novelSusiti Chapter 23: The Chinese people jointly forge the blood edict of Nanjing; even a feud that has lasted
Chapter 23: The Chinese people jointly forge the blood edict of Nanjing; even a feud that has lasted
Above the sky, Liu Yan led Xu Miaoyun as they continued walking along the long corridor of the memorial hall.
On the walls on both sides are black and white photographs, tearful words, and the silent cries of 300,000 wronged souls.
Xu Miaoyun's steps grew heavier and heavier, as if she were walking on mud, each step requiring all her strength.
Her tears had all dried up, leaving only a pair of red, swollen, and empty eyes, yet she still stubbornly stared at those photos, those names, and those belongings.
Liu Yan did not urge her to rest.
He knew that some roads had to be walked to the end.
History should not be forgotten because of the pain!
It is this humiliation, ingrained in our very bones, that is the driving force that sustains a nation’s continuous progress!
The camera switched to a wide-angle lens, capturing the entire interior of the memorial hall.
That Wailing Wall hidden in the darkness, those layers upon layers of white bones, those blood-stained black and white photographs.
At this moment! Everything slowly unfolds in the lens, like a huge, silent, and heavy scroll painting!
Beneath the heavens, the rage of emperors from countless dynasties finally manifested in concrete action at this moment!
The Great Han Dynasty's Weiyang Palace!
The aged Emperor Wu of Han slowly rose! This was the Emperor Wu of Han who shaped the backbone of the Han people, laid the foundation for the destiny of the Han Dynasty, and once shouted, "The enemy can go! So can I!"
Having experienced the witchcraft accusations, the wrongful killing of the crown prince and empress, and the loss of all spirit, the once-great emperor now felt the nearly extinguished fire in his heart reignite!
A fierce wind swept into Weiyang Palace! It made his robes flutter loudly!
He straightened his hunched body, slowly stood up, and a brilliant light burst forth from his cloudy eyes.
At this moment, he seemed to have transformed back into that youthful, spirited young emperor!
"Guards! Draft an imperial edict and issue it!"
The eunuch beside him quickly brought over a desk and laid out silk fabric, which was only used during important ceremonies.
"I hold the crimson jade tablet, stand by the river, and address Heaven and Earth, before the three hundred thousand heroic spirits!"
"Though the land is at peace now, the old wounds of Moling have not yet healed!"
"Eighty years have passed, but the excruciating pain remains."
"The crimes of the Japanese invaders have not yet been avenged; it is like having my heart ripped out by a knife and axe, and my soul branded by cold iron."
In the Taiji Hall of the Great Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong Li Shimin was enraged!
"When barbarian invaders entered Nanjing, they were like jackals and wolves, utterly devoid of humanity."
"Slaughter my women and children on the banks of Yanzi Rock, slaughter my scholars in the streets and alleys of Jinling!"
"The green waves of the Qinhuai River have turned into waves of blood; the setting sun, with its purple and gold hues, has soaked the souls of the wronged."
"Where the barbarians go, even infants cannot survive; smoke signals rise everywhere, and the old and weak are burned to ashes."
"On the desolate ruins, withered bones lie buried in the hills."
"At the foot of Mount Qingliang, a mournful wind howls under the moon, and the air is thick with the weight of injustice!"
"This hatred and resentment cannot be washed away by the waters of the East Sea, nor can it be recorded by the bamboos of the Southern Mountains."
The Great Song Dynasty, Bianliang.
Zhao Kuangyin, the iron-blooded emperor who fought his way out of a chaotic world, wrote with blood and tears in every word!
"I fasted and climbed Zhongshan Mountain, and saw that bloodstains were still visible in the crevices of the rocks."
"As night falls on the Yangtze River, the mournful sound of the waves continues."
"The imperial aura of six dynasties has all turned to frost."
"Throughout the land, all share this sorrow."
"I know that empty sorrow is useless, and grievances will not bring the chief culprit to justice."
"We must wait for the might of thunder to demonstrate the impartiality of Heaven's will."
"I have never forgotten the names of these heroes, and I will surely use the heavenly sword to clear their names of injustice."
The Great Ming Dynasty, the Hall of Supreme Harmony! Zhu Yuanzhang's calligraphy flowed like dragons and snakes, his voice booming like a bell!
"Today, let us rouse the military might of China to wipe away the blood and tears shed on the Yangtze River!"
"Our ambition to avenge our humiliation will forever be as fierce as the raging waves of the East China Sea."
"All those of Chinese descent are my children."
"The whole nation grieves, and all people are of one mind, working together to uphold justice for all time."
"I command the world to take history as a mirror and blood and tears as a lesson."
"Write down the crimes and record the evil deeds, and erect a monument to show the shame."
"The crimes of the Japanese chieftain are as clear as the sun and moon."
"The evil of jackals and wolves is rampant throughout the eight directions."
