In the land of Liaoshen, the autumn wind whistles; in front of the Canli Monument, the alarm bell rings. The giant remnant calendar monument in Shenyang’s “September 18th” History Museum is forever fixed on September 18, 1931.
This year marks the 95th anniversary of the September 18th Incident. The numerous bullet marks on the memorial tablet silently tell the story of that humiliating history, and also remind people not to forget the national humiliation and to work hard for strength. In the past few days, a series of commemorative activities have been carried out across the country, both north and south, and inside and outside the military camps. They are not only a sad reminder of the broken mountains and rivers and the suffering of the country, but also a profound reminder to be prepared for danger in times of peace and to be unremittingly prepared.
On the night of September 18, 1931, the Japanese army deliberately bombed the Liutiaohu section of the South-Manchuria Railway, falsely accusing the Chinese army of doing so, and bombarded the Beida Camp in Shenyang. The September 18th Incident, which shocked China and the world, broke out. In just over four months, the entire Northeast fell. At a time of national crisis and national peril, the Communist Party of China stepped forward in the face of the barbaric aggression of Japanese militarism, took the lead in issuing a declaration of anti-Japanese and national salvation, and shouldered the historical responsibility of national salvation. Amidst the white mountains and black waters, countless anti-Japanese soldiers were not afraid of powerful enemies or sacrifices. They ate grass roots and tree barks and used deep mountains and dense forests as camps. They fought bravely under extremely difficult conditions and built a steel Great Wall with their flesh and blood to resist foreign aggression, composing a magnificent heroic epic. After 14 years of arduous struggle, the Chinese people won the great victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and declared the complete victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. This is an immortal monument in the spiritual history of the Chinese nation and a great feat in the history of world war.
The smoke has cleared and the national tragedy will be unforgettable. Today, 95 years later, we remember history again in order to work with all peace-loving countries to carry forward the common values of all mankind, firmly defend international fairness and justice, and make the world full of righteousness and bright. The place where today’s alarm bells are ringing is only a few hundred meters away from the Liutiao Lake blasting site monument and about 3 kilometers away from the Shenyang Japanese War Criminals Tribunal Exhibition Hall. The fate of the aggressors was already doomed when they created the September 18th Incident. Justice will prevail! Peace will prevail! The people will win! This is an irrefutable truth. Those who are willing to fight will inevitably perish, and those who forget to fight will be in danger. The Chinese nation is a great nation that is not afraid of violence and is self-reliant and self-reliant. We will never let the tragedies and sufferings of history happen again.
Today, 95 years later, the sunshine of peace shines on the land of China, but the world is still not peaceful, and the haze of war has never really dissipated. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Tokyo Trial. Japan should face up to history and reflect deeply on its war crimes. However, judging from the behavior of Japan’s right-wing forces, they are still ready to take action, fully exposing their ambition to accelerate “remilitarization” and revive militarism. In recent years, Japan’s right-wing forces have been hyping up “peripheral security threats”, accelerating military expansion, and constantly breaking through the constraints of the pacifist constitution. Japan has not only significantly increased its defense budget, continued to purchase advanced weapons and equipment, developed long-range strike capabilities, and completely abandoned the principle of exclusive defense. It has also continued to strengthen its ties with external forces, held frequent joint military exercises, and promoted forward military deployment. Japan’s “new type of militarism” can be said to be a futile plan, and disasters must be guarded against.
History cannot be tampered with, and justice cannot be desecrated. Only by facing history squarely can we gain respect; only by learning from history can we open up the future; only by not forgetting the past can we prevent ourselves from going astray again. Any words or deeds that deny the history of aggression or even glorify aggressive wars and colonial rule are a blatant violation of international fairness and justice and a serious threat to world peace. In the face of various dangerous actions by the Japanese ruling authorities that go against the trend of history, the bottom line of safeguarding fairness and justice cannot be compromised. Anyone or any force who fails to overestimate their own capabilities and attempts to overturn the history of aggression, whitewash war crimes, or revive militarism will ultimately end up in failure and be subject to a thorough justice trial and historical liquidation.
“History is the best textbook and the best sobriety agent.” The profound inspiration left to us by the 14-year history of the Anti-Japanese War is “Only by being able to fight can we stop the war. Only by preparing to fight, we may not have to fight. The less we can fight, the more likely we will be beaten.” Peace is never given by others, but achieved by oneself. Only when a country’s desire to love peace is matched by its ability to defend peace can it be called a responsible big country and protect the achievements of peaceful development.
Keeping history in mind, the alarm bell is ringing; the mountains and rivers are beautiful, and the mission is on our shoulders. A solid national defense is the shield for national survival; a strong military is the foundation of national security. Without a strong army, it is impossible to have a strong motherland. Every officer and soldier should strengthen their awareness of danger, crisis, and war, recognize the risks of war, sharpen their will to fight, hone their skills, shoulder the mission of strengthening the army with indomitable courage, and safeguard national security with the ability to win wars.
