In the autumn of 1943, a mysterious young woman appeared at Zifu Temple in Hubei Province, alerting the 3rd Squadron of the 104th Wing of the Japanese Army stationed there. After receiving the woman who called herself Zhu Lingying, squadron leader Kaoru Chida unexpectedly did not arrest her, although he realized that she might be an agent of the Chinese military, but instead let her go after a good meal. This unusual decision aroused doubts among the Japanese superiors at the time, but due to the outbreak of the Battle of Changde, the matter was eventually settled.
60 years later, on his deathbed, Kaoru Chida confided in his former subordinate Masaharu Shipwü the real reason for letting Zhu Lingying go. This story that has been hidden for many years was accidentally discovered by the famous Japanese military history expert Sasu when he interviewed Masaharu Funagu in 2000, which aroused his curiosity and exploration of the identity of this mysterious female agent. What was it that made Kaoru Chida risk being held accountable to let an enemy agent go? Who is Zhu Lingying's real identity? What is the story behind this 60-year-old secret?
A mysterious woman appears at Shifukuji Temple
In the early autumn of 1943, there were still frequent wars in the area of Zifu Temple in Hubei Province. It was located at the junction of the Japanese-occupied zone and China's Sixth Theater of Operations, and became the focus of contention between the armies of both sides. Although the 3rd Squadron of the 104th Wing of the Japanese Army stationed at the stronghold of Zifuji was insufficient, with only more than 30 Japanese soldiers, it repelled the attacks of the Kuomintang Army, the New Fourth Army and the local armed forces many times with its strong turret fortifications and sophisticated weapons and equipment.
One day in September, a strange young woman suddenly appeared on the streets of Shifukuji Temple. Her arrival immediately attracted the attention of the "garrison" of the Japanese puppet army. Not only did this woman not have a pass, but she also inquired about the situation of the Japanese army, and her behavior was very suspicious. One of the traitors of the garrison immediately reported the situation to the squadron leader Kaoru Chida.
When Kaoru Chida heard this, she immediately realized that it was most likely a spy. He immediately ordered the guards to arrest the woman. However, before the order was arranged, Guo Jiashun, the captain of the garrison, hurried over and brought unexpected news.
"Captain, the woman we've been staring at actually took the initiative to come to the door." Guo Jiashun panted and said, "She said she wanted to visit you." I don't think she looks like an ordinary person, so I left her behind. Do you want to meet her? "
When Kaoru Chida heard this, she couldn't help but feel very surprised. As an experienced officer, he knew what it meant to approach an enemy commander on his own initiative in such a sensitive area. This woman is either a bold agent or has other plans. In any case, this is an opportunity not to be missed.
"Bring her to me." Kaoru Chida pondered for a moment before making a decision.
A short time later, the mysterious woman was brought to Kaoru Chida. Unexpectedly, standing in front of him was a young and beautiful woman. She looked twenty-two or three years old, with a delicate face and fashionable dress, not at all like a woman from the local countryside.
Kaoru Chida suppressed the surprise in her heart and asked politely, "It seems that you are not a local, right?" Where did it come from? Is there anything you want me to do? Can you tell me your name? "
The woman replied calmly, "My name is Zhu Lingying, I am twenty-three years old, and I am a farmer. I now live in the Xiongjia River to the east of the capital. I came to look for my deceased husband's relatives, but I don't know how to find them, and I'm worried. I wonder if the captain can help me with this? "
After hearing this, Kaoru Chida agreed to her request on the surface, but she was suspicious in her heart. As an officer with professional counter-espionage training, he quickly discovered many flaws in Zhu Lingying's words and deeds. First of all, her hands were too delicate, which was grossly inconsistent with her self-proclaimed peasant woman. Second, she didn't respond like an ordinary rural woman.
In order to further test Zhu Lingying's true identity, Kaoru Chida began to ask her all kinds of tricky questions. However, no matter what he asked, Zhu Lingying could always answer like a stream, and it didn't leak. This performance strengthened Kaoru Chida's suspicions that the woman in front of her, who claimed to be Zhu Lingying, was most likely a Chinese military agent.
Just as Kaoru Chida was considering whether to debunk Zhu Lingying's identity on the spot, he noticed that she was carrying a baggage. According to common sense, he should have ordered someone to search the suspicious package immediately. However, in the face of this beauty who fell from the sky, Kaoru Chida unusually hesitated.
