Chapter 312 Dispute between Fishermen of Two Countries
312
In the late 1960s, the international situation was changing rapidly, and the contradictions between China and Japan over maritime issues became increasingly prominent.
The boundary between the two countries' waters is vague and has no clear definition, which leads to friction when fishermen go out to sea to fish because they often enter the "territorial waters" that the other party considers.
This friction initially consisted of small-scale quarrels and simple intimidation, but as time went on, the contradictions between the two sides gradually escalated and conflicts became more and more frequent.
At dawn that day, Chinese fishermen boarded their boats early, as usual, ready to go fishing. They expertly untied the ropes and started the engines. With the sound of "thump, thump," the boats slowly left the harbor and headed toward the depths of the sea.
Most of these fishermen have made a living by fishing for generations. The sea is their source of food and clothing. They are full of affection and awe for this sea.
They are looking forward to the harvest, and although their eyes are full of vicissitudes, they still have hope for life.
In their view, every trip to the sea is an intimate dialogue with nature, a prayer for nature's gifts, and a challenge to life.
They hope to catch enough fish in this vast sea to support their family. Although they know there are unknown dangers at sea, they still go forward.
At the same time, on the other side of the river, Japanese fishermen also went out to sea. Their fishing boats seemed more advanced and better equipped than those of China.
These Japanese fishermen, relying on their own fishing boats, often acted arrogantly at the border between the two countries and bullied Chinese fishermen. Not only did they seize the fishing area of Chinese fishermen, they also often deliberately overturned their fishing boats, causing huge losses to Chinese fishermen.
Although the Chinese fishermen were filled with anger, China's great magnanimity prevented them from doing anything mean, and most of the time the fishermen would endure it silently.
However, on this day, when the Chinese fishermen came to the sea area where they often fished, they found that the Japanese fishermen had already occupied this sea area long ago and were constantly driving them away.
The Chinese fishermen could no longer tolerate this humiliation. They picked up their tools and confronted the Japanese fishermen.
From the perspective of Chinese fishermen, they would tolerate you coming here to catch a few fish, but now they see you trying to take this sea area for yourself. How can that be possible? How can your own land and sea be occupied by an enemy country?
Those humiliations were only a few years ago? Normally, they tolerated them not because they were afraid of them, but because they didn't want to cause a dispute between the two countries. But now the situation is completely different.
"Leave here immediately, this is our Chinese waters! We firmly resist the invasion of Chinese territorial waters!" An old Chinese fisherman stood at the bow, pointing angrily at the Japanese fishermen and shouted loudly.
His face was full of traces of time, and his eyes revealed determination and unyielding spirit. The sea breeze whistled, blowing up his tattered clothes, as if cheering him on.
However, the Japanese fishermen did not understand what he was saying. They just saw the angry expressions and waving arms of the Chinese fishermen and thought it was a provocation. However, they were very happy to see them angry.
They shouted loudly in triumph, their languages intertwined in the sea breeze, but they were unable to convey each other's meaning, and instead further intensified the conflict.
"Baga! This is the waters of our great Japan, you Chinese, get out of here!" A Japanese fisherman cursed viciously. He was not tall, with a ferocious expression on his face. He held a wooden stick tightly in his hand, as if he was going to hit someone.
Although the Chinese fishermen did not understand what he was saying, they could understand his meaning from his expression and actions. They were completely enraged and picked up tools on the boat, such as knives and sticks, ready to fight with the Japanese fishermen.
"Let's fight them and not give up an inch of Chinese waters!" shouted a young Chinese fisherman, his eyes burning with anger, and he rushed towards the Japanese fishing boat without hesitation.
Other Chinese fishermen also responded. For a moment, the fishing boats of both sides approached each other rapidly, and the fishermen engaged in fierce weapon clashes on the deck.
The sea was filled with shouts, curses, and the sounds of objects colliding. The atmosphere was extremely tense. In the chaos, a Chinese fishing boat was accidentally hit by a Japanese fishing boat. The boat shook violently and the fishermen on board fell to the ground one after another.
The Chinese were also angry. This was obviously intentional. They actually used a boat to hit them? Don't they know how to do it?
So, the Chinese fishing boats started to fight back, but before their boats could hit the other boats, the Japanese on the other side had already noticed their intention.
Some Japanese fishermen suddenly broke into the cabin and took out various guns that had been captured by the Japanese army. These weapons flashed with a cold metallic luster under the sunlight, and they proudly pointed the cold muzzles of their guns at the Chinese fishermen.
The pistols and semi-automatic rifles in their hands are much better than the old-fashioned muskets used by Chinese fishermen. They are not only faster in shooting speed and more accurate, but also more powerful.
The Japanese fishermen went into the cabin to get their guns, and then pointed the black muzzles of their guns at the Chinese fishermen, trying to intimidate them and make them retreat.
"Hmph, look at these Chinese. When they see our advanced weapons, they will be scared to death and leave obediently." A Japanese fisherman snorted coldly and then laughed out loud, the smugness on his face was very dazzling.
However, the Chinese fishermen were not intimidated by their weapons. Although their weapons were backward, their firm belief in protecting Chinese waters from being invaded made them fearless.
A young Chinese fisherman quickly ran to the bottom of the fishing boat and laboriously carried out an old-fashioned cannon. The cannon looked very old, with traces of time on the body and a bit of wear on the barrel, but it was still a powerful weapon for Chinese fishermen to defend their rights.
"Don't be afraid, everyone. We will fight them!" he shouted loudly. His voice was firm and powerful, echoing on the sea like a huge bell.
Other Chinese fishermen also responded. They picked up old-fashioned muskets. Although these muskets had a slow loading speed and a short range, they firmly believed that as long as they united as one, they would be able to resist the invasion of Japanese fishermen.
The Chinese fishermen quickly adjusted the position of their artillery and aimed it at the Japanese fishing boats. Although they knew that their artillery was far inferior to the Japanese fishermen's weapons in terms of power and range, they would not retreat at all.
There was determination in their eyes, and they declared to the Japanese fishermen with their actions and attitude: This sea area belongs to us, and we will never give up.
The Japanese fishermen did not expect the Chinese to be so tough. They had always looked down on the Chinese, and now seeing that they had no intention of leaving, they directly opened fire at the Chinese fishermen.
The "bang bang" sound of the gunfire was very harsh. The Chinese fishermen all looked for shelters to hide. Then, after a shout of "Fire!" rang out, the Chinese fishermen lit the fuse of the artillery.
With a loud bang, the gun emitted a puff of thick smoke, and a shell whizzed towards the Japanese fishing boat. The shell drew an arc on the sea surface and finally landed near the Japanese fishing boat, stirring up a huge splash.
Although the shell did not directly hit the Japanese fishing boat, it scared the Japanese fishermen.
"Damn it, these Chinese people actually dared to resist!" The Japanese fishermen shouted angrily. They pulled the trigger one after another, and the semi-automatic rifles made a "da da da" sound. Bullets rained down on the Chinese fishing boats.
At the same time, they moved the boat back a little, aimed the guns at the Chinese fishing boat, and then fired.
Seeing this, the Chinese fishermen all dodged, some hid behind the side of the ship, and some lay on the deck, but they still fought back firmly and did not retreat.
The old-fashioned muskets made a "bang bang" sound. Although the gunshots were not as dense as those of semi-automatic rifles, every shot fired by the Chinese fishermen was filled with anger towards the Japanese fishermen and a desire to protect Chinese waters.
During the fierce exchange of fire, a Chinese fishing boat was unfortunately hit by bullets from Japanese fishermen, and the hull caught fire.
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