nycdaug Chapter 291 The Difference Between Justice and Beasts
Chapter 291 The Difference Between Justice and Beasts
Seeing the soldiers grab the woman and drag her into the village, the deputy chief of staff's face turned pale and he roared, "Stop!" He waved his soldiers over, rescued the woman, and detained the two soldiers. He angrily shouted at the regimental commander, "What are you doing?! What on earth is going on in the village?"
The chief of staff's shouting question reminded the regimental commander of the order he had just given. He was at a loss for words, and beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. Seeing this, the deputy chief of staff immediately ordered the rest of the troops to rush into the village. He had a premonition that a horrific scene must be unfolding in the village.
Sure enough, in the village, the elderly, children, and the elderly had been killed, and several women were being insulted by soldiers. The lieutenant and company commander in charge were laughing beside them. They looked like they were satisfying their animal desires.
The incident was quickly reported to Marine Corps Headquarters. Commander Zheng DG and Chief of Staff Yang Hong were in China, with Deputy Commander Liao in charge. The garrison commander of the occupied area was Cai Yong. Liao was furious, his face livid. This incident was a slap in the face for him.
Of course, even more infuriated was Cai Yong, the group army commander and garrison commander. All of his subordinates were his, and Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Jizhong, the regimental commander, was his former personal guard. During the Battle of Guadalcanal, Zhou Jizhong had once used his body to block a Japanese sniper's bullet for Cai Yong, which was why Cai Yong took notice of him. In a short period of time, Zhou Jizhong, through his bravery and loyalty, rose through the ranks from second lieutenant to lieutenant adjutant, captain aide-de-camp, and finally major battalion commander.
After Japan's surrender, the former colonel was transferred to the newly formed European expeditionary force. Cai Yong, against all odds, promoted Zhou Jizhong to lieutenant colonel and appointed him regimental commander. He had high hopes for Zhou Jizhong, hoping he would continue to make greater contributions to the country and the army.
However, Cai Yong never expected that Zhou Jizhong would bring him such a huge "surprise." He was filled with immense disappointment and anger. When Deputy Commander Liao approached him and asked for his opinion on how to deal with the case, Cai Yong said without hesitation, "Commander Liao, I have no objection. I will hand the case over to the Military Court for trial and execution according to the promulgated military discipline!"
Liao knew that while Cai Yong said this, he was definitely reluctant to let Zhou Jizhong go. After all, Zhou Jizhong had been his personal guard and a capable officer whom he had personally promoted. Furthermore, Zhou Jizhong was a hero with distinguished military achievements. If he were to be handed over to the military tribunal for trial, it would undoubtedly be a deeply humiliating act for all the Marines.
In fact, Liao believed that Zhou Jizhong's crimes were somewhat different from the crimes committed by Japanese soldiers. He sighed and said to Cai Yong, "Commander Cai, I think it's unnecessary to hand this case over to the Military Tribunal. After all, at this time, the Military Tribunal is trying Japanese war criminals, and it's really inappropriate to have one of our own people undergo a military trial at this time. Let me handle this matter!"
After hanging up the phone, Deputy Commander Liao fell into deep thought. He knew this matter had to be handled properly. First, he had to maintain the image of the Chinese Army, but also not let his Marines down. He thought for a moment, called in his aide, and instructed, "Go speak to the 201st Division's Deputy Chief of Staff and learn the details of the situation. Then, notify the Chief of the Military Law Department to come over. I have important instructions for him."
The adjutant took his orders and quickly returned to Deputy Commander Liao's office with the 201st Division's deputy chief of staff. The deputy chief of staff detailed the events and Zhou Jizhong's situation. Deputy Commander Liao listened attentively, nodding occasionally, already forming a preliminary understanding.
Then, the Chief of the Military Law Division arrived at the office. Deputy Commander Liao instructed him, "You must handle this matter with great fanfare, but also with due diligence. The responsibility must be clear and unambiguous. This is a political mission entrusted to you, the Military Law Division!"
The director of the Military Law Department understood what Deputy Commander Liao meant. He nodded and said, "Please rest assured, Deputy Commander Liao, I will handle this matter properly." After that, he turned and left the office and began to investigate and handle the matter.
Based on the Military Court's investigation into the incident and the extensive evidence presented, the officers and soldiers involved were aware of the military law they would face, especially the lieutenant commander, who took primary responsibility. Zhou Jizhong's greatest culpability lay in his lax military discipline and the blind issuance of orders.
According to the Military Court's opinion, the lieutenant, company commander, sergeant, and several other soldiers who repeatedly committed the same offenses during the execution will be executed according to wartime military law, but their death will not be recorded. After their death, they will be given pensions in the same manner as fallen soldiers. As for Zhou Jizhong, he was demoted to a private and transferred to the 3rd Army Group in the Middle East.
The matter was originally being handled in a light-hearted manner. Unexpectedly, Yang Hong, who was in China, rushed back without stopping after receiving the news. While complaining that Lao Liao had not handled the matter with sufficient caution, he summoned Cai Yong, the Chief of Military Law, and the Chief of Military Tribunal.
Yang Hong was too lazy to blame them. Instead, in the name of the commander-in-chief of the army stationed in Japan, he ordered that the incident be handed over to the military court for trial and judgment. The Military Court should cooperate and asked the Military Court, as the mother-in-law of the army, to find the best lawyers for all officers and soldiers on trial.
According to the latest appointments from the Flower Planting Family, Yang Hong has been appointed Commander of the Marine Corps and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in Japan. Director Zheng has been transferred back to China to serve in the military. Lao Liao remains in his current position for now, but will be transferred soon. Cai Yong has been appointed Chief of Staff and promoted to General.
The military tribunal chief, unsure of Commander Yang's intentions, attempted to decline the daunting task, citing their preoccupation with Japanese war criminal trials. The military tribunal was not part of the garrison, so they could afford to ignore Commander Yang. While the military court was directly under Yang Hong's supervision, they were reluctant to participate in such a thankless task.
Seeing the two men shirking responsibility, Yang Hong flew into a rage. He slammed the table and stood up, angrily scolding the Director of the Military Tribunal, "Director Wang, no matter how busy you are, you must take over this case immediately and give it priority. This concerns the reputation and reputation of the Flower Planting Company in Japan and even internationally. If you continue to shirk responsibility, someone from above will come to take over!"
Then, Yang Hong said: "You may think that the actions of Zhou Jizhong and others are far different from the crimes committed by the Japanese. But I want to tell you that we are not Japanese! We are not beasts. We represent justice, and we should not be compared with evil!"