Movement Three
After withdrawing from the ambush position, they shift to a fortified, large-sized hotel, continuing to fight against Japs.
Japs made multiple attempts to breach the perimeter of the hotel, but only got beaten back again and again, leaving nothing but dead bodies.
However soldiers of Chinese National Revolutionary Army know this place won't hold forever. So when night falls, they break through enemy encirclement separately.
Makoto's detachment encounters a platoon of Japanese patrol during the process, after a brief exchange of fire, he finds only Kotonoha is with him.
"Enemy had taken control of all major traffic lines, we must stay away from those places as far as possible." Kotonoha suggests Makoto to follow her: "I lived in this city for years, I'm familiar with it."
They hide in basement of an abandoned, forgettable civilian building for resting up and planning next move.
Under dim light from a flashlight, Kotonoha deploys a map of Nanking, pointing at several positions: "These are city gates, but all seized by enemies, the only way out is here." She points at a particular sector.
"It's only city wall there." Makoto says.
"Accident tunnels beneath that section of wall, centuries years old." Kotonoha elaborates: "It's not a short journey, we'll have to sneak through under cover of night."
Since today's actions had alerted invading Imperial Japanese Army, the two decide to stay low for following two days. At night of December 16th, they move out.
After two nights of "night shift", they successfully sneak to the root of city wall, where the tunnels are, at night of December 17th.
Unfortunately, even they sneak out of city, but after walking along the bank of Yangtze River for entire night, no boats are found, which means they're still stranded.
Dawn break is coming, Kotonoha suggests they move back into tunnels to hide, wait for the next night. Makoto agrees.
When night falls again, they leave tunnels to try their luck for second time. They expanded range of searching, hoping to find a boat to cross river.
According to Chinese Lunar Calendar, it is November 16th, second day of full moon. However weather is a bit cloudy, the bright moonshine is obstructed by clouds from time to time.
The two walk quickly and quietly along river bank, but Makoto feels something strange: Why the ground is soft and…fleshy?
Suddenly as if seeing a Xenomorph, Kotonoha jumps back.
"What?" Makoto asks.
Kotonoha answers with a quivery tone: "The ground…"
At this blink, the moon breaks free from clouds. Under bright moonshine, Makoto can see clearly: They are actually walking on an endless creep, a creep of dead human flesh.
Makoto had seen too many dead bodies, but this is the first time he watches so many dead bodies accumulated together. Most of bodies are Chinese civilians, also many disarmed soldiers, thousands in number. Makoto and Kotonoha also find out each of them had their hands and arms tied up, and tied up on same ropes. Obviously those people were captured by Japs first, then tied up and brutally slaughtered by Japs. Japs finished mass slaughters at upstream, dropped dead bodies in Yangtze River, since water flow is relatively slow here, so bodies are washed ashore and becoming more and more.
Shocked to bones, Makoto and Kotonoha stand speechlessly in darkness. Then Kotonoha suggests they should move on to find another place of crossing river.
They continue to proceed, until bright-white searchlights installed on watch towers emerge out from horizon.
"Japanese garrison." Kotonoha speaks to Makoto in low volume. Makoto agrees: "A large one."
"This way." Kotonoha leads Makoto away from river bank to a small-sized mountain range: "This is Mufu Mountain, and judging from relative positions, the garrison should be in or near Caoxie Gorge. We take mountain roads, it will be safer."
Move along dark and bumpy mountain road, the Japanese garrison is on their left. Although cannot see, Makoto still can hear many people are crying, shouting, and are being whipped. Finally they reach the top of a small hill, crawl through dense vegetation, they find a good spot to observe what's going on.
From foot of Mufu Mountain to bank of Yangtze River, is the narrow and long Caoxie Gorge, which is brightly lit by searchlights set up by Imperial Japanese Army. Under eye-blinding light is dense mass of people, at least ten thousand in number.
Using binoculars, Makoto and Kotonoha recognize the mass of people are mostly comprised by Chinese civilians, also many soldiers who apparently are captured by Japanese. Those people's hands are tied behind their backs, and one by one, they're tied in rows.
Hundreds of soldiers of Imperial Japanese Army are whipping Chinese they captured to center, in order to make the mass even denser, with bayonet-attached Type 38 Rifles. A Japanese officer, who is short and muscular like a walrus, seems is commanding the operation. He stands on a high ground, accompanied by a huge shepherd dog.
Suddenly the Japanese officer raises an arm and says something to another Japanese officer who looks like an adjutant. Japanese soldiers who are whipping Chinese speed up their works, lines of Type 92 Heavy Machineguns and Type 11 Light Machineguns appear on south of the mass, surrounding them like a semicircle.
Turmoil in the mass of captured Chinese people, they know what is going to happen. Makoto and Kotonoha also know.
They watch as that Japanese officer draws out his nihonto (Japanese blade) from scabbard and cleaves forward.
In the twinkling of an eye, all machineguns open fire, flames on muzzles, look like scythes of crimson, cutting down tied up, defenseless Chinese like harvesting in wheat field.
Under hail stone of bullets, those Chinese are struggling in futile. The bullets impact into human bodies, kinetic energy pushes them upward, then collapse. Watching from afar, they are like bloody waves of flesh, up and down, up and down...
Makoto feels something in his head breaks, he puts up his rifle, aim on the Japanese officer who is conducting this massive murder. But a few seconds later, he puts rifle down in dismay — the target is about two kilometers from here, way exceeding effective range of a regular rifle ("real" anti-personnel and anti-material sniper rifles don't appear until many years after World War Two), even if his rifle has enough range, it's no guarantee for achieving a good kill on a target that far without a sniper scope.
Makoto can do nothing but staring the living hell unfolding in front of him, his eyes are spraying flames of rage and hatred. Kotonoha drags him away as if dragging a lifeless puppet.
After they go down the backside of hill, Makoto crouches down and curls up, trembling like having malaria. He feels a current of fire, fire consisted by freezing cold substance, burning up from gaps between bones, rushing into his head…
He stands up with a rush and walks to the direction of Nanking City.
Kotonoha pulls him: "Where are you going?"
"Execute him!" Makoto is squeezing words from lungs.
Kotonoha doesn't let him go: "Entire city had been overrun! This is suicide!"
Suddenly Makoto breaks down and cries out aloud, Kotonoha covers his mouth to avoid exposing themselves. Still, she can recognize what Makoto is crying: "I saw them…I saw them kill people…in northeast…villages…entire villages after entire villages…men…women…children…infants…murdered by them…murdered by them…murdered by them…" His voice gradually fades down, but still trembles violently. Kotonoha hugs him hard, fondles his hair to calm him down.
A moment later, Makoto seems have calmed down, he silently checks remaining ammunition he has.
Kotonoha: "Are you determined?"
Makoto answers with steadfastness: "This is not only personal, but also national!"
Kotonoha: "I'll go with you. You need an assistant."
Makoto gives her a hug of gratitude, then they set out.
