Mei Ting's Diary Excerpt (10)
Republic of China 26 years December 27 Friday weather: ***
After fleeing from Nanjing, we wandered around and finally arrived in Chongqing. The military institutions of the National Government are still mainly concentrated in Wuhan, but our Central News Agency has moved to Chongqing, although there is a branch office in Wuhan. When I returned to the agency, our director was stunned, as he had thought I was dead. After all, the war situation in Nanjing was chaotic, and it was almost impossible to get out of there alive. But what he never expected was that I not only survived but also brought back important information from the battlefield. Based on my drafts and memories, I started writing articles, while Lin Wanchang developed his precious photos. It took me three days to write about the half-month-long war situation in Nanjing, which was published in a special edition of our newspaper on December 3rd, 1937. On that day, our newspaper sales were extremely good, and it was sold out within half a day. Our agency immediately reprinted the paper. The true reports of the Nanjing resistance let the people know that our army fought bravely to the death in Nanjing. At the same time, I also revealed the news of the defeat of the Nanjing garrison on the newspaper. Unexpectedly, the director did not censor these reports but instead made them public. Of course, some unfavorable information, such as the 36th Division abandoning their allies and burning ships to prevent friendly forces from crossing the river, was cut out during the review process. Although I felt a bit resentful, I also knew that it was not easy to reveal messages that were detrimental to military unity.
In the article, I gave a large space to the 77th Army. Based on what I saw and heard during those days, I fully presented the story of the 77th Army's resistance war in Nanjing. I want everyone to know that defending Nanjing was not something the 77th Army had to bear, but for the military and civilians of Nanjing, for the safety of the common people, the 77th Army bravely fought from Central Plains to Nanjing, engaging in a life-and-death struggle with Japan's elite troops in Nanjing. I want everyone to know that the 77th Army is truly an iron army!
These days, I also know some situations after I left Nanjing. I heard that the defense of Nanjing was very hard, and Nanjing city was finally broken through. The uncle of the Japanese Emperor, Prince Asaka Yasuhiko, was killed, which made the Japanese Emperor extremely angry. He sent several more divisions to join the battle in Nanjing, turning the whole city into a purgatory. I heard that around mid-month, Liu Zhenfeng chose to break through the siege, but the Japanese army of nearly 300,000 surrounded him. Can the tens of thousands of soldiers from the 77th Army safely retreat from Nanjing? I'm really worried. According to the news, since the 77th Army started breaking through, there has been no news about them. I'm so anxious that I'm going crazy! Liu Zhenfeng's life or death is unknown, and the Japanese army is too powerful. I'm so worried, so worried! Because of this, I've been losing sleep every night, crying every night. I'm really afraid to hear the news that Liu Zhenfeng died in battle, really afraid!
After arriving in Chongqing, I couldn't find my parents. Since Suzhou fell, I lost contact with them. Now I'm living at a university classmate's home, and their family is treating me very well. I'm really happy. It was the comfort of friends that gradually calmed down my anxious mood. In my heart, I silently wished for Liu Zhenfeng to safely break through the siege. The Iron Blood Corps would never fall so easily.
Republic of China 26 years December 28 Saturday Weather: ***
Today, I and Qian Shanshan arrived at Fudan University's Chongqing campus. Our old principal specially held a class reunion for us. In the classroom, I met Xu Tangfei and Zhang Fuming. It was exciting to see old classmates again, and we started chatting together. However, Zhou Junsheng, that annoying guy, brought a National Army brigade commander to show off in front of us. I couldn't stand his behavior. The brigade commander from the 36th Division boasted about avenging everyone in front of everyone, which wasn't a big deal, but he actually slandered the Iron-Blooded 77th Military Unit. This was something I absolutely could not tolerate. The bravery and heroism of the 77th Military Unit were far beyond what his 36th Division could compare to. So, I strongly refuted him. Heh heh, that brigade commander later left with a very ungeneral-like attitude, ha ha. It's really unbelievable that someone like him could become a brigade commander; it's truly a case of "no heroes in the army".
Later, I was talking with Xu Tangfei and Zhang Fuming, and we decided to join the army and serve our country. I really wanted to join the army and serve my country, to go to the battlefield and fight a decisive battle against the enemy, it's what our generation of young people should do, for the country, even if we die, there will be no regret...