After struggling inwardly for a moment, Kaoru Chida makes a surprising decision. He did not order a search for Zhu Lingying's baggage, nor did he directly question her true identity. On the contrary, he said to Zhu Lingying: "Seeing that you have walked a long way, you must be tired." Why don't you have a light meal here? "
Unexpectedly, Zhu Lingying agreed to this invitation without hesitation. This move deepens Kaoru Chida's suspicions, and at the same time piqus his interest in further exploring the truth. He secretly decided that he would take the opportunity of this meal to find out the true identity of this mysterious woman thoroughly.
Kaoru Chida's trials and decisions
After the dinner begins, Kaoru Chida carefully arranges a temptation that seems random but full of traps. He first ordered the kitchen to prepare a sumptuous table of Japanese cuisine, including Japanese specialties such as sashimi, tempura, and sushi. This is not only to entertain the guests, but also to observe Zhu Lingying's reaction to these foods.
When the dishes were served one by one, Kaoru Chida secretly paid attention to Zhu Lingying's actions. To his surprise, Zhu Lingying was so calm that she was confronted with these foods, which might be unfamiliar to ordinary Chinese rural women. Not only is she proficient in using chopsticks, but she can also accurately name each dish and even have insights into how to make certain dishes.
This performance deepened Kaoru Chida's suspicions. How could an ordinary Chinese peasant woman be so familiar with Japanese cuisine? In order to further probe the situation, Kaoru Chida began to deliberately talk to the lieutenants around him in Japanese, which involved some military information. He hoped to observe Zhu Lingying's reaction and see if she could understand Japanese.
However, Zhu Lingying always maintained a calm expression, focused on her meal, and seemed to have no reaction to the Japanese conversation around her. This may be either because she really doesn't understand Japanese, or because she is deliberately hiding her Japanese ability. Kaoru Chida was difficult to judge for a while.
Halfway through the dinner, Kaoru Chida suddenly proposes to play a game of "guessing". He began to say the first half of some Japanese proverbs and sayings in Chinese, asking Zhu Lingying to take the second half. This game seems simple, but in fact there is a hidden mystery. If Zhu Lingying can answer the questions fluently, it means that she has an in-depth understanding of Japanese culture, which is extremely unusual for a person who claims to be a rural Chinese woman.
To Kaoru Chida's surprise, Zhu Lingying performed quite well in this game. Not only is she able to accurately say the second half of most proverbs, but she can also explain the meaning. This performance undoubtedly deepened Kaoru Chida's suspicions about her identity.
After the dinner, Kaoru Chida did not immediately make a decision. He told Zhu Lingying that considering that it was too late to let a lady go out alone, he arranged for her to stay overnight at the home of the captain of the garrison, Guo Jiashun. This arrangement seems considerate, but it is actually another temptation of Kaoru Chida.
After Guo Jiashun received the order, he immediately returned to his home with Zhu Lingying. According to Kaoru Chida's instructions, Guo Jiashun's wife is responsible for taking care of Zhu Lingying, while secretly observing her every move. In this way, Kaoru Chida hopes to get more information about Zhu Lingying in a more relaxed environment.
However, Zhu Lingying's performance in the Guo family is still leaky. She talked and laughed with Guo Jiashun's wife, and the topics involved household chores, rural life, etc., which completely conformed to the image of an ordinary rural woman. Even when she washed before bed, she didn't show any flaws.
Early the next morning, Kaoru Chida summoned Zhu Lingying again. After a night of thinking and comprehensive analysis of all aspects of information, Kaoru Chida seems to have made some kind of judgment about Zhu Lingying's true identity. Surprisingly, however, he did not choose to detain or arrest Zhu Lingying.
Instead, Kaoru Chida made a puzzling decision: instead of revealing Zhu Lingying's identity, he gave her a pass and arranged for someone to escort her out of Shifukuji Temple. When saying goodbye, Kaoru Chida also specially told Zhu Lingying to be careful of the dangers on the road, which was extremely inconsistent with his status as a Japanese commander.
After Zhu Lingying left, Kaoru Chida's actions caused confusion among his subordinates. Some people privately argued that the squadron leader might have been confused by beauty and made a wrong decision. However, the soldiers who knew Kaoru Chida knew that the experienced officer would not be easily fooled by appearances.
Kaoru Chida's decision to let Zhu Lingying go caused some ripples within the Japanese army. When his superiors learned of this, they questioned Kaoru Chida's behavior. However, just as this issue was about to be further investigated, the Battle of Changde suddenly broke out, and the Japanese army's attention was forced to shift to more urgent battles.
