In 1938, when the war was raging, Longgang Village in Linqu, Shandong Province ushered in a seemingly ordinary summer morning. However, this large village, with more than 200 households and more than 1,100 people, did not know what kind of disaster it was about to face. The 4-meter-high fence outside the village used to guard this material distribution center within a radius of dozens of miles, but today, can it protect the lives of the villagers?
When the first gunshots pierced the quiet sky, the villagers had no idea that it would be the last morning of their lives. The encirclement of the Japanese invaders is quietly forming, and the people of the village are confused by a strange phenomenon - why is there no gunfire outside the south gate? Is this seemingly safe exit the door of life or death? When the villagers flocked to the village, hoping to escape, how could they have imagined what kind of bloody slaughter would await them?
Why did this seemingly ordinary village become the target of such a brutal massacre by the Japanese invaders? How did the villagers struggle to survive in the face of this disaster? And what kind of terrible conspiracy is hidden in the south gate, where there are no gunshots?
The illusion of peace in Longgang Village
Who would have thought that just before this calm morning, Longgang Village would still be prosperous? This large village located in Linqu, Shandong Province, is not an ordinary village. You see, the 4-metre-high wall encloses the village like a strong barrier. Where is this ordinary countryside? It's clearly a small fortress!
People in the village often say that our Longgang Village is a "little Hong Kong" within a radius of dozens of miles. Why? Listen to Lao Li Tou'er explain: "Our village has a big gathering on the fourth and ninth days of the lunar calendar, which is called a lively!" Old Li Tou'er said, his eyes shining. Don't you know, the village was crowded with people that day, and even people from the next county came to do business. "
Isn't it, the big set in Longgang Village is famous far and wide. On the long street at the entrance of the village, the stalls are full. Cloth sellers, melon and fruit sellers, farm tools, you name it. People come and go on the street, and the shouting and selling are one after another, and it is very lively.
Aunt Zhang in the village loves to catch the market. She always said, "The market in our village is not an ordinary set." Look at how many new things those vendors bring from other places! "Aunt Zhang likes to buy some flower cloth and make a few new clothes. Every time she came back from the market, she was happy to show off her "booty" to her neighbors.
The days of Longgang Village have been very impressive. There are more than 200 households and more than 1,100 people in the village, which is a well-known large village. The villagers work at sunrise and rest at sunset, living a hard-working and simple life.
But who would have thought that under this calm appearance, how much uneasiness is hidden? After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Shandong fell to a large area of land. Although Longgang Village is safe for the time being, the clouds of war have long hung over everyone's hearts.
Village elder Zhou has been frowning lately. He always looked at the road at the entrance of the village in a daze, as if waiting for some bad news. "Our village is located on a major road, not far from the place occupied by the Japanese." Lao Zhou often sighed and said, "I'm afraid that one day the Japanese devils will kill me!" "
The young people of the village are also restless. Li Dazhu's son secretly went to join the anti-Japanese guerrillas a few days ago. Before leaving, he said to his father, "Dad, I can't watch our homeland being ruined by the Japanese!" Li Dazhu is not only proud of his son, but also worried all day long.
Even the children in the village felt the uneasiness of the adults. The village roads, which used to be playful and noisy, are now often empty. The children's laughter seemed to be suppressed by the clouds of war.
Who would have thought that on this seemingly ordinary summer morning, the fate of Longgang Village would be completely changed? When the first rays of sunlight shine on the big trees at the entrance of the village, the villagers are still asleep. Unbeknownst to them, a terrible catastrophe was quietly approaching.
That morning, Lao Zhou got up very early. He stood at the entrance of the village, looking at the mountains in the distance, and felt an indescribable uneasiness in his heart. "Why is it so quiet today?" Lao Zhou muttered to himself. What he didn't know was that this tranquility was the tranquility before the storm.
At the moment when Lao Zhou turned around and went home, a gunshot suddenly rang out in the distance. This gunshot broke the last tranquility of Longgang Village and opened the prelude to a bloody massacre.
A surprise attack by the Japanese invaders
On August 15, 1938, the sky was just dawning, and Longgang Village was still immersed in the tranquility of the early morning. However, this tranquility was soon shattered. More than 200 Japanese invading troops entrenched in Zhengmu and Tanjiafang approached Longgang Village in two ways. They moved quickly, apparently with a well-planned raid.
The Japanese encirclement strategy can be described as extremely cunning. They did not immediately launch a full-scale attack, but first fired their guns outside the north gate, creating the illusion that the attack was coming from the north. This move immediately caught the attention of the villagers, and many began to run south.
Immediately afterward, gunfire rang out from the east and west sides. Gunfire rang out one after another, shells whizzed by, and the whole village was thrown into chaos. The villagers panicked, some picked up their children and ran out, while others hid in cellars or houses.
