In 1948, the wife of a colonel of a national army was insulted by 6 people in the hospital, what happened to the perpetrators?
Wuhan in 1948 was full of war and turmoil. In this turbulent era, a heinous crime quietly occurred in the Army General Hospital. The wife of a colonel officer, who had come to take care of her ailing husband, suffered an unimaginable nightmare. Six outlaws dared to commit such an evil deed against the family of an officer in a place like a hospital. The case quickly caused an uproar, shocking not only Wuhan society, but also the military's top brass. In the face of the cries of the victims, the condemnation of all sectors of society, and the anger of the officers and men in the army, how will those in power deal with these criminals? In troubled times, can justice be served? What kind of social reality and human darkness will be revealed in the trial process of this case?
At the beginning of September 1948, the Wuhan Army General Hospital welcomed a special patient - Lou Jiangliang, colonel of the Ninth Division of the Kuomintang Integration. The 40-year-old Zhejiang officer was finally diagnosed with tuberculosis due to his long-term front-line combat and severe overdraft, and had to be withdrawn from the battlefield for treatment.
When Lou Jiangliang's wife, Chen Yu, learned of her husband's illness, she immediately rushed to Wuhan from her hometown with her two young children. Chen Yu is 28 years old this year, from a beautiful background, has received higher education, not only knowledgeable, but also dignified. In order to take care of her husband, Chen Yu placed the whole family in the hospital.
As a high-ranking military officer, Lou Jiangliang was treated as a private ward in the hospital. However, in this supposedly safe environment, a nightmare is brewing.
The six men who lived in room 17 across from Lou Jiangliang's ward were known for their poor behavior. They often verbally harassed and even manipulated nurses as they entered and exited the wards, so much so that female hospital staff tried to avoid approaching their wards. These six people are Cui Bowen, Ling Zhi, Shi Pan, Zha Dajun, Zeng Xuanming and Yuan Shangzhen. Among them, Cui Bowen, Ling Zhi and Shi Pan are all from the Ninth Supply Area of the Kuomintang Joint Logistics Headquarters, serving as lieutenant colonel director, captain military doctor, and colonel adjutant respectively. Cha Dajun is an inspector at the Hankou Police Station, Zeng Xuanming is the chief of the military medical major of the 9th Supply District, and Yuan Shangzhen is a cadet.
After noticing Chen Yu's arrival, the six people quickly locked their eyes on the young and beautiful officer's wife. They began to verbally harass Chen Yu with impunity, and every time Chen Yu passed by Ward 17, he would always hear some unbearable words.
In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Chen Yu chose to swallow his anger. She minimizes the number of times she goes out during the day and only goes to fetch water or do laundry in the dead of night. However, what she didn't know was that these people had already secretly observed her routine.
At around 2 a.m. on September 9, Chen Yu went to fetch water with a hot water basin as usual. Just as she passed the door of Ward 17, she was suddenly covered by a hand in her mouth, and then dragged into the ward by several people. In this suffocating space, six men took turns raping Chen Yu.
The atrocity lasted almost an hour. Throughout the process, Chen Yu was tied to the hospital bed and his clothes were torn to shreds. In the end, one of them threatened Chen Yu that if she dared to denounce them, not only herself, but also her family would be killed.
After the incident, Chen Yu endured great physical and mental pain and returned to her husband's hospital room. She stayed up all night until the next morning when she mustered up the courage to come to the dean's office to report the crime.
Dean Cai Shande and instructor Liu Jiazhen received Chen Yu. In the face of Chen Yu's crying and accurate identification, the two ostensibly said that they would investigate, but in fact did not take any substantive action. What's even more infuriating is that after Chen Yu left, Cai Shande actually ordered someone to completely clean up Ward 17 and destroy all the evidence that may exist.
Behind this obvious bias in favor of criminals, there are complex interests hidden. The six suspects all have a certain amount of influence in the local area and are also inextricably linked to the hospital. Faced with Lou Jiangliang and his wife, who were about to die, the hospital chose to side with these six villains.
In this way, the day after the incident, the six criminals were still living in Ward 17 as if nothing had happened, and Chen Yu's complaint was lost. When she approached the hospital leaders again, she was treated even more coldly. Trainer Liu Jiazhen even said such outrageous words as "You have already given birth to two children, and you are not a virgin anyway, why should you care so much".
In the face of Chen Yu's insistence, the hospital even tried to settle the matter with money. They offered to pay 200 million yuan each to the six criminals and then kick them out of the hospital. However, Chen Yu was unmoved and insisted on a fair treatment.