In this way, Zhu Lingying's incident was slowly forgotten within the Japanese army. Only Kaoru Chida and a few cronies know what happened. And Kaoru Chida himself has always remained silent about why he made this decision. The mystery lasted until 60 years later, when Kaoru Chida revealed the truth to his former subordinate, Masaharu Fumiko, on his deathbed.
The true identity of the mysterious woman
After Zhu Lingying left Zifu Temple, her figure seemed to disappear into the long river of history. However, as time goes on, clues about her true identity gradually emerge. According to later declassified archives and the recollections of those involved, Zhu Lingying was actually a senior agent in the intelligence department of the New Fourth Army.
In 1941, after the New Fourth Army encountered the Southern Anhui Incident, in order to rebuild the intelligence network, a group of elite agents were sent deep behind enemy lines. Zhu Lingying is one of them. Originally known as Zhang Yuhua, she was born in 1920 in Taixing County, Jiangsu Province, to a family of intellectuals. He studied at St. John's University in Shanghai as a young man and is fluent in English and Japanese. In 1938, under the influence of the Anti-Japanese Salvation Movement, Zhang Yuhua resolutely gave up his privileged life and joined the New Fourth Army.
In the intelligence department of the New Fourth Army, Zhang Yuhua underwent rigorous special agent training. She not only learned various camouflage and intelligence-gathering techniques, but also mastered specialized skills such as cryptography and radio communications. In 1942, she was sent to the Hubei region under the pseudonym "Zhu Lingying" to collect military intelligence on the Japanese army.
Zhu Lingying's work behind enemy lines was outstanding. She used her language advantage and knowledge background to successfully break into the upper class society in the Japanese-occupied area. She sometimes appeared as a businessman's wife, sometimes played the role of a cultural person, and on various occasions dealt with Japanese officers and traitors, and obtained a lot of valuable information.
In September 1943, Zhu Lingying received an extremely dangerous mission: to infiltrate the Japanese stronghold of Zifusi Temple and spy on the military deployment of the third squadron of the 104th Wing. The difficulty and risk of this mission were very high, because Zifuji Temple was an important stronghold of the Japanese army in the Hubei region, and it was heavily defended.
In order to accomplish this task, Zhu Lingying carefully devised a bold plan. She decided to approach Kaoru Chida, the leader of the Japanese squadron, directly and use her charm and intelligence to obtain information. Although this plan is risky, if it succeeds, it will be able to obtain the most direct and accurate military intelligence.
Before sneaking into Zifu Temple, Zhu Lingying made full preparations. She carefully studied Kaoru Chida's background and learned that the Japanese officer was from a famous Japanese family, was well-educated, and had a certain understanding of Chinese culture. Based on this information, Zhu Lingying decided to appear as a rural widow with a certain level of literacy, hoping to arouse Chida Kaoru's interest and sympathy.
Zhu Lingying's plan went surprisingly well. Not only did she manage to get close to Kaoru Chida, but she also got the opportunity to spend the night at Shifukuji Temple. In her contact with Kaoru Chida, Zhu skillfully incorporated her knowledge of Japanese culture into the conversation, while at the same time probing for military information without revealing a trace.
However, what Zhu Lingying didn't expect was that her outstanding performance instead aroused Kaoru Chida's suspicions. The experienced Japanese officer quickly noticed the anomaly in Zhu Lingying's identity. But unexpectedly, Kaoru Chida did not expose Zhu Lingying, but gave her a pass.
After Zhu Lingying left Zifu Temple, she immediately got in touch with the liaison station of the New Fourth Army. She gave a detailed account of what she had seen and heard at Shifukuji Temple, including the deployment of Japanese troops, weapons and equipment, and some military plans she had obtained from Kaoru Chida's conversations with her adjutant. This information played an important guiding role in the New Fourth Army's subsequent combat operations in Hubei.
However, Zhu Lingying's success also comes with unexpected risks. Her outstanding performance attracted the attention of the Japanese secret service. Some people began to suspect that there was a high-ranking agent in the area of Shifukuji Temple. In order to protect Zhu Lingying's safety, the New Fourth Army decided to temporarily transfer her out of Hubei.
At the beginning of 1944, Zhu Lingying was transferred back to her hometown in Jiangsu and continued to work underground. She used her social connections to establish an intelligence network covering southern Jiangsu, providing the New Fourth Army with a lot of intelligence about the Japanese army and the puppet army. Until the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Zhu Lingying has been working silently in this position.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Zhu Lingying did not disappear like many agents. She chose to continue to contribute to the construction of New China. After 1949, she entered the diplomatic service, where she played an important role in a number of important positions with her language skills and extensive experience.
