China's Yan'an is a revolutionary mecca. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Yan'an was not only the rear area of the Eighth Route Army, but also the rear of the people's army ideology, and many party schools, political studies, and military schools were set up here. Also in Yan'an, there is a special school, there is no fixed school system, no fixed graduation time, and the whole school students speak fluent Japanese with a "potato and a sack". What kind of school is this?
The school was called the "Japanese Workers' and Peasants' School", and the students in this school were all Japanese soldiers who had been captured on the battlefield. Their fate was even more bitter than many of the Chinese of the time. Originally, they were all workers, peasants and businessmen in their hometowns, who came to China wrapped up in the national war machine. In the ranks of the Japanese army, they were usually called around and had no status.
With the beginning of the all-out War of Resistance, the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army continued to attack the Japanese army on various battlefields, and the number of prisoners also increased. Our army's policy has always been to give preferential treatment to prisoners, so since it is preferential treatment, it is natural to find a way to resettle them. Therefore, on October 25, 1937, Zhu De, commander-in-chief of the Eighth Route Army, and Peng Dehuai, deputy commander-in-chief, jointly issued the "Order on the Policy toward Japanese Prisoners", which stipulated: First, japanese troops captured by us shall not be killed, and preferential treatment shall be given. (2) For those who come automatically, the safety of their lives must be ensured. 3. Those wounded in the line of fire shall be healed according to class fraternity. 4. Those who wish to return to their hometown shall be paid for the journey.
However, simple preferential treatment does not seem to be desirable. Sometimes the Japanese troops who were spared would go back and continue to take up arms. Preferential treatment is not the same as indulgence, and there must be a way for these Japanese prisoners to no longer be enemies of the Chinese. There is only one such method - educational transformation. In June 1940, the Central Committee of the Party issued a directive: "Whoever is willing to return to the captives shall be given an agitation and hospitality, and where they are to return to the team, attention should be paid to the selection of a small number of progressive elements and the relatively long-term training." ”
In October 1940, at the proposal of the Japanese Communist Leader Noizaka Sanzo (Chinese name Hayashiko), the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Central Military Commission finally decided to establish a special school in Yan'an with Japanese prisoners of war as the main body, with the task of reforming Japanese prisoners of war and assisting the Eighth Route Army in carrying out political propaganda against the Japanese army. This special school is the one mentioned at the beginning of this article. His official name was "Japanese Workers' and Peasants' School".
Transforming a person is not easy. In fact, many prisoners of war were deeply poisoned, blindly hostile to the Eighth Route Army, refused any exchange of Chinese personnel, and even violently injured rescue personnel. For example, during the Battle of Pingxingguan, a Japanese soldier was seriously injured, and the soldiers of the Eighth Route Army bandaged him, but he bit off his ear; another prisoner of war actually killed the doctor with a knife when the doctor changed his medicine! Even when they arrived in Yan'an, they disobeyed discipline, regarded study and education as "redwashed" propaganda, frequently stirred up trouble and sabotage, and even went on hunger strikes to protest.
Even so, the Eighth Route Army adhered to the policy of captivity and actively helped them.
The first is preferential treatment in life.
If you want to understand the treatment enjoyed by Japanese prisoners of war, you must first understand the treatment of officers and men at all levels of the Eighth Route Army at that time. The monthly allowance for soldiers of the Eighth Route Army is 1.5 yuan, the cadres at the platoon level are 2 yuan, the cadres at the company level are 3 yuan, the cadres at the battalion and regiment level are 4 yuan, and the cadres at or above the division level are all 5 yuan. In addition, the supply of food, clothing, and especially meat is not very sufficient. In the later period of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Eighth Route Army achieved a monthly supply of one chicken per capita.
What about Japanese prisoners of war and workers' and peasants' school cadets?
