Siheyuan: Hang Jia Dongxu, smash Banggeng to death!

When the news reached Chiang Kai-shek's official residence in Nanjing, Chiang was having breakfast.

An attendant brought him a newspaper, which he took and glanced at, his brow furrowing.

He put down his porridge, picked up the newspaper, and read it from beginning to end, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"Chairman, the Chinese Independent Brigade has really made a name for itself this time, and the whole country is praising them."

The students marched in the streets chanting "Long live the Chinese Independence Brigade," not "Long live Chairman Chiang Kai-shek."

Chen Cheng stood to the side and spoke cautiously.

Chiang Kai-shek put down his newspaper and lit a cigarette.

"The liberation of Heilongjiang Province was indeed a great achievement, that's a fact. It was won by others, and their merits are there for all to see; no one can erase them."

He took a drag of his cigarette. "But the problem is, this unit doesn't belong to us, it doesn't belong to Yan'an, it doesn't belong to any force, and it doesn't accept the offer of amnesty."

Whose people are they?

Where did it come from?

What do you want to do?

We know nothing about it.

All we know for now is that they were anti-Japanese armed forces, but what happened next?

"How can I feel at ease with an uncontrollable force that possesses weapons a hundred times more advanced than ours?"

Chen Cheng was silent for a moment, then said, "Chairman, how about we send someone else to make contact? Maybe we can win them over."

"Win them over? With what means?"

Chiang Kai-shek flicked his cigarette ash. "Money? They have it. Territory? They've taken over Shanghai. Men? They have eight thousand elite troops, well-equipped."

Weapons? According to expert assessments, their weapons are at least a hundred years more advanced than ours. What do we have to offer them?

Chen Cheng was speechless.

Chiang Kai-shek said in a deep voice, "Send a telegram to Dai Li, instructing him to send more men and make sure to find out the details of the China Independent Brigade."

I need to know the commander's true identity, the source of his equipment, and whether he has any other forces supporting him. I need to know everything.

The attendant responded and left.

Old Jiang stood alone by the window, smoking and looking at the hazy sky in the distance.

The sunlight outside the window was dazzling, but he couldn't feel any warmth.

The Chinese Independent Brigade was like a thorn stuck in his throat, something he couldn't swallow or spit out.

He feared that this unit would stay in Northeast China after defeating the Japanese.

They were also afraid that they would cooperate with Yan'an and side with them.

What I fear even more is that they will become warlords themselves and establish their own independent regimes.

Neither outcome is what he wants to see.

The atmosphere inside the cave dwellings in Yan'an was lively.

The boss, with a pipe dangling from his lips, was beaming with delight.

"Good! Heilongjiang Province has been liberated!"

"The Japanese devils have been driven out! That's great!"

The chief of staff smiled and nodded, handing over a telegram that said Commander Lin of the Huaxia Independent Brigade had called to express his willingness to continue cooperation in jointly recovering Northeast China.

The boss took the telegram, read it several times, and repeatedly said it was good.

"Boss, shouldn't we send someone to make contact and show our sincerity?" someone suggested.

"certainly."

The boss knocked off his cigarette ash and said, "Tell Commander Lin that Yan'an welcomes them, no matter what their background is."

"As long as they are truly committed to resisting Japan, they are our friends. We welcome friends with good wine, but we will meet wolves with hunting rifles."

Everyone laughed.

The boss said calmly, "The Northeast has been liberated. The next step is North China, and then the whole country. The Japanese devils won't be able to keep up for long."

The news also reached Tokyo, Japan.

The atmosphere in the military was completely different—oppressive, deathly oppressive.

Hideki Tojo sat at the conference table, with battle reports spread out in front of him. The entire army of the Black Province had been wiped out, the major general had committed suicide, the lieutenant general had gone missing, and the colonel had been killed in battle.

Every battle report was like a slap in the face.

"Baka yarou!"

