Chapter 78 Massacre Part II

--- 19th of April 1897 ---

--- 3rd Person POV ---

--- Night time ---

Bodies upon bodies of fleeing civilians cascade to the ground like discarded paper, their screams of terror and disbelief echoing through the chaos as they are ruthlessly gunned down by Butuanon soldiers. Initially hopeful that the sheer number of civilians approaching would deter the soldiers of the Butuan Empire, they soon realize their mistake as their misplaced confidence costs them their lives.

Amidst the carnage, the Butuan soldiers remain stoic, their expressions betraying only a determination to survive. Even as the civilians plead for mercy and identify themselves, their cries fall on deaf ears. The soldiers are unable to distinguish between civilians and Japanese soldiers, further complicated by the language barrier. As a result, the indiscriminate slaughter continues unabated.

After hearing the scream of the first soldier who shot at the shadowy figures, the Butuan soldiers collectively resolved to take action. They recognized that they were in a state of war, where humility and pity would not suffice. Despite their initial attempts to extend goodwill to captured soldiers of the Japanese Empire, their efforts were met with brutality. One of the enemy soldiers stole a grenade and detonated it in one of the barracks, resulting in the deaths of ten soldiers and injuries to fifteen others.

This act of aggression prompted many of the soldiers to cast aside their previous restraint and focus on retaliation. The cry of the soldier who initiated the attack spurred the entire company to follow suit.

(a/n: A company of soldiers in Butuanon Imperial Army consisted of 312 soldiers being led by a captain.)

A few minutes after the massacre, bodies of civilians lay strewn across the ground, motionless. Faces contorted with disbelief, fright, denial, pain, and suffering adorned the countless corpses. Though some managed to escape, they didn't get far before falling victim to traps set by the Japanese soldiers in advance, bamboo spikes that killed them instantly.

Witnessing the carnage surrounding them, the soldiers of Butuan fell one by one. Exhaustion marked their faces, while others were traumatized by the events that had just unfolded. Some even contemplated giving up and returning home. Seeing his men in such a state, the company's leader decided they would rest before continuing, hoping for a better outcome.

A total of 568 civilians perished in the midst of this particular situation. Sixty Butuanon soldiers experienced severe mental breakdowns, becoming unresponsive and fixating on empty space, their gazes vacant and lifeless.

However, amidst the turmoil, peace remained an elusive prospect. The Butuanon soldiers pressed forward with their campaign, marching towards the townships of Kelung, Keibi, Shinte, and Chosokei. Each encounter mirrored the last: instead of encountering Japanese military personnel, they were met by a throng of civilians, marching forward with the intent to intimidate and mentally exhaust the Butuanon forces.

Some soldiers opted for leniency, lowering their weapons in an attempt to diffuse the tension. Yet, this act left them vulnerable, caught off guard as they were trampled by the mob of civilians, interspersed with Japanese soldiers. Preferring humility over rationale, they assumed the innocence of all civilians, leading to crossfire erupting from one area to the next.

A total of 1,000 Butuanon soldiers perished in the initial attack launched by the Japanese forces. Additionally, 6 thousand civilians were coercively conscripted by the Japanese soldiers to execute this assault, resulting in the loss of 150 Japanese soldiers' lives. The Japanese had foreseen the impending attack by the Butuanon. Viscount Katsura Tarō surmised this upon learning of the Butuanon Imperial Navy's main fleet nearing the island of Formosa.

Aware that the Butuanon soldiers would likely exploit this opportunity for action, knowing they couldn't seek aid or replenish ammunition, given Tokyo's preoccupation with protecting the capital and the Imperial family.

The decision to utilize civilians as sacrificial pawns against the Butuanon soldiers was credited to Governor-General Nogi Maresuke and Major General Sato Jinichiro. They proudly asserted that people would willingly serve the military under the right circumstances, disregarding the potential instant casualties among the civilians, a notion accepted by Viscount Katsura Tarō.

In the future, such attacks will be deemed barbaric and inhumane, earning the moniker 'mind breaker'. This assault guarantees the mental breakdown of enemies and will be remembered as one of the most inhumane tactics employed in warfare.

Enraged by the Japanese's actions, Major General Luna, atop his horse, directed his mentally exhausted men to take a brief respite before advancing. Despite his eagerness to strike the towns swiftly, Major General Luna recognized the low morale among his men following the civilian casualties.