Lao Zhou stood at the entrance of the village, looking at this sudden disaster, and was at a loss for a while. He shouted, "Don't panic, everyone! Run to the South Gate! There are no gunshots at the South Gate! Lao Zhou's words gave the villagers a glimmer of hope, and people flocked to the south gate.
However, no one thought that this seemingly safe south gate was actually a trap carefully set by the Japanese army. The tactics of the Japanese army were very insidious, and they deliberately kept silent outside the south gate to lure the villagers into the net.
At this moment, Li Daming, a young man from the village, rushed to Lao Zhou's side and said breathlessly: "Village chief, it's not good!" The Japanese surrounded the whole village! When Lao Zhou heard this, his face suddenly turned pale. He realized that the situation was worse than he had imagined.
The initial reaction of the villagers varied. Some people desperately ran to the south gate with their children in their arms, while others hid at home and did not dare to come out. The young, vigorous men began to organize and want to resist. Li Daming and a few young men quickly gathered, picked up farm tools and shotguns, and prepared to deal with the Japanese army.
The women of the village did not sit still. Aunt Zhang and a few neighbors quickly organized to help the elderly and children hide. They hid some in cellars and others in straw piles.
While the villagers were busy fleeing and organizing resistance, the Japanese encirclement tightened tighter and tighter. The gunfire became more and more intense, shells exploded in the village from time to time, and the sound of houses collapsing came and went.
However, there is still an eerie tranquility outside the South Gate. This tranquility gave the villagers false hope, and more and more people began to gather towards the south gate. The elderly, women, children, helping the old and the young, flocked to it.
When Li Daming saw this scene, he suddenly realized something. He shouted, "Don't go to the South Gate!" There may be an ambush there! But his voice was drowned out in chaos and not many people heard it.
At this moment, Uncle Wang, the old hunter in the village, noticed a detail. He noticed an unusual movement in the grass outside the south gate, as if someone was lurking in it. Uncle Wang immediately realized the danger, and he waved desperately to the crowd, trying to stop the villagers from continuing to rush towards the south gate.
However, it was too late. At the moment when a large number of villagers were about to rush out of the south gate, the Japanese troops who were ambushed on the south bank of the river beach outside the south gate suddenly opened fire. The sound of machine gun fire and the explosion of grenadiers instantly resounded throughout the south gate.
In an instant, the river beach outside the south gate turned into a sea of blood. Countless villagers fell in pools of blood, and the cries and screams came and went. Those who survived desperately ran back, but the Japanese bullets pursued them mercilessly.
The raid lasted more than two hours. The Japanese army killed people and set fires everywhere in the village, and women, children and the elderly were not spared. The entire village of Longgang was plunged into terror and despair.
By the time the sun had fully risen, Longgang Village had changed beyond recognition. Burnt houses, corpses, and screaming survivors make for a heartbreaking picture. This once thriving village was reduced to ruins in just a few hours.
The tragic plight of the villagers
The nightmare in Longgang Village continues. The Japanese raid not only brought death and destruction, but also unimaginable pain and suffering to the surviving villagers.
On the eastern side of the village, what happened to Li Dazhu's family was heartbreaking. Li Dazhu's son joined the anti-Japanese guerrillas, and the news somehow reached the ears of the Japanese army. The Japanese army broke into Li's house and tied Li Dazhu and his wife to a big tree in the yard. The Japanese officers brandished their sabers and pressed the guerrillas about their whereabouts. Li Dazhu gritted his teeth and said nothing. The officer was so angry that he killed Li Dazhu's wife on the spot. Li Dazhu watched his wife fall in a pool of blood, but he couldn't do anything. In the end, Li Dazhu was not spared and became another victim under the bayonets of the Japanese army.
In the square in the center of the village, a group of women and children were gathered by the Japanese army. Among them are Aunt Zhang and her little granddaughter. Japanese soldiers took turns beating and humiliating the unarmed villagers. Mrs. Zhang tried to protect her little granddaughter, but was kicked to the ground by a Japanese soldier. The little girl cried "Grandma", but was rudely dragged away by another soldier. Aunt Zhang struggled to get up, but never saw her little granddaughter again.
To the west of the village, the wit of the old hunter won some of the villagers a lease of life. He led a group of people to hide in the cellar where he usually stored his game. The entrance to the cellar was cleverly disguised as a pile of firewood. When the Japanese searched for it, they just kicked the pile of firewood at random and left. The villagers hiding in the cellars held their breath for fear of making a sound. They spent long hours in darkness and fear until it was confirmed that the Japanese had left.
The story of village elder Zhou was even more tragic. As the leader of the village, he became the target of the Japanese army's pursuit. After the Japanese army searched his house without success, they drove his entire family to the entrance of the village and carried out a brutal massacre in front of everyone. Lao Zhou was forced to watch his relatives fall one by one, and in the end he himself was brutally murdered by the Japanese army. This scene became the most brutal epitome of the Longgang Village Massacre.
