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In 1953, in the final stages of the Korean War, China and the United States fought for superiority at the negotiating table. The last large-scale battle was fought on Korean soil. However, just when our army was fighting with the United Nations forces led by the United States, a political commissar in the 38th Army found a soldier Zhang Rongqing.
Looking at the young face in front of him, who had accompanied the comrades from birth to death, the political commissar asked bluntly: "Xiao Zhang, tell me honestly! Are you a little Japan?"
Zhang Rongqing
Why did the political committee suspect that Zhang Rongqing was Japanese, and if he was really Japanese, why did he come to the Korean battlefield?
Click to pay attention and walk into the story of the legendary Japanese People's Liberation Army Zhang Rongqing.
Went to Korea to participate in the war
In 1953, when the volunteer soldiers were fighting on the front line, the political commissar urgently summoned and asked: Tell me honestly, are you Japanese?
In 1950, Kim Il Sung, the supreme leader of the North Korean regime, began a plan to reunify the peninsula at the behest of the Soviet Union. As a general from the Northeast Anti-Japanese Alliance, Kim Il Sung and his Manchurian generals far surpassed the South Korean army in military command ability.
In the early days of the war, the northern regime quickly pushed its front across the 38th parallel and rampant all the way to the south. The newly formed Republic of Korea forces were quickly crumbled by the blows of their northern counterparts and were almost driven into the sea. Fortunately, the United States came to the rescue in a timely manner in order to realize its Asia-Pacific strategy.
With the help of the "Inchon landing" plan, the Western coalition forces led by the United States quickly turned the tide of the war with a two-sided attack, not only helping South Korea successfully recover its territory, but even advancing the front to the border area between China and North Korea. In order to realize their dirty plans, US warplanes deliberately caused tragedy on the Sino-North Korean border when attacking North Korean troops.
As the flames of war spread to China, a century-old problem arose: should China resist US aggression and aid Korea?
Although at that time, many people in the party, the military, and even in society had a negative and negative attitude towards the "War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea." However, Chairman Mao still tried his best to resist public opinion, insisted on resisting US aggression and aiding Korea, and won space and opportunities for the mainland to develop through his own struggle.
In October 1950, under the leadership of Mr. Peng, commander-in-chief of the Volunteer Army, the first batch of soldiers to aid North Korea quietly crossed the border between China and North Korea and started their own expedition.
Among the first batch of troops to fight in North Korea, a 17-year-old young man named Zhang Rongqing was very excited. In order to achieve his goal of going to the Korean War, he did not hesitate to hide his secrets and cheat in the recruitment materials. And all this is just to achieve his goal of fighting for the country and winning glory for the country.
As one of the ace units of the People's Liberation Army, the 38th Army can be said to have played a majestic role in the Korean War. Although it was defeated in the first battle, the 38th Army quickly adjusted its state and annihilated 15,000 enemies in the Battle of Songgu Peak, earning the reputation of "Long Live Army".
After that, the 38th Army and the 60th Army defended the Han River to the death, making great contributions to the successful interspersed operations of friendly forces and the victory of the fourth campaign.
In this process, Zhang Rongqing, as a soldier of the 38th Army, has also been greatly sharpened and transformed, and has become a communist fighter with excellent tactical literacy and firm ideological will. However, none of the soldiers of the 38th Army could have imagined that this young comrade-in-arms, who was almost indistinguishable from themselves and had accompanied them through several years of war, would have a mysterious identity.
In 1953, the Korean War came to an end, and after many major wars, China and the United States were finally close to reaching agreement at the negotiating table. In order to consider the subsequent evacuation, the Zhi Division began to arrange the relevant issues of the withdrawal of troops in advance.
One day, the political commissar of the 38th Army found Zhang Rongqing, who was on the battlefield and engaged in a final battle with the United Nations Army. Zhang Rongqing didn't know why, and asked the political commissar: "Political commissar, what are you looking for me?"
Looking at the volunteer soldier in front of him with a childish face but resolute eyes, the political commissar tentatively said: "Xiao Zhang, who are you?" Zhang Rongqing couldn't help laughing when he heard the political commissar's words, and then replied firmly: "I am a soldier, a Chinese soldier, and a Chinese soldier who is fighting for the revolutionary cause!"
But Zhang Rongqing's answer not only failed to satisfy the political commissar, but made him look sad. The political commissar looked into Zhang Rongqing's eyes, and then asked softly: "I'm afraid this is not right, right? Xiao Zhang, tell me honestly! Are you Japanese?"
