Industry began in 1937

Chapter 24 The Red Gun Society

The bloody atmosphere of the Battle of Waiboshu had not yet completely dissipated over Gouzi Village. The brief excitement brought by the captured five rifles, one machine gun, and forty-odd bullets was quickly replaced by the trivialities and solemnity of dealing with corpses, imprisoning prisoners, and strengthening vigilance.

The air was filled with a complex atmosphere that mixed blood, gunpowder smoke, lingering fear, and a hint of twisted pride.

The villagers looked at the young men of the village protection team with more awe and deeper worry—once they started killing and saw blood, there was no turning back; the knife of this chaotic world was truly at their throats.

The two prisoners were interrogated briefly, but not much useful information was obtained, and then they were released.

The people of Gouzi Village are honest and simple farmers. They have no problem defending themselves, but they would never do it if asked to kill someone at this time.

In the end, they were all released.

However, the wind outside the mountain seemed to be blowing faster and fiercer than they had imagined.

On the afternoon of the third day after the battle ended, Tie Dan, who was on lookout at the village entrance, came running back in a panic. This time, his face did not show pure fear, but a strange expression that was a mixture of tension and curiosity.

"Third Master! Mr. Wen! Captain Zhao! More people have arrived! Not defeated soldiers! They're carrying red flags! They say... they say they're messengers from the Red Spear Society, wanting to see the person in charge of the village!"

"The Red Spear Society?" Third Master was discussing with Wen Shizhou and Zhao Dachui how to practice using rifles in the ancestral hall when he heard this. He suddenly looked up, and a very complex light flashed in his dim old eyes. There was surprise, reminiscence, and perhaps even a trace of... tremor?

Wen Shizhou's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he quickly regained his composure and looked at the Third Master: "Third Master, what is this red spear...?"

Third Master didn't answer immediately. He stood up, paced back and forth in the ancestral hall for a couple of steps before slowly speaking, his voice carrying a distant sigh: "The Red Spear Society... that's an old name. When I was young, at the end of the Guangxu era, there was the Boxer Rebellion in Zhili and Shandong. Our Taihang Mountains also saw the rise of 'Divine Fist' and 'Red Lanterns.' Later, they were defeated, and some of their altars went underground, changing their names to things like the Red Spear Society and the Yellow Gauze Society. They worshipped the Eternal Mother and Maitreya Buddha, and emphasized swallowing talismans and chanting incantations to become invulnerable to swords and spears. They fought under the banner of 'Supporting the Qing and Destroying the Foreigners' and 'Defending Our Hometown.' To put it bluntly, they were from the same root as the White Lotus Sect and the Boxers; they were secret societies."

He paused, looked at the mountain path outside the ancestral hall that had just been the site of a bloody battle, and continued: "Later, when the Qing Dynasty fell and warlords fought each other, these secret societies rose and fell. Sometimes they were suppressed by the government, sometimes they were used by warlords, and sometimes they were able to gather a group of people to resist scattered soldiers and bandits."

When I was in my early twenties, I went to a fair in Xingtai with some villagers. We were robbed by a group of defeated soldiers. Later, a member of the Red Spear Society from nearby brought weapons and drove them away. I even drank some talisman water and practiced some martial arts for a couple of days... But that's all in the past. I never expected that in these chaotic times of war, they would reappear, and even raise their banners.

"Waving a red flag?" Wen Shizhou astutely grasped the key point. "Do you know what tactics they're using now? Are they still using the same old method of swallowing talismans and chanting incantations?"

Tie Dan chimed in from the side, "There were four or five people who came, all carrying red-tasseled spears. The leader, a dark-faced man with a Mauser pistol tucked into his waistband, spoke politely. He said they were the 'People's Self-Defense Corps' under the 'Jixi Civil Training Office,' and that they were ordered by their superiors to contact various mountain villages to clear out the fleeing soldiers and protect their hometowns. They wanted our Gouzi Village to join them and work together. They also said that we had done a good job fighting the fleeing soldiers a couple of days ago, and that we should join forces."

"The Jixi Civil Training Office?" Wen Shizhou repeated in a low voice, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes, but more so, caution. He looked at Third Master: "Third Master, what are your thoughts?"

