold sexual dishes. I was driven by curiosity to look into the back room. I saw a bed inside, and a soldier was lying on it with a North Korean woman in his arms.There was no door beside the bed, and it was simply separated by a white curtain. Less than two meters away from them, there was also a white curtain. A man and a woman were lying on the bed inside.With a slight lift of the curtains, their bodies were completely exposed, and we looked down from room to room, and we were greeted by scenes of debauched nudity and sexual promiscuity.These men and women don't give a damn about our prying eyes.Outside, there were still many soldiers waiting in line exhaling smoke rings. What an unsightly scene! We walked out and circled outside the city, where there was an ancient temple called Mahayana Temple.The roof of the temple is covered with ancient blue tiles, and there are many statues of foxes and soldiers on the highest part of the roof and the cornices on all sides.This ancient temple is crumbling, only the roof still retains the simple and quiet style of the temple.The walls are made of black bricks, which reflect the majesty of the blue tiles.This blue tile may be the most valuable thing in the ancient temple. There is no shadow of the Buddha statue in the temple at all, it is empty, like a stable, and Mahayana Temple sounds like the name of a temple in the mainland. There are no trees around here (northern China), so collecting wood for the fire has become a big problem.Finally, we smashed down the houses with shovels and hoes, and picked out logs for the fire, all while the Chinese stood watching in horror. On the 7th, we set off for Ci County. I didn't sleep almost all night last night. I didn't sleep for two or three hours until it was almost dawn.I woke up and yawned, but the troops would not delay their departure because I was sleepy alone. We carried heavy backpacks and walked on the road that was five or six inches thick. Wherever he walked, he raised a cloud of dust.At this time, there were five or six women standing on the side of the road with the words "National Defense Women's Association" hanging on their shoulders. Take care! Pay attention to your body! We'll be right there too!whee They shouted and laughed. There are Japanese women from the National Defense Women's Association in this kind of place?It's incredible.But when I thought that they were Japanese, I couldn't help being happy.I glanced at them a few times, and one woman caught my attention.Isn't she the drunken woman who we met with the officer the night we just arrived in Handan?They turned out to be prostitutes! A member of the Defense Women's Association by day, and a member of the Prostitution Society by night. Are they worthy of membership in the Women's National Defense Association?What shameless women. Two or three of them turned their heads and lowered their eyes.Is it because of his humble status, or is he reluctant to break up with his lover? They were also mixed with two young North Korean prostitutes. They wore black and white crossed Korean clothes, and their white bow ties fluttered in the wind.There is a Japanese woman who is nearly forty years old and keeps chattering. They were not seeing off our crew so much as they were seeing off the officers who had spent the night with them last night, the night before, the night before, and the night before, and paid generously. I despise these women, but I am not disgusted at the thought of having a woman see us off. You despicable women!Make money as you like! There is no train on this road yet, it seems that the train only goes to Handan, so we have to walk along the Ping-Han Railway.The more I walked, the heavier the backpack on my shoulders became, and the pain in my feet was unbearable.We bent over one by one, dragging our heavy legs and panting forward.There are