readytorunbook Chapter 484 I want to bathe in the glory of the culture of the upper country (3K big chapter ask for
Chapter 484 I want to bathe in the glory of the culture of the upper country (3K big chapter ask for
The suburbs of Yangon were shrouded in rain and the sky was gray.
The muddy land absorbed the rainwater and turned into patches of brown swamps of varying shades.
Zhang Chi, protected by a team of elite internal guards, held a black umbrella and walked lightly on the road to inspect the outskirts of the prisoner-of-war camp.
The air was filled with the smell of damp earth and rotting plants.
This is the expansion section of the Yangon-Bangkok "Strategic Transport Line" and is also the location of a large-scale prisoner-of-war concentration camp.
The An Min Army fought all the way from the jungles of Pegu to the Malay Peninsula, searching the mountains and seas, and eventually captured more than 30,000 Japanese soldiers.
Most of them were soldiers who had lost their will and were starving to death in the tropical rainforests and mountains. Others were unlucky cannon fodder who did not have time to escape when big cities such as Yangon and Singapore were liberated.
Including the Japanese expatriates who were taken hostage and the forcibly conscripted laborers from the peninsula, the total number of prisoners exceeded 50,000.
On this "Death Railway" built by the Japanese with Allied prisoners of war, more than 2 prisoners of war were deployed at one time to carry out maintenance and expansion work on the railway.
The conditions were harsh, the work was arduous, and diseases and poisonous insects and ferocious beasts in the tropical rainforest were like invisible sickles, harvesting these devils who were tried and sentenced to compulsory labor to pay off their debts.
But at the same time, the second-line troops of the Anmin Army were still clearing out the scattered remnants of the Japanese army like a comb in the vast tropical rainforest, countryside and mountainous areas.
Almost every day new, disheveled, and glassy-eyed prisoners were brought in to fill the vacancies.
Maybe this is also a strange cycle?
The guard carefully held an umbrella for Zhang Chi to block the drifting raindrops.
Zhang Chi's gaze swept over the group of prisoners crawling like ants beside the railway embankment.
They were ragged, covered in mud, and skinny. Under the cold rain, the whips of the supervisors, and the cold threat of the bayoneted rifles in the hands of the Security Army soldiers, they numbly carried heavy sleepers and gravel and dug drainage ditches.
Heavy breathing, the friction of shovels digging soil, occasional scolding from supervisors, and suppressed groans caused by pain constitute the depressing melody on this extension of the Death Railway.
A short Japanese soldier tried to drag a thick, wet sleeper, but his foot suddenly slipped and he fell into a mud pit, splashing a large amount of dirty mud and water.
He tried to struggle to get up, but seemed to have run out of strength. He could only lie in the cold mud, whimpering weakly like a wounded beast.
The security army guards nearby just watched coldly and had no intention of stepping forward to help, until another equally thin prisoner, under the shadow of the whip, reluctantly went over and dragged his companion out of the mud pit with great effort.
Not far away, several captives were working together to pry a huge rock. The veins on their naked upper bodies were bulging, and rain mixed with sweat slid down their sunken cheeks. There was only a numb desire to survive in their eyes, and there was no trace of the locust army's former arrogance.
This kind of scene can be seen everywhere in this muddy construction site.
Zhang Chi looked at him expressionlessly, with no pity in his heart, only a cold scrutiny.
It is the greatest mercy for these invaders, whose hands are stained with the blood of the Asian people, to be allowed to atone for part of their sins with their own labor.
"Park Zhongshu! Tell your people not to be lazy. If you don't finish your rations this morning, you won't be given any food!"
Zhang Chi was stunned by the familiar name he heard from the supervisor in the distance.
Zhang Chi waved his hand, and soon a burly guard wearing a standard raincoat of the Anmin Army came running over with a prisoner who was also soaked, thin, but with an unusually lively look in his eyes.