As soon as the political commissar's words came out, Zhang Rongqing's body suddenly couldn't help but tremble. He didn't expect that he had hidden his identity for many years and was finally arrested.
Zhang Rongqing, formerly known as Megumi Sunahara, was born in Fukuoka, Japan in 1933 and is an authentic Japanese.
Why did Megumi Sunahara come to China and successfully join the People's Liberation Army, and why did he hide his identity and participate in the Korean War?
Identity shifts
In 1953, when the volunteer soldiers were fighting on the front line, the political commissar urgently summoned and asked: Tell me honestly, are you Japanese?
Megumi Sunahara was born in Fukuoka, Japan in 1933. At that time, when Japan invaded Northeast China, in order to realize its plan to colonize Manchuria and even colonize China, the Japanese government sent a large number of Japanese people to immigrate to Manchuria. In 1937, when she was only in her early 4s, Megumi Sunahara followed her parents to the land of northeastern China.
Although Megumi Sunahara and his family followed the government's call to come to China, they did not have the same aggressive thoughts as other Japanese. As a member of the South Manchurian Railway, Megumi Sunahara's father was the only Japanese employee who could teach Chinese apprentices. He not only taught the Chinese apprentices, but was also very dissatisfied with Japan's own aggressive behavior, but he was unable to express his thoughts because of his strength.
As time passed, Megumi Sunahara gradually grew up on Chinese soil, and Japan also walked step by step towards the abyss of war. In 1945, Japan's defeat was assured, and Megumi Sunahara's family prepared to return to Japan. But in the process, his father died unexpectedly due to illness. Originally, my father had already entrusted his apprentice to arrange a retreat for the family to return to China.
But for some reason, the apprentice disappeared without a trace. The family had no choice but to be forced to stay in China and went into exile all the way to the area of Ningbei Town. The family barely survived by sewing and mending and herding pigs and cattle.
Although the locals were aware of the Japanese identity of the Sunahara family, they did not make any radical moves against it. As human beings who have also suffered from the war, the local people have shown a very tolerant attitude. In the process, Megumi Sunahara also met many Chinese and received their teaching and help.
One of the elderly Chinese men, after discovering that he was not proficient in Chinese, admonished him: "If you want to live in China, you must learn Chinese." If you can learn 2,000 kanji, you will be able to communicate with Chinese normally!" Since he could not return to Japan, he could only put his hope for life in China for the time being and began to study Chinese hard.
Thanks to his unremitting efforts, he quickly mastered 2,000 Chinese characters. Not only can he communicate with Chinese normally, but he can even make people unable to distinguish his identity as Japanese.
As they took root in China, Megumi Sunahara became hired farmers for local landowners. In 1948, the area where he was located carried out the movement of "fighting local tyrants and dividing the land", and the family of Megumi Sunahara, as a hired farmer, also received a lot of land and real estate. At this moment, Megumi Sunahara, who was in a foreign land, suddenly stopped missing Japan and began to have plans to take root in China.
In the process of dividing the fields, Megumi Sunahara also realized the advanced nature of the Communist Party of China and was full of yearning for it. Soon, Megumi Sunahara, who was still a minor, falsely reported his age and joined the troops of the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army under the name of "Zhang Rongqing". At that time, it was the late stage of the Liberation War, and our army and the national army launched a strategic decisive battle. Zhang Rongqing, who was still a minor, followed the People's Liberation Army all the way to Liaoshen, Pingjin and other major battles, and became a staunch PLA soldier.
With the outbreak of the Korean War, he signed up for the army again and followed the 38th Army to Korea. Because there were restrictions on going to Korea to fight at that time, Japanese soldiers were not allowed to enter Korea. In order to follow the troops to fight, Zhang Rongqing once again "cheated", wrote the word "China" on the column of his nationality, and even submitted an application to the organization to join the party.
During the Korean War, Zhang Rongqing played an outstanding role, and his behavior did not arouse anyone's suspicion. But in the end, the commissar still found him and revealed his secret. And the reason why this is the case is actually because Zhang Rongqing's mother who stayed in the Northeast leaked the news.
As a family member of a fighter of our Party, when his mother was critically ill, our Party functionaries actively visited him. In the process, Zhang Rongqing's mother spoke Japanese when she was dying, which revealed the family's Japanese identity. Soon, the local government in the northeast revealed the news to the leaders of the 38th Army, and only then did the political commissar talk.