Third Master stroked his beard, deep in thought. Zhao Dachui, however, was somewhat intrigued: "Third Master, Mr. Wen, judging from what they've said, they seem to be a legitimate anti-Japanese force? They even have a 'Civilian Training Department' on their sleeve. If we could unite them, with more men and guns, wouldn't that be much more effective against the fleeing Japanese soldiers?"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Wen Shizhou shook his head slightly, his voice calm but clear. "When secret societies start up, they often initially call for protecting their homes and resisting tyranny, which makes it very easy to win people's hearts. However, their core organizations often rely on the old system, and the upper-level leaders are of mixed quality. Some genuinely have the heart to resist the enemy and protect the people, while others just want to take the opportunity to expand their power, and may even collude with the Japanese and their puppet regime."

This "Jixi Civil Training Office" is a very new name, and its background is unknown. They've come to us because they've taken a liking to our village's newly revealed strength and the weapons they've seized. If we rashly join them and are swallowed up and coerced, our village protection team will no longer be the local militia protecting Gouzi Village, but rather weapons in someone else's hands. Then we'll be powerless to choose our own path, and the consequences will be unpredictable.

He paused, looked at Third Master, and said sincerely, "Third Master, Brother Big Hammer, we just fought off the fleeing soldiers and saved the village on our own. This courage and strength are the foundation of our Gouzi Village. My point is that we can contact them to find out their strength and, if necessary, help each other. But joining them must be done with utmost caution. We must keep our guns in our own hands, for the sake of this land beneath our feet and the people behind us. The superstitious belief of the secret societies that we are 'invulnerable to swords and spears' is deadly and absolutely unbelievable."

Third Master nodded repeatedly, Wen Shizhou's words resonated with him.

He had witnessed the methods of the Red Spear Society when he was young and knew that it was a mixed bag, so he didn't completely believe in its mystical practices.

Now that the village has just survived a disaster and has some means to protect itself, it really shouldn't be handed over to outsiders so easily.

However, since the other side is using the banner of resisting Japan and has a large and powerful force, directly refusing them might offend people and cause trouble.

"Mr. Wen is right." Third Master finally made the decision. "Here's what we'll do. Big Hammer, you take two people and politely invite those 'envoys' in. They can talk in the ancestral hall."

"Mr. Wen and I will meet with them. Chen Yuan..." He looked at Chen Yuan, who had been listening silently, "You stay and listen too. You have more experience, so help us make a decision."

Chen Yuan came here to have him check if the gun could still be repaired.

He was completely unfamiliar with the "Red Spear Society," but from the descriptions of Third Master and Mr. Wen, he roughly understood that it was a civilian armed organization with strong feudal religious characteristics that had been united by force in a chaotic world.

Historically, such organizations often initially exhibit progressive resistance against tyranny, but they are also highly susceptible to exploitation by ambitious individuals or corruption and degeneration.

He naturally leaned towards Mr. Wen's view of maintaining independence.

Soon, four men carrying red-tasseled spears and pistols at their waists were led into the ancestral hall.

The leader was a burly man in his forties with a dark face, a leopard-like head, and bulging eyes. He had a loud voice and claimed that his surname was Feng and that he was a "deacon" of the "Third Detachment of the Jixi People's Self-Defense Corps".

He first praised the "righteous act" of Gouzi Village in "defeating the defeated soldiers and protecting the people" two days ago. Then he went on and on about how "the country is in crisis, the Japanese invaders are brutal, and the defeated soldiers are causing trouble." He said that only by "uniting the people of all villages and working together under the leadership of the Jixi Civil Training Office to form a people's self-defense force can we eliminate the defeated soldiers, resist the Japanese invaders, and protect our Jixi mountains and rivers."

His words were very persuasive, especially the slogan "Clear out the defeated soldiers and defend our homeland," which perfectly matched the battle that Gouzi Village had just experienced and the general concerns.

Zhao Dachui and several other village protection team members present listened with expressions of agreement, nodding frequently.

Seeing this, Deacon Feng changed the subject and began to describe the "benefits" of joining: unified command, information sharing, ammunition supply support as needed, and mutual rescue in the event of a large enemy force.