constantly stragglers rolling down on the railway.We are marching not by physical strength, but by will, and it is the will of steel that supports us to move forward.The soles of the feet were continuously ground with blisters, and the pain was unbearable after the blisters burst.I just try to walk with my heels, or rest my left foot hard with my right foot, or rest my right foot hard with my left foot. Many times, I wanted to sit down on the ground or lie on the rails, but the thought of this is an exercise of will, and I dispelled these thoughts. As night fell, in the winter night sky, the semicircular moon shone quietly with a cold light. In the severe cold where dripping water turned into ice, the water in the pot had already frozen.When I was resting, there was a chill on my sweaty back, which made me worry that ice would also form on my back. From Cixian Station, along the potholed road with willow trees planted on both sides, we walked for almost one kilometer before arriving at Cixian County. February 8th. We entered a large empty house, which was said to be a school. Speaking of schools, they are far from being as well-equipped as Japanese schools, and there are only three or four empty houses. The dirt room had a brand new floor, probably from an architecture class. He said that we would be stationed here for a month, and Cao Chang even told us that anyone who wanted to subscribe to "Asahi Shimbun" or "Mainichi Shimbun" should register with him.We were all very excited at the thought of being stationed for a month. After I went to the battlefield, I always had problems with my throat. Either it was unbearable pain, or I was too hoarse to speak.I don't know if it's because the air is too dry or because there is too much dust in the air. Because there is no wind, no matter how low the temperature is, it will not feel cold.At this temperature, if there is a gust of wind, it will feel chilly.During the day, the sun shone like a warm April day.It also rarely rains.Speaking of rain, I have only encountered two times since I came to China: one was when I attacked the Northern Branch in October, and the other was when I just arrived in the Central Branch in November. The troops distributed canned pineapples and apples to everyone.When we opened the can, the juice had already frozen, so we had to chew the juice instead of sucking it.The apples were also frozen and had no sweetness at all. The Chinese people in Ci County did not show us the slightest awe or fear, on the contrary, they held a contemptuous attitude.We all feel that the appeasement work here is not done too comprehensively. It seems that not letting them taste the fist first will not achieve the real purpose of appeasement. This is the first time we have encountered the attitude of the residents on this land.They talk about money.It costs five yuan to wash one undershirt, and ten yuan to wash ten wooden sticks about one foot.He ran to help us by himself, and asked for money when the work was done.There is also a fee for picking out the luggage. In short, as long as they do their work, you have to pay.They talk about money all the time, which can't help but be annoying.From them, I can't find the sense of humiliation unique to the nationals of the defeated countries. As long as you give them a good face, they will make progress. The street market is still lively, and it is not affected by the presence of our troops at all.The road is full of dust, making one wonder if it will be muddy than paddy fields if it rains.On such a road, the Chinese people sell milk candies they don't know where they got. They seem to think that this is a rare opportunity to make money, and they take the opportunity to ask for prices. The wheelbarrow creaked across the dusty road. The streets are full of people coming and going, full of vitality.Newly opened snack bars