Another nuisance was the prisoners of war and coolies on Rabaul.

There were more than 7,000 prisoners of war...... This number of prisoners of war was unprecedented for the Allies and even for the Chinese Expeditionary Force, as there had never been a battle in which more than 7,000 Japanese troops surrendered, and they were more likely to launch a last-minute attack on the enemy.

In fact, Rabaul was the same, the Japanese regular soldiers were basically dead and wounded, or they hid in the tunnels or jungles and continued to resist until the last moment.

However, in addition to the regular army, there were other elements of the Japanese army in Rabaul, such as Korean engineers, and only a small part of them persisted in fighting until the last minute and did not surrender like the Japanese army...... For this part of the North Koreans, sometimes I really don't know how to understand them.

It should be said that they were brave, otherwise it would not have been possible to hold out until the last moment.

But at the same time, they are stupid, and their entire identification with the motherland has made a mistake, that is, they regard Japan, which invaded Korea and killed their compatriots and relatives, as the motherland.

What will future generations say about these "heroic" Koreans?

Zhang Chi doesn't know, but in short, he won't treat them as heroes.

In addition to the Korean sappers, there were also technicians in the Japanese arsenal who had no weapons in their hands and did not have time to commit suicide...... They were immediately controlled by the rebellious coolies, and Zhang Chi believed that if they could, they would detonate the arsenal and destroy the equipment.

It's a pity that Zhang Chi is a pity for this, because these technicians should be said to be a kind of wealth, but they are also a wealth that they dare not use.

Do you want them to continue to manage the arsenal? If you're not careful, the whole arsenal will blow them up!

Because of the existence of these Japanese troops, there were more than 7,000 prisoners of war in this war, and there were more than 20,000 coolies.

Originally, these people shouldn't be something that Zhang Chi or Wang Mazi should think about, and it was okay to leave the problem to Halsey.

But Halsey apparently didn't take it to heart either.

"Colonel!" Halsey replied, "You will handle these people, and I am sure you will arrange them!" ”

Now Zhang Chi is embarrassed...... That's nearly 30,000 people.

Among them, the Japanese prisoners of war are good to say, let people take care of them as coolies, and there are still many things on the island that need to be rebuilt.

But the coolies of those various countries ...... Do you want them to continue to work as coolies?!

After thinking about it, Zhang Chi convened a meeting of the representatives of the coolies, including Wu Yan and Chen Guoliang of the "Chinese Brotherhood".

"Here's the thing!" Zhang Chi said: "Although you are free, we are willing to send you home, but ......"

After a pause, Zhang Chi said: "You also know, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, North Korea, etc., these countries are still under the rule of the Japanese for the time being, we just want to send you back, but we can't send them back!" ”

"Of course!" Zhang Chi glanced around the venue and said, "There are some special ones, such as Burma, the Japanese have been defeated!" ”

"Really?" Immediately, several Burmese delegates shouted in surprise and joy, they obviously arrived in Rabaul before the liberation of Burma, so they did not know the current situation in Burma.

"Yes!" Zhang Chi replied: "Myanmar is now under the management of the Chinese army, if you want, I can arrange for you to return home!" ”

The representative of Myanmar immediately burst into cheers.

"And then there's China!" Zhang Chi turned his gaze to Wu Yan and the others, and said: "Although China is still surrounded and blockaded by devils, the China-Myanmar highway has been opened, and you can also return from Myanmar!" ”

"Hmm!" Wu Yan just nodded.

To Zhang Chi's surprise, Wu Yan and Chen Guoliang's expressions were not as excited as those of the Burmese.

Maybe it's because they already knew that they could return to China, Zhang Chi thought so, and later learned that this was not the case.

"Folks from other countries!" Zhang Chi continued: "My thoughts are...... You will live in Rabaul for the time being, you can choose the land you want to plant, build your own house, and we will give you some food and necessities for you to live on, and then go back after the liberation of your respective countries, what do the villagers think? ”

Zhang Chi's words reached the ears of the delegates through the translations of various countries, and there was a burst of discussion.

But this is not really necessary to talk about at all, because they have no second way to go...... Is it possible to go back now? Even if the Yankees were willing to risk their lives to send them back to their home countries, they would continue to be enslaved by the Japanese, and even if they didn't get it right, their lives would be lost.

So, it didn't take long for several delegates to come in agreement.

The representative of Thailand asked the question: "Will there be frequent wars here in Rabaul?" ”

Obviously, the Thai people still have a choice, because Thailand is an "ally" of the Japanese, so they are weighing whether it is better to stay in Rabaul or return home.

"I can't promise that there won't be a war!" Zhang Chi smiled: "But I can be sure that it will be safer here than Thailand." If you don't believe me, I'll consider giving you a ship and letting you go home on your own! ”

Zhang Chi really can't believe that there are such stupid people, these Thais are deceived by the Japanese army, and they have not been treated preferentially because they are the "allies" of the Japanese army, and now they are trying to believe that the Japanese army in Thailand will give them a life, and they don't want to think that the Japanese army in Thailand will definitely not let them return home alive and then tell the truth that they were deceived into working as coolies in Rabaul.

However, their mood seems to be understandable, after all, they are ordinary people, as long as there is the slightest possibility, they will want to go home.

Eventually, after mutual consultation among the Thais, it was decided to stay in Rabaul.

"Tuanza!" Only then did Wu Yan speak: "I want to know, if we don't return to China, can we join the new First Division to fight with you?" ”

Hearing this, Zhang Chi couldn't help but be stunned, only then did he know the real reason why Wu Yan and Chen Guoliang had such cold expressions just now.

"You're not going home?" Zhang Chi asked.

Wu Yan shook his head and replied, "If the devil is not destroyed, how can you talk about going home?" ”

"Yes, Tuanza!" Chen Guoliang also said: "We have been captured by devils for some years, and our families think that we have sacrificed, and this army is in chaos, even if we return to China, we may not be able to find our relatives, and we will still be hungry when we go back, and we will also fight devils, so it is better to fight with you!" ”

Chen Guoliang is also right in what he said, fighting devils at home and fighting devils in the Pacific Ocean are completely different things.

(To be continued.) )