Although the prisoner was in a mess, he tried to straighten his back, with an almost fawning respect on his face.
"Sir, the criminal Park Jung-soo is here to report to you!"
(For the capture process, see Chapter 287)
Zhang Chi's gaze fell on the prisoner who called himself Park Zhongshu.
He looked to be in his twenties, not tall, with prominent cheekbones, and deep in his eyes there was a shrewdness and desire that was out of tune with the numbness around him.
"Your name is Park Zhongshu?" Zhang Chi asked, his voice clear amidst the rain. "Is there another devil named Kuchiki Masato?"
Park Zhongshu's body trembled violently, and a trace of panic flashed across his eyes for a moment, but he immediately suppressed it.
He realized that the man in front of him, who was surrounded by many guards and treated with great respect by even the disciplinarians, was definitely the top figure in the Anmin Army. Even if he was not an army commander, he must be a division commander!
He snapped to attention, and although his movements were somewhat comical, he was very forceful, and answered loudly in Mandarin with a thick Peninsula accent but relatively fluent:
"Report to the commander, Smecta!
That was the name Simida that I had to use when I was confused and stupid in the past and the Japanese pirates forced me to use it.
Park Chung-soo is my real name. I now deeply understand that the Japanese pirates' tactics are usurpation, poisonous weeds, and the spiritual shackles that enslave us, the people of the Peninsula."
He spoke passionately, as if he was giving a speech.
"We, the people of the Peninsula, have been bathed in the glory of the civilization of the superior country since ancient times. We have studied the writings of the sages and followed the ways of propriety. The so-called 'culture' imposed on us by the Japanese pirates is nothing but the barbaric logic of bandits.
I, Park Jung-soo, as a native of the Peninsula, should pursue the culture of a superior nation with dignity. Therefore, I have long since thrown that shameful name into the cesspool and returned to my ancestral name.
The supervisor next to him also interjected at the right time. Having guessed Zhang Chi's identity, he showed a hint of approval for Park Zhongshu's "awakening" on his face:
"General, this Park Jung-su is truly positive about his reformation. He studies diligently, works diligently, and even takes the initiative to help us educate the other prisoners.
Considering that he was a forcibly conscripted soldier from the Korean Peninsula, and that his service was in an engineering unit where his crimes were not particularly serious, our battalion headquarters has considered the matter and is planning to let him undergo labor reform for a period of time before releasing him in accordance with policy.
Zhang Chi almost couldn't help laughing as he looked at the young man in front of him who was covered in mud but trying hard to stand straight with a look of loyalty in his eyes.
This scene is so magical. Who would have thought that the little prisoner rolling in the mud outside Yangon would be the man who would create the so-called "Han River Miracle" in the south of the peninsula and be famous for his iron-fisted rule?
The contrast is too great.
Kaka, Kaka, how did you become like this?
Where is your good brother, the head of the Intelligence Headquarters, Ichiro Kanemoto?
Is it so lame?
Zhang Chi was amused and decided to tease this guy who was only a few years younger than him but had a completely different fate.
"Oh? Are you planning to release you?" Zhang Chi looked at him with interest. "Then Park Zhongshu, tell me, if you are really released, what are you going to do?"
Park Jung-soo's heart started beating wildly.
Opportunity! This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
The big shot in front of him seemed to be interested in him.
His mind raced, and without hesitation, he immediately expressed the idea he had already considered countless times and reported to the supervisor many times, speaking it out in a fuller and more sincere tone:
"Sir, I, Park Jung-su, swear to my ancestors that if you show me mercy, I will be able to return to my homeland in the future. The first thing I will do when I return is to speak out loudly and awaken the thousands of my compatriots who have been deceived by the Japanese pirates."
He waved his arms, and the rain fell along with his movements:
"I want to tell them that the fundamental reason why the peninsula fell and the people suffered is that we have deviated from the roots of the civilization of the superior country, abandoned benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness, and adopted the profit-seeking and law-abiding laws of the Japanese pirates, which are packaged as 'modern civilization'.
