With the orders of the North China Front Army Headquarters being issued one after another, the Japanese puppet army in North China throughout North China quickly took action, and it can be seen that the Japanese military top brass seemed to be very determined this time, and the gendarmerie units of the Front Army Headquarters, which were the first to be purged, and the military police units of various divisions and regiments, in just three days, one-third of the unqualified gendarmes were kicked out of the military police units, and a large number of recruits who had just landed in North China from China were added to the military police.

Beginning on 20 January, the common people in the Japanese-occupied areas of North China saw from time to time the Japanese military police of the brigade pushing the Japanese soldiers and puppet soldiers walking on the road to the ground, tying them up and escorting them back to the military police headquarters.

At first, people didn't know what happened to Lu Dao, but soon they knew that Lu Dao, first there was a rumor at home that he was doing things for the Japanese, saying that the new Da Taijun was a rare good person, and he wanted to call the shots for the Chinese people, and those devils and puppet soldiers who were arrested were all victims of the Chinese people before, and now they have been found out, and I heard that there will be a public trial for a while.

Although this rumor has spread well, not many people really believe it, even when the Nationalist Government was in power, officials often protected each other, let alone the Japanese. The scourge of the Japanese soldiers against the Chinese people is almost open at the moment, so have you heard that they have been punished?

However, they soon became skeptical, because on January 23, the North China Front Command and the two regiments under its jurisdiction posted a public proclamation with many contents, but the main one was only one sentence, that is, "The Imperial Japanese Army is determined to rectify military discipline and severely punish soldiers and officers who seriously violate military discipline."

As soon as this proclamation came out. The whole of North China was in an uproar, what are the Japanese going to do? Could it be that the new Grand Taijun is really a good person? Does he really want to call the shots for the Chinese people? This series of questions appeared in the minds of the people in the occupied areas, and for a time became the focus of discussion in North China.

However, the vast majority of the common people do not believe in this either, because the fact that the Japanese military officers are the masters of the Chinese people is too strange and incredible, this is simply a fantasy.

However, the next Japanese action was completely stunned, and a day later, the North China Front Headquarters once again posted a public notice informing the people in Beiping that the Imperial Japanese Army would publicly try 72 imperial soldiers and 86 imperial allied soldiers who had seriously violated military discipline at the military police headquarters in three days, and the highest rank was the major battalion commander.

The news soon spread in Beiping City. Although people are still skeptical. But there is no doubt that the law and order in the city has really improved in the past few days. It seems that this newly appointed Japanese officer is quite good, the people in the city thought so. Now it depends on whether the trial of the Japanese soldiers who violated discipline is real, if it is true. Then the big guy won't have to be so reminded in the future.

Three days passed in a blink of an eye. Early in the morning of January 27th. Many ordinary people in Beiping City flocked to the Japanese military police headquarters in Xizhimen.

Unlike the heavily guarded gendarmerie headquarters in the past, there are also a large number of Japanese soldiers standing guard here, and many Japanese soldiers patrolling the vicinity. However, these Japanese soldiers did not have the ferocity of the past, and when they saw the Chinese people rushing over, they no longer shouted angry insults or even punched and kicked, but only conducted a simple body search for the civilians who wanted to enter the headquarters to watch the trial, and if there were no "contraband", they were immediately released.

Before 8 o'clock in the morning, the entire courtroom was already full, and even outside it was full of people; in addition to the Chinese people, there were also quite a few Japanese businessmen and a large number of Chinese and foreign journalists, and they were also concerned about whether the trial was true or not, and this had a bearing on their development in North China.

At 9 o'clock, the trial meeting officially began, and as several officers rushed in, the originally noisy trial court suddenly fell silent. At this time, a Japanese officer stood up and bowed to the people in the audience, and then spoke loudly in Japanese, while the simultaneous interpreter on the side translated loudly: "Subjects of the Empire, the people of Northern China: Entrusted by General Okamura, I, Takeda Shigetaro, am now conducting a public trial of 72 Imperial soldiers and 86 Imperial Allied troops who have seriously violated military discipline. ”

Originally, Takeda Jutaro thought that his words would make these foolish people grateful, and the most unfortunate thing was to return with warm applause. But in fact, in addition to a faint anger on the faces of these viewers, there is more suspicion.

Seeing only sparse applause, Takeda Shigetaro was slightly angry, but he was helpless. Yesterday, Senior General Okamura personally held a meeting with their judicial team, telling them that they must pay attention to their words and deeds, especially to control their emotions, because this is the first step in changing the image of the imperial army, and this step must be taken well. So even though he was angry at this time, he couldn't shout at these stupid Shina people as loudly as he used to.

