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Mr. Tong Zeng

　　Hello!

　　You must be very busy in work!

　　This time I mail you three documents, it’s about damages the former Guangji County (now Wuxue City) caused by Japanese invasion, for your reference:

　　1. Guangji County is a county in Hubei Province which received the heaviest damage during the war; therefore an introduction about geography and history of Guangji County is included.

　　2. Two documents are my personal family’s persecution indictment, for your reference, if it’s possible to forward one copy to the Japanese Embassy, then please forward it on behalf of me, if it’s not suitable then forget it.

　　Regards
Sincerely yours

Zhong Qi
Wuxue City XX Bureau　
May 28, 1994

Angry Denunciation of Atrocities of Japanese Invaders
The Japanese Army must give back my mother

　　I am Zhong Qi, 74 this year, retired cadre, currently living at Guangji County (now Wuxue City), Hubei Province. I hereby demand the Japanese government to compensate my damage!

　　My family suffered deeply from the burning, killing, raping and looting by the Japanese Army. The national hatred of killing my mother Zhang Yuanmei by the Japanese Army will never be forgotten. Each time when I reminisced the past, my heart would break. Japan waged all-out war against China, on July 7, 1938 on the lunar calendar, when intruding into Guangji County in Hubei Province, Japanese invaders’ shells landed on the roof of our house, the house collapsed, all pots, jars, furniture were shattered, the bed still carried shell holes. My father Zhong Songlin and I delivered things to deep mountains for escape on July 7 on the lunar calendar, we planned to take the whole family into the mountains on the next day, unfortunately the Japanese Army intruded into Yuchuan Town, the battle was on, roads were barricaded, and we could no longer go home. My mother was 52, my fiancé child bride Ke Rongzhi was ill in bed and failed to escape, on July 8 Japanese invaders intruded into Zhong family’s embankment and entered my home, the Japanese Army barbarically raped 11 year old girl, my mother knelt on the ground and pleaded tearfully: “She is only a girl! No, please don’t.” However, the Japanese invaders revealed their savage nature, my fiancée’s body was injured, blood flowed all over the bed, she nearly died. Later the injury lasted half a year before she could slowly move around. On July 10 on the lunar calendar, Japanese solders stationed near Xianglu Mountain each day ventured out to look for women to rape, three Japanese soldiers again entered our embankment, and locked eight grandmas of our village including Chen Xianger, Liu duomei, my mother Zhang Yuanmei…… into the room of Zhong Erfa, Japanese invaders again searched everywhere to look for girls. My mother was locked in the room, afraid her daughter-in-law might receive further persecution on the bed, she wanted to escape and protect her daughter-in-law, just when she stepped out of he door, the Japanese soldiers hurried back and stabbed the bayonet into the temple of my mother, my mother fell, blood flowed all over the place.

　　After the Japanese Army retreated, several grandmas left the room, they saw my mother lying on the ground, unable to speak, they carried my mother home before fleeing into the mountains. My piteous mother slept on the door panel, since the weather was hot she lingered for three days before she stopped breathing, it’s really a horrible scene. My kind mother raised me up alone, all villagers in the village said “Zhang Yuanmei is a good mother, she died a tragic death”. The Japanese Army also looted 25 chickens and geese, one pig and all clothing, when my father and I retuned home in the night after spending over 20 days in the deep mountains, seeing my mother was killed, my father and I cried bitterly, my father fainted on the ground and went blind. The following four stanzas summarize the burning, killing, raping and looting atrocities against my family by Japanese invaders: “Japanese invaded China and bombed house, mother died under sword, lover ravaged in young age, poultry and possessions were gone”.

　　Later I could only stay at home to take care of my blind father, I felt unreconciled and unforgiving toward the vendetta of my mother’s death committed by the Japanese Army, after my father died I joined the revolution, since there was no way to revenge, I made up my mind to devote myself to work, and properly enforce propaganda of protecting homeland, and sent my son to join the army to protect the motherland from external invasion. Now I’m old, so long as I have a breath, I will definitely join all victims across the nation; together drive the claim campaign to the end! If I die I will entrust my sons and grandsons to continue the endeavor, and never forget national hatred!

　　Recalling the damages brought by Japanese invaders to my family, the story is endless. I request comrade Tong Jian of the China Research Center on Aging to help me air grievance and claim damage compensation.

　　Regards
China Civilian Damage Compensation Association

Zhong Qi

Retired cadre of Hubei Province Wuxue Municipal Fuel Chemical Bureau
May 20, 1994

Denouncing atrocities of the Japanese Army!

