User:Writeminds/Manshū Ahen Squad

Historical Background
Manshū Ahen Squad is a historical fiction manga that takes place several years after the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, which began on September 18, 1931. The Japanese Guandong Army had taken over the city of Mukden within a couple of days. They stripped the city by closing down Chinese banks and shops that exchange money, disarming the police, and arresting top Chinese officials. As a result, Manchukuo was created as a puppet state in Manchuria in February, 1932. Chinese people of high-status were paid off by the Japanese military to become officials in Manchukuo, but this was merely to maintain peaceful control over Manchukuo, since the official decisions were actually made by Japanese advisors.

The distribution and consumption of opium had changed after the creation of Manchukuo. Opium was a large form of revenue for Manchuria, as it affected the economy greatly. In 1932, the Opium Law was created to change the trade practices of Opium, which was overseen by the Japanese military. This gave the Japanese more power over the economy. The Opium Law allowed non-Japanese adults that were addicts to continue taking opioids as long as they attempted rehabilitation, since the intended purpose of the law was to assist those with addiction and lessen the distribution of opium. In reality, the Opium Law was used as a means to control the opium trade, since it was not used for it's intended purpose of stopping opium usage, but implemented to take down competitors that distributed opium.

The usage and distribution of opioids continued in Manchukuo, which was overseen by officials. The demand of opium had increased tremendously to the point that foreign imports were needed for supply to meet demand. The Japanese were criticized for running an "opium monopoly" as it was a means for profit, but lead to the deaths of many. Puyi, the former Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, claimed that opium made up one-sixth of Manchukuo's revenue in his auto-biography, From Emperor to Citizen (1964). Elizabeth Guobuluo Wanrong, Puyi's empress, had an extreme opium addiction that had forced her to walk with an aid at all times. Many critics condemned the opiate industry in Manchukuo, as usage of opium had spread from remote farmlands to royalty. 

Plot
In 1937 Manchuria, Isamu Higata is conscripted into the Kwantung army as an infantry soldier. His mother and two siblings, Saburou and Setsu, send him off with prayers, where Isamu promises to come back as a real man. A couple of months have passed and Isamu is seen beat and unconscious. His superior officer, Hajime Kondou, puts the unit through intense training to prepare them for the upcoming battles. One day, Isamu and his bunkmate are assigned to clean the pigsty, where Isamu spots a growing plant. Due to his fascination for plants, Isamu pulls out a book and realizes it is a soybean. Isamu displays extensive knowledge of the soybean and when it can be edible. Isamu realizes that this is when they will likely be at war. After many months of training, Isamu is sent off to war, along with his bunkmates. They fight in many battles together, until an incident occurs after a gunfight against Chinese soldiers that took place in Chahar.

Isamu survives the battle in Chahar, due to the overwhelming manpower and artillery on their side. As Isamu walks through the battlefield with his unit, he hears a small girl crying out for help. Isamu turns and sees a little Chinese girl holding her injured brother, who is about the same age as her. The brother is covered in blood and half-conscious. Isamu's bunkmate tells him to ignore it, but Isamu runs over to assist the children. He asks to see the injury, but to his surprise, the little boy is conscious. The boy turns, pointing a pistol at Isamu, and curses the Japanese. It was a set-up. The boy fires his gun, which grazes Isamu across the right side of his face.

Some time passes and a young teenage girl is seen pulling vegetables from the soil. It's Setsu, Isamu's younger sister. She is tired and calls for Saburou to help her. He is busy riding on their pig across the farm field. Setsu sighs, but Isamu approaches to assist her. There is a long scar that travels across the right side of his face, with a slight graze on his eye. Setsu insists that he rests, due to his injury. Isamu disagrees, claiming that as long as his left eye works, there is no problem. Isamu's mother appears, relieved that Isamu survived a bullet that was fired at him pointblank. Isamu and his family continued to live in a Manchurian resettlement region as volunteers for the peasant army. The area has a large agricultural training school with the intention of providing the army with food supplies and improving the agriculture in the area. The farmers are abused by the Supervisor, Iwao Kumada, who believes that people who cannot fight in the army should be able to perform farm work or die. One particular elder farmer, Shigeru Jinnai, is punched across the face by Kumada, due to his lack of speed. Isamu assists Shigeru, who is missing a left arm. Shigeru smiles, reveling some teeth missing. As Isamu has a discussion with Shigeru, some soldiers fire their guns at them for amusement and order them to continue making food for them.

