On December 18, 1938, too many things happened in Chongqing.
Wang Jingwei absconded.
The Chairman inspected the camp.
Then, it was China’s First Lady Soong Meiling who visited Chongqing’s Fifth Army Hospital for the first time.
Of course, other things happened that day.
For example, the lover of a certain director in Chongqing eloped with her lover.
For example, Chen Wuxian, a disciple of the Chongqing Beggar Gang's Nine Bags, assassinated Hu Yihu, the "big beggar leader" of the Chongqing Beggar Gang.
The Beggar Gang is really divided into nine bags of disciples, and there really is a dog-beating stick, and the dog-beating stick has been the symbol of the Beggar Gang leader since the Tang Dynasty.
Of course, I don’t know which of the well-fed Beggar Clan disciples invented it first.
Some other things happened in Chongqing:
For example, Meng Shaoyuan planned to kill all the new Japanese special forces in the National Government Building in Chongqing.
For example, the new head of the Japanese agency stationed in Chongqing, Kitaoka Machi, plans to plan a shocking assassination on this day:
Explosion in Chongqing Fifth Army Hospital!
At this time, his biggest opponent, Meng Shaoyuan, had been successfully mobilized and focused his attention on the Chongqing Government Building.
In order to ensure that Meng Shaoyuan was fooled, Beigang Mazhi had staged a series of good shows one after another.
Now, the intelligence coming from inside sources is that Meng Shaoyuan has ordered Wang Nanxing to lead the elite to set up defenses at the National Government Building.
What an idiot!
The legendary most powerful agent on the surface, nothing more than that!
Now, it's 1pm.
"Operation Desert" begins!
"Our operational personnel successfully entered the hospital in batches a week ago and completed their concealment."
"Where's the dynamite?"
"Explosives have been installed in several places in the hospital. Kawaguchi Takano will fulfill his sacred mission and is willing to serve the Empire of Japan!"
"Very good, he is a warrior of the empire! The explosion was detonated on time at 2:40. At the same time, after the explosion, I lurked the survivors and immediately shot all the Chinese in the hospital indiscriminately!"
"Hai! Mr. Agency Chief, please leave. It's too dangerous here!"
"Shimoda-kun, I am the agency chief. I must personally monitor this major operation. I will not leave. Don't worry, I know how to avoid explosions and how to take care of myself!"
…
1 o'clock.
The Fifth Army Hospital in Chongqing continues to receive patients as usual.
This is also the message from Madam. Don't block the entire hospital just because of your arrival. This will cause great inconvenience to the patients, and may even be used by people with ulterior motives to make a big fuss.
However, a large number of plainclothes people began to enter the hospital to check for unsafe risks.
Everything is done quietly so as not to disturb the patient.
Song Meiling's guard captain Gao Wenxuan came in person.
He repeatedly suggested to his wife to conduct a closed visit, but she refused.
"There is no need to go to war and disturb doctors and patients. That is formalism."
Song Meiling didn't care too much about this.
Even at the height of the Songhu Anti-Japanese War, she braved Japanese artillery bombings and went to the front line to offer condolences in person.
At that time, Soong Meiling was in a car accident and suffered several broken ribs. Someone persuaded her to focus on treating her injuries and that condolences could be postponed. But Song Meiling insisted on condolences to the soldiers first, and everything else could be postponed later.
Moreover, during the condolences, she also uttered six words that became popular among the entire army during the Anti-Japanese War and were frequently used by Japanese soldiers on the battlefield when their final moments came!
It was during the condolences that Song Meiling interacted with the soldiers on the scene. She took the initiative to ask a platoon leader, how did you command the soldiers under you when attacking the Japanese army?
The platoon leader thought for a moment and replied: "In order to encourage everyone to charge bravely, I will shout loudly, brothers, charge forward! We are not afraid of sacrifice to fight the Japanese devils."
There seemed to be no problem with the platoon leader's answer, but Soong Meiling gently shook her head and told the platoon leader in her usual elegant manner:
"If it were me, I would say, brothers, follow me."
Literally, there is not much difference between Song Meiling's words and the platoon leader's answer, but with just a few words, the meaning is completely different.
The platoon leader's words, "Brothers, charge forward," certainly sounded like a command, but he asked the soldiers to charge forward first and did not take the lead.
And Song Meiling's six-word reply: "Brothers, follow me!" This sentence suddenly brought the emotional connection between officers and soldiers closer together.
If soldiers want to lead the charge, officers must also lead by example. Only in this way can they serve as a call to action and set an example, which can inspire military morale.
From then on, the words "Brothers, follow me" resounded across the country, white mountains and black waters, and became a famous saying that inspired the confidence of the soldiers and civilians during the Anti-Japanese War.
Although there are only six words, each word inspires military morale.
Brothers, follow me!
The same was true for this visit. Song Meiling didn't care much about her own safety. It wasn't until Gao Wenxuan was almost ready to die that Song Meiling reluctantly agreed. After she arrived at the hospital, the hospital was temporarily closed for an hour and no patients were allowed to enter.