and hardware stores lined up on both sides of the road like night markets in the mainland. There is a Confucian temple next to our dormitory.The footprint is surprisingly large, but there is no sense of grandeur.The appearance is no different from the Confucian Temple in the illustrations in elementary school textbooks. There is a golden plaque hanging at the entrance of the temple, with the two big characters of Confucian Temple written on it.On the gate with a triple roof hangs two plaques: Dao runs through the past and present, and virtue matches the world.The roof of the Confucian Temple is covered with blue and yellow tiles, decorated with stone statues of foxes and soldiers, which is very exquisite.Tanaka climbed up to the roof in the middle of the night and stole the stone statues of the fox and the soldiers.After that, Tanaka would often stare at those antiques with a look of intoxication on his face. Our squadron set up a sumo ring in the open space behind on February 11th. I must go to the north gate to stand guard. The north gate is built majestic and majestic, passing through the north gate is like going through a maze, bypassing three passes, one can imagine how difficult it is to attack this city gate.The city wall is as high as a three-story building in Japan.Walking out of the city gate, you can see the moat filled with water. Under the blue sky, only the city walls are stretched across the vast land.The patrolmen of the security team with batons and the sentries of our troops checked the Chinese people entering and leaving the city gate together. As soon as these patrolmen found out the banknotes of the Bank of China, they confiscated all the banknotes of the Bank of Korea, and did not reissue them the banknotes of the Bank of Korea.But when we were in Handan, the residents there were unwilling to ask for banknotes from the Bank of Korea, but wanted banknotes issued by the Bank of China in our hands. The residents of Cixian threw away the banknotes of the Bank of China without hesitation and used the banknotes of the Bank of Korea or the Bank of Japan, as if they felt that this was the currency they had been using all along. The top of the city gate is nine meters wide and more than five meters narrow, enough for a man to gallop on a horse.The city wall is also more than five meters wide. The patrolmen of the security team live between the first and second gates, which is their home. Cixian County may be the center of this area. During the day, there are a lot of people, no less than Jingji in Kyoto (Jingji, place name, the bustling area of ​​Kyoto, Japan.).But everyone was wearing navy blue or black dirty Chinese clothes. Some people were driving donkeys to pull a wheelbarrow, and some people yelled at two donkeys to pull a two-wheeled cart full of cotton.On the dusty streets, there are people selling steamed buns, candies, meat buns, groceries, etc., and some people are buying these things. It is really a sea of ​​people.There is also a rice cake and red bean soup restaurant run by Japanese with a dessert club hanging on it, and a military canteen. February 16th. One day, I was sent to the brigade headquarters as a guard.The headquarters is located in a large private house near the city wall.We live in a nearby private house on standby.The family consisted of a housewife, children and a young girl.The girl was about seventeen or eighteen to twenty years old, and she wasn't very good-looking, but in the eyes of those of us who haven't seen a young girl for a long time, she was quite handsome.Housewives mainly make meat buns for the children during the day. It was my turn to stand guard at night.The cold moonlight shone on the winding city wall.There is a pool of water beside the city wall, and the small city gate on the opposite side can be vaguely seen from the water vapor covering the