Chapter Seventeen Let Anger Burn Away Tears

  Mei Huan-yu waved his hand and pointed at several villagers who were shouting the loudest. He waved his hand again, and several puppet soldiers went over to drag them out. A few puppet soldiers who had not taken action were forced to stab their bayonets into the villagers' bodies. Some puppet soldiers cried out hysterically as they stabbed their bayonets in repeatedly, pulling them out and stabbing again. When one of them was splattered with blood all over his body, a nearby puppet army lieutenant went over and slapped him on the ear, only then did he stop.

  Mei Huan-yu looked at the villagers, thinking silently: "Don't blame me either, I have no choice, the Japanese are forcing me, if I don't do it, I won't be able to save myself." She gritted her teeth and pulled out some more villagers. The villagers hugged each other tightly, unwilling to be separated. But soon they were pulled apart anyway.

  Yamamoto Kamejiro was still too slow, so he called the interpreter, Kasho, to inform Mae Hyun-ok: "The Taegun orders you to kill all the men in the village and bring back a few pretty flower girls."

  Mei Huan-yu blinked her eyes and nodded reluctantly, this group of rabbits was really vicious. To think that this was still Mei Huan-yu's first time being impressed by the Japanese to the point of wanting to scold people. If they killed all the men, there would be no way for the village to take revenge, so they left the women and old people behind. Their own actions could then be spread throughout the countryside from their mouths, at that time who knows how many people would want to bite themselves to death, probably even cutting off their own retreat. At that time, even if they said they were forced into it, there would be no way to make people believe them. This was really a great calamity, killing a few people and slaughtering the village were completely different. The thing that Chinese people feared most was being cut off from having children, now she herself was going to do this with her own hands.

  "Enough, I'll do it once and for all. If the Japanese don't win, I'm afraid I can only jump into the Yellow River myself." Mei Huan-yu gritted his teeth and shouted at several puppet army leaders.

  "What are you all doing here, hurry up and follow the imperial army's orders. Whoever dares to be deceitful, be careful not to lose your head, think carefully for yourself. Everyone get to work, damn it, do I have to do it myself?" Mei Huan-yu yelled.

  Several pseudo-military leaders looked at each other, killing one was also killing, killing a hundred was also killing, and no one was cleaner than anyone else who had blood on their hands. Damn it, I'm going all out today, if you don't die, I'll die, so let's just have you die instead. At this point, several pseudo-military platoon leaders took the lead in thrusting bayonets into the villagers' bodies. In an instant, blood flowed like a river, wails and curses echoed through the sky.

  "Son, run quickly, the devils have laid their evil hands! Son..."

  "Son of a bitch, let go! Today we must fight to the end, the devils won't spare us... Ahhh..."

  "Hey kid, wake up..."

  "My poor child, you were killed by those traitorous dogs too. You were only 8 years old... How can your mother go on living..."

  "Run quickly, Zhù er, you run quickly..."

  The warm sunshine in the sky, but today the villagers of Lige Village still feel a chill all over their bodies. Heaven! Are you watching with your eyes open? The common people have never provoked anyone, so why haven't those beasts been struck by lightning? In an instant, a whole village was left with only widows, from three-year-old children to seventy-year-old old men, all the men died unjustly.

  The wind howls, people scream, but the vast sky remains silent.

  On the second day, the same thing happened again in Jiqiahezi. The area around Tongcheng was filled with terror, and everyone was in a state of panic. The name "Huang Jun" and "Mei Huan Yu" spread throughout the land in just one day.

  Kuai Shi Village, in Yan Xi Wu's home, several self-defense team cadres and some respected villagers gathered together.

  Everyone was silent, the atmosphere getting heavier and heavier. Just as it was about to erupt, Yan Xi Wu spoke up: "This matter absolutely cannot be settled like this. As long as the devils are on our land, who knows when they'll fall onto our own heads? Blood debts must be repaid with blood. I propose that we hold a village-wide meeting to inform everyone and get their support; also, I think we should establish an Anti-War Alliance Union to handle political mobilization and logistical support work."

  Others nodded one after another, and everyone went their separate ways from the venue.

  More than 3,000 people from the whole village of Kuoshi and some surrounding villages attended, except for those on duty as sentries. The meeting was held in a flat area not far from the entrance to the village.

  "Fellow villagers, you may have already heard about what happened a few days ago. In Li's village of 700 people, more than 500 were killed by the devils, and some girls and daughters-in-law were taken away. Seasonal River with 900 people is now left with only 100. All this was done by the devils and puppet troops. There are a few women here who escaped from there, they are our mountain people's married-out daughters-in-law, but now their homes have been destroyed by the devils, their sons and husbands were killed by the devils. 1300 people! These people were all honest farmers, they would never think that they would be killed by others in their lifetime. What did they do wrong? Nothing at all, those little devils just killed them. We mountain people can't tolerate bullying, but today our sons-in-law were killed, our fellow villagers outside the mountain suffered, can we just sit back and watch? If so, are we still considered mountain people?" Yan Xi Wu roared in anger.

  "We can't let them die in vain, we must avenge their deaths...!!" The crowd of villagers at the foot of the mountain was furious and indignant.

  "Good, we absolutely cannot let them die in vain. For their sake and for our own, we must avenge their deaths with blood, and not rest until the devils are driven out of our country." Yan Xiu shouted, shaking his fist.

  Several widows from Lijiazhuang village wept and wailed by the side of the stage. Yan Xiawu shouted: "Shut up, now is not the time to cry, wait until we avenge them and drive the devils out of our country, then you can cry your heart out! Now swallow back your tears for me!"

  Yan Xi Wu continued: "Now I declare, the official establishment of the Anti-War Alliance Union! To avenge the dead and to drive out the devils, please everyone contribute money if you have it, contribute strength if you have it, let the devils see the ferocity of our mountain people!"

  "Down with Japanese devils! Drive the devils out! Blood debts must be repaid in blood!" The crowd below responded in unison, their emotions stirred up.

  "Down with Japanese devils!"

  "Drive out the devils! .................."

  "Blood debt must be repaid with blood!!!"

  The emotions of the mountain people reached a boiling point, and they shouted in unison with Yan Jufan's slogan, louder and more rhythmic. The shouting voice rushed out of the valley, echoing in the 800-mile Lianyun Mountain. From this day on, the anti-Japanese beacon was officially lit in Pailou Village, spreading to three towns and five towns in a few days. People ran to inform each other, and passionate young people gathered here. This day was later designated as Army Building Day.

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