in2ebook Chapter 281 Taipei Cafe
Chapter 281 Taipei Cafe
In early 1945, China, the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union mobilized a total of 250 million troops to launch a full-scale attack on Japan from multiple directions.
Among them, the Northern Theater Command, with two armies, set out from Outer Northeast China, Outer Mongolia, Inner Mongolia and other places to launch a fierce attack on the Kwantung Army and the so-called "Manchurian" puppet army entrenched in Manchuria. In just one week, they broke through the so-called fortress group that the Japanese army had operated along the Heilongjiang River for more than ten years. The western line broke through Manzhouli and attacked Hulunbuir. The central line crossed the Heihe River and reached the Nenjiang Plain. The eastern line liberated the vast area north of Yichun, Hegang and Shuangyazi, and surrounded Jiamusi.
In the Central Theater, the Chinese army launched attacks from multiple directions and defeated the 11th Front Army of the Japanese Central China Expeditionary Force in one fell swoop. In less than half a month, they liberated dozens of cities including Yichang, Jingzhou, Wuhan, Huangshi, and marched straight to Nanjing.
In the southern theater, the Chinese army also divided into three routes. One route attacked Guangdong and quickly liberated Zhaoqing, Guangzhou Bay, Leizhou Peninsula, Jiangmen and other places, and arrived in Foshan; one route went south along Xiongguan Pass, occupied Lao Cai and Liangshan, and went straight to Hanoi; the other route, with the assistance of the British and Indian Army, annihilated the Japanese Burma Front Army entrenched around Yangon, and then went south along the Malay Peninsula. The vanguard had reached Bingzhou. Seeing the situation was not good, Thailand quickly surrendered and detained the remnants of the Japanese army taking refuge in Thailand.
The Soviet Pacific Fleet and Marines, departing from Vladivostok, captured the Chiba Islands and began shelling the coast of Hokkaido. The US, Chinese, and British allied forces split into two groups: one, consisting of the US Third Fleet, the Chinese Navy, and the Third Expeditionary Army, would liberate Taiwan; the other, consisting of the US-UK Combined Fleet and US, Chinese, and British Marines, would attack the Ryukyu Islands, using them as a springboard for an attack on the Japanese mainland.
Long-range bombers from the United States, Britain, and China launched a ferocious attack on major cities in mainland Japan, taking off from key airfields in the heartland of Japan, the Philippines, and Iwo Jima. Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Tokyo, Yokohama, and other major industrial cities were the primary targets. The massive fleet of aircraft filled the sky like a black cloud, raining down incendiary bombs. Every major Japanese city was engulfed in flames, and the resulting smoke rose thousands of meters into the sky.
The Japanese army was also crazy, arrogantly clamoring for 100 million people to die in battle. In Ryukyu and Taiwan, some militarists launched suicide counterattacks against the landing Allied forces, especially the Air Force suicide attack aircraft, which caused very heavy losses to the Allied warships.
The 3rd Army was responsible for liberating Taiwan. During battles in many places, they had clearly realized that most of the younger generation on the island of Taiwan had been imperialized and no longer regarded them as fellow citizens. After landing, the troops deployed according to the combat mode used against the Japanese mainland, and anyone who resisted would be treated as a war criminal.
The 3rd Army was merciless towards war criminals and enemy nationals. Although the 3rd Army did not commit the same arson, murder and looting that the Japanese had committed in China, it was indeed very harsh in its treatment of the Japanese and the families of those who had joined the Japanese Imperial Army.
To ensure a well-founded operation, the Chinese government and the Chinese Marine Corps Headquarters organized numerous work teams composed of military police, police, judges, and government reception officials. These teams immediately took over each area they liberated. Household registration, screening, arrests, trials, and seizures were carried out simultaneously. All Japanese nationals were detained, and their land, homes, and assets were confiscated. Those who actively joined the Japanese army or donated to it were treated as Japanese nationals. Those who participated in the persecution of local people during the Japanese occupation were also dealt with.
A joint tribunal tried these individuals, inviting observers from the United States, Britain, and other countries. Anyone whose hands were stained with the blood of war, regardless of whether they were disabled veterans, or members of the police or government, was immediately executed. The rest received varying sentences according to the severity of their crimes. As for the experiences of the women in concentration camps and prisons, I won't go into detail here. After all, this is our own land, and many of the things we don't see in public will naturally not be made public.
Zheng Dongguo and Yang Hong were sitting in a Peninsula Café in Taipei, gazing at the city through the window. Taiwan's coastline had been completely blockaded and occupied. Due to the island's mountainous terrain, the remaining Japanese troops and Imperial subjects continued to resist. Units had been divided into battalions and companies, and began clearing the mountains. Of course, at this point, under the urging of the older generation, the lower classes had finally awakened. They had reclaimed their Chinese identity and actively supported the search for hidden Japanese invaders and those who had become loyal Imperial subjects. The Provisional Government and newly recruited police had begun to maintain order.
At this moment, Liao Yaoxiang was furious at Du YM, who had succeeded him as commander of the 3rd Army Group. This former senior and superior had to bow his head in front of Liao and review his mistakes.
Seeing the two people walk in, Yang Hong, to avoid embarrassment, put on a playful smile and said to Liao, "Deputy Commander Liao, what's wrong with you? Could it be that the Japanese woman didn't serve you well yesterday, making you so angry and ruining the good mood of Commander Zheng and me?"
Liao was no stranger to this; the two of them often bickered. He replied grumpily, "My Chief of Staff Yang, this is your job. Oh, I'm wasting my time. Just ask Commander Du what's going on!"
Recalling their past friendship, Zheng Dongguo stood up, walked over to Du YM, patted him on the shoulder, and gestured for him to sit down before continuing. Yang Hong, curious, waited for the waiter to serve them coffee before asking, lowering his voice, "Commander Du, what happened?"
Du YM looked embarrassed and said, "Colonel Li of the 537th Regiment led a battalion and captured a dozen Japanese nationals in a village in Yilan. Four of the men were armed, and they shot them immediately. As for the remaining women, they... ended up being seen by Lieutenant Robert of the Military Mediation Group."
Yang Hong had originally thought it was a big deal, but Deputy Commander Liao had gone too far with such a trivial matter. It was clearly an opportunity for revenge. Yang Hong rolled his eyes, glared at Liao, and then stopped asking questions and said nothing more.
Deputy Commander Liao naturally understood Chief of Staff Yang's intentions, and he was immediately furious. He lashed out at Du YM again, "Commander Du, I'm honoring you as my senior. Is this a small matter worth my wrath? I'm angry about the 537th Regiment, these guys who only care about having fun and neglecting their work! Tell me, how have you completed the mission assigned by Commander Zheng and Chief of Staff Yang? Have you contacted the Gaoshan people?"