W ang - T ao ▁in ▁ 1 9 0 0 — " ▁the ▁execution ▁of ▁my ▁orders ▁made ▁me ▁almost ▁sick , ▁for ▁it ▁seemed ▁as ▁though ▁I ▁could ▁have ▁walked ▁across ▁the ▁river ▁on ▁the ▁bodies ▁of ▁the ▁floating ▁dead ." ▁Not ▁a ▁Ch in aman ▁escaped , ▁except ▁forty ▁who ▁were ▁employed ▁by ▁a ▁leading ▁foreign ▁merchant ▁who ▁r ans omed ▁their ▁lives ▁at ▁a ▁thousand ▁rub les ▁each . ▁These , ▁and ▁many ▁even ▁worse , ▁at roc ities ▁are ▁remembered ▁and ▁now ▁is ▁their ▁moment ▁for ▁reven ge . ▁So ▁it ▁was ▁easy ▁for ▁Japan ▁to ▁en list ▁the ▁sympathy ▁of ▁these ▁men , ▁especially ▁when ▁emphas ized ▁by ▁liberal ▁pay , ▁as ▁is ▁now ▁the ▁case . ▁It ▁is ▁believed ▁that ▁more ▁than ▁ 1 0 , 0 0 0 ▁of ▁these ▁band its , ▁divided ▁into ▁companies ▁of ▁from ▁ 2 0 0 ▁to ▁ 3 0 0 ▁each ▁and ▁led ▁by ▁Japanese ▁officers , ▁are ▁now ▁in ▁the ▁pay ▁of ▁Japan ." ▁ ▁O ng o ing ▁dispute ▁The ▁Republic ▁of ▁China ▁( RO C ), ▁the ▁successor ▁of ▁the ▁Q ing ▁Empire , ▁has ▁never ▁recognized ▁the ▁Russian ▁occupation ▁as ▁legit imate . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 9 1 ▁S ino - S ov iet ▁Border ▁Ag re ement , ▁the ▁People ' s ▁Republic ▁of ▁China ▁( P RC ) ▁ren ounced ▁so vere ig nt y ▁of ▁the ▁ 6 4 ▁Vill ages . ▁However , ▁the ▁Republic ▁of ▁China ▁now