Chapter 56: The Final Showdown
Seeing that Fuda Kenji’s attitude had changed after taking a kick and a slap, Li Gaoyuan and Huang Guantao exchanged a glance, greatly surprised. They hadn’t expected this little devil to be the type who eats hard but not soft.
When attending university in the good later generations, Su Yaoyang had also interacted with several Japanese international students, both male and female, and had in-depth and shallow exchanges with a few of the female students among them.
But at that time, Japan had been tormented by stagnant economy for more than thirty years, and had long lost the arrogance of sweeping across Asia during World War II.
And China, as the world’s second largest economy, had an economy even closing in on the old Americans. The Japan of that time didn’t even have the qualifications to be China’s opponent, so those Japanese international students naturally didn’t dare to show off in front of Su Yaoyang.
But now it’s different. Today’s Japan is at its most rampant time, so how could Su Yaoyang indulge them? Naturally, he gave them a slap to teach them how to behave properly.
Looking at Fuda Kenji who was arrogant before but respectful now, Su Yaoyang sneered inwardly. Although eighty years had passed, this nation’s habit of bullying the weak and fearing the strong hadn’t changed at all.
With a cold face, he said: “Alright, no more nonsense. What did that old dog Kunizaki Sada send you here for?”
Fuda Kenji’s expression turned serious. He took out a letter from his bosom and handed it to Su Yaoyang with both hands: “Colonel sir, this is the letter that General Kunizaki asked me to pass on to you.”
Su Yaoyang took the envelope, pulled out the letter paper, and read it at a glance. He saw it was written in Chinese above.
“To the commander of the garrison at St. Paul’s Cathedral:
The ancient city of Jinling, a land of dragons and tigers coiling, is now trapped in flames of war.
Your unit is isolated, guarding the ruins, showing momentary bravery of blood and qi, but heaven’s mandate is already clear as day.
The Imperial Army’s iron hooves have swept from Shanghai. General Matsui Iwane’s 300,000 elites have formed an encirclement. Heavy artillery is arrayed on Purple Mountain, warship cannons line the Yangtze River like a forest—this is not something manpower can resist.
The New Security Regiment you lead consists mostly of street ruffians and rural folk, hastily taking up inferior weapons to resist the royal army. Their parents, wives, and children look longingly to the south of the Yangtze—can you bear to have their bones fill the Qinhuai River?
In yesterday’s battle at Zhonghua Gate, the Imperial Army saw your soldiers fighting on empty stomachs, still gripping broken blades after being shot—this kind of foolish loyalty only adds to the souls of the dead! If you lay down arms and surrender, our army will surely protect the lives of officers and men according to《wartime international law》, and Nanjing’s million souls will also be spared the calamity of war.
Previously, Tang Shengzhi abandoned the city and fled, while Chairman Jiang drove you all to be scapegoats. The so-called ‘live and die with Nanjing’ is nothing but deceptive words from Chinese bureaucrats. You are not a direct Huangpu lineage—why die for a corrupt regime? The Greater East Asia Holy War aims to drive out Western powers and build a paradise of kingly way.
If you understand the greater righteousness, you should follow the example of General Song Zheyuan in Beiping, and the elders of Jinling will all be grateful for your virtue. Before the You hour today, if you still stubbornly resist, when the Imperial Army breaches the city, all will be burned like jade and stone. Please think carefully.”
Su Yaoyang finished reading it at a glance and just sneered, then handed the letter to Li Gaoyuan. Huang Guantao also came over to look together.
Seeing the three all silent, Fuda Kenji momentarily forgot the pain coming from his face and stomach, thinking he had succeeded again. He then spoke in Chinese with a Hiroshima accent.
“Gentlemen, your silence means acquiescence, right?
The patience of the Great Japanese Imperial Army is faster than the Qinhuai River freezing! Tang Shengzhi fled last night with his gendarme team from Xiaguan Wharf. Your Huangpu Whampoa Teaching Corps is also retreating toward Pukou!
Look! Three hours ago, Zhongshan Gate already flew the Rising Sun Flag. The heavy machine gun company of the Kunizaki Detachment is setting up fire points on Cool Mountain to monitor the prisoners in the prisoner-of-war camp.
On the river surface, the three gunboats of the 11th Flotilla have locked coordinates.（He suddenly raised his voice）If you open the city now, it can still be handled as ‘disarmament.’ If you wait for the 6th Division’s Kyushu soldiers to kill in… they love most to use the skulls of Chinese officers to hold wine!
The general said, giving you two more hours! Either come out of the church waving a white cloth, or wait to collect ‘jade fragmentation certificates’ for the whole city’s people!”
“Pa…”
As soon as the words fell, his left cheek received another solid slap.
“Fuck your mother!”
Su Yaoyang could no longer hold back the anger in his heart. He immediately drew the M1911 pistol from his waist, racked the slide with a clack, and pulled the trigger at Fuda Kenji.
“Bang!”
Accompanied by a muffled bang, Fuda Kenji, who had just taken a slap, thudded to his knees on the ground, clutching his right leg while letting out bursts of shrill screams.
The 15-gram 11.43mm bullet pierced Fuda Kenji’s thigh muscle at 250 meters per second, finally stopped by the hard femur.
The bullet then fragmented inside the thigh, creating a cavity effect, causing Fuda Kenji to hurt so much he nearly fainted on the spot.
Looking at Fuda Kenji wailing on his knees, Su Yaoyang raised the pistol again.
But this time, before he could fire, his right hand was grabbed by Li Gaoyuan and Huang Guantao together.
“Regiment commander… you can’t kill, you can’t kill! If the higher-ups blame us, it’ll be trouble!”
“Yeah, regiment commander, on the battlefield you could chop him into pieces, but he’s here to deliver a letter. Killing him would be us breaking etiquette.”
Seeing Li Gaoyuan and Huang Guantao anxious and sweating profusely, Su Yaoyang snorted, safed the pistol, and tucked it back into his waist: “This kid gets off easy. Come, two men, throw this little devil out.”
“Yes!”
Hearing Su Yaoyang’s words, the two finally breathed a sigh of relief, having finally persuaded this lord.
After two guards dragged Fuda Kenji out, Su Yaoyang irritably said to the two: “I really don’t understand what you’re thinking. The little devils have already started massacring in Nanjing, and you’re still clinging to that rule of not killing the messenger.
You think letting that little devil go back will make him grateful to you? Just wait, the little devils will soon launch another attack.”
“Baka ya lu… Order the artillery to bombard me… turn all those Chinese positions into flat ground.”
The fact was just as Su Yaoyang said. When Kunizaki Sada saw Fuda Kenji, who was carried in by guards and wailing in pain nonstop, his eyes instantly turned red. He strode to Fuda Kenji and loudly asked.
“How did this happen? How dare the Chinese treat you like this?”
“General sir.” Fuda Kenji endured the pain and recounted what had happened earlier.
After briefly asking Fuda Kenji a few questions, the furious Kunizaki Sada immediately issued the order to resume the attack and mobilized all artillery to shell the various positions.
And the New Security Regiment was not to be outdone. They took advantage of the 60mm mortar’s mobility and flexibility to implement a hit-and-run strategy, constantly harassing and attacking the Japanese army.
What? Not that many qualified gunners?
Don’t forget, the battlefield is the best teacher. Moreover, firing mortars doesn’t require too profound knowledge. Under the baptism of iron and blood, the New Security Regiment’s gunners progressed rapidly, even playing counter-battery with the Japanese artillery.