　　The Japanese imperialists invaded our Guangji County (now Wuxue City) in Hubei Province in 1938 to slaughter peaceful people, committed towering atrocities, and used extremely cruel killing methods; the following is an incomplete list:

I. Skinning people alive;

　　On September 2, 1938, the Japanese Army intruded into Yuchuan Town, Xiayuxun Embankment, captured farmer Zheng Yuxi, tied him on a tree, and skinned him from head downward, halfway during the skinning process, he was still alive and moving, in this way he was killed by skinning.

II. Trampling people dead;

　　On September 2, 1938, at Zheng Yuxi’s home in Xiayuxun, two children (Pinzhen was seven, Pinqi was nine) were trampled in the head by Japanese soldiers with heavy boots, the heads were crushed, and gray matter flowed out.

III. Cutting off one’s ears before killing;

　　On September 2, 1938, Japanese invaders entered Xiayuxun, they captured civilian Yu Huorong, the Japanese Army cut off Yu Huorong’s ears before stabbing him to death with bayonet.

IIV. Shooting people alive as target;

　　On September 3, 1938, the Japanese Army intruded into the back mountain of Chajia Embankment, looted pigs and cattle, then they went to the home of old man Zhong Sanyuan in Zhong family, looted pots to cook meat, in the afternoon Zhong Sanyuan retrieved the pot in the mountain, and rinsed the pot in the pond in front of the home gate, on the mountain the Japanese soldiers had taken lunch, and for the sake of fun they shot the old man Zhong Sanyuan as target, the Japanese invaders aimed at the old man, and shot him, the old man fell into the water pond, all Japanese invaders laughed, thinking they had aimed accurately.

V. Killing with electric knife;

　　On September 3, 1938, the Japanese Army intruded into Yuxun Village, Dafozhai, Zhongjiachen, people all hid in the air-raid shelter, Japanese invaders found Zhong Xiuyu, the Japanese invaders cut the neck of Zhong Xiuyu with sword, he then was electrified to death.

VI. Inserting taro into vagina;

　　On September 4, 1938, in Shangpeng Embankment in Chefangpu, Peng Jiasong’s daughter Peng Huaer was captured by Japanese invaders, who whittled taro to form a sharp end and jammed it into Peng Huaer’s vagina, and nailed Peng Huaer dead.

VII. Gang raping girls to death;
　　On September 6, 1938, the Japanese Army entered Guangji County, in the small lane of Wenchangge, West Gate, Meichuan, they captured over a dozen girls aged from 9 to 15, then gang raped them to death, burned the bodies to destroyed evidences of the crime. On September 18, they intruded into Chenxuanpu in Dafa Temple, captured Chen Meibao, who was 19 and unmarried, then gang raped her to death, the body lay naked in the living room. The Japanese Army raped numerous women; the number was too many to count.

VIII. Burning people alive;

　　On September 7, 1938, in Chengwufang, Luojialong, Tianqing Village, Yuchuan Town, Chen Zhangpei joined the refugees to avoid the Japanese invaders, when he ran to West Wulipo in Meichuan, Guangji County, he was unable to walk any more due to illness, so he took a nap on Wulipo rice field, the Japanese Army found and captured Chen Zhangpei, encircled him with straw, and set it on fire to burn him to death.

IX. Pressing man under door panel;

　　In September 1938, the Japanese Army stationed at Dengjia Embankment in Xianglushan, during the daytime they came out to find women and rape them, one day several Japanese soldiers went out to cut horse grass, and find women, 82-year-old Zhong Xin in Changgengshang, Tianqing Village, was captured before he could escape, and was asked to lead the way to find young girls. The old man said “they are all gone, how can I find them”. In a flash of anger, the Japanese invaders pressed Zhong Xinpei down on the rice field, and put a door panel onto him, topped with three big rocks, like pressing tofu. In the evening his grandson retuned from the hiding place in the mountains, and saw his grandfather was pressed under the door panel on the rice field, he removed the door panel, and carried the old man to the bed, by that time the old man was unable to say anything, and soon he stopped breathing.

X. Smashing head with bench;

　　On September 17, 1938, when the Japanese Army entered Jijiaolong, Dongfan Village, sixteen people in this Embankment including Li Yuanlin, Zhai Qingquan, Li Yuanfa…… were slow to escape, so they hid in the sweet potato cavity in the rear of the house, they were found by the Japanese soldiers, the sixteen people were forced to kneel on the circle they drew on the rice field, the ferocious Japanese invaders wielded bench, everyone was hit by bench, all sixteen people were killed.

