In the late stages of the war, Japan was extremely short of personnel. The new recruits sent to Inner Mongolia were very young, as Japanese people generally have a small stature. Otherwise, they wouldn't be called "little devils." In that light, the height of the body may be considered normal.
A soldier said, "There are still several bodies below, all hanging on the radar. Oh my dear mother, while digging through the ice, a black face came out, scared me so much that I hit myself in the head with my own shovel."
We all laughed and the deputy squad leader came over and clicked his tongue, saying, "Look at you, you look like a bear. Clean yourself up and continue helping."
The soldier was probably his leader, and I was a little scared of him, so I immediately stopped laughing, piled up the ice balls, and ran outside. I had originally wanted to help out, but the deputy squad leader said there was no need, as it was too cold outside and they couldn't stay for long, they had to come back after moving everything. So we had to give up.
Soon, Lao Tang came back. He shook off the frost on his hair, and it fell off in clumps. As soon as he returned, he squatted by the fire to warm up. His face was frozen and cracking. Then two or three chunks of ice were brought in. Afterwards, people returned one by one, and the iron door of the ice cellar was closed. Only then did the temperature start to rise noticeably. Lao Tang said that there were still a few bodies that couldn't be dug out. If they tried to dig them out, they would freeze to death.
"The temperature outside is definitely still dropping, I'm not sure why. We threw things into the fire to make it burn brighter. The young soldiers drank several bowls of warm tea before they started to feel better."
A few people were drinking and curiously watching these frozen corpses while Pei Qing was particularly interested. He turned over each corpse one by one, revealing their faces, and was so tired that he was breathing heavily.
"I was watching from the side, not knowing what he wanted to do. Suddenly, he flipped over a corpse, paused for a moment, then crouched down."
"I walked over with my teacup and asked him what he found. He gave me an incredulous expression and said, "This is a woman."
As soon as he finished speaking, the group of soldiers huddled together stopped their noisy chatter and turned their heads towards him silently.
"The atmosphere was a bit strange. We looked at each other and the expressions of the engineer soldiers were all very peculiar. One of them stood up and walked over, and the others also gathered around to see."
"At that time, it felt a bit awkward and strange, but later on, I realized it was normal. Engineers are all young and full of energy, often trekking in deep forests, laying lines and building bridges. This work is very difficult, and it is almost impossible to have women around. So any opportunity to see a woman is a delightful thing for them. At this age, there is a magical fascination with the opposite sex, so even a female corpse is enough to make them blush."
Moreover, in the memory of our generation, the impression of Japanese women soldiers is just one person - Yoshiko Kawashima, almost a synonym for seduction and depravity. It's normal for soldiers to be restless. Isn't there a saying that goes, "Three years in the army, and even a sow seems pleasing"?
"I also walked to the side of the corpse. The temperature here was still low, and the ice clumps had hardly melted. I could see the body inside and several others with similar clothing, but smaller in size. At a glance, I noticed that she was a woman, identified by her hair."
Chinese female soldiers always have short haircuts or appear like tomboys, and it's rare to see them with long hair tied up. It seems that Japanese female soldiers tend to keep their long hair.
"The only things visible are these. The engineering soldiers looked at them for a few minutes and found that they were completely different from the Chuan Island Yoshi in their minds. They all returned boringly. Only Pei Qing continued to stare at them. I called him and he looked up with a strange expression flashing briefly across his face. It disappeared quickly. I felt a bit strange and he sighed randomly and said, "She's still a little girl. These devils are really heartless."
Sichuan province said to the side: "War never lets women leave. Do you know how many Chinese people she has killed? There is nothing to pity about."
Pei Qingshe smiled and suddenly said to me, "Lao Wu, please help me boil some hot water. Let's melt her out and see what's on her body."
"I asked, 'What's wrong? Do you have any thoughts?'"
"He explained that it was very unusual for female soldiers to appear here. These female soldiers usually work in Japan's special forces or as secretaries for officers. Don't be fooled by their young age, they hold high military positions. He wants to see where this woman is from and if she has any documents or clues on her person."