Seeing that Chen Yu was so resolute, Dean Cai Shande actually began to threaten her, claiming that if she continued to investigate, not only her husband, but also her and her children would be in danger.
With the support of her husband Lou Jiangliang, Chen Yu decided to continue to redress her grievances. However, since 32 hours have passed between the incident and the official examination, much of the key evidence has been lost. Despite this, the medical examination still showed that Chen Yu had 10 scars on his face, 1 on his buttocks and 4 on his perineum, but semen spots could not be extracted from his vagina.
And just like that, a long road to appeal began. Chen Yu's plight soon attracted widespread attention from all walks of life, but she also faced pressure and threats from all sides. This case not only revealed the dark side of society at that time, but also showed the courage and perseverance of an ordinary woman in the face of injustice.
Chen Yu's misfortune soon caused an uproar in the city of Wuhan. Despite the hospital's attempts to silence the news, the seriousness of the incident and the identities of those involved quickly made the case a hot topic of discussion throughout the city.
First of all, Ta Kung Pao, as an influential newspaper at the time, was the first to report on this matter. Under the headline "Gang Rape of the Officer's Wife, Six Villains Get Away with Punishment," the newspaper described in detail the course of the case and what happened to Chen Yu. The report highlighted the identities of the suspects, noting that they included a number of military officers and police officers, a detail that sparked public outrage over the abuse of power.
Immediately afterwards, the "JoongAng Daily" also carried a follow-up report on the matter. As the official mouthpiece of the Kuomintang, the Central Daily reported with relative caution, but nevertheless expressed condemnation of the vicious incident. Under the headline "Wuhan Army Hospital Scandal, Relevant Departments Should Strictly Investigate," the newspaper called on relevant departments to quickly intervene in the investigation in order to safeguard the image of the army and social justice.
In addition to the mainstream newspapers, the burgeoning broadcast media of the time also paid great attention to the matter. Wuhan Radio mentioned the case several times in its evening news, and invited legal experts to interpret it on the spot, analyzing the legal issues and handling procedures that may be involved in the case.
With continuous media coverage, the case soon attracted widespread attention in Wuhan and even across the country. People expressed sympathy for Chen Yu, and at the same time expressed strong dissatisfaction with the behavior of the suspect and the hospital. In the streets and alleys, people talked a lot, some were upset about Chen Yu, and some were worried about the social security situation.
Faced with public pressure, the Wuhan municipal government had to respond to the matter. The mayor's office issued a statement saying that it had taken note of the matter and promised that it would be dealt with seriously in accordance with the law and would not be tolerated. However, the ambiguous wording of the statement did not quell public anger and instead raised more questions.
At the same time, women's groups from all walks of life moved quickly. When the Wuhan Women's Federation learned of this, it immediately organized a solidarity activity. Hundreds of women representatives gathered in front of the Wuhan city government, holding slogans such as "Severely punish criminals, give justice to military wives" and "Crack down on scum in the military and safeguard women's rights and interests," demanding that the government and military deal with them fairly.
The solidarity campaign lasted for three days and attracted the attention and support of more citizens. Many passers-by spontaneously joined the procession, and the scale of solidarity grew. In the face of such a large-scale public rally, the Wuhan municipal government had to respond again, promising to organize a task force to conduct a thorough investigation of the matter as soon as possible.
In addition to women's groups, a number of intellectuals and celebrities have also spoken out. The famous writer Lin Huiyin said in an interview with Ta Kung Pao: "This is not only an ordinary criminal case, but also a challenge to the moral bottom line of the entire society. What can we expect if even the families of military personnel are not given the protection they deserve? ＂
Within the military, the case also provoked strong reactions. Many rank-and-file officers and soldiers expressed outrage at this, arguing that the six suspects had tarnished the honor of the servicemen. It is reported that some units have even appeared petitions demanding a thorough investigation of the case, which has aroused great attention from the top of the military.
Chiang Kai-shek, chairman of the Kuomintang Military Commission, after learning of this, is said to have sternly rebuked him at a military meeting: "If military discipline is not in order, how can military prestige exist?" Such scum must be severely punished! This statement spread quickly among the military, further increasing the pressure on the handling of the case.
However, as time went on, the progress of the case seemed to come to a standstill. Despite the constant voices of all sectors of society, due to the special status of the people involved and the complex entanglement of interests, the investigation and handling of the case has become extremely difficult.
In this situation, some activists began to take more extreme ways to express their dissatisfaction. Leaflets were distributed at the entrance of the Wuhan Army General Hospital, detailing the names and positions of the six suspects and calling on the public to boycott. Attempts were also made to break into the hospital and demand to see the director and those responsible, which led to some skirmishes.