On the other side, Vice Admiral Chen Yi was shocked by the carnage. Civilian bodies littered the forest floor just meters away from the township of Kelung. While his expression conveyed shock, feelings of guilt, pity, and sympathy failed to penetrate his mind.

His initial shock transformed into indifference upon confirming that the bodies were those of local residents, akin to observing a pile of rubbish strewn across the roads. The transition in his demeanor was so seamless that even his soldiers failed to discern the change. Vice Admiral Chen Yi then turned to his troops and addressed them.

"I understand you're all fatigued from what has just transpired. Yes, they were civilians—ordinary people merely going about their lives on this island. Yet, their peaceful existence was abruptly truncated by tonight's events. Mothers, fathers, children, grandparents—each of them met the same fate... death," Vice Admiral Chen Yi declared in a solemn tone, his gaze fixed on the soldiers, some of whom were staring at the ground in shock while others looked up at him already.

"Some may find themselves blaming themselves for this situation, thinking they could have handled the civilians better and feeling guilty for the lives lost," Vice Admiral Chen Yi passionately declared, his gaze fixed on his soldiers, who looked to him with hope. "But do not be misled, proud soldiers of Butuan! This is all part of the Japanese plan. They are responsible for the deaths of these civilians. They are to blame for the loss of innocent lives, including children, parents, and grandparents. It is the fault of the Japanese soldiers that our hands are stained with the blood of the innocent."

Once more, the exhausted soldiers of Butuan found renewed vigor and determination after hearing Chen Yi's words. Their anger towards the Japanese soldiers reignited, fueling their desire to attack the town of Kelung. They were determined to end the war as quickly as possible and liberate the civilians from the clutches of the Japanese Empire.

As the soldiers continued to listen to Vice Admiral Chen Yi's words, their morale and confidence in themselves and their mission were further elevated. While murmurs blaming the Japanese filled the air, they seemed to completely forget that it was the Butuanon soldiers who had massacred the entirety of the civilian mob. Vice Admiral Chen Yi's speech was deemed a huge success.

"The soldiers of Butuan must exert all their strength and power to avenge these people!" declared Vice Admiral Chen Yi passionately. "Let us march together towards the Kelung township and eliminate every Japanese soldier we encounter! Those in Kelung have forsaken humanity by sacrificing their own families and friends to the Japanese. They are as guilty as the Japanese themselves!

"Kill anyone suspected of collaborating with the Japanese, for they are complicit in crimes against the innocent. Spare the children! Anyone who opposes us is an enemy of our people and the emperor! For Butuan!" With a fervent shout and a raised hand, Vice Admiral Chen Yi rallied his soldiers, who echoed his sentiments with equal vigor.

As Vice Admiral Chen Yi commanded his men to advance, he then mounted his horse and began to observe the marching soldiers and their artillery. Following closely behind were his two rear admirals, each on horseback. A smile of pure satisfaction became visible on Vice Admiral Chen Yi's face, mirrored by his two rear admirals. They had successfully convinced their men that the blame lay with the Japanese, not their own soldiers, for the deaths of the civilians in the mob.

Their satisfaction grew as they contemplated the impending destruction of the township of Kelung. Vice Admiral Chen Yi had effectively persuaded his soldiers that the inhabitants of Kelung were also culpable. Soon, Kelung would be nothing but a memory. This realization brought further contentment to Vice Admiral Chen Yi and his two Rear Admirals, who deemed the island's inhabitants unworthy of its land.

Despite claiming that the island of Formosa, known as Taiwan to the Butuanons, is their ancestral land and part of their territory, they do not recognize the people living on the island as their own. Instead, similar to how the Butuanons viewed the Japanese, they see the locals and natives as land stealers who should be expelled or exterminated.

This attitude has led to the navy bombarding the island without regard, resulting in the deaths of Japanese soldiers or civilians, which they do not distinguish between. 

Within the township of Kelung, no soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army were spotted. Only the townsfolk, a mix of locals and some Japanese civilians who migrated to the island a few years ago, flooded the streets. Some were crying as they searched for their relatives, while others wept outside their houses while clutching items of clothing.

These people are the families of those civilians whom the Japanese have sent to intercept the incoming soldiers of the Butuan Empire. weeping in realization that they might not be able to see their families once again. Especially after they started hearing the gunshots in their surroundings, further making them weep in pain.

And to top it all up, the soldiers that have forced their families to intercept the Butuanons have already left the town, few minutes after the last civilian exited the town. The once town full of armed Japanese soldiers, led by Major General Sato Jinichiro, is now fully inhabited by civilians.

