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<div style="background:#fff;border:#bbb dashed 1px;padding:5px"><a href="http://en.citatepedia.ro/comments.php?id=477411" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none"><div style="margin:10px 0"><strong>Honor and Betrayal (Jiangsu 1937-1945)</strong></div><div style="margin:10px 0">The bamboo leaves swished in the wind<br>As Lieutenant Ryouta Takahashi said goodbye <br>To his wife and son. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">He made his way to the port<br>With measured steps, <br>His mind thick with heavy thoughts.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">On route<br>To reinforce the Japanese garrison in Shanghai<br>The convoy set sail<br>From the Sasebo Naval Arsenal<br>In Nagasaki Prefecture. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">It was part of the 3rd expeditionary fleet <br>Of the Imperial Japanese Navy <br>Consisting of a dozen cruisers and gunboats.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Their mission was to patrol the coasts<br>And river ways of China and to give support <br>to the landing operations of Japanese troops.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">The boats ploughed through choppy waters<br>In the South China Sea for two days <br>And three nights.<br> <br>Upon casting anchor in the Yangtze delta, <br>Lieutenant Ryouta Takahashi reported himself <br>To the staff of his commanding officer, <br>Major Daiki Chinen. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">Judging by his name, <br>Takahashi-san told himself, <br>The major ought to be from Okinawa. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">The lieutenant spent <br>A few relatively calm weeks<br>In Jiangsu Province.<br>But then, on August 13,1937, <br>The Battle of Shanghai began.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">The exchange of fire<br>Escalated into a full-scale war<br>Between Japan and China.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Imperial Japanese Army units, <br>Supported by aircrafts and tanks, <br>Crossed over the Bazi Bridge in Shanghai.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Hirohito’s Third Fleet<br> Stationed in the Yangtze<br>And the Huangpu River joined the battle.<br>They bombarded the Chinese positions<br>In Shanghai.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">It became one of the fiercest battles<br>Of the war. After three months of fighting, <br>In the end of October, the Chinese forces<br>Led by the Nationalist General Chiang Kai-shek<br>Started to retreat from Shanghai to Nanjing<br>Engaging the Japanese in combat<br>Along the road.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Advancing with his platoon, <br>Takahashi was shocked to see<br>Piles of corpses of Chinese men, women, <br>And children lying on the roadsides.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Once, in a stockade yard, <br>He saw Japanese soldiers <br>Dashing forward and shouting ‘charge’ <br>In bayonet practice on Chinese civilians. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">At another time he saw a sergeant<br>Amusing himself in tossing grenades<br>At captured prisoners.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Grinning widely, the sergeant removed<br>The safety pin of the hand grenade, <br>Holding in place the lever in a death grip <br>And then threw the bomb<br>At the frightened and helpless victims.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">It took seven seconds for a grenade<br>To explode, leaving in its wake <br>Bleeding men with shredded bodies<br>And limbless torsos.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">And Takahashi also witnessed <br>Other atrocities. He saw<br>Imperial Army soldiers <br>Raping and killing women, <br>Murdering men and children<br>And then looting their houses.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">In the autumn of 1937, <br>In the days before Nanjing’s fall, <br>The invading Japanese troops massacred <br>About 150,000 Chinese prisoners<br>Along the Yangtze River. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">The commanding officer of the region <br>Was initially General Iwane Matsui <br>But he became ill and<br>Prince Yasuhiko Asaka, <br>Uncle of Emperor Hirohito replaced him.<br>The Prince issued a secret order<br>To kill all captives.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Despite being surrounded<br>By the horrors of war, <br>On a rare occasion, <br>Takahashi-san managed to sit down<br>With Captain Naoki Hakudo for drinking <br>A few cups of saké. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">They both liked it herb-flavored.<br>From small choko cups<br>They gulped with joy the aromatic rice brew<br>And their spirit rose fast to an elevated level.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">And so, it did not take long<br>Before the beverage <br>Loosened their tongues. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">“You know, Captain”, said Takahashi-san, <br>“The height of the sky rivals the depth<br>Of our everlasting shame.”</div><div style="margin:10px 0">“And why is that? ” asked Hakudo-san. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">“As you know our history and culture<br>Are rich, but we are indebted forever <br>To China for her gifts to us; <br>For her contributions to our identity, <br>For shaping our way of life, <br>Our customs and outlook on the world.<br>Mind you, culturally, Japan absorbed <br>The Confucian virtues of loyalty, <br>Trust, righteousness, politeness<br>And wisdom. And now look<br>What happens here. <br>How can we do this to China? ” </div><div style="margin:10px 0">Hakudo-san gave an inquisitive look<br>To his comrade. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">“Well, lieutenant”, he said, <br>“Remember that your duty is to be loyal<br>To your country. And never forget <br>That your honor is to die for the Emperor.<br>Nothing less and nothing more.”</div><div style="margin:10px 0">The Sino-Japanese War went on<br>And expanded into World War II.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Eight years after the Battle of Shanghai, <br>On August 6,1945, <br>The American “Enola Gay” B-29 bomber<br>Dropped an uranium atomic bomb<br>On Hiroshima. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">Three days later another B-29, <br>The “Bockscar”, raided Nagasaki <br>And destroyed it with a plutonium bomb. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">Soon after the nuclear attacks<br>Emperor Hirohito<br>Reluctantly announced the capitulation<br>Of the Empire of the Rising Sun.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">On September 2,1945, <br>A formal surrender ceremony <br>Was held in Tokyo Bay<br>Aboard the battleship USS Missouri. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">The Second World War was over.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Takahashi-san survived the war. <br>However, it took many months<br>Until he was able to return<br>To his homeland and to reunite<br>With his family.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">He could hardly recognize his son.<br>He also found that his wife<br>Was very different.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Takahashi-san settled down<br>To civilian life<br>As a mechanical engineer.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">A few weeks after his return<br>He was sipping green tea<br>In the rock garden.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">It was a peaceful morning <br>And a glorious sun was rising<br>Over the snow-capped summit<br>Of Mount Fiji. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">For a while <br>He looked at the magnificent scene<br>And then turning to his wife, he said: <br>“You know, Shiori, <br>My comrades and I always believed<br>In the unimpeachable supremacy<br>Of the Emperor. <br>We served him with honor.<br>And we remained loyal<br>To our country till the bitter end. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">Yet we betrayed humanity.”</div><div style="margin:10px 0"><br /></a><br />poem by <a href="http://en.citatepedia.ro/by.php?a=Paul+Hartal">Paul Hartal</a><div class=q>
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<script type="text/javascript" src="//s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=citatepedia" async="async"></script><div style="display:inline-block" class="addthis_sharing_toolbox" data-url="http://en.citatepedia.ro/comments.php?id=477411" data-title="Honor and Betrayal (Jiangsu 1937-1945) de Paul Hartal" data-description="The bamboo leaves swished in the wind
As Lieutenant Ryouta Takahashi said goodbye 
To his wife and son. 

He made his way to the port
With measured steps, 
His mind thick with heavy thoughts.

On route
To reinforce the Japanese garrison in Shangha..."></div>
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