lake.There was a bare tree where I stood guard. I leaned on the tree and looked at the moonlight, the lake and the city wall.The bayonet on the tip of the rifle glowed bluish-white in the moonlight, and the neighing of horses could be heard from the stable.What a bright moon, what a beautiful scenery!Floating clouds drifted past the moon like silk floss. My thoughts also drifted to my hometown with the clouds. When I think that the moon is also shining on my hometown, and the people in my hometown are also looking at the moon, I feel how mysterious and incredible it is!At the same time, I also feel the emptiness of the universe.How insignificant are the things we do compared to the universe! The moon always makes people sad. Looking at the moon, I can't help but think of many things, and a little sadness gradually surfaced in my heart. The water vapor from the lake rises and disappears into the air.The moon is reflected on the lake through the water vapor.The barking of wild dogs in the distance deepened the feeling of loneliness. Little black pigs scurry across the lake like mice. Standing there looking at the silent scenery, I couldn't help being moved by the scene, and I missed my hometown. February 17th. After standing guard and returning to the dormitory, I visited the temple again. Today is not the same as in the past, there is a strong wind blowing, and the wind blows the sand and rushes towards the face, making people unable to open their eyes. The temple is very simple and simple, with the words Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty on it.The roof of the temple gate is wide and heavy. Pass through the temple gate and walk across the circular stone bridge to the main hall.Inside the main hall are life-size statues unique to China. For some reason, I feel restless and restless all day today.Spread the mat in the sunny place, lie on it and continue my hometown dream, the moon from last night is still in my heart. When I thought about when I would be able to return to my homeland, I fell into deep nostalgia, ah!The homesickness that cannot be dismissed. When I am particularly homesick, I often have this urge: I want to kill the Chinese people with a knife, listen to their screams, or shoot into the Chinese people's body.It might be more comfortable that way. It was originally planned to be stationed in Ci County for a month, but with the expansion of the front line, we had to move forward. It should have departed at two o'clock in the afternoon, but temporarily changed to depart by train at seven o'clock in the afternoon. It's wonderful not having to walk. The moon is not up tonight, and it is dark everywhere.At the station, compressed biscuits, rice, and soy sauce were piled up into hills, and sentries from the Utsunomiya Regiment stood by to watch, and when they caught Chinese people who came to steal, they tied them to trees and kicked them.The Chinese man's face was covered with blood, and he cried out in pain and begged for mercy. In the dark open space, some coolies wearing white armbands were numbered in Japanese in sequence 11, 2, 3, 4, 5, and there seemed to be forty-eight of them. Humph came again from the guard camp!The sound of scolding and beating by the bastard was followed by the cry of the Chinese.It seems that these Utsunomiya soldiers really hate the Chinese who steal things. We saw that the black train began to spray steam. It is an amazing invention that such a heavy body can be pushed by steam! Two and a half hours later, the train stopped at Zhangde Station.This place does not look small, and the station is also very large. There is a Rizhang Hotel in front of the station, which is obviously remodeled temporarily.A woman in a Japanese kimono walked into the hotel after getting off the train. It seemed that the brave Japanese citizens followed to Zhangde. We walked