他用一己之力，守望无名英雄的最后尊严 | The Catcher in the Lost Battle Site

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=q0559j011z8&width=500&height=375&auto=0

In Changping District, Beijing, there is an inconspicuous deli. The owner is Yang Guoqing.

北京昌平，有一家不起眼的熟食店。店老板名叫杨国庆。

In his spare time, he'd always take a metal detector and stroll around the ruins and forest near the Juyong Pass. Over the years, he found all kinds of military products like shells, gas masks, helmets and canteens - and even human remains.

工作之余，他总是拿着自己买的金属探测器在居庸关附近的古长城遗址和山林中转来转去。几年间，他找到了各种各样的子弹壳、防毒面具、钢盔和水壶，甚至还有遗骨。

All of these are relics of the Nankou Campaign, which most of us don't even know about.

这些，都是南口战役的遗物。但这场战役今天却没有多少人知晓。

Located in the south of the Juyong Pass, Nankou was Beijing's gateway to northwest China, thus a crucial place in the war. During the Anti-Japanese War, Japan had hoped to use Nankou as a stepping stone, in order to capture Shanxi Province, control the north of China, and take possession of the country's economic center. The plan was to "conquer China in 3 months." Massive attacks took place in this region.

南口位于居庸关长城南侧，是北平通向大西北的门户，为兵家必争之地。抗日战争期间，妄想凭借此地一举占领山西、控制华北、攻占经济中心地区“三月亡华”的日军，曾在此展开大规模进攻。

On August 8, 1937, a short time after the Anti-Japanese War fully broke out, together with their fighter planes, cannons and tanks, more than 70,000 Japanese elite soldiers stormed Nankou and began the bloody campaign that would last 18 days. The Chinese army sent 60,000 warriors to counterattack. They made use of the complicated terrain to defend themselves.

1937年8月8日，全面抗战打响初期，配备飞机、大炮、坦克的日军精锐7万余人向南口地区开炮，拉开了18天鏖战的序幕。中国军队6万余人誓师出征，前往迎战，依托险要的地形殊死防守。

In the end, with more than 30,000 casualties, Chinese troops killed and injured approximately 15,000 of the Japanese army. The rest of the Chinese broke out and retreated before they were totally besieged.

最后，中国军队以伤亡三万余人的代价，毙伤日军一万五千余人。剩余中国军队在日军形成包围之势后突围撤出。

Although the Chinese army didn't win the battle, it was a head-on blow to the Japanese elites. Their illusion of devastating China in 3 months was shattered and the morale of the Chinese people was greatly encouraged.

虽然南口战役最终以失败告终，但它是对日军精锐部队的一次迎头痛击，粉碎了日军三个月灭亡中国的幻想，也极大地鼓舞了全国人民的斗志。

For some reason, the campaign was never officially memorialized in China. But Yang Guoqing believes that the sacrifice of the soldiers shouldn't be covered in the dust of history. He set up a small memorial hall in the basement of his deli, and placed all the relics he found in there.

因为各种各样的原因，这起战役并没有官方筹建的纪念碑和纪念馆。但杨国庆认为这些人的牺牲不该就此被历史埋没。他在熟食店的地下室开辟了一个小型纪念馆，将收集到的遗物都放在里面。

"It was in 2005, when I found the remains in the mountains for the first time. More than 2000 relics scattered on the battlefield, such as artillery shells, grenades and bullet shells… Many remains were left in the wilderness.”

“一开始是2005年登山的时候，发现了很多遗骨。也在阵地上找到大概2000件遗物。有炮弹，有手榴弹，还有子弹壳……很多死难者的遗体，都曝尸在荒野之下。”

For more than 10 years since 2006, Yang Guoqing searched everywhere on the battlefield of Nankou Campaign. He also erected a monument for the martyrs saying: The Overdue Monument.

从2006年开始，近十年来，杨国庆走遍了南口战役的战场，并为死难者们竖起了一块纪念碑：迟来的丰碑。

Among those remains he found, only 1% were claimed by their families. "The campaign lasted for only 18 days, but I'm spending the rest of my life on it. I'm going to search every corner carefully and thoroughly, leaving no martyrs forgotten.”

在他找到的遗骨中，现在只有1%能够找到家人。“南口战役只有18天，但是我可能要用一生来追求。……我要认真地，仔细地找，把每一个角落都找到，不让我们每一个烈士被遗忘。”

Ms. Song Liping, who now lives in Taiwan, is the daughter of a battalion commander in the campaign. She met her father for the last time at the age of 5.

台湾的宋丽萍女士，是曾参与南口战役的一位营长的女儿。她五岁时见过自己的父亲一面。

In 2016, thanks to Yang Guoqing's effort, the 85-year-old Ms. Song was finally able to touch her father's tombstone.

2016年，因为杨国庆的不懈寻找，八十五岁的宋丽萍终于得以触碰父亲的墓碑。

"Chinese or Japanese, they were both victims of war," Yang Guoqing says, "As their descendants, we should never forget the misery of warfare. And more importantly, we should cherish the peace today.”

 “不管是中国人还是日本人，他们都是战争的牺牲者，”杨国庆说，“作为普通人，我们不忘悲惨的战争，更要维护今天的和平。”

Cameraman:Hu Jingwei

Film editor:  Wu Min, Ma Mingyuan

Story written by: ZhuSiqi

English editor:  JoshMcNally

往期链接