Industry began in 1937

Chapter 28 Finding an Organization

The brief meeting with Lao Xing under the crooked-necked pine tree gave Wen Shizhou's spontaneous work a clearer goal.

He suppressed his barely contained excitement and eagerness, returned to the ancestral hall in the twilight, and continued to sort out those tedious accounts, his fingers trembling slightly.

The handwriting seemed to glow.

He needed to make formal contact with the finally arriving troops immediately, but also very cautiously.

Old Xing left behind new and more complex methods of communication and code words, but he instructed him that the advance detachment was new to the area and had not yet established a firm foothold. They were conducting strategic reconnaissance and initial mobilization in the vast mountainous region north of Xingtai, Shahe, and Cixian. They had to face not only the possible threat from the Japanese army, but also defeated soldiers, bandits, and local armed groups like the "Red Spear Society" that were deeply entrenched and had unclear attitudes. The task was extremely arduous and complex.

Tell him to "stabilize his base, wait for signals, and actively seek them out when necessary, but be sure to do so discreetly."

"Stabilize the base..." Wen Shizhou's gaze swept over the account books, and then seemed to pass through the wall, heading towards the direction of the flickering glow of the furnace fire on the back mountain.

Gouzi Village, the small mountain village where he lived for two months, the village protection team, the blacksmith shop, Chen Yuan... these are the "foundation" he needs to hold in his hands now, and also the most significant "gift" he can give to the organization.

In the following days, Wen Shizhou behaved as usual, even more so than before. He simply visited Third Master and Zhao Dachui more frequently and inquired more about the village protection team's training, sentry arrangements, and material reserves.

Through Uncle Han, he invited Chen Yuan to the village for a seemingly ordinary but actually profound conversation.

"Brother Chen," Wen Shizhou said solemnly, closing the door in a side room of the ancestral hall, "the situation outside the mountains is changing daily. Although the defeated soldiers have somewhat subsided, various forces are mixed together. Our little bit of wealth in Gouzi Village is probably becoming increasingly conspicuous. The 'Red Spear Society' is ultimately not on the same path. We need to have our own plans and a greater reliance."

Chen Yuan's heart skipped a beat. Looking at Wen Shizhou's burning gaze behind his glasses, he had a vague premonition of something.

"What does Mr. Wen mean?"

"I have some connections that might allow me to get in touch with the real, legitimate forces that fight the Japanese and protect the people." Wen Shizhou didn't say it too explicitly, but he emphasized the words "legitimate forces."

"If they come, should our Gouzi Village close its doors to protect ourselves, or open them to welcome them and face this national crisis together?"

Chen Yuan replied almost without hesitation: "Mr. Wen, if it's a team that truly fights the Japanese, is well-disciplined, and doesn't harm the people, I, Chen Yuan, have no objections. All these iron tools I've made are just waiting to be useful, aren't they? The villagers of Gouzi Village have been kind to me; if I can make the village more stable and give everyone a real way to make a living, I'm naturally willing."

Chen Yuan's words were also from the bottom of his heart.

He once saw a joke online that said if a modern person traveled through time and dropped a bomb on the Kuomintang, they would probably be sold out by them first.

This is the place to truly serve the people and fight the Japanese invaders.

"Okay!" Wen Shizhou nodded emphatically and gave Chen Yuan a deep look.

"Brother Chen is very understanding. In that case, please make preparations. Ironware, especially good ironware, will definitely be in high demand in the future. Your blacksmith shop... may need to be busier. In addition, Da Chui and I will also put more effort into understanding the mindset of the village's security team. We... await good news."

Chen Yuan nodded. He didn't know when the Eighth Route Army would arrive, but he figured it would be soon.

Once the Eighth Route Army arrived, he would no longer worry about the safety of the flint platform.

He was genuinely afraid that the platform would fall into the hands of the Japanese.

After hearing Mr. Wen's words, he felt that it was probably going to happen soon.

After this conversation, the two understood each other without saying a word.

When Chen Yuan returned to the mine, looking at the 16.8% energy reserve and the increasingly abundant material inventory on the "Flint" platform, a new and burning expectation mixed into the sense of urgency in his heart.

Are the real anti-Japanese forces coming?