five or six hundred meters from the station, and came to the city to find a dormitory. There were many brick houses lined up on both sides of an alley.Our squadron will be staying here. We knocked on doors from door to door, shouting in Chinese: Open the door!open the door!But no one opened the door for us.In the end we hit the door with a pick, but the solid door didn't budge.After a lot of effort, I rushed in to have a look, only to see an old man shivering in fright, and the others had long since disappeared. Maybe when we shouted to open the door, the women and children took the opportunity to slip away, but there is no back door in this house, how did they escape?Is it impossible to escape from the roof? We yelled at the old man: You old man!We didn't want to harm you, but you made us spend so much effort!Then he went into the room and lay down. The food and daily necessities that have been supplied recently are inexhaustible.In the guard, it has always been like this. We each went out after we were full. February eighteenth. Zhangde is very big, especially during the day, there are so many people like going to a market.The rickshaw we took left the city from the back gate.The vast and long land is stretched with high city walls. This is a scenery that can only be seen in the mainland, and it is as majestic as a picture in a movie. spectacular. There are many brothels in front of the railway station outside the city, there may be thirty or forty brothels.Most of them are North Korean prostitutes.I don't know why I want to find a prostitute today.The five of us took a fancy to a brothel, thinking that there might be beautiful prostitutes there.Unexpectedly, when we went in and asked, we couldn't find five prostitutes at once, so we had to return.Sitting in a rickshaw, think how fortunate no prostitutes were found. February nineteenth. But when I went out that day, I still walked into a brothel. It may be too relaxed recently, and it is often difficult to fall asleep at night. I think it is time to find a place to vent. The North Korean prostitute I was looking for was pretty but ignorant. Three yen per hour. She had a portable radio and danced to the music for me.Enjoying the familiar music and dance, I feel very happy. However, when I think about my prostitution, I regret it. It feels like my body is stained with mud.There was an uncontrollable disgust in my body, and I really wanted to spit on my dirty body. The state of mind of the soldiers now is very different from when they were in the Nanjing Military and Political Department.In Nanjing, everyone thought they had won the victory, and everyone was elated and full of vitality. Now the soldiers have lost their former vigor and sighed every day. Tension. It was impossible to restore the enthusiasm of the soldiers, who, having lost that eager anticipation, were now in a state of depression. But this is only a transition period in the psychological process.After this transition period, we will calm down and go all out to prepare for the next military goal. Wine is served today, and we haven't had a drink for a long time.It's not yet full moon, but the moon in the sky is as clear as a magic lantern, and countless stars are as bright as the Milky Way. Even on this cold winter night, we can smell the breath of spring.It won't be long before the spring breeze blowing on your face should bring a strong aroma like freshly squeezed milk. In the yard, on top of a blazing fire, there are oil cans of hot wine.We sat in a circle around the fire, singing loudly while drinking, and sang a lot of tunes, including Sanosha (Sanosha, a ballad that became popular in Japan around 1897, because each sentence ends with a Sano The tone of sand is named after.), cassock song (folk song popular in Japan and other areas.), fan song, Xiaoyuan song, etc. Our high-spirited