Chapter 13: A Bloody Scene

  It was too late by the time he spoke, and Inukawa Jirō swiftly raised his long sword to deflect it. "Clang!" A scalpel fell to the ground.

  "Hah!" Inukawa Jirō's face lit up with a fierce glow, and with an unimaginable speed, he drew his long sword to meet Li Tianming's attack!

  A crisp cracking sound of bone fracture!

  Thousands of people below saw with their own eyes: a bright light flashed, a red glow rose, and Li Tianming's head was gone in an instant! The headless body swayed, then crashed to the ground.

  The head rolled down the stairs all the way to the bottom!

  The medicine box fell to the ground, with medicines and instruments scattered all over the place.

  Fresh blood spurted from Li Tianming's headless neck and fell on the red cross on the medicine box, making the red cross even more vibrant.

  A commotion broke out below. The crowd surged like a wave. A burst of gunfire echoed all around. The wolf dogs also let out a frenzy of barks.

  Cowered in fear, screaming and wailing in pain. More were met with hatred and anger.

  "Kaito-kun" is even more furious! His carefully prepared first performance on stage was ruined just like that.

  "You don't know how to appreciate kindness!" He said with a scowl, staring at Li Tianming's body.

  "Opposing the Imperial Army will end like this!" Now that they've torn off their so-called "friendly" mask, they might as well reveal their true ferocious nature as conquerors.

  "Bring up the prisoners!" Inukawa Jirō bellowed.

  The devils pushed and shoved several people covered in blood, some with crutches, others with their arms hanging down, all of whom were injured to varying degrees. One of them was someone everyone recognized - County Magistrate Xu Weiyi. The others were also county government officials who had been ambushed by the devil's special attack team during a meeting. What they didn't know was that the leader of the special operations team was none other than the "Young Master" Inukawa Jirō standing right in front of them.

  "I'm giving you a chance, as long as you bow to the great Japanese flag and pledge allegiance to the Emperor, all of you will be reinstated to your original positions. Otherwise, he will be your example!" Inukawa Jirō pointed at Li Tianming's bloody headless corpse and bellowed.

  He walked up to County Magistrate Xu Wei-yi and said viciously: "Let's start with you!"

  County Magistrate Xu Wei-yi was a native of Leizhou, over 60 years old, and originally a teacher. He was an honest and upright man. After the Japanese army captured Chaozhou, the original county magistrate of Leizhou panicked and fled with the county seal, causing chaos in the city before the Japanese even arrived. In this situation, Xu Wei-yi accepted the appointment as the new county magistrate of Leizhou, nominated by local gentry and reported to the provincial government which had retreated to Lichuan County. Although he knew it was a heavy responsibility, his sense of national righteousness and deep affection for his hometown made him feel duty-bound. After becoming the county magistrate, he immediately established the Leizhou Self-Defense Corps based on the county police bureau, strengthened law enforcement, rectified government affairs, cracked down on bandits, and quickly stabilized the situation in Leizhou, earning the respect and admiration of the people of Leizhou.

  Xu Wei Yi smiled faintly and said, "May I say a few words to the people of Lei Jiang first?"

  Inukawa Jiro said with a fierce expression: "Alright! But you'd better think carefully about what you're going to say!"

  Xu Wei Yi turned around, bowed deeply to the audience below, and when he stood up, his eyes were already filled with tears: "Fellow villagers, I am sorry for everyone. I was remiss in preventing the sneak attack of the Japanese devils and did not organize everyone to evacuate in time, causing the people to fall into the hands of the Japanese pirates and become slaves of a lost country. It is unbearable to think about it, and I feel ashamed! But I am from Lei Jiang, a land that has been loyal and filial since ancient times, with a strong tradition of morality, humility, warmth, and integrity. As the head of this county, I have been entrusted by the imperial court above and supported by the people below. How could I dare to betray everyone's trust and surrender to the Japanese devils in front of all of you?"

  I think of the great China, a land of etiquette and propriety. Since the Han and Tang dynasties, we have civilized the then-barbaric Japan from writing to clothing. However, Japan has forgotten its ancestors, relying on Western advanced firearms to attack its neighboring countries, and even brazenly claims that it wants to "change China's backward appearance with Eastern advanced culture". This is simply a case of forgetting one's heritage and being shameless!