Old Tang said that hot water cannot be used to melt these blocks of ice because their temperature is too low. The hot water would cause them to explode and destroy any bodies inside, leaving behind a pool of blood when they eventually melt. This was a common occurrence during the Korean War, where the bodies of many Chinese soldiers were found in the snow and couldn't be prepared for burial. They had to be slowly melted using hot towels.
"I have spent some time in the Daxing'an Mountains and I am familiar with this phenomenon. The locals there say that if you pee on the ice when it's very cold, the ice will crack open."
Pei Qing had no choice but to give up. It was unclear how long it would take for the ice to melt naturally at this temperature. He asked me to help push the woman's body closer to the fire.
"I'm not interested in this in my heart, but the reason is right, and I can't argue against it, so I helped him out."
"When the ice lump came crashing out, it was very irregular. I pushed it and it rolled over, the corpse turned over. Pei Qing angrily said, "Be careful." and hurriedly turned it over."
My brows furrowed and I felt extremely uncomfortable. I still vividly remember how I felt at that moment, but unfortunately, I didn't dwell on it and my attention was quickly drawn to something inside the ice cubes.
On the back of the corpse, there was a very large and strangely shaped metal box. The box was circular and almost half the size of her body. At first glance, it resembled a snail made of iron.
"As soon as I saw it, I was stunned. My intuition told me that this thing was unusual."
"The first impression was that it was either some geological instrument or some kind of land mine. I called Old Tang over to take a look, and he said it wasn't a land mine because land mines have fuses. He hadn't seen this type of geological instrument before; it just looked like an iron shell."
"I feel that this thing is not normal, and I don't know why I have this intuition. It seems like I have seen it before, but there is no memory of where. It's just this feeling and nothing else."
"The soldiers were full of energy and gathered around to watch the excitement. I let them all see and brainstorm what kind of box would be round and what would be inside it. One soldier suggested it might be cookies but was immediately scolded by the deputy leader. Old Tang said, 'Didn't Wu Gong say we should all brainstorm? Who will dare to speak up if you lead the soldiers like this?'"
The senior sergeant had nothing to say, but he wasn't too difficult to deal with. I feel like he's just too straightforward and stubborn, which is why he can't get promoted. I pat him on the back and tell him not to worry, that he shouldn't treat me like an officer.
"The horse said while in the sea, "This dish is like a box, just like our telephone wire box. Look at the dent in the middle of the box, that is the trace of a bearing. The phone line is wound around it, releasing as it goes. This box must be a wire box, and there is probably something coiled up inside it."
"Another soldier said, 'That's not right. Machine gun bullets can also be rolled up like this. If it's a wiring box, this specification is too large and it will affect mobility.'"
"I know Ma is right about this being something to wrap things up with in the sea, but it definitely wouldn't be a telephone wire or a machine gun bullet. That thing is too heavy and nobody else is carrying it on them. It doesn't make sense to have a female soldier carry it. Whatever is inside shouldn't be too heavy."
What could this be?
"Lost in thought, Wang Sichuan clicked his tongue and walked over, saying that you gentlemen scholars should stay in the institute to do research. Why be polite to a Japanese ghost? Just smash it into pieces and take out the thing to see. As he spoke, he took out his geological hammer and came over."
Pei Qing immediately stood up, blocked in front of him and coldly said, "Wang Sichuan, do you still have any discipline?"
Pei Qing had always been a neutral person in the team, not too close to us but not too isolated either. He would speak up about important matters when we discussed them, so his recent behavior really puzzled Wang Sichuan.
Wang Sichuan also has a bad temper. Pei Qing's high-profile approach annoyed him the most. Immediately, he stared at Pei Qing with his big, bulging eyes and asked, "What are you doing? Did you step on my tail? Tell me, did I violate any rules?"
"Péi Qīng and he looked at each other, 'Firstly, you are desecrating a corpse. Secondly, the situation of the corpse in the ice is unclear. If there is any danger, would you take full responsibility or how?'"
"Wang Sichuan was momentarily stunned, then laughed: "Defile a corpse, defile what? Is this person your mother or your wife? Are you a descendant of a Japanese person?"
"I was confused when I heard it. Wang Sichuan's foul mouth, this joke went a little too far."