singing broke the silence of the winter night and echoed in the night sky; the beat we played echoed with the singing and echoed in the night sky. The owner of this house, the former old man, clasped his hands, with a look of anxiety and curiosity on his face, watching our unusual behavior in amazement, and listening to our strange tunes. We drank and sang to our heart's content.Until my hands hurt from clapping and I got drunk, but our high-pitched singing contained a hint of sadness that we don't know when we will be able to return to our hometown. Today is also allowed to go out, but because I did something that should be cast aside yesterday when I went out, I am going to spend it alone in the room. The comrades-in-arms have all gone out. For some reason, I really want to be alone today.I have long been used to the disciplined life of the army. Relaxing like yesterday, I felt very excited at the time, but I only felt bored afterwards. The sound of the erhu came from outside the door.I strode to the door and called in the blind man who sang.He struggled up the stone steps and pulled up the erhu.The thin and trembling strings refresh my lonely heart.The spring breeze gently brushed my cheeks.My heart trembled, as if I had found my grievances, or because I had found my true self.The blind man blinked his blind eyes and played the erhu quietly. Last night, we sang and drank vigorously here. Now, the blind beggar is playing a desolate tune in the same place, and the hoarse erhu sound is directly heard. To the depths of my heart, I can't wait to keep this music in my heart forever.After playing a few pieces of music, the erhu stopped.I gave him ten coins and some rice. The prostitute becomes a bawdy when she loses her beauty, the gambler becomes a swindler, and the libertine becomes a beggar. This is an irreversible law that runs through human life. The blind man who is about to enter old age hangs his head, as if he has succumbed to this law of life, Slowly walk down the steps. After a while, another old lady in ragged clothes came. She brought a three-year-old child, leaning on a thin crutch, and carrying an empty cylindrical jar. Drilling into her arms, staring at me with wide eyes, maybe she is a victim of the Anti-Japanese War?I sent her away with some food. Our squadron set off after the third brigade. The first squadron of our squadron acted as a security force between Cixian and Zhangde, and the second brigade was in charge of Zhangde's security. We walked outside the city, stepping on the thick dust and marching towards the vast land. On the way to Tangyin, I saw five or six North Korean prostitutes sitting in the army truck. It seems that they are also moving in step with the troops. The Japanese soldiers always said that the Chinese soldiers took women and children to the trenches, but why are they marching with such unclean bodies now? The first night was camped in the dirty city of Tangyin. Our destination was Xinxiang. The second lieutenant Murashita was receiving supplies from our unit, eating and lodging with us. The second lieutenant took out the wine he carried with him, and we killed Chicken, a hearty meal. Looking around, there is land everywhere, and there is not even a single stone on the stretch of flat land. Our troops are moving slowly on this land like swarms of ants. There was no water supply on the way, so after filling up the water bottle before departure in the morning, we had to rely on it until we reached the campsite at night.Walking across flat land and over hills, we camped at a very poor farmhouse in Houshiqiao the next night.I saw that they were really poor, so I took some snacks for their dirty children. No matter how poor a family in North China is, there is a door, and this family is no exception.There was not a single window facing outside in their house, and it was