latelenovela Chapter 205 Massacre
Chapter 205 Massacre
"Sir, why are you taking so long to arrive! The Japanese are beasts! They slaughtered all the people in the city!" The man from upstairs stumbled down and knelt down in front of Xu Bo with a thud.
"Fellow villager! Get up quickly! We in the new army don't kneel or bow." Xu Bo hurriedly reached out to help the villager up.
"Sir! You must avenge all the people of our city! Tens of thousands of people! They've all been slaughtered!" The man knelt on the ground and wailed.
Upon hearing this devastating news, the soldiers' faces changed drastically, and their teeth clenched so tightly they rattled!
"Fuck the Japanese army! I'm going to kill them all!" Xu Bo roared to the sky.
"Halt! Stay alert! I'll report this immediately," the squad leader ordered, taking a deep breath before turning and running back.
News of the massacre quickly reached the Marine Brigade headquarters, and Ao Hong ordered an immediate and thorough investigation.
News kept pouring in from the front, confirming the massacre, and Ao Hong's eyes turned red with rage. He immediately ordered the news to be sent to headquarters.
The telegram was quickly delivered to Shen Lian!
"Fuck those Japanese bastards!" Shen Lian kicked over the table in front of him.
"I should have expected this! Those Japanese are not human, they are beasts! I have wronged them!" Two lines of hot tears dripped from Shen Lian's eyes.
"General! In the battles against the Russian army, the Japanese army in Liaoyang and Fengtian showed relatively restraint and did not commit large-scale massacres of our civilians. Who knew they would be so ruthless in Lushun!"
"Besides, the situation at the time didn't allow us to intervene. Even if we knew, there was nothing we could do to save those people!" a senior advisor advised.
"Yes, Commander, it's not your fault! Don't blame yourself too much!" The officers at headquarters all spoke up to comfort him.
Shen Lian shook his head. Of course he knew about the Lushun Massacre. It was in the history books he had read before.
He originally thought that by sending troops to Northeast China in advance and issuing a stern warning to both Japan and Russia, they would not dare to do such a thing again.
Furthermore, neither Liaoyang nor Fengtian involved large-scale killings of civilians. They simply overlooked the situation in Lushun!
Am I really not responsible at all? No!
I was subconsciously ignoring this place because of the so-called "big picture".
If I had been more assertive back then, would the Japanese army have hesitated to use such lethal force and saved tens of thousands of civilians instead?
When did my heart become so hard? It must have been after I took control of the entire Shandong province!
He thought that now that he had a high position, controlled a province, and trained a powerful army, he was invincible!
Gradually, their gaze turned to the imperial court and then to the foreign powers. They secretly began plotting grand schemes, completely disregarding the common people!
Seeing Shen Lian sitting in the chair with an uncertain expression, all the officers held their breath.
This was a sign that the commander-in-chief was about to lose his temper, and no one dared to make a sound!
"General! The East China Sea Fleet has called again, requesting instructions on the strategy for attacking Lushun!" A staff officer entered, interrupting Shen Lian's thoughts.
"Tell them to capture Lushun as soon as possible, at any cost. Remember to take as many prisoners as possible and invite Western journalists to come and investigate the Lushun Massacre!" Shen Lian wiped away his tears and said after thinking for a moment.
"The military command should immediately dispatch capable personnel to participate in the investigation. Find out which Japanese soldiers participated in the massacre in Lushun! None of these people should be let off the hook in the future."
"The officers who gave the order will not only be executed, but after we land in Japan, I will make sure they have no descendants!" Shen Lian said grimly.
"Yes, Commander!" Shen Dong replied, his feet together. He then turned to look at all the officers.
"What the commander-in-chief just said is top secret! Anyone who dares to spread it will be court-martialed!" Shen Dong said with a gloomy face.
The plan to land in Japan is currently only known to a few high-ranking military officers. Shen Lian just inadvertently let it slip.
If the Japanese had known about this beforehand and had been prepared, who knows how many casualties the New Army would have suffered.
Moreover, once the Western powers learn of this plan, they will inevitably intervene. This would disrupt all of Shen Lian's plans, and the plan might even be aborted.
Wouldn't that mean there would be many more variables in the young master's grand plan? This was what Shen Dong was most worried about.
The senior advisors, aware of the gravity of the situation, readily agreed. They then turned and sternly instructed their subordinates to maintain secrecy.
Shen Lian shook his head! He was still too young and impulsive. He'd blurted out such an important matter after being slightly provoked!
Upon receiving a coded telegram from headquarters, Ao Hong at the front immediately intensified his attack. He also swiftly transported all captured artillery into the city and began a relentless bombardment of the remaining Japanese troops!
On October 4th, the Shandong New Army announced the recapture of Lushun. They also issued a strong condemnation of Japan, accusing the Japanese army of murdering tens of thousands of innocent civilians in Lushun, and invited Western countries to jointly investigate the massacre.
In another telegram, Shen Lian warned the Japanese that if another large-scale massacre of Chinese civilians occurred, the New Army would not take a single Japanese prisoner in battle and would pursue the Japanese for their blood debts after the war.
Shen Lian's telegram caused an uproar in Western countries, who were shocked by the cruelty of the Japanese. In addition to condemning the attack, various countries sent their own personnel to Lushun to participate in the investigation.
"That bastard Yamaji Motoharu! He's back in Japan and he's caused us so much trouble!" Oyama Iwao cursed loudly in the headquarters.
The attack on Lushun was carried out by the 1st Division. The 1st Division suffered heavy casualties during the attack on the Lushun fortress.
After capturing Lushun, the First Division went berserk. In their rage, they turned their aggression towards the city's inhabitants, carrying out a bloody massacre for four days and three nights.
They killed indiscriminately, regardless of age or gender. Twenty to thirty thousand people were killed in the entire city, and only thirty-six people who were responsible for burying the bodies survived.
Upon receiving the news, Oyama Iwao reprimanded Yamaji Motoharu a few times. However, he acknowledged the latter's great contributions and the fact that he was seriously injured.
Oyama Iwao, not wanting to take the blame, instead concealed the matter. He then sent Yamaji Motoharu back to Japan to recuperate as a national hero.
I never expected that the Chinese would still find out about this!
Fortunately, the 1st Division had been almost completely annihilated by the Chinese, and Matsushima Mutomoto, who had just been promoted to lieutenant general and succeeded Yamaji Motoharu as commander, was also captured by the Chinese.
This saved me a lot of trouble!
However, with Lushun occupied by the Chinese, the subsequent battles became even more difficult!
While urging the Japanese navy to quickly engage in battle, destroy the Chinese fleet, and then assist in the recapture of Lushun.
He secretly ordered the First Army and troops stationed in Korea to protect the roads and prepare supplies. If things became unfavorable, he could lead his troops back into Korea to continue the resistance.