Could it be that legendary army from history?

In this time and space, is his "flint" finally about to find its first, and perhaps most important, "mission interface"?

He was no longer satisfied with merely producing rough drafts of knives and spears.

He began using the platform to try designing blueprints for more complex, but also more "practical" things: quick-assembly and disassembly spearhead and wooden pole connectors, easy-to-carry folding shovels and pickaxes, simpler backpacks with more reasonable structures, and even... based on those few old rifles he had captured, he reverse-engineered parts drawings and thought about how to make limited repairs or manufacture replacement parts using the existing conditions.

Energy is precious, and he hasn't actually started making these yet, but the preparatory work must be done first.

At the same time, Wen Shizhou began his "active search".

He made up an excuse, saying he needed to go to more distant villages to inquire about new sales channels and better sources of iron ore, and left Gouzi Village with Han Shitou, who was extremely familiar with the mountain roads.

Using the information and code words left by Lao Xing, they carefully traversed the towering mountains and inquired around.

Along the way, they heard more chaotic yet exhilarating news.

A peddler said that “heavenly soldiers” had come from the mountains to the west. They wore gray cloth military uniforms, spoke kindly, paid for what they bought, and even helped the villagers carry water and chop firewood. They specialized in fighting defeated soldiers and bandits.

Some people who fled from villages closer to the main road described seeing a large group of soldiers dressed like but not quite the same as the Central Army passing by. They were disciplined, did not harm the people, and even painted large slogans on the walls.

Some people spread rumors in a mysterious way that they were soldiers of the Eighth Route Army, soldiers of the Communist Party, who came from Shanxi and were really fighting the Japanese!

These fragmented pieces of information fueled the fire in Wen Shizhou's heart to burn ever brighter.

He and Han Shitou searched all the way, trekking through mountains and rivers, and finally, on the fifth day after leaving Gouzi Village, they were stopped by two sentries outside a small, almost isolated mountain village deep in the mountains where Shahe and Xingtai meet.

"Hey buddy, where are you going?" The sentry was young, wearing an ill-fitting old gray military uniform and leggings, but his eyes were wary, and he held an old rifle with the muzzle pointing downwards. His attitude was not fierce.

Following the agreed-upon code, Wen Shizhou asked a seemingly ordinary question about directions.

The sentry's eyes flashed, and he whispered, "Wait here." He then turned and ran into the village.

A short while later, a cadre in his early thirties, with a thin but vigorous face, also dressed in a gray military uniform and with a Mauser pistol at his waist, strode out. His sharp gaze swept over Wen Shizhou and Han Shitou, lingering particularly on Wen Shizhou's face for a moment.

"You are... from Gouzi Village?" the cadre asked, his voice steady.

"Yes, I am Wen Shizhou, and this is Han Shitou from Gouzi Village. We have been entrusted by the villagers to find a genuine team to resist the Japanese and protect the people." Wen Shizhou stepped forward, suppressing his excitement, and said as calmly as possible.

The cadre gave a faint smile and shook hands firmly with Wen Shizhou: "Comrade Wen, you've worked hard! I'm Zhang Xianyue, from the advance detachment of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army. This isn't the place to talk, let's go into the village."

Zhang Xianyue! He really is the leader of the advance team! Wen Shizhou felt a surge of excitement rush to his head, and the fatigue from the past few days of travel was swept away.

Although Han Shitou didn't quite understand how high-ranking an official was, judging from the imposing manner and Mr. Wen's expression, he knew he had found the real deal, and he nervously and excitedly rubbed his hands together.

They were led to a simple farmhouse in the village.

Zhang Xianyue was very direct, without much small talk, and immediately inquired about the situation in Gouzi Village and its surrounding area.

Suppressing his excitement, Wen Shizhou gave a detailed report on the location of Gouzi Village, its population, the size and equipment of the village protection team, its delicate relationship with the "Red Spear Society," the situation of the surrounding defeated soldiers and bandits, and most importantly—Chen Yuan and his blacksmith shop.

"...This Chen Yuan, whose origins are unknown, is extremely skilled and of good character. His blacksmith shop has a large output and high quality; it can not only forge excellent swords and spears, but also exchange them for scarce resources such as grain, salt, copper, and iron. I believe that this man and this place are an important base that our party and our army can rely on in this region, and that we must strive to win over!" Wen Shizhou concluded firmly.