Finally, he revealed his true intentions: "I heard your village captured some rifles this time? These are excellent weapons for killing the enemy! They should be handed over to the detachment for unified allocation and use to maximize their effectiveness. Of course, your village's defense team can be reorganized into a regiment under our detachment, and a hero like Captain Zhao could at least be a regimental commander! From now on, we'll all be brothers, sharing both good times and bad!"

Upon hearing that he had to hand over the captured rifles, Zhao Dachui's expression immediately changed.

Third Master and Wen Shizhou exchanged a glance.

Wen Shizhou spoke slowly and deliberately: "What Deacon Feng said is about protecting our homes and country, which is a matter of great righteousness, and we deeply agree with it. However, the captured guns were obtained by the villagers with their blood. If we hand them over suddenly, I'm afraid the people will not be convinced and it may even cause chaos."

Moreover, our village is located in a remote mountain village, where information is scarce. We are unaware of the organization, purpose, or even the superiors of your "Jixi People's Training Office".

Joining hastily might be inappropriate. How about this: let's first become friendly neighbors, share information, and cooperate in defense. If your approach truly represents the righteous path of resisting Japan and protecting the people, our villagers will understand and naturally follow suit.

Deacon Feng's smile faded slightly as he stared at Wen Shizhou, then at the silent Third Master, before laughing heartily. "What this gentleman says makes sense. It's only right to be cautious. So, let's leave the matter of joining aside for now. But this red flag," he pointed to a simple red triangular flag held up by his attendants behind him.

"Please accept this flag and plant it at the village entrance. Planting this flag will declare to all directions that this village is under the protection of the 'Western Hebei People's Self-Defense Corps,' and ordinary defeated soldiers and petty villains will never dare to offend it! What do you say?"

These words were a mix of soft and hard. Planting the flag was tantamount to marking the other party's territory. Although they did not explicitly join, from the outside world's perspective, they were already considered as the other party's wing.

Third Master looked troubled and was about to decline again when Zhao Dachui suddenly spoke up: "Deacon Feng, planting the flag is fine. But our village's security team should still be under our own control, and we should carry our own guns. If anything happens, we can discuss it and help each other. How does that sound?"

Deacon Feng squinted at Zhao Dachui, then looked at the villagers inside and outside the ancestral hall who, though silent, were wary and clutched their new guns tightly. He knew that this mountain village, which had just been stained with blood, was not a soft persimmon to be easily manipulated.

He pondered for a moment, then smiled broadly and said, "Captain Zhao is a man of few words! Alright! We'll do as Captain Zhao says! The red flag will be planted, and we'll support each other! If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just send someone to the 'Sanguan Temple' at the east end of Shahe Town to find me! As for joining, there's plenty of time, plenty of time! Haha!"

Finally, a simple red triangular flag was planted on the old locust tree at the entrance of Gouzi Village.

Deacon Feng led his men to the next village.

Inside the ancestral hall, however, the atmosphere was somewhat somber. Third Master sighed, "We've managed to get through this for now. Whether planting this flag will bring good or bad fortune remains to be seen."

Wen Shizhou calmly said, "Playing along is a last resort. We are still weak, and it is not advisable to confront them directly. Maintaining the independence of the village protection team and holding onto our guns is the bottom line. Brother Da Chui handled things very well today. In the future, when dealing with them, we must be more careful, especially in finding out about their internal situation and true intentions."

Chen Yuan observed in silence throughout, understanding the situation perfectly.

Gouzi Village, which had barely managed to maintain its autonomy amidst the chaos of war, had just repelled external forces when it was met with attempts to incorporate and infiltrate it.

Mr. Wen clearly saw things clearly and his attitude was firm. However, under the pressure of the simple concept of "defending their hometown" and the realities of life, Third Master, Zhao Dachui, and other villagers made a compromise, a risky choice.

In name, the village protection team of Gouzi Village was affiliated with the "Red Spear Society".

But in reality, the fifty spears, ten broadswords, five rifles, eight muskets, and the hearts of the people who had just been united through the bloody battle were still firmly in the hands of Gouzi Village itself.