The resistance organized by Li Daming, a young man from the village, was brave, but in the face of the well-armed Japanese army, their efforts seemed so small. Li Daming and several of his companions used shotguns and farm tools to fight the Japanese soldiers, and even killed several Japanese soldiers. However, they were ultimately outnumbered. When Li Daming was covering the retreat of the villagers, he was hit by Japanese machine gun fire and fell under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village.
The tragedy in Longgang Village is not limited to casualties. The Japanese set fire to the village and many houses were burned. The food and belongings that the villagers had worked so hard to accumulate were either looted or burned. Those villagers who survived hiding in cellars or straw piles waited until the Japanese troops left, and all they saw was ruins.
Most outrageously, the Japanese also laid mines in the village before leaving. These hidden murder weapons claimed many innocent lives in the days that followed. Some villagers stepped on landmines and died when they returned to their homes to check the damage; Some were tragically killed while cleaning the rubble. These mines became another terrible "gift" left by the Japanese army, so that the suffering of Longgang Village continued after the end of the war.
The villagers who survived were faced with a difficult choice. Some people decide to leave this sad place and find another way to make a living. Others choose to stay and try to rebuild their homes from the rubble. Whatever choice they make, they must face the painful reality of losing their loved ones and having their homes destroyed.
The tragedy of Longgang Village soon spread throughout the surrounding area and became another bloody example of the atrocities committed by the Japanese army in Shandong. This massacre not only destroyed a prosperous village, but also dealt another brutal blow to the entire Chinese nation. However, it was precisely such a tragedy that further stimulated the determination of the Chinese people to resist Japan and became another driving force for the development of the War of Resistance Against Japan.
The revolt of the survivors
The tragedy in Longgang Village did not end there. After the slaughter and destruction of the Japanese army, the surviving villagers did not succumb to the ravages of fate. On the contrary, their spirit of resistance was completely ignited, and they turned their grief and anger into strength, and began a difficult and resolute resistance.
Among the survivors, the young Zhao Dayong became the central figure of the rebellion. Zhao Dayong lost his parents and sister in the massacre, and this deep pain fueled his fighting spirit. He secretly contacted the remaining young adults in the village, and secretly met in the ruins to discuss plans for a rebellion. They decided to form a guerrilla detachment based in Longgang Village to wage guerrilla warfare against the Japanese army.
Forming partisan detachments was not an easy task. Armament is the biggest problem. Zhao Dayong and his companions began to search the ruins of the village for usable weapons. They found several rifles captured from dead Japanese soldiers, as well as some shotguns hidden by villagers. Although the weapons were rudimentary, they were already a valuable resource for the fledgling partisans.
Training is also a challenge. Most of the villagers were farmers and had never received military training. Zhao Dayong found Lao Zhang, who had been a soldier in the village, and asked him to be an instructor. In the mountains and forests near the village, they began their arduous training. Shooting, tactics, and wilderness survival, each skill must be learned from scratch.
At the same time, the partisans also needed to solve logistical problems. Most of the food in the village was burned or looted by the Japanese army, and the remaining reserves were difficult to sustain the long-term war of resistance. Zhao Dayong organized a small team to liaise with nearby villages, exchange supplies, and establish a mutual aid network. This not only solved the material problem, but also expanded the influence of the partisans.
At the preparatory stage, the guerrillas also faced the threat of the Japanese army. Although the Japanese army evacuated Longgang Village, they still sent patrols from time to time to check on the situation. The guerrillas had to train and prepare at the same time as they were constantly vigilant to avoid exposure. They set up lookout posts around the village, and once they found traces of Japanese troops, they immediately notified everyone to take cover.
After months of preparation, Zhao Dayong's guerrillas were finally ready for action. Their first goal was to attack a small Japanese outpost. This post is located in a strategic location about ten kilometers from Longgang Village and controls the main road leading to the county seat.
The action unfolded on a dark and windy night. The guerrillas were divided into three groups, which were responsible for reconnaissance, assault, and response. Zhao Dayong personally led the assault group and quietly approached the outpost. After confirming that most of the Japanese soldiers were asleep, they launched a surprise attack.
The battle was extremely fierce. Despite the fact that the partisans had the advantage of the raid, the stubborn resistance of the Japanese still caused them a lot of trouble. The exchange of fire lasted about half an hour, and finally the partisans managed to capture the outpost. They seized a large amount of weapons and ammunition, which greatly improved the condition of the equipment of the partisans.
This successful operation greatly boosted the morale of the partisans. More importantly, it sent a clear signal to the surrounding area: the flame of resistance against Japan was not extinguished in Longgang Village, but burned more vigorously.