Takeda Jutaro looked down at the documents on the trial table, and then said loudly: "Bring the soldier Asada Ina!" ”

"Hay!"

Soon a Japanese soldier who had been unarmed was brought in from the outside, only to see that the soldier only had a light white shirt on his upper body, and a piece of-yellow military pants on his lower body, rubber-soled shoes, and no hat. The whole body was beaten bloody, the white shirt was full of blood-red marks, and the face was swollen like a pig's head, and the gendarmes dragged him when he walked, otherwise he might not even be able to walk.

At this time, an old man in the audience suddenly shouted: "It's this brute, yes, it's him, he beat my son to a cripple half a year ago, and he is still lying in bed, retribution!! ”

"Silence!"

Takeda Shigetaro was very dissatisfied with the noise below, and the military court had to look like a military court, otherwise it would lose its majesty.

After the soldiers were brought to the dock, an army captain who looked like a prosecutor stood up with a document in his hand and read: "Senior Private Asada, Li Laojiu, the head of Sanlitun Village in Shina, reported that you had massacred 14 residents of Sanlitun and seriously injured 2 of them in the course of the law and order rectification in June 15 of Showa 15, what is your justification for your crime?" ”

"Sir, I was only ordered to clear out the rebel forces in Sanlitun, and I received an order that all the people of China who did not cooperate with the front army could be executed! So the lowly thinks that he has no crime! Senior Private Asada said loudly.

"Private class, but according to our investigation results, the 27th Division of the North China Front to which you belong did not issue such an order, and we have looked through all the order documents of the 27th Division in Showa 15, and there is indeed no record of this! What do you have to say about that? ”

"The order was not given by the division headquarters!"

"Who ordered that? Wing or Brigade Headquarters? ”

"No, it was our squadron leader Kobayashi Nojiro, and many people heard the order at the time. He was the one who asked us to do this, and Chief Kobayashi thought that all the Shina were cunning and stupid, that their existence was a mistake, and that these stupid Shina had killed so many of our comrades. Asada said loudly.

"Kobayashi Nojiro, where is he now?"

"I'm sorry, but Chief Kobayashi died in battle three months ago, our squadron was ambushed by the Shina army three months ago, and there were heavy casualties, almost all the veterans were killed, and less than a fifth survived."

"Can someone testify for you?"

"I'm sorry sir, because the casualty rate of the Kobayashi squadron exceeded 80%, plus Captain Kobayashi was killed in battle, so the Kobayashi squadron was cancelled, and of the 21 soldiers we were lucky enough to survive, 2 of them died of their wounds, 7 were sent back to the country because of their disabilities, and the rest were all disrupted and other remnants were added to the Ishihara brigade, and I was in a brigade only Yamazaki and Honda, but the two of them were too unlucky, and they were killed in the process of chasing the Shina spies a month ago, I don't know which brigade they were assigned to, and I don't know if they are still alive! ”

"So you don't think what you just said testifies?" The captain said with a frown.

"Hay! So to speak! ”

"Well, I'm done talking, please ask Your Excellency the Inquisitor!"

Takeda Shigetaro looked at the young soldier in the dock, and from the question just now, he could feel that this was a brave soldier, and a veteran who had participated in many battles, and he couldn't bear it when he thought of what General Okamura said last night.

But I can't bear it, some things can't be changed, and even if I can change it, it's not something that he, a small army leader, can change.

"Private class, Ben Dazuo asked you, did you participate in the massacre of the common people of Sanlitun China?" Shigetaro Takeda asked loudly.

Senior Soldier Asada was silent for a minute or so, and then nodded and said, "Report to the chief, I participated and killed 3 Shina people with my own hands!" ”

"Yoxi, although I don't approve of your actions, you are a soldier who dares to act. However, it is a pity that this behavior of yours has seriously violated the provisions of the Great Japanese Army Law, and there are no witnesses to your self-defense, so I will now read out the results of your trial! Shigetaro Takeda said in a deep voice.

"Hay!"

"Private Asada Ina, wantonly slaughtered the civilians of China, the evidence is conclusive, and I confess to my crimes. In view of the bad impact of this incident on the Imperial Japanese Army and the Great Japanese Empire, the Command of the North China Front of the Great Japanese Empire has now found that the crime of killing civilians by Asada Rice is established, and has decided to sentence Asada Rice to death, which will be executed with the approval of the North China Front Command! ”

(To be continued......)