Chapter 8 The True Face of the Deceased

  The negotiations have ended, and the central task now is to crack the case with all one's might. Only by capturing the real culprit and giving a clear explanation to the Japanese side can we fundamentally reverse the passive situation on our side. When seeing off the leaders of the Central and Provincial Public Security Departments, each leader patted him on the shoulder without saying a word, but he felt the leaders' sincere expectations. Yu Xin suddenly felt that his work had never been so closely linked to national interests, and a sense of responsibility and mission as a people's police officer arose spontaneously.

  Back at the Leijiang Public Security Bureau, Yu Xin yuan carefully examined the newly collected evidence. The military map sparked his great interest. He joined the Eighth Route Army in late 1944 and had always been a senior guard. Carrying and protecting military maps was an important task for guards, from crossing the Yellow River to drinking horses along the Yangtze River, fighting from north to south, and military maps were always carried on their bodies. He was very familiar with military maps, this is a 1:500 Japanese version of the large-scale military map of Leijiang County, marked accurately and completely, not only including river directions, hill heights, but also road widths, house heights, county police stations, county governments, Catholic churches and Anglican churches. The iconic buildings were clearly marked in red, even the yellow marks indicated which small alley was a dead end, and which small bridge had a load-bearing weight! Even now, it is still a very valuable historical geographical information of Leijiang.

  Yu Xin Yuan's heart skipped a beat as he couldn't help but feel a chill: how did such a detailed map of our country's inland areas end up in the hands of an enemy officer? The creation of this map required long-term, meticulous work with planning and steps, revealing that the Japanese devils were far from being as foolish as they appeared in "Tunnel Warfare" and "Landmine Warfare". Although he had never faced off against the Japanese on the battlefield as a soldier, their brutal killings and plundering had left a deep impression on his childhood, which was also the root of his dislike for Japan. So, what special task would Yamada Jiro bring to Lei Jiang this time, carrying this 1940s military map? What was his true identity? What connection did he have with Lei Jiang? As Yu Xin Yuan thought about these questions, he flipped through the photos. It was a young Japanese officer, with one stripe and two stars on his shoulder, exuding confidence, arrogance, and a hint of cunning and ruthlessness, with an air of superiority typical of aristocratic officers.

  "This photo might just be a breakthrough!" Yu Xin said to himself.

  The next day, he found Ruth and asked if there were any veteran old men who knew something about the situation in Leijiang during the Anti-Japanese War. Ruth thought for a moment and said: "Leijiang was the main battlefield during the Anti-Japanese War, and with two major floods in 1947 and 1954, many people in the city died or fled. Now many people in Leijiang are immigrants from other places, including myself who returned after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in 1945. If you really want to find an old man, I recommend going to find Old Fang at the county cultural and historical museum, Fang Zhengwu. He was originally our school's history teacher and now works at the county cultural and historical museum. He is a living history of our county!"

  The county museum is on the second floor of a dilapidated wooden building behind the county government. Climbing up to the second floor with creaking wooden boards, there's a sign on the left side of the stairs: "Leijiang County Museum". Compared to the old surroundings, the sign looks very new, it seems like a newly established unit. Pushing open the intricately carved ancient door, what presents itself before Yinfang's eyes is a room filled with all sorts of documents, so many that Yinfang wonders if there's still space for people to live.

  "Teacher Fang, Old Fang!" Lu Suxia shouted.

  "Who's there?" A hoarse voice came from a distant pile of old papers, "Who is looking for me?"

  After a while, an old man walked out of the pile of papers, wearing a simple blue Lenin suit, with only a circle of hair left around his head, and a bald forehead. He wore a pair of glasses that looked like beer bottles, and when he reached the door, he saw Lu Sihao and his eyes lit up: "Principal Lu, did the wind blow you here today? Please come in, please come in!"

  There is only one chair in the museum, and it can only hold one chair. The wide table is filled with materials, and so are the surroundings. Yu Xin doesn't know where Leijiang County got so many historical materials. When asked, Fang said that these were all rescued from the county's paper mill warehouse, which were collected during the "Destroying the Four Olds" campaign, including many rare and precious books. The most extensive and widespread ones are the genealogies of various surnames throughout the county. Fortunately, the paper mill also stopped production to make revolution at that time, so these precious documents recording Leijiang's history were able to survive.

  After the reform and opening up, Mr. Fang learned about this from his son who was a keeper at a paper mill, and then he ran around in all directions. Under the efforts of Lu Sixiang, the principal of Leijiang Middle School at that time, these important documents finally found a "home".

  At that time, three trucks were used to transport the archives. In addition to a small part of the Wen Shi Guan, there was also a warehouse next door that was full of documents. Although these documents escaped the fate of being turned into pulp, due to poor management and the humid climate of Jiangnan, many books became moldy and worm-eaten. Fang Zhengwu took on the role of archive nurse again, cleaning up, sorting and cataloging these documents.

  "Come, let me introduce you. This is Yu Xin Yuan, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Public Security Bureau of Xing Shu. And this is Fang Zheng Wu, the living history of Lei Jiang - the teacher I told you about!" Lu Si Xia introduced Fang Zheng Wu.

  Yu Xin went to Fang Zhengwu's place and shook hands with him, getting straight to the point: "I've come to ask you something this time. I'd like to show you a photo." He took out the young military officer photo of Yamada Jiro: "Do you recognize the person in this photo?"

  The indoor light was not very good, Fang Zhengwu took the photo to the window and carefully identified it. Suddenly, the old man's hand trembled, and his body also shook. Yu Xin saw this and asked hastily: "Teacher Fang, have you recognized this person?"

  Fang Zhengwu's hand was tightly clutching the photo, while the other hand grasped the window frame, struggling to keep his body balanced. His face gradually contorted and twisted, as he spoke in a low, strained tone, as if the words were being squeezed out of his chest: "Even if this person had been burned to ashes, I would still recognize him! He's the leader of the devils who occupied Leijiang County back then, a ruthless killer - Haizi Taigong!"

  "Ha Tai Jun" was the nickname of Inukawa Jirō, the commander of the Japanese garrison in Leizhou during the invasion. To the older generation in Leizhou, it is a devilish name and an unforgettable past event.