Usually, we joke around in good taste. Although Wang Sichuan is the most carefree person here, he is still a college graduate and we have never heard him say anything too extreme. But this joke went beyond what we can tolerate and we don't know how he came up with it.
Sure, here is the translation: "Pai Qing's face immediately turned dark, and he jumped up: "You bastard!" and kicked out, but he was no match for Wang Sichuan. With a slap, he fell to the ground. He got up again and picked up an iron stick nearby. Seeing that things were getting serious, I immediately stepped forward to stop Pai Qing, and Lao Tang walked up to stand in between them and started scolding people."
"I pulled Pei Qing to one side. Pei Qing gradually calmed down, threw away the things and walked towards the warehouse. Wang Sichuan's face grew even darker and his eyes turned red as he still wanted to scold someone, but was stopped by Lao Tang."
I turned and looked back at Lao Tang and cursed inwardly. Lao Tang gestured for me to go and check on Pei Qing so I wouldn't get lost.
"I had to leave them and follow Pei Qing from afar. I saw him sit down among some piles of goods. I wanted to let him calm down, so I didn't go over to talk to him. Instead, I found a place to watch from afar. I saw Pei Qing bury his head between his knees as if he was crying."
Seeing this situation gave me goosebumps. Pei Qing's reaction was too extreme, perhaps due to his childhood memories of the Japanese or the suffocating atmosphere here. Without realizing it, our mindset has already changed during the journey and it just exploded at the critical point earlier. I cannot ask him more about this matter, nor can I comfort him. I just feel uncomfortable seeing a grown man cry like that.
After he finally relaxed a little, he walked out expressionlessly.
"I followed behind and returned to the resting place. The atmosphere became very awkward and few people were talking. Pei Qing took his things and moved to a different place. Originally, he slept very close to Wang Xichuan, but as soon as Wang Xichuan opened his mouth to curse, I quickly kicked him and said, "Alright, alright, we're colleagues, so you should say few words."
Wang Sichuan swallowed his words, turned around and went to sleep. Soon he began to snore and the atmosphere finally eased a bit.
I checked the watch and realized it was already late. I wondered why Lao Mao hadn't come back yet and only then remembered the two soldiers who had come back earlier. I turned around to look for them but couldn't find them in the crowd.
"I'm puzzled. I didn't see anyone leaving just now. Did they come back and look for the old cat again?"
"So I grabbed everyone and asked if there were any members from the Old Cat team, but they all shook their heads and said they had no impression, all of them were Tang's soldiers."
"Something doesn't seem right. I woke up Wang Sichuan and told him about it. He looked around the soldiers' camp but couldn't recognize anyone."
I thought to myself, "Could it be that we were wrong earlier? All these engineers are wearing Japanese coats. The two people who greeted us earlier weren't part of the Old Cat group? I asked if anyone had told us about the dam being completely drained, but they shook their heads."
"Lao Tang noticed that our faces were not right and asked us what was wrong. I explained the situation to him. Everyone present felt that something was off. Although it wasn't particularly strange, the sudden appearance and disappearance of two engineers without a sound was still questionable."
"The Deputy Squad Leader said that we should search for it. Perhaps it went back to Old Cat when we were busy. With many people around, it's hard to see clearly."
"I nodded and said, 'Speaking of which, Old Cat hasn't given us any news. They should have returned by now. Should we go over and take a look?'"
Speaking of this matter, we felt that something was wrong. Old Tang appointed a deputy squad leader and asked a few people to search the warehouse. The deputy squad leader immediately set off.
"The depth of this warehouse is quite large, filled with goods, and we have not yet explored it deeply. I looked at the dark area and felt a little nervous."
After the deputy squad leader went in, we soon heard their shouts. We didn't hear Old Cat's response, only the shouting getting deeper and obviously making no progress.
To be honest, I was a bit nervous at the time. Lao Tang let me smoke his "Iron Eagle" and said there was nothing to worry about. Everything that could happen in this place has already happened, and there won't be anything else. They must have just gone too far.
