重回“九一八”之夜

The Night of the September 18th Incident Revisited

在纪念抗战胜利70周年的时候,我们自然会想起1931年的“九一八”,那是中国人十四年抗战的开始。如今,“九一八”已过去84年,那时候的当事人基本都已成为故人。今天,对于“九一八”事变发生的本来面貌和全过程,文献都有大量记载,事实已然清楚。然而,我最近重读当时人的文字,当读到他们在“九一八”当晚和第二天的记载时,“九一八”的情形就会浮上眼前,让我们重回“九一八”之夜,感受和记住那个屈辱的日子。

The commemoration of the 70 th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression brings us back to the September 18 th of 1931,which is the beginning of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression that lasted for 14 years.Today,the records of the night of September 18 th and the next day present the scenes in our mind and we could recall,re-experience and remember the day of disgrace.On the night of September 18 th,the crucial step triggering the incident is the Japanese troops’ attack on the Northeast Army of China garrisoned at Beidaying in Shenyang.To the Chinese army,it was an extremely shameful battle as well as an evidence of nonresistance of the Northeast Army.As a matter of fact,it is not objective to assert that the Northeast Army garrisoning Beidaying made no attempt to resist that night because Regiment620 of Independent Brigade 7 in the Northeast Army led by Wang Tiehan did fight back,which was later reputed as "firing the first shot in the 14 years of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression." Also,some students in the Northeast Military Academy and the public security police forces also refused to obey the order of nonresistance and started to counterattack against the Japanese aggressors on the night of September18 th and early next morning in Shenyang.A passage from the diary of Jin Yufu,a historian,shows that the Chinese government and the Northeast Army were not vigilant enough against the Japanese army and lacked the competence to promptly tackle the incident.No leadership stood up and voiced for China with prompt denunciation and patriotic standpoint.Consequently,all that led to the big chaos.By contrast,many famous patriotic scholars expressed great concerns,indignations and reflections over the September 18 th Incident.