He slammed his fist on the table. "Heilongjiang Province is lost, Jilin Province is lost too, and more than half of the hundreds of thousands of Kwantung Army soldiers have been killed or wounded. The face of the Empire has been trampled into the ground!"

No one dared to speak.

The cabinet ministers kept their heads down and remained silent.

"What do we do now? Can Liaoning Province still be defended?"

Hideki Tojo's gaze swept over everyone present.

Lu Xiang lowered his head, his voice hoarse, "Your Excellency, the troops in Liao Province are still putting up a fierce resistance, but they are short of manpower, lack of ammunition, and their morale is low. I'm afraid they won't be able to hold out for much longer."

"Then send reinforcements!"

"But Your Excellency, there are no spare troops left in the country. Most of the troops are tied up in other battlefields and we cannot spare any more manpower."

Hideki Tojo remained silent.

If we can't spare the manpower, are we just going to watch Liaoning Province fall as well?

"There's another way."

Lu Xiang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Recruit child soldiers and send those twelve or thirteen-year-old children to the battlefield."

There was a moment of silence in the conference room.

Hideki Tojo gritted his teeth.

"Conquer! No matter how big, as long as they can hold a gun, it's fine. The empire is at a critical juncture of life and death, we can't afford to be picky anymore."

No one objected, no one agreed; everyone remained silent.

The news caused an uproar in Japan.

On the streets of Tokyo, mothers wept while holding photos of their sons; in schools, teachers read out conscription notices, and students turned pale.

In the factory, the workers were talking amongst themselves. Some said the empire was doomed, while others said this was the last hurrah.

The government sent people to the streets to spread propaganda, advocating "one hundred million people dying for the Emperor," saying it was to be loyal to His Majesty the Emperor.

But ordinary people aren't stupid; they know that sending their children to the battlefield is tantamount to sending them to their deaths.

A mother knelt at the entrance of the conscription station, crying and begging them to spare her twelve-year-old son.

Her son was dragged out of the house by two military police officers; she was still wearing her school uniform and carrying her schoolbag.

The mother lunged forward and grabbed her son's legs, refusing to let go. The military police kicked her away and dragged her son onto the truck.

She lay on the ground and wailed, while the people around her turned their faces away, unable to bear to watch.

There were long lines at the recruitment station, filled with children who still looked very young.

Some were still wearing school uniforms, some were wearing work clothes, and some were barefoot, unable to afford shoes.

Some were afraid, some were bewildered, some were numb, and some were even excited, thinking they were going to make contributions to the empire.

They didn't know that death awaited them.

A thirteen-year-old boy stood in line, holding a copy of "Bushido" in his hand, reading it as he waited.

The child in front of him turned around and asked, "Aren't you scared?"

The boy closed the book and raised his head: "What's there to be afraid of? It is my honor to serve His Majesty the Emperor."

The child then asked, "Have you ever killed anyone?"

The boy shook his head, but straightened his chest: "I'll be killed on the battlefield."

The child stopped asking questions and looked down at his shoes with holes.

His family was poor and he couldn't afford to go to school. He didn't want to die; he wanted to go home and see his mother.

But there's no going back.

Inside the barracks, new recruits are undergoing grueling training.

The instructors used wooden sticks to hit the children whose movements were not up to standard.

A thirteen-year-old boy was beaten black and blue, lying on the ground unable to get up. The instructor kicked him twice and called him a coward and a disgrace to the empire.

The child struggled to get up, tears welling up in his eyes, but he forced them back.

"Stop crying!"

The drill instructor roared, "You are soldiers of the Empire, not women!"

The children gritted their teeth and continued training, but their hearts were filled with thoughts of home.

That night, suppressed sobs could be heard coming from the dormitory.

A child huddled under the covers, whispering for his mother.

The child next to him patted him and said, "Don't cry, go to sleep. You have training tomorrow."

The child stopped crying, but tears were still flowing. He missed his mother, his father, and his sister, but he could never go back.

……