It was not until the 80s of the 20th century that Zhu Lingying's true identity was gradually known. When some historians studied the activities of agents during the Anti-Japanese War, they found sporadic records about Zhu Lingying. After many researches and interviews, Zhu Lingying's thrilling experience in Hubei Zifu Temple was able to reappear.
Kaoru Chida's confusion and choice
After Zhu Lingying left Shifukuji Temple, Kaoru Chida fell into unprecedented confusion. As an experienced military officer, he was well aware that there were many doubts about Zhu Lingying's identity. However, he made a puzzling decision: let her go.
This decision caused quite a stir within the Japanese army. Many people can't understand why Kaoru Chida, who has always been known for his rigor, would make such an unusual move. Some speculate that he was bewitched by beauty, while others believe that it may be some higher-level strategy. However, the truth is far more complicated than one might think.
In fact, Kaoru Chida experienced a fierce inner struggle that night. As a professional soldier, he is well aware of the dangers that come with letting a would-be enemy agent go. But at the same time, he was also impressed by Zhu Lingying's intelligence and courage. In contact with Zhu Lingying, Kaoru Chida saw someone who was equally well-educated and had a deep understanding of culture. It reminded him of his younger days as a student at Kyoto University, when he was full of curiosity and respect for Chinese culture.
More importantly, Kaoru Chida saw a firm belief and courage to fight for Zhu Lingying. This spirit reminded him of the ideals he had when he first joined the army. However, years of war experience have made him doubt the meaning of this war.
On the night of the decision, Kaoru Chida reflected on her experiences in China. He remembered the brutal scenes he witnessed during the Nanjing Massacre, and the suffering of Chinese civilians he saw in the occupied territories. These memories made him deeply question the war in which he was involved.
In the end, Kaoru Chida chose to let Zhu Lingying go, not only out of personal admiration for her, but also as a compromise of her inner conscience. He knew that this decision could bring danger to the Japanese army, but he could no longer deceive himself that the war was just.
Kaoru Chida's decision had serious consequences for him. The superiors soon noticed the anomaly and opened an investigation into him. Although the outbreak of the Battle of Changde temporarily diverted attention, Kaoru Chida knew that his military career had been dealt a fatal blow.
In early 1944, Kaoru Chida was transferred from the front and returned to Japan to take up an inconsequential logistics position. This is undoubtedly a disguised punishment for a once promising officer. However, Kaoru Chida did not regret it. On the contrary, leaving the battlefield gave him more time to think about the nature of this war.
After the war, Kaoru Chida was not arrested and tried by the Allies, as many Japanese officers were. He chose a different path: devoting himself to the cause of Sino-Japanese people-to-people friendship. He used his experience in China and his understanding of Chinese culture to actively participate in various people-to-people exchange activities and strive to promote mutual understanding between the two peoples.
In this process, Kaoru Chida has been looking for Zhu Lingying's traces. He hopes to see this woman who changed the course of his life again, and express his apologies and respect to her. However, until the last moment of his life, he was unable to do so.
In 1985, Kaoru Chida, who was already in his eighties, died in a hospital in Tokyo. He gave his memoirs to his longtime friend, Masaharu Funako, a former Japanese officer who also served in China. In his memoirs, Kaoru Chida recounts in detail how he met Zhu Lingying and how it affected him.
Kaoru Chida wrote in her memoirs: "That night, I saw in Zhu Lingying's eyes the hope and strength of a nation. It was this power that made me realize how stupid and futile our aggression was. When I let her go, I not only let go of an enemy, but also let go of the obsession in my heart. Since then, I have begun to rethink the meaning of war and the future of our two peoples. "
While sorting out Kaoru Chida's belongings, Masaharu Bunbow found a yellowed photograph. The photo shows a young Chinese woman with the words "Zhu Lingying" written on the back. This photograph is the only treasure that Kaoru Chida has had over the years, and it is his only connection to that period of history.
Kaoru Chida's story, along with that photograph, became an important source of material for Japan's post-war generation to reflect on the war. It not only reveals the cruelty of war, but also shows the light that still exists in humanity in the darkest of moments.
Echoes of History: The Impact and Enlightenment of the Shifukuji Incident
Although the Zifuji incident was only a small episode in the War of Resistance Against Japan, its impact was far beyond people's imagination. This seemingly simple spy story actually reflects the complexity of human nature in war, and the importance of individual choices in the course of history.