  When it comes to culture, who would have known that China's Confucian 'Zhu Xi's teachings' had long become Japan's official school of thought? China's 'Wang Yangming's teachings' were also popular among the Japanese people for a time! What are 'Katakana' and 'Hiragana', but simplified Chinese characters? And what about "Sado" (Tea Ceremony), "Shodo" (Calligraphy), "Kado" (Flower Arrangement), "Kendo" (Fencing), "Kyudo" (Archery), and "Judo", aren't they just simplifications of my China's 'Six Arts' and people's daily lives? My China is advanced, my China is excellent, you can learn from it and use it as you wish! Japan is just a small country in the eastern region, a barbarian land that only recently acquired writing, clothing, etiquette, and learned to become somewhat human!"

  Here is the translation:

  "Speaking of this, Xu Wei-yi became even more indignant, turned around and faced Inukawa Jiro, pointing to the surrounding devils with his hand, his voice ringing: "What a pity! The sacred teachings of China, you can't understand, nor can you learn! You haven't even learned three parts of human nature, but seven parts of beastly nature are deeply rooted! Since '8.13', the beautiful Jiangnan has been turned into a bloody mess by your gang of beasts! But my great China will not always be slaughtered by others! Xu believes that there is a god three feet above the ground, and today's brutal acts committed on Chinese soil will surely be punished tomorrow! At that time, don't blame heaven, don't blame people, everything is because of your own doing!"

  Xu Wei Yi turned to face his fellow villagers again, with a firm and calm expression. His tone was no longer as passionate as before, but had become gentle and composed: "Alas, Xu Wei Yi is just a scholar, already old and weak, of course I can't be like Yue Fei, leading the army to kill the enemy; but I am willing to follow the example of Wen Tianxiang, 'Whenever the righteous energy fills the sun and moon, who puts life and death in their heart. The earth relies on the righteous energy to stand, the heavens rely on the righteous energy to become the supreme ruler.' With my fresh blood, I will prolong the majestic righteous energy of China! I will never be a traitor, nor will I serve as a ghost..."

  He suddenly leaned forward violently, and a stream of blood spurted out of his mouth!

  The crowd below was in an uproar again. Everyone took a closer look and saw that Xu Wei Yi's chest had a blood-stained dagger exposed!

  The knife tip danced wildly in front of Xu Wei Yi's chest, splashing hot blood everywhere.

  Xu Wei Yi's impassioned speech was cut short as he slowly fell forward, collapsing onto the land that had given birth to and nurtured him, with fresh blood gushing out from his chest.

  Behind him is "Koitogun" Inukawa Jirō, holding a bloody military sword. His face is full of murderous intent.

  The crowd was in an uproar again, with some hot-blooded men trying to push their way out of the crowd and rush onto the stage.

  The Japanese soldiers on guard nearby immediately rushed over, their bayonets gleaming in the scorching sun and pressed against people's chests.

  "Rat-a-tat-tat!" The enemy machine gun fired over the crowd's heads, scorching bullets whizzed past their tops, forcing the crowd to quiet down.

  Inukawa Jirō was enraged by Xu Wei's scolding, his murderous intent suddenly arose, he glared with bloodshot eyes, holding the military sword still dripping with blood, and pressed it against the neck of the captured county government official, asking one by one: "Will you surrender or not?"

  No one answered. The responses were only hatred, anger and bloody saliva.

  Inokawa Jirō was beside himself with rage! He brandished his hand wildly and bellowed, "Release the dogs!" Several Japanese soldiers let go of their leashes, and several ferocious Oriental hounds charged at these captured officers, barking furiously.

  In an instant, the victim was knocked to the ground, with their belly bursting open and intestines spilling out, bones and flesh separating, and blood and flesh blurred together!

  A mournful cry, the sound of wolves tearing apart, accompanied by the melody of "Jun Zhī Dài", and the eerie laughter of ghosts, echoed in the sky above Leijiang Academy, where there was originally only the sound of books rustling!

  Below is a cry! Everyone lowered their heads, covered their ears and eyes, unable to bear the tragic scene!

  According to the Leijiang County Annals, "On June 18, 1939, Japanese invaders slaughtered 12 anti-Japanese military and civilians in the Leijiang Academy Square of Leijiang County. County Magistrate Xu Weiyi and 7 other government officials were brutally killed by the Japanese army for their bravery and unyielding spirit."

  Years later, as time passed by, the people of Leijiang may not have all remembered the name "Inukawa Jirō", but the nickname "Haita Jun" remained in the memory of the people of Leijiang, along with that bloody scene on the square of Leijiang Academy, becoming an eternal nightmare that cannot be shaken off.