On December 7, 1970, then-German Chancellor Brandt knelt down on his knees in front of the Monument to the Jewish Martyrs in Warsaw to apologize. On the other hand, Japan, which is also the main culprit in World War II, not only has no remorse, but Japan's military and political personnel have never stopped "solemnly" paying homage to the Yasukuni Shrine, which is of a militaristic and aggressive nature.
Even since the end of World War II, Japan has sent countless groups of people with ulterior motives disguised as businessmen to China to purchase "physical evidence" documenting its numerous crimes by means of inducements.
In 2004, in a rural area of Hebi City, Henan Province, a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes came. Coming in a luxury car, he stopped by the rice field at the mouth of the village, and in a very polite but extremely blunt Mandarin, asked the young people in the village who were working:
"Hello, is there an old man named Hou Yongsheng in your village?"
The young man was slightly surprised that Hou Laobo was a household name in the ten miles and eight townships, because he was a veteran of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and still had a Japanese saber captured from the battlefield at home. And as his legendary deeds are also well known, Hou Laobo is a widowed old man with no distant relatives. And the middle-aged man who looked like a rich and noble person in front of him was so polite, was it Hou Laobo's long-lost relatives?
Although he had doubts in his heart, the youth did not ask the specific reason, but only told him the specific location of Hou Laobo's family. What the youth did not know was that this middle-aged man who was "polite and polite" was not only not a relative of the old man Hou Yongsheng, but could even be said to be an "enemy" that Hou Laobo could not let go of all his life.
This old uncle named Hou Yongsheng was born in 1926, and in that era of wolf smoke, Hou Yongsheng's early life was very difficult. But although the days were a little poor, fortunately, the family was neat and tidy, and it was also considered to have sustenance in that chaotic world, but when Hou Yongsheng was 12 years old, even this simplest vision was deprived.
In 1938, with Japan's all-out invasion of China, the Central Plains were full of flames, and Shandong, as a coastal area, bore the brunt of it. Like a demon, the Japanese Kou attacked Shandong from both sea and land, and the entire land of Qilu soon fell into the hands of the Japanese Kou. Hou Yongsheng's hometown of Hebi was even more subjected to the inhumane massacre of the Japanese Kou.
On that day, the entire Hebi was stained red with blood, and I had heard that rikou's cruel parents took Hou Yongsheng out of the Hebi and fled around. However, on the already difficult road to escape, Chiang Kai-shek blew up the embankment of the Hou River at the mouth of the Garden. Although this move successfully disrupted the Japanese army's offensive plan, it also caused hundreds of thousands of shandong people to be displaced and starved.
Hou Yongsheng's parents unfortunately both died on the way to escape, leaving Hou Yongsheng alone to float in the world. Hou Yongsheng, who was lucky to survive, avenged his parents and beat up Japanese devils became his only thoughts.
In 1941, Hou Yongsheng, who was wandering around, finally came into contact with the anti-Japanese guerrillas at the age of 15. Without even thinking about it, he joined the Eighth Route Army, which was active behind enemy lines. Although he was young, Hou Yongsheng trained the hardest, because he knew that only by strengthening himself could he avenge the death of his parents and make those young children orphans at a young age like himself.
Once, Hou Yongsheng was ordered to destroy the Japanese power grid, but unexpectedly bumped into a well-equipped Japanese squad. Although Hou Yongsheng was calm and self-assured, the commander with the saber at the head still sensed Hou Yongsheng's strange appearance. Seeing rikou coming toward him, Hou Yongsheng turned around and scattered into the field and wandered into a surrounding village.
Seeing the situation, the Japanese officer ordered them to go to hou Yongsheng separately. But what he did not expect was that with his familiarity with the terrain, Hou Yongsheng, who had disappeared, turned back behind him. Because his men were all sent to look for him, when Hou Yongsheng came out from behind him like a ghost, there was no one around him.
After knocking down the officer, Hou Yongsheng strangled him by the neck to prevent him from shouting and pulling back the Japanese soldiers. Within a few breaths, the Japanese officer died of exhaustion. Subsequently, Hou Yongsheng grabbed his delicate saber and rushed back to the guerrillas.
When they returned to the company, when their comrades-in-arms looked at the sabre that Hou Yongsheng had brought back, they found that it had the name of "Sakamoto Yoshitaro" on it, and the word "Emperor" was printed on the other side. This discovery made everyone ecstatic, and the knowledgeable veteran said to Hou Yongsheng: "This may be the sabre given by the Emperor of Japan, but you have made a great contribution." ”
Because of the capture of this saber that may have a great origin, Hou Yongsheng was recorded as a second-class military merit once, and the sabre was also left by the guerrilla leaders as a trophy. Since then, Hou Yongsheng has been carrying this Japanese saber that records his glorious moments in his military career for many years.
