In the vast river of history, some secrets have been buried for decades until one day they are accidentally revealed. What kind of shock and surprise would it be if you suddenly found a huge underground fortress near your hometown that could hide 300,000 Japanese troops? In 1997, a huge secret about the Japanese army in the Northeast finally surfaced, but it all began with an unsuccessful search in 1946. What is the hidden history of this underground Great Wall, and how was it discovered?
Back in the forties of the last century, Northeast China, where the land and forests witnessed countless wars and secrets. After the end of World War II, the Japanese army surrendered, but they left behind many mysteries, the most shocking of which is the legendary "Underground Great Wall". It is a huge underground facility that is said to be able to accommodate 300,000 people, with a complex communication system and a long-term material reserve, which can almost form a small underground city.
In 1946, as the clouds of the Cold War gradually loomed, the activities of the Kuomintang's Military Command Bureau in the Northeast became more and more frequent. Wen Qiang, a general who had distinguished himself during the Sino-Japanese War, was appointed to an important position in the Northeast Region of the Military Command and began an investigation into the problems left behind by the Japanese army in this area. It is said that he first learned of the existence of the "Underground Great Wall" while receiving information from Japanese prisoners of war. This news immediately aroused great concern among the military commanders.
The investigation team soon launched a large-scale search under the command of Wen Qiang. They trekked through mountains and rivers deep into primeval forests in the hope of finding this legendary underground fortress. However, Tohoku is a vast area with dense mountains and forests, and even accurate maps cannot fully reveal its secrets. A year has passed, and despite their great efforts, Wen Qiang and his team still have found nothing, and the underground fortress seems to be just a phantom.
This history of unsuccessful searches does not end there. Over time, more clues surfaced. In 1997, with the development of some areas and the oral accounts of local people, some evidence of the underground activities of the Japanese army was gradually revealed. By chance, a team of explorers discovered unusual terrain and some apparently artificially constructed remains in a remote area of Hulunbuir. After a detailed investigation, these ruins were confirmed to be part of the underground fortifications of the Japanese military period. Although it is not fully confirmed that this is the legendary "underground Great Wall", it undoubtedly adds a new page to this mystery.
Here, I have to mention Wen Qiang and his team. While the initial search yielded no direct results, their efforts laid the groundwork for later discoveries. Wen Qiang's role was not limited to searching for military installations left behind by the Japanese army, but he was also responsible for cleaning up the Japanese weapons left behind after the war to ensure that they did not become a factor of regional instability. During the year-long search, although the "underground Great Wall" could not be found, they removed a large number of unexploded ordnance and other dangerous items, contributing to local security.
Over time, rumors about the underground fortress circulated among the local folk. It has been said that in some deep mountains and old forests, forgotten Japanese military installations can occasionally be found, such as barbed wire or simple wooden fences, which are simple fortifications used by the Japanese army for defense. There are also farmers who can occasionally dig up bullet casings and shrapnel from the Japanese army when they are farming, and these relics are like dusty history, which are little by little uncovered by modern civilization.
Exploring the underground fortress is not only a retrospective of history, but also a profound reflection on human nature and war. Here, the relationship between man and nature is redefined, and the war leaves behind not only trauma and memories, but also mysteries to be solved. The dense forests of the Daxing'an Mountains were once the site of fierce battles between countless Japanese troops and Chinese anti-Japanese troops, but now they have become a new battlefield for historical explorers.
In this mysterious land, every inch of land may hide hidden secrets. A serendipitous discovery in 1997 not only gave us more insight into the history of the World War II period, but also made us aware of the complexity and diversity of history. History is not just the words in the books, but also the spirit contained in these relics.
Although Wen Qiang and his team were unable to find the complete "Underground Great Wall", their efforts and spirit of exploration have made it possible for us to uncover a corner of history. Every exploration is a respect for the past and a challenge to the unknown. In this war-torn land, every excavation and research is not only about history