The specifications enjoyed by the Japanese prisoners of war were the same level as those of the US military observation group: after coming to Yan'an, they were given a set of quilt felts, a monthly allowance of 5 yuan, and shoes and socks, hand towels, soap, toothbrushes and other items were distributed every 4 months. The monthly allowance for trainees entering the Japanese Workers' and Peasants' School is 3 yuan, which is paid exactly according to the cadres of the Eighth Route Army at the company level. In terms of food, the staple food is often white-noodle steamed buns, and the side food is one dish and one soup in the morning and two dishes and one soup in the afternoon. Fine grains and small dishes do not say, but also have meat in the meal. In addition, each person also provides a pound of pork and 10 pounds of white noodles per month. When encountering Chinese New Year festivals or Japanese festivals, a certain amount of meal fees will also be paid. At that time, this had greatly exceeded the living standards of ordinary soldiers of the Eighth Route Army, even the level of commanders and commanders. You know, even if It is Boss Zhu and Boss Peng, their monthly allowance is only 5 yuan, and their food is no different from that of ordinary soldiers.
The preferential treatment in life is simply to maintain the health of a person's body. Political and managerial preferential treatment is a deep factor in transforming a person.
The first is the attitude towards prisoners of war. The Eighth Route Army's management of prisoners was relatively relaxed, never setting up high-walled sentries in prisoner-of-war camps, and never insulting, corporal punishment, or even beating prisoners of war. The Eighth Route Army also has great respect for their national beliefs. Second, they are not subjected to forced education. Teaching in workers' and peasants' schools is generally carried out in three stages: when prisoners of war first arrive, they will first conduct basic education, and then conduct a review for about a month to see whether they have the willingness to study and whether they have the qualifications for admission. Those who pass will receive about 2 months of preparatory education before transferring to formal studies.
The quality and educational background of the Japanese prisoners of war varied, so the Workers' and Peasants' School divided the trainees into three groups and taught them courses from shallow to deep. The main courses offered are general political science, Marxism-Leninism, political economy, philosophy, history of social development, China issues, Japanese issues, etc., and the whole process is taught by the instructors in Japanese.
The preferential treatment of the Eighth Route Army made these Japanese cadets feel a warmth that they could not feel in their barracks. In an important document, "Letter to all the Commanders and Fighters of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army," they wrote: "The vast majority of us are Japanese soldiers who have pointed their guns at you on the battlefield. Yet when we become your captives, you not only do not insult us, you do not kill us, not only do you not regard us as enemies, but you also give us full freedom, equality, security and generous material treatment. The Eighth Route Army regards us as friends, brothers and comrades, and has brought us a real awakening from obscurity, which obliges us to express our heartfelt thanks.
Through study, through the actual feeling of Chinese yearning for peace, the thinking of many Japanese prisoners of war began to degenerate. They spontaneously formed the "Anti-War Alliance of the Japanese in China," the "League of Communists of the Japanese in China," and the "Awakening Alliance," and they embarked on the front line of the War of Resistance Against Japan.
The role played by these international figures on the battlefield cannot simply be measured by the number of enemies killed. In fact, they disintegrate the enemy and fight for the enemy much more than they kill. All anti-war alliances have one common job: propaganda! In order to propagate the right ideas and save more compatriots, they issued a large number of leaflets and brochures. These people are familiar with the customs and habits of the Japanese army and understand the thinking of the Japanese army, so they often write things directly to the hearts of the people. Many Japanese troops took the initiative to surrender after reading the leaflets.
In addition to flyers, another weapon of Japanese students is shouting. On the battlefield of unpredictable life and death, a greeting in the dialect of the hometown is often the most touching. Therefore, after graduation, many Japanese cadets immediately followed the combat troops to various battlefields and told their compatriots the truth of the world through loudspeakers. It turns out that the role of this kind of propaganda is very large. In November 1942, the Laodingshan Japanese detachment in Lu'an County, Shanxi Province, wept bitterly after hearing the shouts of the taihang branch of the "Awakening Alliance"; while a Japanese army brigade in Qingfeng County, after listening to the broadcast of the "Anti-War Alliance", most of them threw down their weapons and surrendered to the Eighth Route Army.
Thanks to their efforts, the number of Japanese surrenders increased. In the later stages of the war, the reason why the Japanese army was no longer brave was that in addition to being drained of troops by the Pacific War, the phenomenon of a large number of surrenders in the battlefield behind enemy lines was also one of the reasons.
After the end of the war, these Japanese trainees, who had contributed to the anti-fascist cause, embarked on roughly two paths: some of them stayed in China, married wives and children, and completely integrated into Chinese society. Others returned to Japan and began to play a role in peace between China and Japan. But no matter who it is, this unforgettable learning experience in Yan'an is an unforgettable memory in their hearts.