The news spread quickly, and more and more young people joined the partisans. Not only the survivors of Longgang Village, but also the youth of the surrounding villages have also come to sign up. The guerrillas grew rapidly from about 20 to nearly 100 in size.
As the forces grew, so did the range of action of the guerrillas. They began to harass the Japanese supply lines and cut off the enemy's logistical supplies. At the same time, they also actively cooperated with the actions of the regular army and provided intelligence support for large-scale counteroffensives.
However, as the guerrillas' influence expanded, they also faced greater challenges. The Japanese army began to pay attention to this rising anti-Japanese force, and organized large-scale "sweeping" operations many times. The partisans had to find a balance between fighting and concealment, and sometimes even moved farther into the mountains.
Despite this, Zhao Dayong and his companions never gave up their determination to resist the war. They firmly believed that as long as they persevered, they would one day be able to completely expel the Japanese invaders and avenge the innocent villagers of Longgang Village.
In the years that followed, the Longgang village guerrillas became an important force in the local War of Resistance Against Japan. Their stories are not only a powerful response to the atrocities of the Japanese invaders, but also a vivid example of inspiring people across the country to rise up and resist the war.
The historical significance of the Longgang Village Massacre
As a microcosm of the atrocities committed by the Japanese army during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Longgang Village Massacre left a deep imprint on China's modern history. This incident not only caused great harm to the local people, but also had a profound impact in the broader historical context.
First of all, the Longgang Village Massacre became an important piece of evidence to expose the atrocities of the Japanese army. In the aftermath of the incident, survivors' testimonies and physical evidence from the scene were recorded and preserved in detail. These first-hand accounts became an important basis for later indictments of Japanese war crimes. In the post-war Tokyo Trials, the Longgang Village Massacre was listed as one of many crimes committed by the Japanese army in China, providing strong support for the final verdict.
Second, this incident inspired more Chinese people to participate in the War of Resistance Against Japan. The tragedy in Longgang Village quickly spread throughout Shandong and even the whole country, causing widespread anger and sympathy. Many people who had been on the fence about the war joined the anti-Japanese army after hearing about such a brutal massacre. Around Longgang Village, more young people joined the guerrillas led by Zhao Dayong, expanding the scale of the local anti-Japanese forces.
The Longgang Village Massacre also became an important opportunity for the international community to pay attention to China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. At that time, an American journalist risked his life and infiltrated the vicinity of Longgang Village to record the tragic aftermath of the massacre. His report caused a huge international repercussion, and more people in Western countries learned about the atrocities committed by Japan in China. These reports played a key role in reversing international public opinion and winning more countries to support China's cause of resistance against Japan.
In the process of reconciliation after the war, the Longgang Village Massacre also played an important role. As a typical case of the atrocities of the Japanese army, it has become an important topic of dialogue between China and Japan on historical issues. Some Japanese historians and civil society groups have visited Longgang Village many times to conduct field investigations and research. These efforts have provided a platform for historical reconciliation between the peoples of the two countries.
However, the historical significance of the Longgang Village Massacre is not limited to the past. Its impact on contemporary China is equally profound. In Longgang Village, the local government has set up a memorial hall to warn future generations and remember the deceased. Every year, a large number of students and the public come to learn more about this painful history through physical exhibits, historical photographs and oral histories of survivors. This form of patriotic education has made the new generation of Chinese cherish the hard-won peace even more, and at the same time enhanced national pride and cohesion.
The Longgang Village Massacre also gave impetus to academic research on war crimes. Historians, sociologists and psychologists have conducted in-depth discussions on this event from different perspectives, resulting in a large number of academic results. These studies not only enrich the understanding of the history of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, but also provide theoretical support for preventing the recurrence of similar tragedies.
At the level of international law, the case of the Longgang Village massacre has been cited many times to demonstrate war crimes and crimes against humanity. It became an important reference for the development of international humanitarian law and provided practical support for the later development of better laws of war.
In addition, the reconstruction process of Longgang Village has also become a microcosm of China's post-war recovery. With the joint efforts of the guerrillas and the local people, Longgang Village was gradually rebuilt from the rubble. This process not only demonstrates the resilience of the Chinese people, but also provides valuable experience for the reconstruction of other war-torn areas.
It is important to note that the impact of the Longgang Village massacre was not confined to China. It has become an important case for the international community to study the atrocities of war, collective memory and wound healing. Scholars from many countries came to Longgang Village to conduct field investigations and research, and compared the experience here with similar events in other parts of the world, which provided a useful reference for how human society should face and deal with the trauma of war.
With the passage of time, the Longgang Village Massacre gradually evolved from a local event to an important symbol in the history of China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. It is not only a record of history, but also a call for peace, a reflection on human nature, and a warning for the future.