Chapter 4: Brewing Evil

  In mid-March 1943, although the air was still filled with a faint smell of gunpowder, the appearance of spring presented itself to people. The vast expanse of green on the Jiangnan land was intoxicating. The willow trees' newly sprouted green leaves and branches swayed gently in the spring breeze, their slender figures undulating like ripples on the water. On the embankment, the lush grass swayed in the gentle wind like the river itself. In the distance, a water buffalo lazily chewed on tender grass, occasionally stretching its neck to bellow. The waves lapped gently against the embankment, producing soft sounds.

  Standing on the embankment against the morning wind by the river, Kosuke Yokoyama and his chief of staff, Ichiro Shima, didn't speak a word, gazing out at the Yangtze River in front of them. Kosuke Yokoyama looked to be over 50 years old, with an average build, slender and lean, wearing a military uniform that suited him well, exuding a strong military presence. Through his thick glasses, his eyes revealed a deep wisdom and stability, but his face looked somewhat tired.

  He planned and launched the "Jiangbei Annihilation Campaign" at the beginning of his tenure, achieving a significant victory that caused a stir both domestically and internationally. As soon as the campaign ended, he began to plan for the "Jiangnan Annihilation Campaign". Today, he summoned the island's leaders not to admire the scenery of the Yangtze River, but to solicit their opinions and ideas. After the Jiangbei battle, he ordered the island's military leaders to draft a plan within a month to attack the Nationalist 73rd and 44th armies on the south bank of the Yangtze River, with the goal of opening up the Yangtze River waterway from Yichang to Wuhan, annihilating the Nationalist army's effective forces, forcing the Nationalist government in Chongqing to surrender, and turning the tide of the war for the Japanese Empire in China.

  Yokoyama Isamu was eager to fight the National Army because he had not participated in any significant battles during his time in the Kwantung Army. This "Jiangbei Annihilation War" made him truly triumphant, occupying many strategic locations and gaining recognition from his superiors, which also stabilized his position within the army. However, he knew that occupying Yueyang and Huarong did not mean it was over yet. Sun Lianzhong's troops were right in front of him, although it was a good opportunity for a decisive battle, but he couldn't rashly engage with Sun, as his own strength and the enemy's strength differed greatly, and it would be impossible to have another battle like Jiangbei and get reinforcements from above. Troubled by this, he had to come up with a comprehensive plan.

  Yokoyama Isamu repeatedly inquired about the island.

  The island was also urgent. On the evening of receiving the order, he studied the feasibility of this battle with the staff in the combat room, drafted a preliminary combat plan, and repeatedly modified it around the combat sand table. The island handed over the plan book to Yokoyama Isamu's hands. Yokoyama Isamu carefully read it for an evening, considering it for an evening, decided to submit the plan book to the General Headquarters. The General Headquarters did not agree after reading it, he was very worried, and this period of time became a heart disease.

  Although the plan was not approved for implementation, Yokoyama Isamu still felt a sense of fulfillment in his heart, after all, he let his superiors know that he had not been idle and eating dry food. He was unwilling to give up at this point, and from time to time urged the staff department's plan book to be revised as soon as possible and resubmitted to the headquarters in Nanjing. He is a professional soldier, and since joining the army, he must have the temperament of a soldier, the style of a soldier, and the courage of a soldier. He must complete the historical mission of a soldier's life, fighting for the country, fighting for the Emperor, and also fighting for honor.

  But recently, he had no time to fully consider this matter. The war in China has entered a stalemate stage. In the city where he was stationed, there were often big and small battles that made him dizzy, and the military police were powerless. They caught a few anti-Japanese elements, demonstrated them to the public, killed them, and hung their heads on the city wall, but they still received some retaliation from anti-Japanese organizations, such as the Nationalist Party's elimination of traitors group, the Communist Party's political propaganda activities, and strikes, which made him rack his brains. Especially in the Henan-Hubei area, Li Xiannian's troops were very active, and Chen Yi's New Fourth Army was constantly harassing and disrupting the enemy's rear, while the Communist guerrilla forces in the city attacked and destroyed the Imperial Japanese Army, making him extremely anxious.

  Standing on the dike in Jiangbei, facing the strong wind from the river, looking at the beautiful south bank across the river, separated by a river, Hengshan Yong hated that he couldn't fly over and firmly control the beautiful land of Jiangnan in his own hands. However, even if he had the heart to grow a pair of wings, it would be difficult to do so, as the Nationalist army was too strong, and he did not want to attack with eggs against rocks, and could only hope that the plan for fighting in Jiangnan would soon be approved by the headquarters.