In the face of increasingly intensifying social contradictions, the Wuhan Police Department had to strengthen the vigilance around the hospital. Rather than quell public anger, however, the move has raised more skepticism, with some accusing the police of "protecting criminals, not victims."
Just as the attention of all sectors of society continues to heat up, the case has taken a new turn. Just when Chen Yu was about to appeal to the higher-ups, an unexpected news came, which changed the direction of the entire case dramatically.
Just as the attention of all walks of life to the case continued to rise, a sudden news was like a bombshell, completely changing the direction of the case. On October 15, 1948, the 36th day after the incident, Chen Yu's husband, Lou Jiangliang, the colonel of the Ninth Division of the Kuomintang, died suddenly due to his deteriorating condition.
Lou Jiangliang's death not only brought a huge blow to Chen Yu, but also brought new variables to the handling of the entire case. For a time, all kinds of speculation and rumors were spreading. Some believe that Lou Jiangliang's death was an accident, while others suspect that it may have been a deliberate murder in order to prevent further investigation into the case.
Faced with the sudden death of her husband, Chen Yu fell into extreme grief. However, she did not give up on the pursuit of justice. On the third day after her husband's burial, Chen Yu and her two young children went to the Wuhan municipal government again to ask to continue the investigation of the case.
This time, Chen Yu's actions have attracted more people's attention. Some citizens who sympathized with her plight spontaneously organized and held a memorial event in front of the city government, not only to see off Lou Jiangliang, but also to cheer Chen Yu up. The event attracted hundreds of people, including some celebrities and retired military officers.
Faced with such a situation, the Wuhan municipal government had to respond again. The mayor's office issued a statement saying that it would set up a special investigation team to thoroughly investigate the cause of Lou Jiangliang's death, and that it would also continue to advance the investigation into the rape case of Chen Yu. This statement calmed public anger to some extent, but people still kept a high level of attention to the progress of the case.
However, just when people were expecting a breakthrough in the case, an unexpected situation occurred. On October 28, 13 days after Lou Jiangliang's death, three of the six suspects suddenly "disappeared". The three were Cui Bowen, Ling Zhi and Shi Pan, all of whom were from the Ninth Supply Area of the Kuomintang Joint Logistics Headquarters.
This turn of events has sparked a new round of speculation and questioning. Some believe that the three men absconded in fear of crime, while others suspect that they may have been secretly executed. What's more, there are rumors that the three have been moved to a safe place to avoid further escalation of the case.
Faced with the pressure of public opinion, the Wuhan Police Department had to publicly arrest the three "missing" people. However, the impact of this action has been limited. Although police claimed to have launched a citywide manhunt, they have never been able to find any trace of the three men.
At the same time, the remaining three suspects - Zha Dajun, Zeng Xuanming and Yuan Shangzhen - are also under close surveillance. They were confined to places designated by the military and were not allowed to go out at will. However, this practice has also sparked some doubts, with some arguing that it is actually a disguised protection for criminals.
Just when the case is at an impasse, an unexpected discovery turns the whole investigation around. On November 5, a farmer working on the outskirts of Wuhan found the body of a man in his field. After preliminary identification by the police, this body is one of the three people who "disappeared" - Ling Zhi.
The cause of Ling Zhi's death was soon ascertained: he had been stabbed to death with a sharp weapon. This discovery immediately sparked new speculation. Some believe that this may be the result of internal contradictions, while others suspect that this is an extreme measure taken by certain forces to quell public anger.
In any case, Ling Zhi's death undoubtedly adds more suspense to the case. The Wuhan Police Department immediately expanded the search in the hope of finding the whereabouts of the other two "missing" people. However, despite their great efforts, Cui Bowen and Shi Pan still evaporated from the world, leaving no clues.
In this complex situation, Chen Yu's situation has become more and more difficult. On the one hand, she faced pressure and threats from all sides; On the other hand, she also has to deal with the financial difficulties and the burden of raising children after her husband's death. However, even in such a difficult situation, Chen Yu still did not give up his determination to pursue justice.
Just when people thought that the case might be put on hold, an unexpected news caused another uproar. On November 20, an anonymous letter signed "Righteous People" was sent to the Ta Kung Pao editorial office. The letter not only gave a detailed account of the night of the crime, but also provided details that had not been made public before, including how the hospital destroyed evidence and how certain high-level figures intervened in the case.
The appearance of this anonymous letter once again pushed the case to the forefront of public opinion. There has been a lot of speculation about who the author of the letter was, whether it was discovered by the conscience of people in the know, or whether it was deliberately leaked by some forces. In any case, the contents of this letter undoubtedly point to a new direction for the investigation of the case.