"The stain of the Japanese pirates will be forever etched in history."
"The barbarians' despicable deeds will forever leave a shame."
In the fifth year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di's writing became more urgent and his murderous intent more chilling!
"All my Chinese people!"
"Never forget the mountains of blood that stained the walls of Nanjing!"
"Never forget the bloodshed that ravaged the streets!"
"Never forget the shame of our compatriots losing their lives for our nation!"
"As long as the souls of 300,000 heroes remain, this hatred will never be forgotten!"
"History will remember us for a day; our determination to avenge our humiliation will never waver!"
"My grief and indignation are like the raging tide of the Qiantang River, swallowing the sky and scorching the sun."
"My resolve is as firm as Mount Tai and as solid as a rock, to govern the four seas."
"If this shame is not avenged, I will be ashamed before the millions of innocent souls buried beneath this wall."
"If this grievance is not avenged, I will have no face to face the elders of Jiangdong."
The voice of the imperial edict echoed beneath the heavens!
The Great Qin Dynasty, Xianyang Palace!
The First Emperor Ying Zheng, the man who laid the foundation for Chinese culture, inscribed the last line of his blood edict on the bamboo slips!
"I swear by my own blood, and Heaven and Earth bear witness!"
"Those who offend our divine land, no matter how long it has been, will surely be punished!"
"Japan's eternal sins must be cleansed by the righteous spirit of the Chinese people!"
"Rectify your conduct with the sacred teachings of Chinese civilization, and admonish your soul with the pen of history for a thousand years."
"The humiliation of China will be forever remembered! Never to be forgotten! Destroy the Japanese invaders! Exterminate the barbarians!"
"If I am unable to carry this out in my lifetime, then you must lead the campaign!"
"If the son is incapable, then the grandson must be summoned to punish him!"
"Generation after generation! Until death do us part! Until we are annihilated!"
"This is the ancestral precept of the Chinese nation! It will remain unchanged for thousands of years!"
The First Emperor's voice echoed across millennia and thousands of miles.
The inheritors of Chinese civilization across countless time periods echoed in unison.
"Your subject will remember this!"
A blood-stained edict was issued from Nanjing! The sins of Japan! The shame of the Japanese pirates! They will be avenged for generations to come!
Above the sky, Liu Yan, holding Xu Miaoyun's hand, finally reached the exit of the memorial hall.
Behind him lay the silence of 300,000 dead souls!
And before him was the sunshine of the new China!
A second before stepping over the threshold, Xu Miaoyun turned around and looked at the gray building behind her.
The silent walls and sharp edges seem to have frozen this place in the winter of 1937!
It stands quietly in place, like a wound that never heals, or a monument that never tilts.
Xu Miaoyun bowed deeply.
Liu Yan did not urge her.
Instead, he simply stood beside her, facing the memorial hall as well, bowing deeply as well.
Then they straightened up and stepped over the threshold.
One step! From darkness to light!
The sunlight fell, casting a shimmering glow on the tears in Xu Miaoyun's eyes.
The square in the distance is very spacious. Looking out, there are tall buildings, bustling traffic, peace and prosperity, and people living and working in peace and contentment.
Xu Miaoyun gently asked, holding Liu Yan's hand.
"They probably don't know what happened here, do they?"
Liu Yan glanced at the crowd coming and going in front of her, then smiled and shook her head.
"Everyone who comes to Nanjing will come here; they have been here, seen it, and remembered it."
"Then walk out of here like we did and live a good life."
"The significance of a memorial hall is never to keep us immersed in grief, but to help us remember and move forward better."
Liu Yan's voice was gentle, like a warm spring breeze in April.
Liu Yan led Xu Miaoyun by the hand to the end of the square, where a tall flagpole pointed straight to the blue sky, and a red flag fluttered in the wind.
The sunlight shines on the red flag, and the red is not the dark red of blood, but a burning, fiery, and vibrant red.
Red flags flutter and five stars shine.
The Chinese nation has experienced periods of decline and turmoil.
But they always manage to rise from adversity! Soaring to new heights!
"The shame of history remains in the past. The prosperity of China begins today."
"The red flag shines brightly, the sun and moon shine brilliantly."
"Today's China has not forgotten its national humiliation."
"Today's China is ever new and vibrant."
Liu Yan looked at Xu Miaoyun and chuckled softly.
"How about I read you a poem?"
Xu Miaoyun smiled upon hearing this.
"Okay, I'll like whatever you say, my husband."
Liu Yan cleared his throat and began to speak.
"Heavy rain falls on Youyan, white wolves roam the sky."
Fishing boats off Qinhuangdao are nowhere to be seen, only a vast expanse of water; who knows where they've gone?
"The past stretches back a thousand years! Cao Cao wielded his whip, and his poems remain as he stood at the eastern Jieshi."
"The bleak autumn wind blows again today, but the world has changed."