First of all, from a military point of view, the intelligence obtained by Zhu Lingying at Zifuji Temple played a key role in the follow-up of the New Fourth Army. According to later declassified files, the intelligence brought back by Zhu Lingying contained the detailed deployment of the 104th Wing of the Japanese Army, as well as their strategic intentions in the Changde area. This information provided an important basis for the New Fourth Army to formulate a counterattack plan.
In November 1943, the Japanese army launched the Battle of Changde. Relying on the information provided by Zhu Lingying, the New Fourth Army successfully predicted the Japanese army's offensive route and set up ambushes at key locations. This action greatly weakened the Japanese offensive and bought valuable time for the Chinese army. Although Changde eventually fell into the hands of the Japanese army, this successful operation of the New Fourth Army greatly boosted the morale of the troops and laid the foundation for the subsequent counteroffensive.
Second, the Shifukuji incident also had a profound impact on the Japanese military. Kaoru Chida's decision to let Zhu Lingying go caused an uproar at the top of the Japanese army. Some officers considered this a serious dereliction of duty and demanded that Kaoru Chida be severely punished. But there were also those who began to reflect on what the Japanese army had done in China and questioned the justice of the war.
Although this skepticism did not immediately change the overall strategy of the Japanese army, it sowed the seeds of doubt within the Japanese army. More and more Japanese officers began to question their own behavior, and this ideological vacillation eventually affected the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army. Especially in the later stages of the war, when Japan's defeat was a foregone conclusion, this shift in thinking hastened the collapse of the Japanese army.
In the long run, the Shifukuji incident also had a subtle impact on the development of Sino-Japanese relations after the war. Kaoru Chida devoted himself to the cause of people-to-people friendship between China and Japan after the war, and his experience became an important topic of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. Through the story of Kaoru Chida, many Japanese people have begun to re-understand this history and reflect on the evils of war.
In the 1980s, with the gradual improvement of Sino-Japanese relations, the Shifukuji incident once again attracted people's attention. Some historians and journalists began to delve into the truth of this event. They visited Zifukuji Temple to find eyewitnesses to the events of that year, trying to restore the truth of history.
In 1985, Japan's NHK TV produced a documentary "Memories of Shifukuji", which told the story of Zhu Lingying and Kaoru Chida in detail. The documentary caused a strong response in Japan, allowing more Japanese people to learn about this little-known history.
In the same year, the Chinese side also launched an investigation into the incident. CCTV sent a team of reporters to follow Zhu Lingying's footsteps. They found Zhu Lingying's family in Taixing, Jiangsu, and through their memories, they restored Zhu Lingying's true identity and her life after the war.
These investigations and reports not only give people a more comprehensive understanding of this history, but also provoke people to think about deep-seated issues such as war and peace, ethnic hatred and the brightness of human nature.
In 1990, with the joint efforts of Chinese and Japanese scholars, Zifukuji Temple was listed as a historical witness of Sino-Japanese friendship. Every year, a large number of Chinese and Japanese people come to visit to remember history and think about peace.
In 2000, a group of young people from China and Japan launched the "Messenger of Peace" program at Shifukuji Temple. Based on the story of Zhu Lingying and Kaoru Chida, they created a drama that toured several cities in both countries. This drama not only tells the cruelty of war, but also shows the brilliance of humanity in extreme circumstances, which arouses strong resonance from the audience.
In 2010, the Zifukuji incident was included in China's anti-Japanese war history textbooks, and became an important material for conveying the concept of peace to the younger generation. The textbook not only introduces Zhu Lingying's heroic deeds, but also mentions Kaoru Chida's choice, allowing students to think about the issues of war and peace from multiple perspectives.
In 2015, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in China and the World Anti-Fascist War, a special commemorative event was held at Zifukuji Temple. For the first time, the descendants of Zhu Lingying and Kaoru Chida met here to remember their ancestors and call for peace. The meeting was regarded as an important milestone in Sino-Japanese people-to-people exchanges and a symbol of the positive development of bilateral relations.
Although more than 70 years have passed since the Shifukuji incident, the historical significance and humanistic value contained in it are becoming more and more important. It is not only a story of courage and choice, but also a mirror that reflects humanity and reflects on war. In this mirror, we see the cruelty of war, but also the preciousness of peace; I saw the antagonism of the nations, and I also saw the brilliance of human nature.