inspire-indiana Chapter 696 Osaka Merchants at the Gate of the Nanyang Base, Arrest
Chapter 696 Osaka Merchants at the Gate of the Nanyang Base, Arrest
Outside the Nanyang military base in Kyushu, the once quiet and desolate road suddenly flourished at an astonishing speed in the second month.
Before the Japanese surrendered, the South Pacific strategic bomber force experimentally dropped plant bactericides on several major rice-producing areas of the mainland, such as the Kanto Plain and parts of Kyushu, and the effects were gradually becoming apparent.
Those chemicals destroyed the roots and leaves of the rice, which would obviously lead to large areas of farmland losing their harvest or experiencing a significant reduction in yield in the 45-year harvest season.
The specter of hunger began to haunt many towns and villages in Japan. Even with rice and wheat mixed with acorn flour under the rationing system, the demand was still difficult to meet.
In stark contrast are the military bases in Southeast Asia.
With its rich Southeast Asian landmass and efficient maritime supply lines, the base has ample supplies.
Behind us are rice from Bago and Siam, palm oil from Sumatra, rubber from Malaya, and tropical fruits...
While not as extravagant as the White Eagle soldiers who carelessly discarded intact cans of luncheon meat, the meals of the Nanyang officers and soldiers often included white rice, frozen or canned meat, and even fresh vegetables and fruits. The rations of cigarettes, candy, and coffee were far beyond what the Japanese civilians outside could imagine.
As a result, like a magnet attracting iron filings, a spontaneous little market quickly formed outside the barbed wire and cordon surrounding the base.
Initially, it was just a few daring local farm women who carried a few skinny chickens or a small basket of eggs, trying to exchange them for some grain or soap.
Soon, more vendors gathered around, selling a wide variety of items: family heirlooms of lacquerware, calligraphy and paintings, ceramics, hairpins and jewelry, old watches and binoculars that men reluctantly brought out, and even small mechanical parts dug out from some ruins.
In the crowd, a short, stout middle-aged man with eyes that were always squinted into slits and an almost professionally humble smile on his face was particularly active.
His name is Nakanai Kō, an Osaka businessman who ran a small electronics store before the war. The war bankrupted him, but it also honed his cockroach-like survival skills and keen sense of business opportunities.
As soon as Kyushu was occupied, he sensed something unusual. He sold his belongings, scraped together some capital, and traveled all the way from Osaka to Fukuoka.
"Sir, sir, look at this! It's a genuine Edo-era antique, and it's cheap!"
Zhong Neigong, speaking broken Mandarin mixed with Xiehe dialect, stopped two Nanyang soldiers who had just come out from their shifts and wanted to get some fresh air.
He held a slightly worn lacquered food box in his hands, though the patterns on it were exquisite.
A young soldier glanced at it, shook his head, and said in Mandarin, "I don't want this. Do you have anything... useful?"
He gestured.
Zhong Neigong's eyes darted around, and he immediately pulled out several items from his large canvas bag: a bag of fresh apricots, a fan that looked exquisite, and a picture book depicting courtesans from the Edo period.
"This is great! Practical! Cheap!" He said with a broad smile.
The two soldiers exchanged glances, picked up the sketchbook, looked at it, and then tried out the fan.
Zhong Neigong, observing the situation, immediately quoted an extremely low price, using the Nanyang Yuan (Southeast Asian Dollar) as the unit of measurement.
He had already figured out that the Nanyang dollar was even more popular with these vendors and soldiers than the increasingly depreciating Japanese yen, because it could be exchanged directly or indirectly for real food and supplies.
In the end, the soldiers didn't spend money; instead, they exchanged several packs of cigarettes from Southeast Asia and two pieces of compressed rations for the goods.
Zhong Neigong bowed and scraped as he saw them off, quickly stuffing cigarettes and dry rations into his inner pocket, his smile deepening.
These supplies from within the base can be exchanged for more cash or more valuable antiques and precious metals on the black market.
Like a diligent worker bee, he shuttled between the base and the black market, buying low and selling high, accumulating his initial capital.
He wasn't ambitious; he just wanted to survive in these ruins and save some money. He vaguely felt that this conquered land might hold even greater business opportunities than before the war, as long as he could grasp the needs of the conquerors.
Just as Zhong Neigong successfully sold an antique to a Nanyang sergeant in exchange for a tin flashlight, a commotion arose from the direction of the base gate.
The heavy iron gate slowly opened, and a Lynx car painted in Nanyang military green drove out first, followed by three trucks.
Two stern-faced Nanyang military officers and a Korean translator sat in the Lynx.
On the truck, in addition to the fully armed Nanyang soldiers, there were more than twenty Korean members with "military" armbands on their arms, looking excited and eager to fight. Park Jung-soo was sitting in the passenger seat of the first truck, his eyes aggressively scanning the crowd on the side of the road.
The market fell silent instantly.
The vendors instinctively shrank back, packed up their stalls, and retreated in fear.
Zhong Neigong also quickly lowered his head, observing with the corner of his eye.
This somber atmosphere was completely different from the usual simple patrols or supply transport.
The convoy didn't stop and sped straight towards Fukuoka city, kicking up a trail of dust.
Zhong Neigong muttered to himself, "Another operation to arrest people? This time it's quite a large-scale operation..."
He shook his head, putting these "important matters" out of his mind, and continued to focus on the small business in front of him.
This Osaka businessman, who would later make his first fortune at the entrance of the Nanyang base and become the father of modern Japanese retail, knew very well that in chaotic times, survival and saving money were the only true principles.
Higashi Ward, Fukuoka City, is a relatively well-preserved residential area.
The convoy split up at an intersection.
Park Jung-soo led a squad of Korean military police, followed by several Nanyang soldiers, to a two-story Japanese-style house with a small courtyard.
What he was holding wasn't a stick, but a hard-shell folder.
The Nanyang officer leading the group stood beside him and gestured for him to knock on the door.
Park Jung-soo took a deep breath and stepped forward to pound on the door: "Open the door, this is the Allied Forces Military Command in Kyushu enforcing the law."
Frantic footsteps came from inside the door.
After a long while, the door opened a crack, and a middle-aged man leaning on a cane poked his head out, his face filled with panic: "Excuse me..."
Park Jung-soo didn't give him a chance to speak at all. He pushed open the door, and the Nanyang soldiers quickly entered and took control of the courtyard and entrance.
Park Jung-soo opened the folder and read aloud in clear but cold Japanese dialect:
"Yamada Kazuo, former second lieutenant squad leader of the 3rd Company, 1st Battalion, 46th Regiment, 18th Division of the Japanese Army."
Based on the testimonies and evidence jointly provided by the United States of Malaya War Crimes Investigation Committee, the Sin Chew Chinese Chamber of Commerce Survivors Association, and the Malayan Sam Po Tong, you are hereby charged with: during the 'Zhaonan Purge' operation in February 1942,
At a checkpoint near Alexandria Hospital, he participated in the screening, beating, and subsequent violence against at least thirty innocent Chinese civilians, committing crimes against humanity and war crimes.
"You are hereby formally arrested in accordance with the Potsdam Declaration and the Allied Occupation Act."
Upon hearing this, Yamada Kazuo's face turned deathly pale, and he swayed, almost unable to stand.
He thought that after he was injured, returned home, and was discharged from the army, the matter would be over, but he never expected...
Faced with the group that had come knocking, the perpetrator stammered, "I...I didn't...I was following orders...I..."
"Take them away," the Nanyang officer leading the group interrupted sharply.
Two fierce-looking Korean team members immediately stepped forward, grabbed Yamada Kazuo's arms, and handcuffed him.