the Casus Belli

you must let our Army through
so we can conduct a Search
for the instigators of this severe Wrong against us
where is Justice? how can you let this happen?
this is a grave Misdeed against our Sovereignty
an Offence to everything a nation holds sacred

you must suppress all radical elements at once
arrest their members and put an end to their activities
they create Terror and undermine Security
with their assassinations and kidnappings
and caused this very Calamity

is there no Law? is there no Order?
why do you allow them to conduct activities against us
with their their riotous demonstrations
their anti-sentiment propaganda
their slanderous newspapers
their subversive movements
their irresponsible Vitriol
in broad daylight, in the open Streets
within your Territory
while you turn a Blind Eye?

we really don't want another Incident
and we would all loathe another War
but if you don't comply
by ten o'clock tomorrow evening
we're afraid we will have but no Choice
but to fire upon you
then you'll experience our Shock and Awe

we tolerated your Regime
but we cannot allow this to happen
we will not helplessly stand by
we will not be afraid
to show our Strength
our Courage and our Resolve will show through
and it will cut like a knife

do you really want to risk the Consequences
and loss of your Industry
and put millions of lives under menace?
the sole Responsibility rests on you

so be it.

our Artillery shells fall today.



(Inspired by three Ultimatums: 1914, 1937 and 2003, and a bit of current events. A slight jab at censorship. I wonder how the Japanese kept it up as an excuse: "We're going to kill 200,000 of your troops at Shanghai, capture Nanjing and kill millions of your civilians. You can blame it on yourself that you didn't let us search for our single AWOL soldier on the other side of Lugou Bridge!")