After the soldiers leave, Shigeru and Isamu sit on the ground. Isamu has rage in his eyes, but the old man smiles. He claims that he and every other injured soldier are "hoe soldiers". Their opponent is the Manchurian soil. Isamu smiles. Later that night, Isamu and his family eat small amounts of steamed rice and millet. After Isamu's siblings fall asleep, Isamu apologizes to his mother for his injury, which led to them residing in the resettlement region. Isamu's mother has a cheery spirit and explains that none of it is his fault, which cheers Isamu up. Suddenly, a loud banging occurs at their door. Isamu and his family open the door and see multiple men in uniform. They hold a summon, explaining to Isamu that he has been called to the Kwantung Army again. Isamu's mother interjects, but the men tell her to shut her mouth. In a moment of rage, Isamu's mother attempts to tear the forms by biting it. Isamu is shocked to see his mother in such a state, which leaves him with guilt.

Isamu takes a walk into the woods for time to think of his family's situation. Suddenly, he catches a whiff of Manchurian iris. Iris has a nice fragrance, but can also be used for cooking or medicine. Isamu acknowledges that his sense of smell has improved, due to losing an eye. he can discern which plants are edible and which are poisonous. After gathering some iris, Isamu heads home. On the way, he spots his mother walking through the village. He calls out to her, but when she turns, he sees blood dripping from her mouth as she stares with an insane gaze. He panics. After resting her in their home, people of the village crowd around her. Kumada comes to the conclusion that it is the pneumonic plague, which took the lives of 60,000 Manchurians in the past. Everyone agrees to throw her in the river, but Isamu begs for some time for her to heal. No one listens, until Shigeru bows to the ground and promises to treat her at his place. He explains that he used to be a combat medic and can help her. Everyone agrees and allows Isamu's mother to live.

Isamu and his family stay at Shigeru's home. Shigeru explains that he is unable to do anything for Isamu's mother, due to the plague being in the later stage already. But, Shigeru says that there is a Sulfa drug that was discovered in Germany that can help her, but it is extremely expensive. Isamu is determined to save his mother and leaves with his siblings to earn some money. They head to Mukden, where a pharmacist offers to give sulfa drugs to Isamu if he sells his siblings to him. Isamu curses at the man and leaves with his siblings. Isamu starts to panic, when suddenly, he smells something over a tall, concrete wall. Isamu realizes that over the wall is the disposal site where compost and old soil is put, but Isamu smells something sweet instead. He opens a wooden door to the disposal site.

What lies on the other side is a poppy field. Isamu's siblings are in awe and assume that the poppies are small melons. Isamu corrects them and explains that they are opium poppies used for the creation of narcotics used heavily in Manchuria. Suddenly, a figure appears behind Isamu and strikes him across the head with a stick. His siblings scream in fear and shock. Isamu turns and sees the old man, Shigeru Jinnai, approaching him with anger in his eyes. Shigeru explains how he took in Isamu's mother so no one would come anywhere near his poppies. Suddenly, Shigeru begins to choke Isamu, attempting to kill him. Isamu's siblings hit Shigeru, but he doesn't budge. Shigeru explains that selling opium or your children are the only way to make any money. Isamu starts to fade out of consciousness, but suddenly, the choking stops. Shigeru is struck in the back of the head by Setsu, who is holding a bloody rock. Setsu hyperventilates, as this was her first kill. Shigeru lays in a pool of blood, as Isamu catches his breath.

