Didaohe Town was under the jurisdiction of Jining County (present-day Jixishan) during the puppet Manchukuo period under Japanese occupation. Bounded by mountains to the north, a river to the east, and the railway to the south, the town sat about ten li west of the Didao Coal Mine. It comprised some two hundred households.
When we first arrived here, we hoped for nothing more than enough to eat, clothes to cover our backs, and a peaceful life. Little did we know that we were walking right into a living hell! The oppression of the common people by the Japanese devils was far more brutal here than it had been in Jufeng Village.
First came the military. At the foot of the mountains on both sides of the railway in Didao Town, a full regiment of Japanese troops was permanently stationed, their barracks stretching for over two li. Frequently, they formed long columns, brandishing rifles and hauling mountain howitzers, parading near the town to flex their muscles and put on military displays designed to overawe the populace.
Chapter 217