Chapter 899 898 [Please Ask Mr. Zhou to Visit Juntong]

During the Anti-Japanese War, there were three major theaters in Chongqing. After the May 3rd and May 4th bombings this year, only the Cathay Theater was left - the other two had just been repaired and bombed.

By the beginning of next year, the Chongqing Sichuan Opera Actors Association was established, and Sichuan opera people collectively devoted themselves to the cause of the Anti-Japanese War. But they couldn't find a performance venue, so they could only pull up the curtain and start the performance in the streets, alleys, playgrounds and courtyards.

The domestic premiere of the Nanjing Massacre documentary will be held at the Cathay Theater (near the Liberation Monument in later generations).

The most prosperous Jiefangbei business district in Chongqing in the 21st century is now in ruins, with craters, ruins and rubble everywhere. A family named Zhou had the largest bomb crater in the yard. People filled the crater, built a flower bed around it, planted small trees and flowers, and erected a bomb-shaped building in the center of the crater.

This building was designed and produced by artists from the Props Department of China Film Studio. The materials are all waste wood and fabric used in movie sets. It was named the "Spiritual Fortress" to warn the Chinese people to be unyielding, persevere in the war of resistance, and work hard.

The construction of the "Spiritual Fortress" began after the May 4th bombing, and it was bombed twice more during the process. Just like the unyielding China, it was bombed again and again and rebuilt again and again. Historically, it was not truly completed until the end of 1941.

After the "spiritual fortress" was built, it quickly collapsed due to repeated bombings and being exposed to wind and rain. People could only clear away the ruins and erect a wooden pole on the base instead. That wooden pole became a new spiritual fortress in the war of resistance.

After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the wooden pole symbolizing the spiritual fortress was turned into a standing monument to the victory of the Anti-Japanese War. The name was later changed to the "People's Liberation Monument".

This is the origin of the Liberation Monument in Chongqing.

When Zhou Hexuan came by car, the spiritual fortress was still under construction. Under the surrounding ruins, there are temporary shacks everywhere. Some of the owners of these shacks are war refugees who fled from other places, and some are locals whose homes were bombed.

The entire main urban area of ​​Chongqing is like this, with shacks on almost every street. People lived and worked as usual every day, ready to run to the air-raid shelter at any time, living strong and hard-working in the war years.

Student volunteers can be seen from time to time, with male students volunteering to serve as firefighters, patrollers and porters. Female students serve as ambulance personnel. When medicines are insufficient, most of them can only bring some spiritual comfort.

Medicines are really in short supply. 90% of the medicines produced by Zhou Hexuan's pharmaceutical factories have been shipped to the front lines, making them difficult and unaffordable for ordinary civilians.

"Chairman Lin is here!"

Lin Sen was still as light and simple in driving, and only took a driver with him when he went out. He was surrounded by students as soon as he got out of the car. He smiled and waved very patiently and said, "Thank you for your hard work, students. I would like to thank you all!"

"Chairman Lin, we are not working hard!" the students shouted.

After every Japanese bombing, more than half of the firefighters who rushed to the scene to put out the fire were male students. They have received simple firefighting training and use hand-operated water cannons to extinguish fires, but they will basically not rush into the fire to save people, because the solid fuel in the bomb can last for 15 minutes, and the people in the fire scene will have been burned to death.

The reporters took crazy photos of Lin Sen, and then went into the theater to watch the movie together. In addition to officials and journalists, many people from the cultural and educational circles were invited by Zhou Hexuan to attend the premiere of the documentary.

Except for Zhou Hexuan and the people from China Film Studio, today's audiences don't know much about the film. They all come to the theater because of Zhou Hexuan's face.

Soon, the theater fell into dead silence. It was not until the ending song "My Motherland" played that people began to curse and curse.

Lin Sen's eyes were a little moist, he sighed and left silently.

However, Zhou Hexuan was surrounded by reporters and was interviewed about the massacre. He distributed the printed information to the reporters.

The next day, more than three-quarters of Chongqing newspapers reported the Nanjing Massacre with indignation. The Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Kuomintang also cooperated to publicize the brutality of the Japanese army and called on young and middle-aged people to actively join the army and serve the country.

The cultural circles have also responded, including Liang Shiqiu, who was nearly to death after being trolled some time ago. He also said in the article: "When I saw the documentary of the massacre yesterday, I couldn't help but feel chills in my chest. I couldn't imagine that human beings can be so violent. How are they different from animals? Japan? He is not only an enemy of China, but also a public enemy of all mankind."

This time Liang Shiqiu was not criticized again, and everyone followed him in scolding him. At the same time, various propaganda groups in the literary and art circles also carried out information about the Nanjing Massacre on the front and rear to promote it, arousing the common hatred of the entire public.

As for why Liang Shiqiu was scolded, it has to mention a writing battle during the Anti-Japanese War.

At the end of last year, Yang Shiqiu served as the editor-in-chief of the supplement "Byeongmyeong" of the "Central Daily News". He said in the supplement: "The Anti-Japanese War is now above all else, so some people can't forget the Anti-Japanese War at the first stroke of writing. My opinion is slightly different. Regarding materials related to the Anti-Japanese War We most welcome materials that have nothing to do with the Anti-Japanese War. As long as they are true and smooth, they are good. There is no need to forcefully include the Anti-Japanese War. As for the empty Anti-Japanese War stereotypes, that is of no benefit to anyone."

These remarks immediately caused a unanimous outcry in the literary world. Opponents said: "In today's China, there is no 'truth' that has nothing to do with the Anti-Japanese War. Everyone is closely related to the Anti-Japanese War."

Lao She, Song Zhi, Wei Mengke, Luo Sun, Zhang Henshui, Ba Ren, Zhang Tianyi... Whether they were leftist literati or liberal literati, they took turns writing articles to scold Liang Shiqiu to death. After being scolded for more than four months, Liang Shiqiu finally couldn't stand the pressure and resigned from the "Pingming" supplement.

The documentary on the Nanjing Massacre quickly caused a sensation in Sichuan, and theaters were packed with moviegoers every day. This situation gradually spread to the southwest and northwest, and the propaganda department of the Central Military Commission specially sent copies to various military stations for screening.

In early August, an acquaintance suddenly visited Zhou's residence. It was Shenzui who had saved Zhou Hexuan's life.

"Xiao Shen, are you here for business or personal matters?" Zhou Hexuan greeted warmly.

Shen Zui said: "On business, Mr. Zhou, please come with me to Juntong."

If an ordinary person were invited to visit the Military Command, they would probably be so scared that they wet their pants, but Zhou Hexuan smiled and said, "Director Dai invites me to have tea?"

"You'll know when you go there," Shen Zui suddenly whispered, "It's a very important matter. I don't understand the specific situation because I'm not at that level yet. It's just because Mr. Zhou and I have an old relationship that the superiors sent me here Notified.”

Zhou Hexuan went happily, but as soon as he got in the car, he heard Shen Zui say: "Mr. Zhou, I'm offended."

"What?" Zhou Hexuan did not respond.

Shen Zui took out a piece of black cloth and explained, "You need to cover your eyes."