XI. Burying people alive;

　　In September 1938, the Japanese Army intruded into Zhu Rendou, Li Sanlong’s home, they captured Zhuang Yangzai’s eldest son, and asked him to dig a pit, after the job was finished, the Japanese invaders pushed him into the pit, and buried him alive.

XII. Poisoning with suffocating toxic gas;

　　On September 17, 1938, the Japanese Army attacked Yangchengshan battleground but failed to make any progress, they vented their anger at nearby residents, and inhumanly released suffocating toxic gas. More than 400 people near Zhangxiujiu were poisoned, in which over 100 people who sought refuge at Longquan Cave were poisoned to death.

XIII. Drowning people in pond;

　　On September 17, 1938, the Japanese Army entered Zhangcai Embankment in Xiagang, Wuxue, captured more than 40 persons, who were pushed into pond to drown, those still not dead were shot dead, till the water was tainted with red. The Japanese invaders captured Wu Sigui’s wife and wanted to rape her, but she refused and immediately ran away, the Japanese invaders chased her till she was too tired to run on, so she jumped into the pond to drown.

XIV. Using bayonet to pierce infant for fun;

　　On September 17, 1938, the Japanese Army entered Zhangcai Embankment, Xiagang, Wuxue, one Japanese soldier pierced a baby on his bayonet, and carried it for fun, a group of Japanese invaders broke into guffaw after seeing him.

XV. Poking anus with stick;

　　On September 18, 1938, the Japanese Army invaded Dafa Temple, Chenxuanpu Embankment, they discovered smoke wafting from a camphor tree hole, which was caused by Chen Zhonglin (nick name Big Bull) when cooking for his child in the tree hole, Chen Zhonglin was discovered by Japanese invaders, after summoning him out, Japanese invaders pressed Chen Zhonglin on the ground, and inserted a stick into his anus to poke him dead.

XVI. Spraying civilians with machine gun;

　　On September 19, 1938, the Japanese Army intruded into Dafa Temple, at Lidesheng Village, and captured over 50 civilians, drove them into the middle big lane of Lidesheng Embankment, they installed machine gun at the lane entry, and sprayed bullets into the lane, all the 50 people were killed.

XVII. Carving human flesh;

　　On September 20, 1938, the Japanese Army entered Lijiabian Village, and captured over 200 people in one time, in which over 30 came from Lijiabian Embankment, Li Yulong was killed first, then Li Heijie was carved to death.

　　People living in the row of houses in Libigen were all killed, only two children survived, several households were totally annihilated.

XVIII. Splitting person with sword;

　　In August 1939, at Fangjiazui in Xianrenju, Fang Shaoshi went to Longping to buy rice, back then the Team Leader Xiang of the Anti-Japanese Guerilla wrote a letter to Fang Shaoshi to ask him to help buy some battery, at the checkpoint the Japanese invaders found battery on his body, then searched him, in the end they found this letter in the bottom of the shoes, they tied Fang Shaoshi on a tree, the Japanese soldiers split Fang into half with sword, saying it was a half-half split.

XIV. Killing people with iron rake;

　　In June 1941, traitor Zhang Qinjian led the Japanese Army to go to Wuxue in a mopping up operation, they came to Cha’s Home Xishilipu in Meichuan to find food, and dispatched one Japanese soldier to capture Cha Shusong to work as guide, and went to Bamang Mountain to stand sentry, when the Japanese soldier was taking a nap, Cha Shusong stolen the rifle, the Japanese soldier found the rifle was missing after waking up, he behaved violently and took away the iron rake from old man Xia Jiuzhi, he hurried to Shilipu, he heard there was sound in the upstairs of Wu Yunting house (things moved), the Japanese invader went upstairs, and hit Grandma Xia Yueying with the iron rake, one hour later she died.

XX. Ordering hounds to bite people;

　　In May 1943, Japanese invaders carried out mopping up around Dafa Temple, burned more than a dozen houses in Lizhen Village, and captured over 30 youths in Tuyun Embankment and Zhanggai Embankment, and led then to Tianjia Town, alleged they were the New Fourth Army, used all kinds of tortures, first they pumped pepper water and sewage water into noses, followed by electric chair and tiger bench torture, then tied them on trees, and instructed hounds to attack them, assailed eyes and noses, them poked out intestines, with blood streaming around, it was really a horrible sight, finally the Japanese invaders tossed more than 30 bodies into the Yangtze River .

Zhong Qi
Retired cadre of Hubei Province Wuxue City Fuel Chemical Bureau　
May 20, 1994

Denouncing atrocities of the Japanese Army!