  Soldiers are soldiers, and they must fulfill their mission. Yokoyama Isamu clearly and simply used his limited troops to fight against the Nationalist Army's field army units on the south bank of Jingjiang River, but the enemy's forces were several times stronger than his own. Since entering China, the Imperial Army had suffered heavy losses, and it was absolutely impossible to request reinforcements from headquarters. The Japanese army had already deployed too many troops in the Huazhong, Huabei, Myanmar, and Singapore theaters, and could not ask for more combat troops. Moreover, since the Battle of Wuhan, the entire Chinese battlefield had entered a stalemate phase, and there was no sufficient reason to launch such an operation, nor was there sufficient force to make it possible. The "Jiangbei Annihilation War" was Yokoyama Isamu's first use of the tactic of using an ox knife to kill a chicken, or a lion to bind a rabbit, to annihilate Wang Jiyuan's 128th Division. After this battle, he did not want to wait for the enemy to make a move, but instead wanted to take advantage of the momentum to wipe out all the Nationalist Army forces on the south bank of the Yangtze River, and in his own words, "fight all the way to Chongqing" and capture Chiang Kai-shek alive. This was what he most wanted to do, and he thought it would be a great thing. If successful, he would receive the Emperor's favor and reward, and become a hero of the Great Japanese Empire.

  His tightly furrowed eyebrows began to relax as he said to Dao Island, "Return to the command center. Wait a moment, let Xi Island come too."

  "Western Island?" The islanders were puzzled as to why it was called Western Island.

  "Yes." Yokoyama Yuu said as he walked towards the parked car.

  The father of Nishijima was a classmate of Yokoyama Yu, and they attended the Army Academy together. After graduating and getting assigned to different jobs, they got married. One day, they went to the beach together and met a Russian woman. Nishijima's father was captivated by her beauty, and they hit it off immediately. Later, Nishijima's father began secretly meeting with the girl frequently, but Yokoyama Yu expressed his concerns to him, which he ignored. As time passed, the two became inseparable. However, the girl eventually returned to her country. After an investigation by the relevant authorities, it was discovered that she was a spy who had been gathering intelligence on Japan's military. Nishijima's father was arrested, but fortunately, nothing major happened, and Yokoyama Yu managed to bail him out through various means. Although Nishijima's mother forgave him, Nishijima's father still felt ashamed, humiliated, and guilty, unable to forgive himself. He went to the beach where he had met the girl and committed seppuku. Unbeknownst to him, his wife was a strong-willed woman who, upon hearing the news, jumped into the sea, leaving Nishijima behind.

  Yokoyama Isamu took in Nishijima and raised him at his home, gradually growing up. In order not to leave a shadow in Nishijima's heart, Yokoyama Isamu never told him the truth, fearing that he could not withstand the stimulation. However, what Nishijima heard from others was that Chinese people killed his parents. From then on, Nishijima was filled with hatred for Chinese people and vowed to avenge his parents. Later, after Nishijima grew up, Yokoyama Isamu sent him to study at the Japanese Army Academy, taking care of him in life and guiding him in military affairs. After graduating, Nishijima refused Yokoyama Isamu's invitation to stay, saying that he had not yet been baptized by war and could not enjoy such treatment. A soldier's duty was on the battlefield filled with men's blood and gunpowder smoke, not in a greenhouse. Besides, he wanted to avenge his parents. He went to the Central China battlefield. When Yokoyama Isamu took over as the commander of the 11th Army, he decided to name Nishijima.

  Each division commander came one after another, and Kōki Hirota invited them to sit down. With a stern expression, he looked around at them: "Everyone, you've worked hard. The annihilation battle in Jiangbei achieved a brilliant victory, and the General Headquarters has decided to reward you." He then said: "However, we can't rest yet, and the war situation won't allow us to rest either. We must follow the will of the Japanese Emperor and complete the mission of establishing the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere in China for the Great Japanese Empire. Everyone, our task is still quite severe." A few days ago, the General Staff drafted a plan for operations in the Jiangnan region, but it was not approved. What does this explain? Ah, I know, and you also know. This is called immaturity.