The worst part is that foods were taken by the leaving Japanese soldiers labeled as taxes to support the cause of the Japanese Empire on this war. While also putting the blame on the Butuan Empire for their suffering and the reason for the war.

Major General Sato Jinichiro and his men then retreated a few hundred meters away from the township of Kelung. In the general's mind, the townspeople of Kelung would outnumber and surely overwhelm the incoming Butuanon soldiers. He believed that by sacrificing the mob of civilians he had sent, the morale and resolve of the Butuanon soldiers would be shattered, leaving them unable to defend themselves against the enraged townspeople of Kelung.

As the conflict between civilians and Butuanon soldiers escalated in the town of Kelung, Major General Sato Jinichiro and his entire army of three thousand men planned to enter the town fully prepared, catching the Butuanon soldiers by surprise. Their aim was to capture them in battle, thereby dealing a blow to the northern invading forces of the Butuan Empire on the island of Formosa.

A smile of satisfaction and mischief spread across the face of Major General Sato Jinichiro as he entertained the thought. His soldiers, who had been observing him for some time, began to feel unsettled by his expression. He exuded such confidence in his ability to defeat the forces sent by Butuan in Kelung tonight that, at the first sound of gunshots echoing from the town, he and his entire contingent of three thousand men swiftly made their way towards Kelung.

Anticipating encountering demoralized and exhausted soldiers from the Butuan Empire defending themselves against a mob of civilians, Major General Sato Jinichiro and his men advanced. However, instead of encountering the expected scene, they were met with the sight of almost a platoon of Butuanon soldiers frantically shooting at the people of Kelung. The Butuanon soldiers showed no mercy, targeting men, women, and the elderly as if they were nothing more than wild boars. Only a few Butuanon soldiers, stationed in a large house, spared the children, securing them away from the violence.

"Please, spare me! I have a child... My son needs me... Plea—" A local woman begged a Butuanon soldier, but before she could finish her plea, she was shot in the head with a revolver. The soldier who fired the shot stared blankly at her lifeless body.

Pleading cries echoed throughout the town as civilians were killed one by one, gathered in the town center. Offers of intelligence in exchange for sparing lives rang out amidst the chaos, but they were met with more death. Some begged for their children, whom the Butuan soldiers had placed in a large house away from the violence for protection.

The sight of the piles of dead bodies and the gruesome killing of the last adult civilian, his head severed by one of the Butuanon soldiers, shocked and startled the recently arrived soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army stationed in Kelung. Some were unable to bear the stench of death, leading to vomiting, while others collapsed in fear. Even Major General Sato Jinichiro was in complete disbelief after witnessing the horrors in Kelung.

However, before Major General Sato Jinichiro and his men could recover and enact his plans, Vice Admiral Chen Yi spotted the Japanese and immediately ordered his men to attack. The Japanese found themselves instantly surrounded, unable to escape. Chen Yi's forces separated Major General Sato's team, trapping one group inside the town while the others faced the Butuan army outside.

Caught on this, Major General Sato Jinichiro, retaliated by also commanding his men to fire at the Butuanon soldiers while also pushing their way towards the entrance of the town, allowing Major General Sato Jinichiro and his team to escape.

"HEAD TOWARDS THE ENTRANCE! SHOOT THE SOLDIERS BLOCKING THE ENTRANCE! WE MUST RETREAT FOR NOW AND REGOUP WITH OUR COMRADES OUTSIDE KELUNG!!" Major General Sato Jinichiro shouted in anger and desperation as soldiers after soldiers of the Japanese empire are falling from one place to another. For the first time since his first duty as member of the Imperial Japanese Military, Major General Sato Jinichiro felt scared for his life.

As Major General Sato Jinichiro and his troops retreat and defend themselves, Vice Admiral Chen Yi commands his own men while mounted on his horse.

He directs one of the users of the Karter 98B sniper variant in his team, saying, "Head to the tallest tree or house in this town and aim for their heads. I don't want to leave any vermin scattering in this land. Shoot them as many times as you like." He issues this command while observing Major General Sato Jinichiro's retreat.

The man proceeded toward a house near the commotion, positioning himself to carry out his orders. Meanwhile, the ongoing onslaught between the forces of Major General Sato and Vice Admiral Yi continued. Major General Sato endeavored to compose himself while commanding his soldiers.