"Tiě yīng" is a very old cigarette, the oldest brand of the national defense cigarette factory in the early days of liberation. I was amazed that someone could still obtain this cigarette nowadays. I took a puff, the taste was not pure, but it had a kick. When I turned to look back at the warehouse, I couldn't even hear the voice of the deputy squad leader."
"We don't know how big the warehouse is exactly. Looking back, it's hard to fully describe the complex structure of the suspended warehouse. It can't be portrayed by any shape or number of square meters, as it is an irregular three-dimensional space. The top of the warehouse is quite high, with layers of iron railings piled with goods. There are iron tracks that can be used to move the goods below, which are also stacked high. Obviously, the Japanese have already maximized the use of this space while studying the shape of the dam."
We waited for about ten minutes, but there was still no response from the deputy leader. He didn't come back, nor did he make any sound. However, Old Tang still asked us to wait, saying that he was carrying a gun and would definitely use it if something went wrong.
"I felt somewhat restless, but couldn't infect others with this emotion. So, I walked away to look at the corpses. Pei Qing was sitting beside the female corpse, staring at the melting ice on it, going crazy."
"I handed him a cigarette, but he didn't want it. I became more and more depressed. Seeing that the engineering soldiers didn't pay attention, I asked, "What's going on with you?"
Pei Qing ignored me, giving me a glance before continuing to look at the ice. It seemed that he didn't want to speak with me at all. I pushed him a few times, but he still brushed my hand away.
"I couldn't do it, so I went to find Wang Sichuan. He didn't know if he was really asleep or pretending, even when I pushed him he wouldn't wake up."
"I'm completely stuck and I'm thinking to myself that it's not a big deal for the emperor but it's urgent for the eunuch. I console myself by thinking that Old Tang is experienced and understands the deputy squad leader and the others well. He said if there's no problem, there shouldn't be any problem. Also, I didn't hear any gunshots so it's quite possible that they discovered something important and can't come back for a while. I'm just too nervous because of the environment here."
"So I shrunk down by the fire, lay down to rest, and looked at the messy cables and ropes on top of the warehouse while thinking. The shadow of those cables kept shaking in the firelight. I fell asleep again after a while, and slept for another six hours. When I woke up, the deputy leader still hadn't returned, and even Lao Tang was gone. Only Ma Zaihai and a few unfamiliar engineers were left around me."
"My intuition tells me things have gone wrong."
I asked Ma where the sea people were. He said that Lao Tang went to look for the deputy squad leader who hadn't returned, and he took some people with him. It's been two hours and there's still no news. Ma didn't know what to do and wanted to go and see for himself.
"I thought that the warehouse might be cannibalistic or something, and my heart started pounding. I woke up Wang Sichuan and asked him to tidy up. We had to do something."
"Wang Sichuan also woke up and was confused, but he quickly understood what had happened. He took a cigarette and said that things were probably bad. Lao Mao was very shrewd in his actions. If there was any delay in going out for so long, he would definitely send someone back to report. Now, there must be something wrong with this situation."
"I'm saying this is not nonsense, the question is what do we do now?"
"Wang Sichuan scratched his head and said, 'Why don't we go look for them too? Their equipment and supplies are all here, so they will definitely come back if nothing goes wrong. Otherwise, we can just wait here, but it's a useless thing to do.'"
"There's nothing to hesitate about. I looked and saw that Pei Qingyuan was already asleep, leaving three construction soldiers behind. I'll have Ma follow us in the sea. He's clever and capable. Let Pei Qingyuan sleep and the three of us will use flashlights to explore deeper into the warehouse."
"I never thought this warehouse could be so big. I thought the darkness behind it should be a wall, but after walking in, I realized the space behind the dam was huge, with the ability to store a lot of goods."
Wang Sichuan held their iron rods used to break ice, and knocked on the materials around to attract attention from others. As the materials were stacked irregularly, we couldn't go far. Soon, we couldn't see the firelight of our resting place behind us. The temperature dropped sharply, and there were ice flowers on the ground, making it extremely slippery and difficult to walk.
We proceeded carefully, and could see traces of other people walking underground. After turning a few corners, a few people were surprised and I realized that we had reached a dead end. In front of us was a concrete wall with a slogan painted on it.