Isamu and his siblings bury Shigeru in the woods to hide the evidence of his murder. They head back to Shigeru's house, where their mother continues to suffer. Isamu reads his book on plants, as his siblings sit in fear. Isamu eyes look frustrated, but determined. He comes to a conclusion and leaves the house, heading to the poppy field. He cuts open a poppy plant and collects the juice within. He takes it home and begins to create opium. The next morning, Isamu holds a small handful of opium he created and puts it in a small bag. He leaves to sell his product.

Within the city, there is a hideout where a group of known criminals are passing the time. One man is writing down important information on paper, as two other criminals have sex with a prostitute. Suddenly, their front door opens. Isamu walks in and offers to sell his opium. The men do not trust Isamu and proceed to kick him. Being Japanese, Isamu is seen as an enemy to the criminals. They come to the conclusion that Isamu is a spy of the Kwantung Army. Isamu explains that he wants to sell his product to them specifically, due to their reputation. They are the Green Gang, the biggest secret society in the Republic of China. Isamu says that their main source of income comes from the opium trade, so they should test his product. They ignore him and prepare to kill him with a strike of a sword, when suddenly, a woman blocks the strike with her metal arrow. A young, Chinese woman in her twenties. She says not to rush with killing Isamu. The men are infatuated with the woman, but she is also their superior, so they listen to her command.

She asks to see Isamu's product. She questions the grey color of the opium. Isamu explains that raw opium is an opiate with thebaine and codeine. He adds that the most important ingredient is morphine. When drying the juice of the poppy, there are impurities within, so simmering and drying the juice again will give the highest amount of purity. This leads to the black color changing to grey. The woman asks where he got this opium from. Isamu says that he made the product. The woman is shocked and asks to test the product. They enter a room filled with addicts that are covered in vomit, feces, and other fluids. They are extremely skinny and have looks of death on their faces. The woman walks over to one addict, Zhang, and offers him Isamu's product. His face contorts in glee after one puff. He spins across the room and loses his mind, demanding for more opium. The woman smiles, as Isamu looks in horror. Isamu is paid money, but suddenly, all of the criminals point their guns at Isamu.

Isamu is driven to a harbor and forced to stand on the edge of the boardwalk, where the woman points her pistol at him. She explains that a Japanese man creating opium would be bad business for Chinese opium distributers in the long run. Isamu drops to his knees and begs the woman to give the money he earned to his family. The woman stares for a second, then agrees to his terms. Suddenly, she turns and fires her gun at one of her men. Isamu and the other criminals are shocked, but she continues to shoot every other criminal with her, killing them all. The woman smiles and explains that she can trust Isamu now, but she says this in Japanese. Isamu is shocked. She crouches and offers to team up.

Isamu and the woman stay in one of her safehouses to discuss plans. She asks him to make more, so they can sell it at a larger scale. She explains that her father, Du Yuesheng, is one of the three bosses of the Green Gang, and she needs a way to leave his grasp. Isamu realizes that she is the daughter of the Green Gang's boss, Li Hua. Li says that they both know the feeling of being trapped, due to their circumstances. Working together, they can become the King. The one who controls the opium, controls Manchukuo.

The story follows Isamu Higata's journey of becoming the King of Manchuria along with Li Hua as they face obstacles that put their lives and the lives of their loved ones in danger. For the safety of his family and the success of his business, Isamu delves deeper into the darkness and metamorphosizes into the "Emperor of Darkness."

Characters
Isamu Higata (日方勇)


 * Originally a soldier for the Kwantung Army, Isamu becomes the breadwinner of his mother and two siblings. After his mother catches the plague, Isamu becomes a manufacturer of opium to afford medicine. Isamu has extensive knowledge on chemistry and plants, which gives him the skills to create pure opium. After the death of his mother, Isamu vows to give his siblings a better life. Isamu befriends Li Hua, a former member of the Green Gang, and begins his infiltration of the opium trade in Manchuria. After some obstacles and hardships, Isamu's morals change for the worse. His opium causes an increase in addiction and death, which Isamu claims is a necessary cost for a better life. Eventually, Isamu becomes the Emperor of the criminal underworld, a complete change to the man he was in the past.