Outside Kelung, where the majority of Major General Sato's team was situated, their situation was never easy. The once formidable force of over two thousand combined Japanese soldiers and local conscripts had dwindled to a mere seven hundred individuals. They were unable to defend themselves against the hundreds of artillery shells and thousands of surprise projectiles raining down upon them.

It was a complete massacre, to say the least, much worse than what had occurred inside Kelung. Bodies lay separated from one another, some missing limbs or even their heads, scattered throughout the area. The remaining soldiers defended themselves in a state of panic, fearful of being the next to fall on the muddy ground. To exacerbate matters, rain began to fall, adding further complications for the defending Japanese.

'Fuck! It really is bad for us now that rain started pouring…' Major General Sato thought while taking cover on one of the alleys, along with his men as the Butuanons continued to fire their ammos at them.

This further gave Major General Sato complications with his plan on retreating. But as a soldier of Japanese Empire and a follower of the emperor, he must do his best to at least escape in this town and regroup with the others and take some revenge.

The rain also brought relief to Major General Sato and his remaining 250 men as the firing from the Butuan soldiers ceased. This allowed them a moment of respite. It also hindered the Butuanon soldier tasked with carrying the Karter 98B rifle, making his mission more challenging.

Major General Sato took advantage of this opportunity to dispatch some of his men to scout for escape routes from the town. This decision proved fruitful when one of his men returned to him, battered and bloodied, but alive.

"Major General! An alley devoid of Butuan's guarding forces was discovered by one of the soldiers," the soldier reported, panting heavily without lifting his head.

But Major General Sato was no fool; he noticed the lack of a natural Japanese accent in the soldier's speech. A hint of the local dialect could be discerned. Distrustful of the soldier's words, Major General Sato took a few steps back, slowly reaching for his guntō while keeping a watchful eye on the soldier.

There were no local conscripts among the men brought into the town by Major General Sato. All he had brought with him were Japanese soldiers from the mainland. This is why, the moment he heard the local accent, he became suspicious. Coupled with the fact that only he and three more soldiers were in the alley.

"Why are you stepping back, Major General?" the soldier, bowing, stated as he took a step forward, still panting after seeing Major General Sato step back. This caught the attention of the other three Japanese soldiers behind the major general, who instantly moved toward the front of Major General Sato, pointing their musket guns at their bowing comrade who was still advancing.

"STOP MOVING!!" Major General Sato shouted authoritatively as he stared at the advancing man, pointing his guntō towards the soldier, while the other three soldiers stood nearby. This command caused the bowing soldier to pause for a moment before he let out a heavy sigh.

In that tense moment, another set of gunshots rang out from an unknown direction, leaving Major General Sato bewildered as he watched his men fall. Before he could demand answers from the man in front of him, the sound of a sharp sword slicing through flesh pierced his ears.

His visions then suddenly turned upside-down, making him able to see his entire body, headless. While a man carrying a sword, dripping with blood, is standing behind his headless body while mumbling in a low voice, "May the Lord forgive me…"

These were the words that Major General Sato heard before everything went black.

With the death of Major General Sato and the incessant downpour in Kelung, it took less than an hour for the forces of Butuan to overwhelm the entire Japanese contingent, numbering less than a thousand. They completely decimated the 3 thousand soldiers under Major General Sato's command, while Vice Admiral Chen Yi's forces also suffered, losing a total of 2 thousand soldiers. It was a complete disaster, to say the least, as 2 thousand soldiers were not an insignificant number.

Even Vice Admiral Chen Yi and his two Rear Admirals were in disbelief at the number of soldiers they had lost. Not only had they lost 2 thousand soldiers, but they also had to evacuate a hundred local children.

In the future, the battle of Kelung will be remembered as 'Kelung's Raining Massacre'. It will be known for the complete destruction of the town of Kelung by the Japanese army and the retaliation by the Butuan forces, led by Vice Admiral Chen Yi, who also targeted the soldiers of Major General Sato. The death toll will reach 8 thousand individuals, including 3 thousand Japanese forces under Major General Sato, 2 thousand Butuan forces under Vice Admiral Chen Yi, and 3 thousand civilians from the township of Kelung.

Vice Admiral Chen Yi will be esteemed as one of the greatest Navy Officers of the Butuan Empire, particularly for his efforts in rescuing the children of Kelung. In the future, a statue in his honor will stand in Kelung, commemorating his contributions and assistance during the battle.

This narrative represents a complete distortion of reality, as history is often shaped by the victors. The losers may be forgotten, but time will inevitably glorify the victors.