Although everyone is extremely sensitive to the identity of the Japanese, the comrades-in-arms have no opinion on Zhang Rongqing. It's just that due to the requirements of the national policy, the organization can only transfer him back to China to serve as a staff member of the Northeast Aviation School.
Although Zhang Rongqing believes that he is a Chinese from the bottom of his heart, his Japanese nationality cannot be changed. After the Korean War, the mainland began to repatriate Japanese expatriates in batches. As a member of the People's Liberation Army, Zhang Rongqing has become a role model.
In desperation, he could only accept the organizational arrangement, left China, where he had lived for 17 years, and returned to his motherland Japan.
After returning to Japan, what kind of state will Zhang Rongqing live in?
Japanese warriors
In 1953, when the volunteer soldiers were fighting on the front line, the political commissar urgently summoned and asked: Tell me honestly, are you Japanese?
But when he arrived in Japan, he didn't get the slightest excitement. He has always been concerned about the China that has raised him for 17 years and given him infinite warmth and care. After returning to China, he still used "Zhang Rongqing" as his name, and did not want others to call him his Japanese name.
In order to fulfill the responsibilities of his People's Liberation Army as much as possible, after returning to Japan, Zhang Rongqing did his best to make efforts for Sino-Japanese friendship. After the normalization of Sino-Japanese relations, he used business activities to connect the friendly exchanges between the Chinese and Japanese people. In 1997, Zhang Rongqing came to China again and established a Japanese pickle company in the Jixian area of Tianjin, mainly supplying the pickles produced by himself to the Chinese market.
And the location of this factory is also very particular, and it is the general headquarters of the Pingjin Campaign. He chose the location of the company here, hoping that every time he arrived at the company, he would be able to remember his career in the People's Liberation Army.
In addition, as one of the representatives of the Japanese People's Liberation Army, he personally organized and convened a large number of Japanese People's Liberation Army, led them to form the first Japanese People's Liberation Army delegation, and all of them visited China and returned to the place where he had fought.
Because of the legend of his life experience, China Magazine, together with a number of foreign friendship organizations, co-founded the comic book "Blood and Heart: The Legendary Life of Japanese People's Liberation Army Soldier Megumi Sunahara" based on Zhang Rongqing, to show more people the story behind this legendary figure.
In fact, there are not a few Japanese PLA who were born in Japan like this, but have always cared for China and made common contributions to China.
Among them, there was a Japanese army that invaded China, but after the defeat was inspired by the cadres of our army, he joined our army, followed the troops all the way to the scene of major battles, and later became the head of our army's language care squad. There are also Yukiko Yamabe, who is an orphan of Japan, because he ate a bite of food from the People's Liberation Army, and finally joined our army and became a nurse in the army. There is also Akio Hanazo, who firmly believes in communism, serves as an officer of the Political Department of the Northeast Field Army, and has repeatedly applied for joining the party.
In addition, Kikuyoshi Murata, who joined our army as a mechanic of the Kwantung Army Flying Team and helped the mainland complete the establishment of the Northeast Aviation School at the behest of all the leaders of the Northeast Bureau, is also a well-known Japanese PLA soldier at home and abroad. He not only helped our party successfully train the first generation of PLA pilots, but also actively provided assistance to students studying in Japan after returning to China, and made great contributions to Sino-Japanese economic and educational exchanges.
Even in the most important founding ceremony of New China, two Japanese People's Liberation Army participated. Ono and Shigeru Mori, who graduated from the Japanese art department, came to China because of their resistance to Japanese fascism. After the end of the Sino-Japanese War, the two chose to stay in China to contribute to the Chinese art field. As well-known artists, the two loved to design the poster of the revolutionary drama "The White-Haired Girl", the trademark of our army's brand cigarettes, and so on.
Later, the two were favored by our army and joined the North China Art Troupe, providing help in the field of art for the drama, song and dance and art teams. In the course of the Liberation War, the two followed the troops all the way, painting everywhere to publicize the ideology of our army.
In 1949, in order to present the most stunning founding ceremony, the two took on the task of designing an elaborate giant palace lamp for the Tiananmen Tower. The two joined forces with an old carpenter, worked for three days and three nights, and finally rushed to make 8 palace lanterns, which made up enough momentum for the founding ceremony.
Although these Japanese PLA fighters are "not of our race" in terms of blood, under the inspiration of our party, they have already completely turned to China ideologically and spiritually. Although they are Japanese, they have a Chinese heart, infinite love for China, and a desire to create a more inclusive and powerful China and create a beautiful Datong world.
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