After the founding of New China, Hou Yongsheng did not stay in the army, but chose to return to his hometown to live a peaceful life as an ordinary peasant. The emperor's royal sword was also treasured at home, and was often displayed when telling his fellow villagers or foreigners about the difficulties of the War of Resistance.
Over time, the news that Hou Yongsheng had a sword given by the Emperor that had been captured from the battlefield became more and more widespread, and people who came to see it abounded. Even, there were rich merchants who bid 200,000 yuan to buy this sabre, but the old man politely refused. The reason why Hou Yongsheng left this sabre was not to show off, but to let future generations remember the 14-year War of Resistance full of blood and tears, and let Chinese remember the various evil deeds of Japan.
It was not until 2004, after the arrival of the rich middle-aged man, that Hou Yongsheng thought of the best destination of this combat knife and its significance, not always in his own hands.
The rich middle-aged man quickly found Hou Yongsheng's old uncle's home according to the path pointed out by the youth. After seeing Hou Yongsheng, who was already old but still refreshed, the middle-aged man could not help but compliment the old man for being physically strong and energetic. Being praised by others should logically be happy, but the old man Hou Yongsheng was a little frowny.
Because, the middle-aged man in front of him, although he was very polite, but the slightly lame Mandarin made people feel uncomfortable. Moreover, as a person who cannot forget The Nikko all his life, there is an indescribable sense of familiarity in looking at the person in front of him.
When the middle-aged man proposed that he wanted to see the battle knife, Hou Yongsheng did not refuse, but turned into the house and took out the saber. When he saw the middle-aged man observing the knife, the essence in his eyes could not help but show, he determined the conjecture in his heart. Subsequently, Hou Yongsheng asked thoughtfully, "Aren't you Chinese us?" ”
Seeing that Hou Yongsheng sensed something strange, the middle-aged man no longer hid it, but said straight to the point: "I am indeed not Chinese, I came this time to buy your knife, you make a price." When Hou Yongsheng heard this, his face immediately turned gloomy: "This knife is not for sale, you will go back wherever you come." ”
After saying that, Hou Yongsheng put away his battle knife and went back to the house. The Japanese did not give up, but quickly stopped Hou Yongsheng and asked his entourage to take out a wooden box: "Don't worry, I will buy you this knife for 30 million yuan, and this box is a deposit." The Japanese man opened the wooden box to reveal a full of banknotes, and looked at Hou Yongsheng with confidence, because he had already inquired about hou Yongsheng's life at that time, and he could only live on the government's relief funds.
Unexpectedly, Hou Yongsheng did not even look at the money, but only dropped a cold sentence: "I will not sell this knife, you hurry to leave." Then he went into the house. After the Japanese left, the neighbors who were watching outside the door of Hou YongshengYuan ran in and asked him: "30 million, how much is that, why are you so stubborn?" ”
Hou Yongsheng said firmly with a firm look in his eyes:
"I am a dying man, unconcerned, what is the use of asking for this money?" Moreover, this knife records not the merits of me alone, but the bravery of thousands of Chinese who sacrificed their lives to protect my country, and even more so the evidence of the numerous crimes committed by the Japanese. ”
Everyone present listened and applauded Hou Yongsheng one after another. But the Japanese didn't seem to want to give up, and for many days in a row, he had to come to Hou Yongsheng's home every day without sparing. The reason why it is so "persevering" is also very simple and clear, that is, to destroy these physical evidence that record japan's accumulated bad deeds.
As the Japanese "asked for a knife" became more and more widespread, the local television station also heard the news and rushed to interview the elderly Hou Yongsheng. Facing the camera, Hou Yongsheng couldn't help but moisten his eyes:
"This knife bears witness to the cruel crimes of the Japanese army in burning, looting, and committing all kinds of evil deeds on the land of China, and it is also an important microcosm of our generation that is not afraid of death and goes forward to fight against the invaders.
After the interview, the old man Hou Yongsheng suddenly stopped the reporter: "I don't know a few words, can you bother me to write a will?" The reporter read it and gladly agreed: "Old man, you said, I will write it down for you." Subsequently, Hou Yongsheng's lips trembled slightly:
This Japanese sabre, after my death, was handed over to the country free of charge, such a significant war knife, in the museum for the Chinese people to see and remember the special meaning behind it is the best destination, but also the best response for those who have malicious intentions.
The interview with the elderly Hou Yongsheng was made public by the television station along with the will, and the "tireless" Japanese finally dismissed the idea of asking for the sabre.
In 2014, Hou Yongsheng died of illness at the age of 88. Behind him, the Japanese officer's sabre captured on the battlefield was donated to the National Museum free of charge. Today, the sabre is still on display in the museum, reminding the world that "remember history, and national shame should not be forgotten." ”
Today, the mountains and rivers are still there, and the country is safe. However, this is the blood of countless people like Hou Yongsheng's old uncle. As those of us who enjoy the "residual shadow" of our ancestors, how can we forget, and how dare we forget the hatred of the country and the family that is deep in the marrow.