Strange machine-gun sound in early part of movie?

In the early part of the movie, there's a scene where the villagers have all fled to the forest to hide from the approaching troops. Among other noises of chaos, there is heard the sound of gunfire in the distance as soldiers from the invading army shoot people. At one point there is the sound of a rapid "staccato" burst of gunfire that sounds just like a short burst from an automatic weapon. Obviously, they did not have automatic weapons during the time period depicted in this film, so, I wonder if it was an intentional/not-so-subtle sound effect that served as an allusion to the recently-ended conflict of WWII, where Japanese troops did use automatic weapons?





"I've always tried to teach you two things. First: Never let them see you bleed. Second: Always have an escape plan." - Q