A Memorial Not to Be Forgotten

Bloody Battles: Ten Counter-Japanese Generals Who Should Not Be Forgotten

Li Zhenxi

Sichuan People’s Publishing House

May 2024

58.00 (CNY)

This book is a masterpiece that exalts the noble spirit of the anti-Japanese generals， builds a spiritual monument for the nation and the country， and injects spiritual power. It is not a “biography” in all aspects， but focuses on Zhao Yiman， Yang Jingyu， Zhou Baozhong， Zuo Quan， Ma Benzhai， Zhang Zizhong， Dai Anlan， Tong Linge， Wang Mingzhang， Gao Zhihang， the ten most touching cross-sections or moments of the lives of the ten anti-Japanese generals， showing the revolutionary deeds of the martyrs in simple language， and portraying the admirable image of the martyrs with solid historical materials. The content of the book is vivid and moving， resonating and inspiring， with strong readability， and has both historical and educational value.

Li Zhenxi

Li Zhenxi is dean of the New Education Research Institute， Special-grade Chinese Teacher in Sichuan Province， and doctor of Philosophy of Education. He has been awarded the titles of “Chengdu Education Expert，” “Outstanding Educator of Sichuan Education System，” and “National Outstanding Educator.” In 2000， he was nominated as one of the “Top Ten Teachers in China.”

From the moment I typed the name “Yang Jingyu” on my keyboard just before the Spring Festival to the time I finished writing about Tong Linge in the golden autumn， my new manuscript， Bloody Battles: Ten Counter-Japanese Generals Who Should Not Be Forgotten， spanning over 200，000 characters， was finally complete.

A friend was somewhat puzzled: “Mr. Li， you teach Chinese. When did you become interested in history?”

I didn’t say much in response， but I thought to myself: Is this blood-stained history， not so distant from us， only of interest to professional historians?

They asked me， “Why did you suddenly think of writing such a book?” To this question， I would like to answer.

Last year， I was chatting with an excellent young teacher who had just been honored as a “Rising Star in Education” in the city. When we touched on the topic of the Counter-Japanese War， I casually mentioned the name “Gao Zhihang.” She looked at me with her large， beautiful eyes and asked， “Who is Gao Zhihang?”

I was somewhat shocked: “You really don’t know Gao Zhihang?”

She innocently shook her head.

I thought for a moment and reminded her: “A few years ago， there was a TV series called Departed Heroes...”

She said， “Oh， now that you mention it， I remember. The character seems to be named Gao Zhihang.”

“He died in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression，” I corrected her.

“Oh， sorry，” she looked genuinely embarrassed， “Mr. Li， I teach mathematics and I’m not good at history.”

Later， I asked a history teacher if the name “Gao Zhihang” was in the middle school history textbooks. The answer was: No.

I even asked several middle school history teachers， and none of them knew who Gao Zhihang was!

I suddenly felt I had wronged that beautiful rising star in education. If even history teachers didn’t know， how could she， a math teacher， know?

Yes， it’s unfair to blame today’s young people for not knowing Gao Zhihang.

If I look down on the young teacher for not knowing Gao Zhihang， then I must first look down on my younger self—didn’t I also not know who Gao Zhihang was at her age?

Saying that the vast majority of people do not know martyrs like Gao Zhihang is only to illustrate that our promotion of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression is neither comprehensive nor deep enough.

The War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression was the most tragic and greatest counter-invasion war in Chinese history. After a hundred years of humiliation， ravage， and trampling， China for the first time won national liberation in a victory filled with sacrifices.

Here， “victory filled with sacrifices” means that China suffered 35 million casualties in the war. What is even more heartbreaking is that due to the numerous puppet soldiers and traitors， the Chinese people paid a much higher price than they should have.

Against this backdrop， the blood-soaked heroes who courageously fought and heroically sacrificed their lives to ensure that the Chinese nation would not be enslaved or exterminated are particularly worthy of praise. They have no reason to be forgotten by us， their descendants born in and enjoying peace.

Sometimes in the morning， when I see the glowing sky outside， I quickly head to the rooftop， overlooking the beautiful city of Chengdu awakening with the rising sun from a “God’s-eye view.”

Looking at the clear skies over Chengdu， I think of March 14， 1941， when air raid sirens suddenly blared. While the civilians hurried into shelters， a group of young Chinese Air Force pilots took to the skies to confront the Japanese. Among them， a brave pilot was shot in the head during the fight， his blood staining the sky as he heroically sacrificed himself at the age of 25.

His name was Lin Heng. If this name is unfamiliar to many， then his sister’s name is certainly well-known: Lin Huiyin.

Saying that today’s colorful clouds over Chengdu are like the blood shed by Lin Heng and his comrades is not an exaggeration.

Over 80 years ago， the country was in ruins and under a storm of blood. “400 million people wept together. Where can we find our motherland?” It was countless heroes like Tong Linge and Yang Jingyu who built a flesh-and-blood Great Wall with their own bodies to protect our homeland. Without them， how could we have today’s peace?

For an unforgettable memorial， I wrote this book， dedicated to the countless counter-Japanese martyrs I admire. I hope to tell their stories to today’s young people. And of course， I hope these stories reach millions of future generations of Chinese descendants.