　　Japan waged all-out invasion war, on August 30, 1938 (July 7 on lunar calendar), the Japanese intruded into Guangji County (now Wuxue City) in Hubei Province, the battle in our county continued till October 13, spanning 44 days, the whole county fell into the hands of the enemy before they retreated.

　　About the geographic location of Guangji County, it was located on the north shore in the mid-stream of the Yangtze River, with 1220 sq km area, it shared border with Huangmei County in the east, and Qichun County in the north, it faced Ruichang of Jiangxi Province in the south across the Yangtze River, Guangji was the protective screen of Hubei, Tianzhen is the throat of the Yangtze River, and gateway of Yangtze River, it was called “key to the Yangtze River” in ancient times, the northern part of the county was mountainous area, with narrow opening to the highway, in the south it faced the Yangtze River big steamer wharf, with convenient transport access, it is easy to defend but difficult to attack, it has long been a place where warlords always fight over with in the history. If Guangji was lost, there was no more defense terrain toward upstream of the Yangtze River, and Wuhan would be directly invaded to fall into the enemy’s hands.

　　Back then the Anti-Japanese War in our region was classified as the Fifth War Zone, which was commanded by Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi, and Li Pinxian, Chiang Kai-shek defined it as last-ditch war zone, and deployed massive troops, such as 68 Army, 67 Army, 84 Army, totaling 14 divisions from Sichuan, Shandong, Guangxi, plus irregular army totaling 200,000 plus troops, to combat the Japanese invaders, total troops between both sides was about 300,000, in the small county of Guangji with a population of 340,000, the tug-of-war battle lasted more than 40 days, as the saying goes “when dragon and tiger is locked in fight, fish and turtle suffered”. The pitiable peaceful people in Guangji suffered burning, killing, raping, and looting by the Japanese Army, the crimes were “too numerous to record”. Guangji was a major county in Hubei Province to receive havoc by the Japanese invaders, according to preliminary investigation, up to seven places experienced massacre of over 30 people in one day, a total of 986 people were killed, the casualty figure was very high.
The denunciations are as follows:

Gaonao Massacre

　　On September 16, 1938, the Japanese Army intruded into Gaonao Village, Tieshidun, Guangji County, they burned, killed, raped and looted, committed all kinds of crime, regardless of old or young, everyone was killed. They searched every household, when they discovered an octogenarian named Zhang Kaoqiang was hiding under the table, they thrust the bayonet to stab, Zhang Zaiyuan was only four, one Japanese invader picked up his legs, tossed him into the sky and let him fall to the ground to die, those Japanese invaders standing by broke into a guffaw. When they moved to Madigou at the foot of the Zhaojia Mountain, they saw refugees, so the swooped on Madigou, at one time they killed 32 unarmed villagers; and injured two people; five-year-old child Zhang Guirong was covered by her mother’s body and luckily survived, later he became an orphan. The Japanese invaders also found 21 people inside the taro field, who were all killed, within less than half day, 131 persons in the whole village were killed, a total of 18 households were annihilated, more than 20 houses were destroyed by bombing, over 150,000 catties of grain were lost, all farming cattle in the whole village were captured and eaten by Japanese invaders.

Massacre of Xiayuxun

　　In the afternoon of August 31, 1938, the Japanese Army sent 20 plus Japanese soldiers from Fenghuangzhai Mountain, they went to Liangchener to snoop around, and didn’t harass residents, Xiayuxun residents relaxed vigilance, and still didn’t flee, in the early morning of September 2, the Japanese Army went down the Fenghuangzhai Mountain in three groups, the local people considered that day was safe, and removed the look-out, for the Japanese Army generally didn’t come out in the afternoon. Unexpectedly, in the afternoon of that day, the Japanese Army suddenly came to Xiayuxun, surrounded the whole embankment. Upon entering the Embankment, the Japanese Army wanted to rape Guo Yumei, Guo broke into tears, Zheng Lanji and Zheng Erxian came forward to plead mercy, the Japanese Army yelled “Hei”, several Japanese invaders came up and killed both, they again captured Zheng Yuxi to tie him on the tree to skin him, half way in the skinning process, he was still moving, it was really a horrible sight, eight persons in his family were killed, two grandsons (Pinzhi was seven, Pinqi was nine) were trampled in the head to death by the Japanese Army with leather boots. Yu Huorong was cut off ears before being killed; his wife Zhang Cuilian saw random killing by the Japanese Army, so she ran in a hurry toward the field, three women running ahead of her were overtaken by the Japanese soldiers and stabbed to death with bayonet, after Cuilian was killed, the fetus in the belly was still wriggling, the Japanese Army trampled the belly of the dead person with force, till blood flew out from the lower body, and the fetus emerged, the Japanese Army erupted into a guffaw before leaving. Wang Hanxian was holding a wedding at Xiayuxun, and was stabbed 36 times by the Japanese Army, but his vital parts were not touched, he hurriedly pulled a dead body to cover him up, and in this way luckily escaped death. In the afternoon 36 and half persons were killed in the entire embankment (unborn baby is counted as half).