Zhang Xianyue listened very attentively, and his eyes lit up noticeably when he heard about the blacksmith shop's output and its ability to exchange goods.

He stood up and paced around the cramped mud house.

"Comrade Wen Shizhou, the information you provided is very important and valuable!" Zhang Xianyue turned around, his eyes burning. "To be honest, our detachment only arrived from Shanxi on November 6th. Our mission is very heavy. The instructions from our superiors are to conduct strategic reconnaissance, to widely mobilize the masses, and to ascertain the situation of the enemy, allies, ourselves, and the stubborn resistance forces in this vast mountainous area north of Xingtai, Shahe, and Cixian. In particular, we must eliminate those defeated soldiers and bandits who are harming the people, so as to create conditions for the main force to enter and establish an anti-Japanese base area."

He walked to the simple military map and pointed to the names with his finger: "Look, this area is extremely complicated. The Japanese have occupied the county town and transportation lines, the Kuomintang retreating soldiers are like headless flies, and various secret societies and armed groups, such as the 'Red Spear Society' you mentioned, are also seizing territory and recruiting members. We don't have many people, so we need to comb through this area like a comb, to unite the forces that are truly willing to resist the Japanese, and to remove the poisonous thorns that are harming the people. It won't be easy!"

He sighed, but his tone quickly hardened: "It's truly remarkable that your Gouzi Village was able to spontaneously organize itself, repel the fleeing soldiers, and maintain such a promising production point! This is a testament to the roots you've taken in the masses! Comrade Wen, don't reveal your identity for now, return to Gouzi Village immediately. Your task is to hold this point, to consolidate it. The village protection team must be well-trained, the blacksmith shop must be well-maintained, and you must continue to feign compliance with the 'Red Spear Society,' avoiding direct confrontation. We will send capable cadres to the Gouzi Village area as soon as possible to connect your point with the surrounding villages, and then expand it into a network!"

"Furthermore," Zhang Xianyue said, looking at Wen Shizhou with a more serious tone, "that Chen Yuan and his blacksmith shop are of paramount importance. You must continue to observe them and try your best to win them over, but don't be rash or arouse their suspicion or resentment. If he is truly committed to resisting the Japanese and possesses such skills, then he is exactly the kind of talent we desperately need! Tell him that our Eighth Route Army is led by the Communist Party, dedicated to fighting the Japanese, and wholeheartedly serving the people. We lack guns and cannons, but we lack skilled craftsmen like him even more! Reassure him that as long as he is genuinely committed to resisting the Japanese, we will be his strongest support!"

"Yes! I understand!" Wen Shizhou straightened his chest, feeling as if he had returned to the organization's ranks, his whole body filled with power.

"Be extra careful on your way back," Zhang Xianyue instructed. "This area is still not safe. We will arrange for comrades to move in your direction as soon as possible. I will have someone double-check the code words and contact information with you."

It was already evening when we left that secluded little mountain village.

Wen Shizhou and Han Shitou, carrying the few pieces of dry food that Zhang Xianyue had given them as "travel expenses," embarked on their journey home.

The mountain wind was biting, but Wen Shizhou's heart was burning like a flame, and he walked with the speed of the wind.

Although Han Shitou didn't quite understand many of the words, he could feel Mr. Wen's heartfelt joy and determination. He knew that the team they had found was probably the real force that could change the fate of Gouzi Village and even this mountain area.

"Mr. Wen, have we... really found a backer?" Han Shitou couldn't help but ask.

"Found it, the stone." Wen Shizhou gazed at the majestic Taihang Mountains in the twilight, his voice clear and powerful.

"It's not just about having a mountain to lean on, it's about finding a backbone, finding the real strength that can unite our hundreds of villages into one and drive the Japanese out! Go back and tell Third Uncle, tell your father, tell Da Chui, tell Brother Chen Yuan, our good days, the days when we Chinese people can stand tall, are about to begin in these Taihang Mountains!"

His words dissipated in the mountain wind, yet seemed to carry a tremendous weight, landing on this land that was about to be completely ignited by war and bloodshed.