  Several staff officers, including Shima, bowed their heads. Yokoyama looked at Shima and asked, "Has Nishijima arrived?" Just as Shima was about to speak, a loud voice from outside the door said, "Reporting." Yokoyama nodded for the young, handsome, and elegant Nishijima to take a seat, then turned to Shima and said, "Chief of Staff, you may proceed."

  He stood up from his seat and came to a military map: "You see, this war zone is the garrison of Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Party's 6th War Zone, 73rd Army, commanded by Sun Lianzhong. In Huarong, they are stationed with their temporary 5th Division, Anxiang is the 15th Division, Nanzhou is the 77th Division, and here on Chishan Island, a division of the 44th Army is garrisoned, with a force ten times that of mine. There is also an artillery battalion stationed here."

  At this time, a general suddenly stood up: "What's there to be afraid of? They are a bunch of cowards. Just give the order and I'll take the lead."

  The islanders listened to his interjection, swept their eyes across the faces of others, cleared their throats and continued: "Yes, the Chinese army is just a mob, with equipment not as good as ours, incomparable to the great imperial army's weapons. But there is one thing, if we attack Jiangnan, how will we conduct this battle? We still need to ask everyone to contribute their efforts and strategies to serve the Emperor. General, do you have anything else to say?"

  Yokoyama Yu said: "Nothing more to say. Please trouble everyone to go back and think about it."

  The officers stood up collectively and left one after another.

  Yokoyama Yu called out to Nishijima. He looked at Nishijima as if he had already left, and gazing at the young Nishijima in front of him, Yokoyama smiled and said: "Nishijima-kun, how are you? What do you think?"

  "General, I shouldn't have come here for such an important meeting, a student is not worthy." Xī Dǎo said with a humble face.

  "Your father is my good friend, after all, you and I are still alumni. What's the big deal? Here, I'm in charge, why can't I want you to come? Besides, I was just thinking of training you, Nishijima-kun. Work hard, your future is bright."

  "Thank you, General," said Xī Dǎo with a sincere salute.

  "If this time we can attack the enemy in Jiangnan area, how will you fight? Tell me." Hengshan Yong said to him with affection.

  "General, I think the enemy's forces are several times stronger than ours. We can't just rely on land attacks; we also need to have a necessary waterway pincer attack."

  "By water?" Yokoyama Yuu asked lightly.

  "Yes." He pointed to the sand table on the desk and said: "You see, the terrain here is hilly, with some places surrounded by water on three sides and only one side inland. If we want to annihilate the 73rd Army of the Nationalist Party and win a victory, prevent them from escaping by waterway, we must cut off their rear route, form an encirclement situation on the water surface, and fully exploit the advantages of our assault boats."

  "You should know that the plan I proposed to the chief of staff last time was not approved, because they won't send troops to us. The situation in North China and Central China is complicated and unfavorable to us. We are facing over 5 million troops from Chiang Kai-shek, and they won't let us make unnecessary sacrifices. I don't want to give up like this. As a soldier of the Great Japanese Empire, it's hard for me to be without war. Jiangnan has always been known as a land of fish and rice, with its beautiful scenery of small bridges, flowing water, and houses, which is a picture-perfect scene in all four seasons. This is something our island nation cannot compare to."

  "General, what's the big deal? As long as we work together and eliminate the Nationalist Party's regular army, those irregular troops and the ineffectual New Fourth Army will not be able to match our great Imperial Japanese Army. At that time, concentrating our forces to deal with these mud-legged soldiers will be like taking something from a pocket, won't China be under our control?"

  General Yokoyama gazed at him for several seconds, then came to the window: "Mr. Nishijima, I appreciate your ambition and courage, but you should know that what we actually need to do is not just verbal, nor is it military power in words, but rather military power in action to strangle China's will to resist."

  Before Xi Dao could speak, he changed his tone and asked Xi Dao: "You have been in China for two years now, right?"

  "Yes." Nishijima straightened his back.

  "Has Sakura arrived? Is she okay?"

  "Alright, thank you for your concern, General."

  "When are you planning to get married?"

  "The war isn't over yet, so I don't want to think about it." Nishijima was a bit perplexed, he wasn't sure why Yokoyama Yuu would ask such a question.

  "Alright, after the war is over, I'll be waiting to attend your wedding." Yokoyama Yuu patted Nishijima's shoulder and said: "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. You have one day to come up with a plan. This is your chance to serve the Emperor and achieve meritorious deeds. Go back now."