With the advent of anonymous letters, the investigation of the case took a new turn. Under pressure, the Wuhan Police Department had to reorganize a special task force, headed by Li Zhongyuan, a veteran criminal investigation expert. Lee Chung Yuen has participated in the cracking of many major cases, and his case-handling ability and impartiality are well known in the police circles.
After the establishment of the task force, it first conducted an in-depth investigation of the clues mentioned in the anonymous letter. They revisited the hospital staff and conducted a detailed check of the duty records for the night of the incident. In the process, they uncovered some puzzling details.
First of all, there are obvious traces of tampering in the duty records on the night of the incident. The column that originally recorded the time of Chen Yu's admission to the hospital had been altered, apparently trying to cover up some information. Second, several medical staff responsible for handling Chen Yu's injuries showed obvious tension and contradiction when questioned. These anomalies have aroused great attention from the task force.
After several days of surprise interrogation, a young nurse named Zhang Ming finally revealed the truth. It turned out that on the night of the crime, the director of the hospital received a mysterious phone call, and then ordered the destruction of relevant evidence and asked all those who knew the matter to remain silent. Zhang Ming, because of his troubled conscience, always wanted to tell the truth, but he was afraid of reprisals.
This important breakthrough has led to substantial progress in the investigation. The task force immediately launched a secret investigation into the director of the hospital. They found that the dean had close personal relationships with several suspects in the case and had had several secret meetings with some high-ranking military figures after the incident.
At the same time, the task force did not relax the search for the other two "missing" suspects. They conducted a carpet search in the countryside and small towns around Wuhan. This effort eventually paid off. In a remote mountain village, they found traces of Cui Bowen.
After Cui Bowen was arrested, he quickly collapsed. He confessed that after the incident, the three of them had been secretly sheltered by a certain high-level person, and were arranged to hide in various places. However, as the case continued to ferment, the high-ranking person decided to get rid of them in order to dissociate themselves. It was under these circumstances that Ling Zhi was killed.
Cui Bowen's confession provided a new direction for the investigation of the case. The task force began to investigate the mysterious high-ranking person. However, just as they were about to break through, an unexpected incident interrupted the investigation.
On December 15, 1948, three months after the incident, a massive workers' strike broke out in Wuhan. The strike, which began as a protest against soaring prices and unpaid wages, quickly turned into a full-blown dissatisfaction with the government. In the chaos, police stations were stormed, and a large number of case files and exhibits were destroyed.
This sudden unrest had a serious impact on the investigation of the case. Not only was a lot of important evidence missing, but some members of the task force were also injured in the chaos. What's worse is that taking advantage of this opportunity, the last fugitive suspect Shi Pan also managed to escape from Wuhan.
Faced with such a situation, Chen Yu almost fell into despair. However, just then, an unexpected helping hand appeared. The well-known lawyer Song Tzu-tang offered to provide legal aid to Chen Yu. Song is not only well-known in the legal profession, but also has close ties with many political leaders. His addition has undoubtedly breathed new life into the case.
With the assistance of Song Tzu-tang, Chen Yu submitted an appeal to the Supreme Military Court. She demanded that the military conduct a thorough investigation of the case and hold those responsible accountable. The move caught the attention of the military's top brass. In order to calm public opinion, but also to maintain the image of the army, the military tribunal finally decided to take over the case.
In January 1949, the military tribunal sent an investigation team to Wuhan. The arrival of this investigation team, which is composed of a number of senior military justice officers, has brought a new turn to the investigation of the case. Not only do they have access to all relevant files, but they can also question military personnel directly about the cases involved.
The work of the investigation team is progressing rapidly. They soon discover that behind the case lies a complex web of interests. It involves not only corruption within the military, but also some local officials and gangsters. This discovery makes the whole case more sensitive and complex.
Just as a major breakthrough in the investigation was imminent, the situation in the country had changed dramatically. As the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party intensified, the political and military situation in Wuhan became increasingly tense. Under these circumstances, the military tribunal had to suspend the investigation of the case and turn its attention to more pressing military matters.
However, Chen Yu did not give up. At Song Citang's suggestion, she decided to make the case public, hoping to promote the progress of the case through public opinion pressure. She began to run around, telling newspapers and radio about her ordeal. Her experience soon attracted more attention and sympathy.
While Chen Yu was struggling for the case, the situation in Wuhan was changing dramatically. As the People's Liberation Army (PLA) approached, the KMT's rule in Wuhan was increasingly shaken. In this case, the course of the case is once again uncertain.
