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Private Bedros Sahakian
Journal Entry 44
August 8, 1932, Monday
Last Thursday Shang convinced Major Suvillian that he needed cover for gathering intel from out of Chapei, namely the Shanghai North Railway Station. Hence why the Major arranged for what's left of our company to join the effort in securing the station since the warlord's troops that the Krauts borrowed from the Smiling Tiger left recently.
The Japanese are already occupying the station and the Germans are raising a fuss, since it is outside the former's jurisdiction. Of course the Showa Emperor's representatives, still sore about the stunt the Huns had pulled, refused to back down, daring them to try and remove their troops.
If scuttlebutt is true it took both our CO and the Austrian representative intervening together to keep the Imperial rivals from escalating things from there. A compromise was made after much discussion.
Japan would keep one company of troops posted and be supported by another company made up of Portuguese from the Volunteer Corps and finally us.
It's a temporary arrangement for a several days. Many of the guys were not thrilled, then again I'm not either.
There are a few reasons why. First there is the possibility of rebel holdouts ambushing us. We don't want to get trapped again like we were in that factory.
Second, we don't trust the Japanese to have our backs. Sure they can fight and even love it but this uprising proved they're not really team players with the rest of us.
Funny, they and the Germans seem to share that in common despite how much both sides hate each other.
Suvillian instructed me to 'keep my ears open' when it comes to Human Bullets of Hitherto. Don't know what he expects me to find out but those are his orders.
Just need to make sure I don't give myself away.
Friday we set out in trucks still plated with makeshift armor, linking up with the Portuguese soldiers. We were fortunate that our fears of ambush didn't manifest.
It didn't mean the ride through Chapei to our destination was pleasant. The place was worse off than our sector.
Chunks and pieces of rubble with shattered glass filled the streets, making it extremely difficult to cross through. Somehow the drivers managed it.
Whatever buildings that weren't burned down were gutted or heavily damaged. We could see the bullet holes ridden all over the structures that still stand.
Some of the fires were still burning and I was coughing from the smoke.
None of that was even the worst part.
Sections of the pavement and walls we passed by were splattered with blood stains dried by the heat. There were bodies out there though there were survivors out and about were putting them on their trucks, likely to burn them or for a mass grave can't tell.
There were others all over including children picking through rubble. There was one moment a body was found.
It was a child, a little girl, and I couldn't tell the age but that is an innocent lost all the same. The two men who found her gave the body to a woman started wailing.
Some people, with faces bloodied, just sat on a mound of debris or the pavement. In those eyes I saw the joys of life torn out.
One moment our convoy had to stop because a middle aged blind man in rags was walking slowly, using two canes to support himself, one in each hand.
He said not a thing but his mouth was opened showing only a few remaining teeth left. I'll never forget that sight of him navigating the ruined road before reaching an alleyway.
That man didn't care if he lived or died by the next day but he seemed so determined to make whatever remaining steps he had left. Maybe the guy was crazy but you gotta respect that kind of willpower.
We resumed our ride afterwards and shortly reached the station. It certainly has seen better days. Apparently this is the same place where one of Sun Yat Sen's colleagues, was assassinated in 1913 from what Mr. Guao mentioned before we set out.
The way the old man describes the incident makes it sound like he was there that day.
Not too long after we arrived, Captain Miller and his Portuguese counterpart met the Japanese commander who greeted them with an honor guard. Fortunately the latter had an English translator and the Portuguese captain spoke it as well, so Miller didn't have to use me for that task.
Getting out of the trucks we were posted at the position already set up in the rail yard with the Portuguese. Before coming to Shanghai I didn't know Portugal had a presence here much less a military unit within the Volunteer Corps.
They wear blue greyish uniforms, side caps and Brodie helmets and are equipped with Canadian weapons. Well I did see officers use field caps but they will switch up to helmets if someone shooting start's shooting again.
Enemy snipers love to pick off officers.
From these past few days guarding this joint with them, I have to conclude they're overall pretty decent guys. At least this bunch is.
We can't speak their tongue but a few of them, mostly officers, know English. In any case despite the language barrier we got along together so far.
Exchanging cigarettes and sharing food with each other helped break the awkwardness between us. The Catholics in our ranks including Hector joined them at their Mass on Sunday.
In these past few days I got to know Luis Castelo, he's a lawyer's son from a city called Porto.
Before coming he was studying law in college but dropped out after beating the crap out of a spoiled nobleman's son who was harassing a young lady
Unfortunately the college's superintendent was old friends with that scum's father and the lady got scared, not willing to testify about what happened.
Luis had to leave the country or else get locked up in jail, ending up here before enlisting with the Volunteer Corps and that was three years ago.
He misses home, but doesn't think he'll be able to go back for a long time if at all. Talk about a rotten deal.
But he and many of his fellows really like soccer or football as they and the rest of the world call it.
Regrettably we don't get much time to play that game with them they invite us to once there is an opportunity.
A lot of the Japanese soldiers are keeping their distance. I think their commanders don't want them to get familiar with gaijin like us. Still a few have come over occasionally.
Mostly farm boys but there was a lieutenant named Sasaki Haru who was his side's translator. He claims to Captain Miller that he studied at Berkeley.
He's a lot more cordial than the other Japanese officers we've seen so far at this position.
Haven't heard anything from Shang since Thursday. He's probably still looking around in the other neighborhoods of Chapei.
Don't know how I can help him with his mysterious friend but Shang believes I can for some reason. I'll try but I'm not a miracle worker.
But as the days pass on there is no sign of him. Hope that kid knows what he's doing.