  The sun in the west slowly approached the river, merging with the water. Although today's sun was big, several days ago a heavy rain had fallen and the road was still muddy. Xi Dao sat in the carriage, grasping his sword, his expression solemn, from his tightly closed eyes it could be seen that he was thinking about General's words just now.

  With a creak, the carriage suddenly came to a stop. Xī Dǎo opened his eyes to see that in front of them, a flatbed cart loaded with goods was stuck in the middle of the road. A fat man was struggling to pull it, but one wheel was firmly stuck in a deep rut. An old man was pushing from behind. Seeing this, Xī Dǎo became enraged: "Damn it!" He jumped out of the carriage and rushed forward, swinging his sword at the old man. The old man let out a blood-curdling scream as he fell into the mud, then rolled down the embankment into a patch of water, where he lay motionless. Blood stained the green grass on the embankment red, and also dyed the patch of water red. The fat man seemed to have been frightened stupid, sitting on the ground for half a day without saying a word, staring blankly at his father below.

  "Hmph." Xī Dǎo cursed in a low voice. He wiped his military knife clean on the cargo of the cart and sheathed it with a crisp motion, then ordered the soldiers to drag the fat man onto the vehicle. Xī Dǎo returned to the motorcycle, pointing lightly forward with one hand, and the vehicle continued onward, soon disappearing into the distance at the end of the embankment.

  After locking the fat child in a room, at this time, the sun on the river surface had melted into the river water, leaving only a layer of reddish clouds floating above the water surface, intoxicating people's minds. This scenery made Xi Island seem to see the cherry blossoms of his hometown, and also reminded him of the beautiful and touching Sakurako who made his heart float.

  Sakura heard the sound of a motorcycle at the entrance and got up to welcome Nishijima at the door.

  Xī dǎo jìn mén, méi yǒu duō huà, bǎ yīng zǐ bào zài huái lǐ, jí cù de jǐn jǐn de jiāng zuǐ yā xiàng yīng zǐ de yīng táo zuǐ shàng, jìn qíng xiǎng shòu yīng zǐ de wàn zhǒng róu qíng……

  He said to the charming Sakura, "Sakura, how many days have you been here? I haven't accompanied you well. Shall we go out for a walk and see the beautiful Yangtze River?"

  Arriving at the embankment, he gazed at the nearby moored boats and the few white sails in the distance. The general seemed to be deep in thought, saying, "Isn't it that we are currently worried about not being able to find a reason to increase our troops?" Ships! Ships! Aren't the ships on the river exactly what we need as a reason? He hugged Sakura and said: "Let's go back, the wind by the river is too cold."

  The sunset shines on the Yangtze River, with sparkling waves. The evening breeze blows gently on my face, feeling so comfortable. A night in Jiangnan is approaching soon.

  Returning to his residence, Xi Dao didn't have time to eat and went straight to the study, where he suddenly had an epiphany.

  Sakura watched Nishimura hunched over his desk, writing furiously. She picked up a textbook and began to flip through it casually. This time she came to China mainly at the behest of the Japanese Empire, to teach Japanese to Chinese children, had been for some time. Tomorrow was no class, today did not need to prepare lessons. Being a teacher was her wish, but she never thought she would end up in China teaching Chinese children, she liked kids, but disliked Chinese characters, she didn't speak Chinese like Shunzi. If it weren't for the war, she would have become Nishimura's wife long ago and had their common child, but Nishimura was a follower of militarism, he wanted to fight on the battlefield, avenge his father, and make a name for himself, he said that the Chinese war would not end, and he would not get married and have children. Sakura couldn't help but feel some melancholy thinking about this.

  She listlessly flipped through the book and unknowingly fell asleep out of fatigue.

  After a while, Nishijima stretched his body, rolled up the paper he was writing on and stood up with a yawn. He opened the window in front of him. At this time, a ray of morning light illuminated his chest, and only then did he realize that it had already dawned. He came to the bedroom, Sakura woke up early and was tidying up the room. Nishijima looked at Sakura's beautiful face and found a trace of tears on her face, and a feeling of guilt arose in his heart. He couldn't help but hug Sakura tightly. At the moment she was hugged, Sakura burst into tears, thinking that this moment had finally arrived after waiting for so long, and she was finally able to be held by her beloved Nishijima...

  After having breakfast with Sakura-ko, Nishijima rode a motorcycle to Yokoyama's place.