In May 1949, as the People's Liberation Army (PLA) approached Wuhan, the KMT's rule in the region was already shaky. In this situation, the development of Chen Yu's case took a dramatic turn.
On the eve of the Kuomintang government's preparations to evacuate Wuhan, a classified document was anonymously handed over to Chen Yu by an officer with a clear conscience. The document reveals the truth behind the case: it turns out that the rape case is not just the personal misdeeds of several officers, but involves a vast network of corruption within the military.
The documents show that the six officers accused are actually minions in this corrupt network. They relied on the power of the army on weekdays to do whatever they wanted in Wuhan, while their superiors turned a blind eye to this. Chen Yu's encounter is just one of their many evil deeds, but because of the special status of Chen Yu's husband, this case has attracted widespread attention.
What's even more shocking is that the document also revealed the truth about Lou Jiangliang's death. It turned out that Lou Jiangliang did not die of illness, but was assassinated by high-ranking people in the corruption network. These people are worried that Lou Jiangliang will continue to pursue the truth and endanger the existence of the entire network, so they decide to take extreme measures.
The appearance of this document has fundamentally changed the nature of the entire case. It is no longer a simple rape case, but has evolved into a major corruption case involving the military's top brass. However, just as Chen Yu was about to make the document public, the situation in Wuhan changed again.
On May 16, 1949, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) launched a general offensive against Wuhan. In the chaos, Chen Yu took his two children and the classified document and hid in a village on the outskirts of the city. By this time, the Kuomintang army had begun to retreat in an orderly manner, and the city fell into a brief state of anarchy.
That's when the unexpected happened. Shi Pan, whose whereabouts have been unknown, suddenly appeared in the village where Chen Yu was hiding. It turned out that during the escape, Shi Pan had been hiding in this village. When he learned that the People's Liberation Army was about to enter the city, he decided to confess everything to Chen Yu in order to seek forgiveness.
Shi Pan's confession further corroborated the contents of the classified documents, while also adding many details. He confessed that it was not only the six people who raped Chen Yu at the beginning, but also several other military officers who were involved. Moreover, this kind of evil behavior is not an isolated case in Wuhan, but a long-standing "practice" of this corrupt network.
What's even more shocking is that Shi Pan also revealed that Lou Jiangliang's death was related to a huge amount of military embezzlement. In the process of investigating the case, Lou Jiangliang accidentally discovered the clues of this corruption case. In order to keep it a secret, some high-ranking people decided to get rid of Lou Jiangliang.
The day after Shi Pan's confession, the People's Liberation Army entered the city of Wuhan. Chen Yu took the child and the confidential document and took the initiative to report the case to the People's Liberation Army. The new regime attached great importance to this case and immediately set up a special investigation team.
In the months that followed, the investigation team conducted a comprehensive and in-depth investigation of the case. They not only verified what happened to Chen Yu, but also dug up this huge network of corruption hidden in the army. Many of those involved were arrested, including a number of high-ranking military officers and local officials.
However, the main person responsible for the case, the high-ranking person who ordered the poisoning of Lou Jiangliang, had withdrawn to Taiwan with the Kuomintang troops. Despite this, the new regime has tried to restore the truth of the case as much as possible through various channels.
In early 1950, the Wuhan Municipal People's Court made a final judgment on the case. Officers and magistrates involved in the rape were sentenced to heavy prison terms, as were hospital directors and other persons involved in the rape who failed to report it. Although the main responsible persons were not brought to justice, this verdict still gave Chen Yu justice to a large extent.
After the case came to an end, the new regime decided to give her appropriate compensation and placement, taking into account Chen Yu's special experience and her contribution to exposing corruption. Chen Yu was placed to teach in a school, and her two children were well taken care of.
However, the shadow of the case did not dissipate with the verdict. Although Chen Yu has received justice, the pain of losing her husband and the physical and mental trauma caused by long-term travel are difficult to heal in a short time. She decided to write a book about her experiences, hoping to draw attention to similar cases and also serve as a memorial to her husband.
This sensational case eventually became a microcosm of that turbulent era. It not only reveals the corruption and darkness of the old regime, but also reflects the helplessness and struggle of ordinary people in troubled times. At the same time, the outcome of the case also symbolizes the arrival of a new era, heralding the restart of social order and the construction of the rule of law.
Years later, when people look back on this case, they often feel the impermanence of fate and the power of justice. Chen Yu's experience has become an unforgettable story in that special era, which has been repeatedly praised by future generations. The social problems and the brightness of human nature reflected in this story have also become the creative material for many later literary works and film and television works, leaving a deep imprint on modern Chinese history.