Journal Entry 44
August 8, 1932, Monday
Last Thursday Shang convinced Major Suvillian that he needed cover for gathering intel from out of Chapei, namely the Shanghai North Railway Station. Hence why the Major arranged for what's left of our company to join the effort in securing the station since the warlord's troops that the Krauts borrowed from the Smiling Tiger left recently.
The Japanese are already occupying the station and the Germans are raising a fuss, since it is outside the former's jurisdiction. Of course the Showa Emperor's representatives, still sore about the stunt the Huns had pulled, refused to back down, daring them to try and remove their troops.
If scuttlebutt is true it took both our CO and the Austrian representative intervening together to keep the Imperial rivals from escalating things from there. A compromise was made after much discussion.
Japan would keep one company of troops posted and be supported by another company made up of Portuguese from the Volunteer Corps and finally us.
It's a temporary arrangement for a several days. Many of the guys were not thrilled, then again I'm not either.
There are a few reasons why. First there is the possibility of rebel holdouts ambushing us. We don't want to get trapped again like we were in that factory.
Second, we don't trust the Japanese to have our backs. Sure they can fight and even love it but this uprising proved they're not really team players with the rest of us.
Funny, they and the Germans seem to share that in common despite how much both sides hate each other.
Suvillian instructed me to 'keep my ears open' when it comes to Human Bullets of Hitherto. Don't know what he expects me to find out but those are his orders.
Just need to make sure I don't give myself away.
Friday we set out in trucks still plated with makeshift armor, linking up with the Portuguese soldiers. We were fortunate that our fears of ambush didn't manifest.
It didn't mean the ride through Chapei to our destination was pleasant. The place was worse off than our sector.
Chunks and pieces of rubble with shattered glass filled the streets, making it extremely difficult to cross through. Somehow the drivers managed it.
Whatever buildings that weren't burned down were gutted or heavily damaged. We could see the bullet holes ridden all over the structures that still stand.
Some of the fires were still burning and I was coughing from the smoke.
None of that was even the worst part.
Sections of the pavement and walls we passed by were splattered with blood stains dried by the heat. There were bodies out there though there were survivors out and about were putting them on their trucks, likely to burn them or for a mass grave can't tell.
There were others all over including children picking through rubble. There was one moment a body was found.
It was a child, a little girl, and I couldn't tell the age but that is an innocent lost all the same. The two men who found her gave the body to a woman started wailing.
Some people, with faces bloodied, just sat on a mound of debris or the pavement. In those eyes I saw the joys of life torn out.
One moment our convoy had to stop because a middle aged blind man in rags was walking slowly, using two canes to support himself, one in each hand.
He said not a thing but his mouth was opened showing only a few remaining teeth left. I'll never forget that sight of him navigating the ruined road before reaching an alleyway.
That man didn't care if he lived or died by the next day but he seemed so determined to make whatever remaining steps he had left. Maybe the guy was crazy but you gotta respect that kind of willpower.
We resumed our ride afterwards and shortly reached the station. It certainly has seen better days. Apparently this is the same place where one of Sun Yat Sen's colleagues, was assassinated in 1913 from what Mr. Guao mentioned before we set out.
The way the old man describes the incident makes it sound like he was there that day.
Not too long after we arrived, Captain Miller and his Portuguese counterpart met the Japanese commander who greeted them with an honor guard. Fortunately the latter had an English translator and the Portuguese captain spoke it as well, so Miller didn't have to use me for that task.
Getting out of the trucks we were posted at the position already set up in the rail yard with the Portuguese. Before coming to Shanghai I didn't know Portugal had a presence here much less a military unit within the Volunteer Corps.
They wear blue greyish uniforms, side caps and Brodie helmets and are equipped with Canadian weapons. Well I did see officers use field caps but they will switch up to helmets if someone shooting start's shooting again.
Enemy snipers love to pick off officers.
From these past few days guarding this joint with them, I have to conclude they're overall pretty decent guys. At least this bunch is.
We can't speak their tongue but a few of them, mostly officers, know English. In any case despite the language barrier we got along together so far.
Exchanging cigarettes and sharing food with each other helped break the awkwardness between us. The Catholics in our ranks including Hector joined them at their Mass on Sunday.
In these past few days I got to know Luis Castelo, he's a lawyer's son from a city called Porto.
Before coming he was studying law in college but dropped out after beating the crap out of a spoiled nobleman's son who was harassing a young lady
Unfortunately the college's superintendent was old friends with that scum's father and the lady got scared, not willing to testify about what happened.
Luis had to leave the country or else get locked up in jail, ending up here before enlisting with the Volunteer Corps and that was three years ago.
He misses home, but doesn't think he'll be able to go back for a long time if at all. Talk about a rotten deal.
But he and many of his fellows really like soccer or football as they and the rest of the world call it.
Regrettably we don't get much time to play that game with them they invite us to once there is an opportunity.
A lot of the Japanese soldiers are keeping their distance. I think their commanders don't want them to get familiar with gaijin like us. Still a few have come over occasionally.
Mostly farm boys but there was a lieutenant named Sasaki Haru who was his side's translator. He claims to Captain Miller that he studied at Berkeley.
He's a lot more cordial than the other Japanese officers we've seen so far at this position.
Haven't heard anything from Shang since Thursday. He's probably still looking around in the other neighborhoods of Chapei.
Don't know how I can help him with his mysterious friend but Shang believes I can for some reason. I'll try but I'm not a miracle worker.
But as the days pass on there is no sign of him. Hope that kid knows what he's doing.