What's the result? You invite the wolf into your house and only end up bringing disgrace upon yourself."
He took a deep breath, as if to let out all the "hot blood" in his heart:
"Look at Nanyang, look at the Anmin Army led by you, Commander. We are all Chinese, and we have been influenced by the Chinese culture for thousands of years. Yet, we are able to drive out powerful enemies and build such a strong foundation thousands of miles away.
There are giant ships on the sea, eagles in the sky, and armored armies on land. This is the real power, and this is the demeanor that the inheritors of civilization should have.
Isn't this the best proof? Returning to the civilization of the superior country and following the strong is the only way out for our peninsula! "
Park Jung-soo's voice echoed in the rain, full of incitement.
What he truly believed in deep down was the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak. Now he cleverly packaged this law under the guise of "returning to Chinese civilization."
In his view, the rise of the Chinese in Southeast Asia is an ironclad fact and they are the new "strong men".
Relying on the strong, learning from the strong, and even becoming a part of the strong system is the only way to survive and rise.
As for whether this "return" is genuine or false? For him, achieving his goal is the most important thing.
Zhang Chi listened quietly, his face expressionless. He certainly knew what kind of person Park Zhongshu was: an extremely pragmatic, ruthless, and ambitious opportunist.
He knew very well how much of these words were sincere and how much were just a show of opportunism.
However, this guy's eloquence and ability to read people's expressions are indeed first-class.
Moreover, the pretext of "cultural return" he proposed is quite misleading and has a certain market in the current context of rising anti-Japanese sentiment and the rise of the power of the Chinese in Southeast Asia.
"Hmm, that's a unique idea." Zhang Chi nodded noncommittally. He turned to the supervisor next to him, glanced at the nameplate on his chest, and said, "Supervisor Li."
"I'm here." The supervisor immediately straightened his chest.
"This Park Zhongshu is so highly conscious, so eloquent, and good at ideological work," Zhang Chi said with a meaningful smile, "it's a bit of a waste to let him continue doing manual labor."
The supervisor was stunned. "General, what do you mean...?"
"Give him a new job." Zhang Chi pointed to the group of prisoners struggling in the mud. "Establish a 'Prisoner of War Ideological Reform Propaganda Team' and make him the team leader. Give him paper and pen, and let him write and draw his realization, his accusation against the Japanese pirates, and his yearning for returning to the civilization of the superior country."
"Organize the prisoners of war and let them listen to his speeches every day. If the effect is good..." Zhang Chi paused, "You can give him a chicken drumstick in his meals."
"Ah? Yes! I understand! I will ensure that I complete the task!" Although the supervisor was a little confused, he immediately responded because Zhang Chi's order was the highest instruction.
Park Jung-soo was even more overjoyed.
He no longer had to carry sleepers in the mud and water, and he could become an "official". Although he was only an "official" in charge of prisoners, at least he had escaped from the lowest level of labor.
Moreover, with this platform, he can better express himself, get in touch with more managers, and pave the way for future freedom.
He immediately bowed ninety degrees again, his voice filled with gratitude:
"Thank you, General, for your cultivation and trust. I, Park Jung-soo, will devote my life to the Anmin Army, work hard to reform these lost criminals, and strive for the promotion of the civilization of the superior country."
His exaggerated performance caused the guards nearby to twitch their lips.
Zhang Chi waved his hand, signaling the supervisor to take him away.
Looking at Park Zhongshu's back, which seemed to be reborn despite being soaked, disappearing in the rain, Zhang Chi shook his head and chuckled softly to Secretary Liu beside him:
"This guy is a talent. I just wonder, if he's released back to the peninsula, will he be a dragon or a disaster?"
Secretary Liu opened her red lips slightly, not understanding what was going on?
In her opinion, isn't this just a clown who will do anything to gain freedom?