Massacre of Chenxuanpu

　　On September 8, 1938, the battle at Yazhang Mountain opposite Chenxuanpu lasted eight days, on September 18, a Japanese troop entered Chenxuanpu Embankment, in one time they killed 57 people, wherein Chen Bingquan’s family had nine deaths, when Chen Luokun was being buried after being killed, his head could not be found, later when his wife was burning firewood at the stove opening, she found the head lying inside the firewood stack. Chen Meibao, 19 year old and unmarried, was gang raped to death by the Japanese Army, she was found lying naked dead on the ground of the hall; the whole family of Chen Zhonglin (nick name Daniuma) hid in a cave of ancient camphor tree, and was found by the Japanese Army, he was stripped naked, and pressed to the ground, the Japanese pushed stick into the anus to kill him. Four households in the entire embankment were eradicated.

Japanese Army released toxic gas to harm the common people

　　On September 19, 1938, the Japanese Army was unable to conquer our troops at Yangchengshan battleground, after prolonged fight, they vent their anger at nearby residents, they even inhumanly released suffocating toxic gas, which poisoned more than 400 people, in which over 100 people who sought refuge at Longquan Cave were poisoned to death.

Using innocent civilians to run toxic gas test

　　In September 1938, more than a dozen Japanese soldiers came from Fenghuangzhai garrison, they captured forty nine people around Zhouguo Town, and detained them in a house, then sealed off windows and door seams with paper and glue, one Japanese invader took out an object like a hand grenade (toxic gas), and inserted it into the window before closing it, no sound was heard except for some smoke, forty nine people in the house all died in less than fifteen minutes, the Japanese invaders later opened the door to take a look, then cocked up the thumb and said the toxic gas was good, very good.

Burning houses like lighting firecrackers, killing people like flies

　　On September 25, 1938, a group of Japanese soldiers intruded into Koujiabu, and burned houses of 19 households in this embankment, meanwhile they captured people everywhere and killed wantonly, in this embankment 33 people were killed on that day; in which 6 people were killed among 10 people in Chen Tangming’s family; 7 were killed among 12 people in Fu Ronghua’s family, five households were totally annihilated in the whole embankment. They searched women everywhere for raping.

　　The Japanese solders again intruded into Nanxi Temple in Guanqiao, they wanted to rape a nun, the nun refused, the Japanese invaders then cut the nun into four pieces before leaving.

Japanese invaders slaughtered Xiagang Zhangcai Embankment

　　On September 17, 1938, about 300 Japanese soldiers intruding into Wuxue Street landed from Zhongmiao crevasse, where they were obstructed by a troop under our Wuxue Garrison Troop 57 Division, later they retreated to Cuijiashan, the Japanese Army followed the river dyke to move upward till they reached Zhangcai Embankment, most residents hid in six air-raid shelters, each family only left behind a few seniors or patients to guard the door, the Japanese Army entered the embankment and used flamethrower to burn houses, in an instant flame leaped high into the sky, those staying at home were mostly burned to death, they burned over 700 houses, in the entire embankment only three houses remained intact. the Japanese invaders killed everyone found in the whole embankment, in which Zhang Wenbing was killed by bullet; Zhang Sanmao was stabbed to death by three Japanese invaders; other forty people including Zhang Sier, Zhang Kuibao…… and others were forced to strip naked, forced to enter the pond to drown, killed as live target, the water turned red, Zhang Xipang and Zhang Shuhua were forced to climb the tree, Japanese invaders lay on the ground and shot upward to kill him; Zhang Xiya led his son and carried small daughter on the back and wanted to escape, but when crossing the wood bridge he was discovered by Japanese invaders, who fired a shot which entered the girl’s back and went out of Xiya’s chest, they immediately died, one Japanese invader pierced a baby on bayonet and carried it for fun. Over 30 persons wanted to escape secretly, but were discovered by the Japanese invaders, they ordered all of them to move onto the river dike before collective massacre, Japanese invaders raped women and took away young girls. The Japanese invaders committed numerous atrocities, in the whole village more than 280 persons were killed, they totally annihilated ten households including Zhang Shurong, Zhang Maoya, and Lü Xiyou.

Collected by Zhong Qi
Retired cadre of Hubei Province Wuxue XX Bureau　
May 20, 1994