Gao Wenxuan still felt uneasy.
He checked wards one by one.
"Where is this?" Gao Wenxuan stopped in front of a small room.
"Ah, the utility room."
Shang Hao, the general affairs section chief, said hurriedly.
"Open."
"Wait, wait, the key is with Lao Diao... Lao Diao, Lao Diao, come here quickly, the chief wants to check."
A handyman with a broom and mop hurried over, took out the key from his pocket, and opened the utility room door.
As soon as the door opened, there was a strange smell inside, and it was pitch black with no lights.
Gao Wenxuan checked it and found that it was all a mess. Several baskets were filled with blood-stained and dirty clothes.
"They all belong to the wounded. They were supposed to be burned, but these people were reluctant to part with them. They said they could still wear them after being washed." Shang Hao explained hurriedly, and then said with a straight face:
"Lao Diao, deal with it quickly, this doesn't smell like anything."
"Yes, yes." Lao Diao replied repeatedly.
Gao Wenxuan took the broom, picked up the clothes on the two baskets and looked at them briefly, then put them down and asked, "How long have you been working here?"
"Are you saying I'm a cunning person? I've been working here for more than a year, and I'm quite honest and honest."
"Let's go to the next room."
"Sir, let's go."
Lao Diao breathed a long sigh of relief.
A basket inside, under the dirty clothes, contained explosives.
And behind that pile of debris, there are also explosives piled up!
He sneaked into the hospital a week ago through the relationship of Shang Hao, the chief of the general affairs section. He spent ten gold bars to bribe Shang Hao.
Of course, he told Shang Hao that he was a reporter so that he could get first-hand news about Mrs. Chiang's visit.
Ten taels of gold is enough to buy a person's soul.
What's more, Shang Hao never doubted Lao Diao's identity.
Who would have bad thoughts about a hospital?
Next door to the utility room is the intensive care unit.
Those who are seriously injured will be temporarily arranged here.
This is also the ward that Soong Meiling must visit.
Once she's in, Lao Diao will quickly detonate the explosives.
The huge explosion was enough to level the utility room and the intensive care unit next door.
There is absolutely no possibility of escape for Song Meiling!
Lao Diao himself will die.
But the entire Imperial intelligence community will remember his name:
Kawaguchi Takano!
Imperial warrior!
…
December 18, 1938, 2:30 in the afternoon.
The wife of the Chairman of the Generalissimo and the first lady of China, Ms. Soong Meiling, entered the Fifth Army Hospital in Chongqing!
The hospital is temporarily closed.
This is a big deal.
But it was also a small thing among the countless major events in the Anti-Japanese War.
But at this time, Song Meiling didn't know that the god of death was already quietly surrounding her...
…
"Song entered the hospital and began to patrol the wards."
"Get ready. Shimoda-kun, be ready to serve His Majesty the Emperor at any time."
"Hai!"
…
There was no applause.
All the doctors and nurses are busy.
In their eyes, a patient is far more important than the first lady.
Lieutenant General Xuan Guoshan, the director of the hospital, accompanied Song Meiling with the leaders of the hospital and introduced her to the situation in the hospital.
"This is the intensive care unit."
Xuan Guoshan and Song Meiling walked into the ward together.
Lying inside were some seriously injured and critically ill patients.
Song Meiling watched them one by one and told them to use the best medicine. If they have any difficulties, they can ask her directly for help.
She came to a hospital bed, and lying on it was a wounded person who had just woken up and had a face full of pain.
He kept moaning there, opening his mouth wide and breathing heavily.
"He was injured during the Japanese bombing yesterday." A doctor said: "He was from the fire brigade. When putting out the fire, an unexploded bomb suddenly exploded. All his companions died, but he survived. But the left My legs and left arm were all blown off... and I'm afraid it will be difficult to save..."
Song Meiling's eyes were moist.
How old is this firefighter? eighteen? Or nineteen?
He is still a child!
"Save me...save...me..."
The wounded man said with difficulty.
"You'll survive, for sure."
Song Meiling leaned down and made an action that shocked everyone:
She kissed the wounded man's forehead and said:
"The Lord will bless you, son."
A reporter from the JoongAng Ilbo captured this shot in time.
This scene would later be called "the most beautiful kiss of the Anti-Japanese War".
Many years later, it was also rated as one of "the most touching photos of China's Anti-Japanese War".
Juxtaposed with it is the photo of a child soldier wearing a steel helmet with a resolute and unyielding look on his face!
When China's war of resistance reached its most dangerous moment, all Chinese people who had some sense of conscience were doing the right thing, regardless of class!
…
Song Meiling has arrived in the intensive care unit!
Kitaoka Machi looked at her watch.
Two forty!
He got under the table.
Now, explode!
He seemed to hear a violent explosion and saw the hospital shaking there.
great……
No explosion?
No, nothing will go wrong.
Kitaoka Machi is very patient...
…
Two forty-five.
Five minutes passed.
Quietly.
There were no explosions, no gunshots.
It was so peaceful in the hospital.
Nothing happened!