impossible to attack from the outside. The rooms inside are arranged in a concave shape. This family raises chickens, and chickens are considered a considerable fortune for them. We were chasing and catching chickens everywhere, but we didn't expect that the chickens in Northern China were like birds, they could fly into the air, and we couldn't catch them at all.Chickens flew up to the tops of tall birch trees, and hopped from one birch tree to another.But at night, the chickens still obediently returned to their nests to sleep.When we waited for them to enter the nest, we caught two and slaughtered them. We are stepping on the sky again.Marching on cloud-like soft land.The sky and the earth meet in the distance, and the earth shows us its greatness and breadth. We walk on this land like machines. In the ocean of this land, woods can be seen from time to time, and where there are woods, there must be villages.Except for the occasional glimpse of these trees, all we see is the land and the sky.Not even a sparrow. In the land where no birds can be seen in Northern China, for those remote and backward villages, the only way to communicate with the outside world is the dusty road. Roads became the only means of transportation.The farmers here have suffered from exorbitant taxes for generations. When the wheat harvest is not good, they can only lament. The people born on this land do not know the outside world and have no contact with civilization, so they just endure it. Heavy exploitation, silent labor, and finally buried in this land. The sun rose from the horizon and disappeared on the horizon. We set off at sunrise. We were exhausted by the rapid march. I asked the peasants to help me carry the backpack several times, but then I thought it was an exercise of will. I didn’t speak all the time, I was covered in sweat and mud, and dragging my heavy steps, I slowly followed the team for more than two hundred meters.The baggage soldiers rode over easily, and when they came to me talking and laughing loudly, I was too tired to speak. When I thought that our infantry were so tired, they were talking and laughing on horseback, as if they were relaxing on horseback, I became very angry and thought to myself, as long as they dare to say a word to me, I will arrest them , scolded severely, to vent the anger in my heart. Unexpectedly, they didn't talk to me at all, they just talked and laughed happily with their own people, and the brisk hoofbeats gradually faded away.I stared at the horse's ass, and took another step, and the military boots fell listlessly on the ground like raindrops. After a while, we arrived at Daokou Town.Originally, the Ping-Han Railway had a branch line extending to Daokou Town, but now the railway sleepers have been removed and the rails have been removed.According to the guarding soldiers, the railroad tracks were dismantled by the enemy to prevent us from using them, and the sleepers were stolen by the residents and burned as firewood. Firewood has always been a problem in this treeless area.Wheat stalks are the only firewood, and people here also dry horse manure for firewood. Daokou Town is not big, it is very dirty, there are no big buildings, it does not seem to be a wealthy town, and it cannot be compared with the prosperous Zhangde.Our team entered a dirty and cramped house.There is an old man in this house. Second Lieutenant Murashita asked us to kill a pig and bought a bottle of Chinese wine.We had a dinner party around the fire around the house, and we all got drunk.We've been having this kind of dinner party almost every night lately, singing and drinking. Everyone was drunk and rested, and Tanaka and I were left talking around the fire. There are countless stars shining in the night sky.Tanaka said: If I go back, I will work hard.I replied: I will work hard too.He is thirty-six