私が張作霖を殺したI Killed Zhang Zuolin

What you'll learn

The narrator describes his transfer to the Kwantung Army in 1926 and the dire situation in Manchuria, where Japanese interests are threatened by Zhang Zuolin's regime and widespread anti-Japanese sentiment. He conducts a survey of the region and becomes convinced of the need for drastic action.

The Eastern Conference decides on military action. The narrator devises a plan to assassinate Zhang Zuolin using explosives at a railway crossing. After careful planning and setbacks, the bombing is successfully executed in June 1928.

After Zhang's death, his son Zhang Xueliang returns to power but shifts toward anti-Japanese policies. The narrator is disciplined and reflects on his actions, remaining convinced that the Manchurian problem required forceful resolution.

Key vocabulary

Grammar points you'll meet

• ～ごとき N1Means 'like; such as', used to belittle or express disdain.
  松井七夫中将を始め、町野武馬中佐などがあって、在満同胞二十万が、日に日に蝕まれていくのを冷然と眺めているばかりか、「みんな、日本人が悪いのだ」とさえ放言して顧みない。
• ～にあって N1Means 'in the situation of; being in'.
  関東軍は、万一のことがあれば、腹背に敵を受けねばならない。
• ～をめぐって N2Means 'surrounding; over; concerning'.
  日支二十一カ条問題をめぐって、排日は到る処に行われている。
• ～に至る N2Means 'lead to; result in; to the extent of'.
  その忘恩的行動は枚挙にいとまがない。
• ～つつある N2Means 'is in the process of; is gradually'.
  在満同胞二十万が、日に日に蝕まれていくのを冷然と眺めているばかりか、「みんな、日本人が悪いのだ」とさえ放言して顧みない。

Cultural notes

• Zhang Zuolin and the Warlord EraZhang Zuolin was a powerful Chinese warlord who controlled Manchuria in the early 20th century. His assassination in 1928 by the Japanese Kwantung Army was a pivotal event that led to increased Japanese intervention and eventually the Mukden Incident of 1931.
• The Kwantung Army and Japanese ImperialismThe Kwantung Army was a powerful Japanese military force stationed in the Kwantung Leased Territory and along the South Manchuria Railway. It often acted independently from the Japanese government, pursuing aggressive expansionist policies in China.
• The Twenty-One DemandsIn 1915, Japan presented China with the Twenty-One Demands, aiming to expand Japanese control over China. This caused widespread anti-Japanese sentiment in China, which is referenced in the text as a source of conflict.

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Topics

Articlehistoricalessayassassinationimperialismphilosophicalmelancholyaozora bunko