Chapter 239: On History: China Is Not Dead

The county seat of Lin'an County. Ding's compound, the headquarters of the Japanese army. The main room of the middle courtyard.

A breakfast is transformed into a lecture hall on war and history. The historical views of Nakagawa Eiichi and Sohan Ichiro are basically the same. However, at this time, the positions and expressions of each are different due to the different roles and responsibilities of each person.

Eiichi Nakagawa, who had studied and lectured on Japanese and Chinese history, had to agree and accept Sohanichiro's explanation and analysis, but he wanted to know how much else Sohanichiro knew.

"Zong Hanjun, can you be more specific with examples?"

"Yes. Let me give you a few examples. Nakagawa-kun, what I have said below are all things that have survived and are active in the real life of Japan, and they are all historical materials that can be examined. Japanese kendo comes from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in China. The Japanese kimono was called Kufu until the late 19th century. The name Wufu originated during the Three Kingdoms period of China, when Soochow and Japanese merchants brought textiles and clothing sewing methods back to Japan when they were engaged in commercial activities. Buddhism was introduced to Japan from the Sui Dynasty in China via Korea. It became the state religion after the Chinese monk Jianzhen arrived in Japan. In 753, Japan sent Tang envoys Fujiwara Qinghe, Kibi Zhenbei, Chao Heng and others to Yangzhou and once again implored Jianzhen to cross east with them. After some hardships, the sixth eastward crossing was finally successful. The cherry blossom, a symbol of love and hope, is one of Japan's most iconic objects, but it originated in China and is native to the Chinese Himalayas. After being cultivated, the species was gradually introduced to the Yangtze River basin in China, southwest China, and the island of Taiwan. During the Qin and Han dynasties, the royal family had planted cherry blossoms, and they have been cultivated for more than 2,000 years. During the Sui Dynasty, it was brought back to Dongying by Japanese worshippers. A kind of sports similar to wrestling, called Jiaoyu in the Qin and Han dynasties, and sumo wrestling in the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Southern Song Dynasty, was introduced to Japan around the Tang Dynasty and is now a kind of wrestling popular in Japan. Ikebana originated from the Buddhist hall offering ceremony in the Sui Dynasty in China, and later ikebana, incense, Noh opera, geisha, tatami mats, and clogs were introduced to Japan during the Tang Dynasty in China. From the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the Chinese custom of drinking tea was introduced to Japan, and in the Song Dynasty, Japan began to cultivate tea trees and make tea. It was not until the Ming Dynasty that the unique Japanese tea ceremony was truly formed. Calligraphy was introduced to Japan during the Tang Dynasty through the Japanese monk Kukai. Japanese ninjas originated in Chinese juggling, and Hattori Hanzo is a descendant of the Qin people in China. The enthronement ceremony of the Japanese emperor was carried out in accordance with the rules and etiquette of the Tang Dynasty's imperial ceremonies, and the costumes were made in the style of the Spring and Autumn period of China, and the music and dance of the ceremony were from the Tang Dynasty. The unscientific, uncomfortable, and uncomfortable sitting posture that has been inherited by the Japanese for many years and has formed a habit of life is also from the Han Dynasty in China. Nakagawa-kun, is what I'm saying a little messy? Maybe there are also inaccuracies in the chronological order, please correct it, don't laugh at me, but it's all historical facts, right? ”

"What you say is a bit disorganized, but it's all historical facts, and I know all of them. Zong Hanjun, what else do you know? ”

"I know too much, Nakagawa-kun, let me say one more thing. China and Japan are neighbors separated by a strip of water, and their cultures have been very close since ancient times. During the Ice Age, the Japanese archipelago was connected to Chinese mainland by land bridges from north to south. In order to chase their prey, the Chinese came to Japan by land bridge and settled down. Since then, Chinese immigrants have continued to come here in batches, living with the aborigines, giving birth of mixed blood, and forming the ancestors of today's ethnic group. After entering the Cenozoic era, the Japanese archipelago was separated from Chinese mainland, and was relatively less affected by the mainland. Rice farming techniques were introduced to Japan from the Yangtze River valley in China around the 10th century BC. The Yayoi period, which focused on a production economy that focused on both rice cultivation and animal husbandry, began. Since then, a new era in the history of the Japanese archipelago has begun. The radiation and spread of Chinese culture to Japan during the Qin and Han dynasties greatly shortened the process of the Japanese archipelago from obscurantism to civilization. During the Qin and Han dynasties, the radiation and spread of Chinese culture to Japan was mainly completed by Chinese immigrants. In fact, before the Qin Dynasty, during the Yin Shang and Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Chinese immigration to Japan began. During the Qin and Han dynasties, Chinese immigration to Japan continued unabated. Among them, Qin Shi Huang's Fusu and Huhai royal families fled to Japan one after another. Therefore, the number of immigrants from Chinese mainland who settled in Japan during the Qin and Han dynasties was considerable. These immigrants were undoubtedly very valuable to the Japanese archipelago at that time. They have knowledge and production technology, and they have all grown up and lived in the advanced civilization of Chinese mainland, so they will inevitably bring the advanced civilization of Chinese mainland to Japan after moving to Japan. These immigrants thrived in Japan and the population grew larger. Therefore, it is an undoubted fact that the blood of the Japanese has the blood of the Chinese and that the two major ethnic groups of China and Japan are related by blood. These Chinese immigrants played a major role in Japan's civilization, the increase of its productive forces, and the strengthening of its power, and even in the establishment of a unified centralized state in Japan. Japanese archaeologists have affirmed that the transition from the Jomon culture to the Yayoi culture was a qualitative leap, and this change was sudden. Therefore, it was not the original Jomon culture people of the Japanese archipelago who created the Yayoi culture, but an alien people who already had highly developed hydroponic farming techniques at that time. This foreign nation is an immigrant who came to Japan from China. Therefore, Japanese historiography unanimously agrees that Yayoi culture is a culture from China. Nakagawa-kun, my father and your teacher think so too. I have said so much at length, but in fact, I want to explain two things, one is that the ancestors of the vast majority of Japanese people are Chinese; The other is that Japanese culture, which continues to this day, is undoubtedly of Chinese origin. ”