years old and used to be a carpenter.In the end we didn't say a word, we looked at the stars in the sky and blinked.Tanaka also went to sleep, and I lay down beside the fire with my eyes closed. The past flashed through my mind like a revolving lantern. When I think of home, when I think of my hometown, I especially want to go back to my country.Why do you fall in love with home so much recently? The second big break, I got up at nine in the morning and went to the bathhouse.It costs ten yuan to wash once, and our brigade has already booked this bathhouse, so there is no need to pay for it personally.The bathhouse was on the second floor, and it was full of soldiers.The dust and grime from their bodies had turned the bath water into a yellowish mud that looked like balls bobbing up and down in miso soup.Even so, the thought of being able to take a good shower was a joy. I wanted to take a good rest in the afternoon, but I was ordered to be the captain of the sentinel at the south gate.I had no choice but to take the soldiers and rush to the south gate. Considering that we would continue to march from the south gate tomorrow morning, we set off in military uniform. 道口鎮狹窄而骯髒的道路上，擠滿了乞丐，滿耳是他們的乞討聲。這些乞丐衣衫襤褸，再加上灰塵與污垢，整個人都變成黑乎乎的了。他們手裡拿著碗，悲哀地乞討，就像野狗一樣四處徘徊。 和我們一起前進的安撫隊的支那人身穿日本軍服，頭戴日本軍帽，忙著散各種傳單，到處貼佈告。我們以前就經常看到居民撿起日軍飛機從空中散發的招降單，當作命根子似的往懷裡塞。那種招降單上畫著日支兩國的國旗（不過那上面的支那國旗是清國的國旗（此處清國的國旗，指偽滿洲國的國旗。），而不是革命政府的國旗），上面還寫明持此傳單投降者一律饒命。 他們現在散發的傳單上畫著一幅畫刑場上，蔣介石被接二連三的敗仗弄得心驚肉跳，一屁股跌坐在地上，歇斯底裡地下令槍殺李宗仁、馮玉祥、宋哲元、韓復榘等人。 南門有手持達姆彈槍站崗的保安隊哨兵，他們純粹是擺擺樣子的，根本起不了守衛的作用。 半路上看到一棵有幾百年樹齡的蒼木，白色的布條像嬰兒的圍嘴從樹上垂掛下來，上書心誠則靈，這和日本農村的求神拜佛非常相似。 二月二十三日。 陽光普照著廣闊的大地，我們像螞蟻般緩慢行軍，一馬平川，一望千里，看不到一棵樹、一座山，腳底下也找不到一顆石子兒。 雖說才二月二十三日，卻相當於內地四五月份的氣候。 強烈的陽光照得人睜不開眼，不一會兒，我們就走得汗水直淌，可一停下來脊背就涼颼颼的。 過了正午，在我們前往今晚的宿營地高宋村的途中，突然發現前方五六百米處有清泉，還有樹林和村莊。我們歡呼起來：啊，前面有水！繼續朝西行進，準備過橋喝水。在陽光照耀下，可以看見那一汪泉水呈弧形。先頭部隊也在往泉水處前行，他們該過了橋了吧？那兒有村莊和樹林，樹和人看上去像在水中，折成兩半，就如同映在泉水裡的倒影。 我們滿以為泉就在前面，但不管走多長時間，泉還是離我們那麼遠，根本無法走近它。原來這是錯覺，是由地面蒸發的水汽形成的。這大概就是人們常說的海市蜃樓吧！ 我是第一次看到這種奇怪的現象，可能是天氣晴朗時，地面的陽氣在空曠的大地上形成的幻影吧？ 小小的高宋村裡，沒有一個村民，他們可能看到部隊後全都嚇跑了。 行軍本身是一件苦差事，但考慮到沒有敵人，也不用打仗，這次行軍還算是輕鬆的。中隊徵用了一輛板車來裝落伍者的背包。 二十四日，我把背包全部裝上中隊的板車後，自己就去徵用了一頭毛驢。跨上毛驢，像堂吉河德當年那樣，開始了驢背上的旅行。騎在驢背上，沐浴著燦爛的陽光，這樣行軍可真舒適。 偶爾，毛驢會發出一種嘶鳴聲，聽上去像是在哀歎，又像是在為亡國而泣。毛驢在我的屁股下的噠的噠地慢步前行。在北支那經常能看到路旁豎著一些石碑，上面寫著芳名千古留或是節婦的字樣，下面再用小字細細地刻上具體內容。我一路瀏覽著這些石碑，不經意就到了汲縣（衛輝）。 汲縣的城牆建得牢固而雄偉。護城河河水清澈，有一部分水都漫到路上了。我們在水淹的大路上揀著乾處走，好不容易走進城。我們來到一戶寬敞的民宅。這家的主人長得器宇軒昂，他的臉讓人聯想起宋太祖的畫像，給人一種威風凜凜、不可一世的感覺。 我們宿舍前有一個大教堂，聽說有三四百名姑娘在那兒避難。支那任何一個偏僻的角落，都能看到這些外國人的足跡，我們權力再大，不經允許還是不能進入這個高掛著法國國旗的教堂的。所以，在支那人想來，天主教堂是最安全的地方了。 走來一位氣質高雅的外國人，他頭戴黑帽，身穿黑衣，所有的隨身物品都是黑的。他可能是個牧師吧？想到他們遠離故土，在渺無人煙的異地默默無聞，奉獻一生，我不由得肅然起敬。 我們在這兒也找不到柴火，就顧不得主人滿臉不樂意，把桌子、椅子等傢俱劈了當柴燒。支那人的房子都是中看不中用。這一家外觀氣派，像個豪宅，裡面卻是灰塵密佈，另外，房間的佈局也很不合理。 今天要出發去新鄉，我們中隊的任務是扛軍旗。這個人家有一匹好馬，它不同於一般的支那馬，長得膘肥體壯，讓人挑不出一點刺兒來，我們十六個掉隊的有一輛毛驢拖的板車，就準備把這匹馬也用來拉車。我們向主人保證到新鄉就還馬，他這才把他的馬連同僕人借給我們。 支那的馬車很結實，車輪也相當大，就是車身太沉。苦力把馬鞭甩得辟啪作響，吆喝三頭毛驢和一匹馬趕路。 今天不同往日，風呼呼地刮著，捲起的塵埃形成了一道黃霧。我們就像走進了風沙肆虐的沙漠，有時都看不清人的身影。無奈之下，我們只好戴上防塵眼鏡。艱難的行軍途中，戴上口罩只會覺得呼吸困難，所以沒有一人戴口罩，大家一邊吸著灰塵一邊往前走。這灰塵掃過原野，穿過村莊，狂風刮到哪兒，它就捲到哪兒。 幾乎所有村莊的村民都逃走了，當然他們沒忘了給自家的門加上牢固的大鎖。有一個村莊掛起新政府的五色旗和趕製的太陽旗，打出歡迎大日本軍的牌子。村長帶著村民在村口迎接，軍官走到他面前時，他掏出自己的名片遞了過去。 他們還在桌上擺好茶水，但我們誰都沒去喝，只有賣酒的朝鮮人上去喝了幾口。這些朝鮮人從磁縣起，就用板車拉著名叫世界長的酒，跟在部隊後面賣。 我們的鼻子被沙塵塞得透不過氣來，嘴裡滿是砂粒，臉也被蒙上了厚厚的塵埃。就這樣，下午五點，我們像個雪人似的到達了新鄉。 February twenty-fifth. 我們的中隊在離城門不遠處宿營。我的分隊則被分配在狹小胡同裡的一戶人家。這戶人家還算整潔乾淨。我們佔了裡屋，把他們全家人趕到外屋去住，我們要在這兒駐紮一個月，因此得把所有設備都調配好。當我們把廚房、寢室、廁所、槍架等都安排妥當後，就準備在這兒安安靜靜地度過一個月。 長途行軍時，行李再重我也沒把在大連買的《殘夜焚竹錄》與《靜觀動亂》這兩本書扔掉。 February 26th. 五川素來的《靜觀動亂》中，引用了希特勒的《我的奮鬥》中的一節。說希特勒心懷愛國之情，奔赴戰場時感覺如同去舞場赴宴一般，他因眼睛被毒氣熏傷住院養病期間，聽到了德國投降的消息。他一邊流淚一邊說：我自從站在母親墓前流過淚後，就再也沒哭過。我青年時代的坎坷遭遇，反而增加了我的反抗心。在這場曠日持久的戰爭中，我們隊伍失去了很多戰友，但我從沒為他們流過淚。因為他們是為祖國德意志而獻身的，哀歎他們的死就是一種罪惡。但這次，我卻控制不住自己的眼淚。 我讀著讀著就越發覺得自己應該反省。我們奔赴戰場不是才六個月嗎？但我們早就祈禱能早些歸國。我們每天談得最多的是：什麼時候能回國呀？我們簡直無法想像在戰場上待兩年或三年。遠在故鄉的人們從沒說過類似早點回來的話，而我們卻個個歸心似箭，真是可恥！ 世界大戰（這裡指第一次世界大戰。）持續了兩年，即使到了第二年，希特勒還是不願投降，他寧願選擇戰鬥。而我們已對才六個月的戰爭產生了厭煩情緒，這可不行。我們還得繼續戰鬥。