The War of Resistance Against Japan: Starting with a Calm View of Life and Death

Helpless, Gao Linyuan could only lead the way and run along the edge of the threshing ground.

The soldiers grumbled and dragged their heavy steps behind Gao Linyuan, running laps around the uneven threshing ground.

The group was sparse and moved slowly; many people were already panting after only a couple of steps.

"Hurry up! Speed ​​things up! Haven't you eaten? You're soldiers! Not old ladies strolling through a temple fair!" Kosuke Ogawa stood on the mound of earth, like a foreman, constantly berating them.

Su Zhan, feigning superiority, shouted, "The Japanese said you're all women in disguise? Run faster!"

The "Japanese soldiers" holding rifles on the walls and rooftops surrounding the threshing ground also started shouting.

"Run!"

"Baka! Run faster!"

"So slow, so incredibly slow!"

Whenever Ogawa Kosuke saw any puppet soldiers slacking off or walking slowly, he would immediately signal to the Japanese soldiers around him.

They immediately rushed over and started punching and kicking the lazy puppet soldiers.

"Ouch!"

"Stop fighting! Run! I'm running!"

The puppet soldiers, wincing in pain from the blows, could only grit their teeth and speed up.

Seeing their companion get beaten, the others dared not blatantly slack off anymore and had to quicken their pace.

One lap, two laps, three laps...

Running is already strenuous, and these puppet troops, who were usually lax in their training and had just arrived after a forced march, were extremely exhausted.

The team completely fell apart after running less than five laps.

They gasped for breath, mouths agape, like fish out of water, their chests heaving violently, sweat streaming down their faces, their legs feeling like they were filled with lead, each step incredibly difficult.

Many people were bent over, supporting themselves on their knees with their hands, panting and unable to speak, and more and more people were falling behind.

Gao Linyuan himself was also out of breath from running, and sweat blurred his vision.

Seeing that Kosuke Ogawa was still standing there, showing no intention of stopping, he cursed the ancestors of these Japanese dwarfs in his heart.

He struggled to the bottom of the mound, panting heavily, and shouted, "Corporal... Corporal Ogawa... I... I really can't run anymore... May I ask... may I ask, sir... how many laps... is enough?"

He now only wants a specific number so that his subordinates have something to look forward to.

Kosuke Ogawa looked down at his disheveled appearance, a subtle, cold smile playing on his lips.

He slowly raised his right hand and extended one index finger.

Upon seeing this, Gao Linyuan's despairing eyes gleamed with a glimmer of hope. He asked incredulously, "Ten...ten laps? No...no problem! Brothers! Just five more laps! Five laps! The commander said that after ten laps..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Kosuke Ogawa's icy voice: "No."

Kosuke Ogawa shook the finger that was still pointing upwards, looked at Gao Linyuan with an expression that said, "Ten laps? Do you think this is a game? What I mean is—"

He paused deliberately, observing the expressions on Gao Linyuan's and the nearby puppet soldiers who were listening intently, before clearly uttering the three words Zhou Jindong had instructed him to say:

Keep running!

"Wh...what?" Gao Linyuan was struck dumb, his vision went black, and he almost collapsed to the ground. "...Keep running?"

"Keep running?"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding puppet troops erupted in a chorus of disappointed wails.

"Damn those Japanese devils! I quit!"

"I might as well run myself to death!"

"This is so unfair!"

"Damn it, those Japanese devils don't treat us like human beings!"

Gao Linyuan's vision went black, his ears were ringing, and the hot air in his chest almost made him faint.

He opened his mouth wide, and after a long pause, he managed to squeeze out a voice: "Tai... Taijun... the brothers... really... can't hold on any longer!"

"Can't hold on?" Ogawa Kosuke stood atop the mound, looking down at the dark mass of fallen puppet soldiers below. A muscle twitched on his face, an expression that was hard to decipher—it was hard to tell if it was mockery or ferocity. "Run! Run even if you die! This is your punishment for negligence! Anyone who stops will be court-martialed!"

He drew his Nambu pistol from his waist with a "whoosh," pointed the muzzle upwards, and slammed his thumb down on the hammer, making a crisp "click."

"Run!" Su Zhan shouted, trying to intimidate the enemy. "The Japanese officer said we have to run, even if we die! Anyone who stops will get shot!"

Meanwhile, the surrounding Japanese soldiers also pointed their guns at the group of puppet troops.

"Run! Are we just waiting to die if we don't run?!"

"Those damn Japanese devils! They're treating us like livestock!"

"Fuck your mother's ass..."

The parade ground was filled with wails and curses as the puppet soldiers, forced by gun barrels, dragged their leaden legs forward in despair.

Some people were running when they suddenly collapsed onto the snowy mud, panting heavily, and never wanted to get up again.

Immediately, "Japanese soldiers" carrying rifles rushed up and, without saying a word, slammed their rifle butts down hard.

"Ouch!"

"Stop hitting me! Grandpa...Grandpa...Run...I'm running..."

The puppet troops, who had been beaten, howled and struggled to their feet, continuing to move unsteadily.

Gao Linyuan felt as if his lungs were on fire.

He looked at his soldiers, who were usually somewhat decent-looking, now collapsing like rag dolls, getting up, taking a few steps, and collapsing again...

A wave of despair, a mixture of anger, humiliation, and profound helplessness, washed over me.

Fuck!

Before the Japanese came, they were bullied!

After the Japanese came, we were still bullied!

The Japanese didn't come for nothing!

He hated the Japanese, but he hated himself even more for being spineless!

But looking at the dark gun muzzles on the surrounding walls and rooftops, especially the Type 96 machine gun with its notch, he didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

Run! You have no choice but to run!

Even if we fall apart, we have to keep running!

Time passed slowly, and the light grew increasingly dim.

The cold wind whipped up the snowflakes on the ground, stinging my face.

The puppet troops completely collapsed; the cursing stopped, and only heavy, labored breathing remained.

One by one, like felled wheat, they collapsed on the muddy ground, unable to get up no matter how much they were whipped and kicked.

More than a hundred people lay sprawled on the vast threshing ground, their chests heaving violently, too weak even to lift their hands.

Just then, Zhou Jindong, who had been standing in the shadow of the town hall's porch, nodded to Ogawa Kosuke on the mound of earth.

Kosuke Ogawa saw the signal, took a deep breath, and felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

This was the first time he had worked for the ruthless Zhou Jun, and he dared not be negligent!

He shouted at the top of his lungs toward the puppet soldiers lying paralyzed on the ground: "Assemble! All of you! Assemble! Back to where you were—assemble!"

The puppet soldiers, lying lifeless on the ground, saw a glimmer of light in their numb eyes upon hearing the order to "assemble," as if they had found relief.

They struggled, wriggled, and supported each other, using their last bit of strength to try to stand up and gather in the open space in front of the mound of earth.

The team was crooked and disorganized; it lacked even basic formation, let alone any semblance of grandeur.

Gao Linyuan was also supported by two orderly soldiers who could barely stand, and he stumbled to the front of the line.

His cheeks were swollen, there was blood at the corner of his mouth, his eyes were unfocused, and he looked completely different.

"Stand up straight! All of you... all of you stand up straight! Listen... listen to the beast... listen to the commander's instructions!"

Gao Linyuan weakly reprimanded his soldiers, fearing that if he wasn't careful, the Japanese commander in front of him would change his mind again.

He looked up, trying to make out Ogawa Kosuke's face on the mound of earth, and cursed the Japanese ancestors for generations in his mind.

That damn traitor, even a dog wouldn't stand for him!

But it's finally over.

It should be over by now... right?