"Zong Hanjun, what you said is indeed a historical fact. So, you definitely think that it is impossible to promote Japanese language and culture in China at present, right? ”

"Nakagawa-kun, do you still need to ask? Chinese culture has a long history, deep roots, broad and profound, through heaven and earth, and has continued to develop for 5,000 years, and now you want to promote Japanese language and Japanese culture, abolishing and replacing Chinese, Chinese characters and Chinese culture, is this possible? ”

"Zong Hanjun, you have seen it in China for so many years, China is a fragmented and scattered sand, the whole country and nation are ignorant and backward, poor and decayed, and can only perish in the face of advanced civilization and powerful countries, including culture. The promotion of the Japanese language and culture in China is an inevitable and imperative exercise, so why can't it succeed? ”

"Some countries may perish, but China will never perish. The Mongols defeated the Song Dynasty of China and established the Yuan Dynasty and ruled for 162 years, and the Manchus defeated the Ming Dynasty and established the Qing Dynasty and ruled for 295 years, both of which unified China twice. How did it end? They were all domesticated and assimilated by the Han people, and the Mongols and Manchus were also integrated into the Chinese nation. Why? Because the culture of these two ethnic groups is much weaker than that of the Han people. There were four great ancient civilizations in the world, ancient Babylon, ancient Egypt, ancient India and ancient China, but it is very regrettable that three have disappeared, but China is the only one that has preserved its intact and intact existence to this day. It is because of the excellent and strong support of Chinese culture that it can continue to develop and stand tall. When the ignorant and backward culture brought about by foreign invasion and occupation and domination met the excellent and powerful Chinese culture, they had to lower their rude and barbaric heads, humbly learn and accept the excellent and powerful Chinese culture in a dominant position, and gradually be domesticated and assimilated by the high civilization of the Han nationality, which no one could stop. There is another important reason that cannot be ignored, and that is that China is too big and has too many people. Nakagawa-kun, can Japan's millions of troops occupy and rule China with hundreds of millions of people for a long time? Isn't this a fool's saying that a snake swallows an elephant in a dream? If the Chinese army, I'm talking about the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army, have the same weapons and equipment as our imperial army, I'm afraid we would have been defeated and surrendered by now. However, it is also a matter of time. In short, the end of this war is still what I said: China will win and Japan will lose. It is absolutely impossible to promote the spread of the Japanese language and the abolition of Japanese culture to replace Chinese characters and Chinese culture, so don't even think about it. Nakagawa-kun, what do you say? ”

"This? This? Alas! I—I still have a hard time answering. ”

"Nakagawa-kun, it's not that you can't answer for a while, it's that you can't answer at all, because you can't refute my arguments, arguments, and arguments."

"Hahaha. Zong Hanjun, it's like we're having a debate. Okay, let's not talk about that. Zong Hanjun, you said that it is not true, please explain. ”

"Oh, you didn't say I almost forgot. Nakagawa-kun, what I mean by this is that even if you know that military action and the promotion of Japanese language and culture cannot succeed, you must do it. Because you are in an important position and shoulder a mission, for the honor of the imperial soldiers and the Nakagawa family, you know that you will do it regardless of life and death. This is dictated by the nature of this war. If it were me, I would do the same. ”

"Thank you, thank you for your understanding. Alas! Zong Hanjun, what you said is true, I don't know or understand; If you don't say that, why don't I know or understand? But helplessly, I know that if I can't do it, I will do it, and if I don't do it, I will go to court-martial. You can live, but you have to die. It's weird, it's sad. ”

"Yes. Nakagawa-kun finally said the right truth from the bottom of his heart. This is the sorrow of the Japanese soldiers, the sorrow of the Yamato nation, and the sorrow of the Japanese nation. Nakagawa-kun, please listen to my advice: Seek benevolence, Chinese son-in-law. ”