A Prophet - Chapter 14 (Part 10)

Chapter 10 - Repaying the Country with One's Life 

When a new official takes office, he initiates three fires. The very first thing Grandpa Zu did was to unite the various "sectarian doors" to construct the "Sino-Japanese Friendly Yijing Exchange Institute." This was Grandpa Zu's second strategic move: he intended to hollow out the life-saving funds of all the sectarian doors!

Upon hearing this, the various sectarian doors were furious. It was bad enough that they had to pay tribute to the Japanese every month, but now they were expected to fund the construction of some academy. They successively dispatched letters of protest to the Japanese military command, yet this proposal received the enthusiastic support of the Japanese military and secret service agencies!

Ultimately, the site chosen for this academy was a 20-square-kilometer wetland located in the Zhoushan Archipelago. This was a geomantic treasure spot jointly recommended by Grandpa Zu and Pei Jinglong.

That wetland possessed picturesque scenery, with an endless expanse covered by thick grass meadows. Four small rivers wound their way through the center, their water veins intersecting to form patches of mudflats where flocks of waterfowl and wild birds flew back and forth. Under normal conditions, eighty percent of this wetland was exposed, though it could shrink to sixty percent during high tide.

The Japanese supported Grandpa Zu's decision, but in truth, they harbored their own calculations. On the surface, this "Sino-Japanese Friendly Yijing Exchange Institute" was an academic exchange venue for Sino-Japanese friendship, but in reality, it was a core spy organization used by Japan to manipulate China's sectarian doors.

Following the September 18th Incident in 1931, Japan successively occupied the Three Northeast Provinces and promptly extended its claws toward the Zhoushan Archipelago, known as the gateway to East China. After the "January 28" Incident in 1932, they dispatched a large number of warships to conduct landing operations and military exercises around the Zhoushan Archipelago. The single battle of Songhu had allowed the Japanese to secure a foothold in Shanghai, transforming it into a vital base for their invasion of China.

Establishing the core agency that manipulated China's sectarian doors in Zhoushan was also the result of deliberate consideration by the Japanese. By setting up a spy organization there, longitudinally they could link the Northeast, Shandong, Anhui, and Fujian; latitudinously they could reach straight to Henan, the Two Hubei provinces, and Shanxi; and as a fallback, they could detour by sea straight back to the Japanese home islands. The lifeline of all sectarian doors across China was tied directly to the Japanese! To achieve their total conquest of China, the Japanese truly prepared exhaustively.

Promptly, the Japanese gathered laborers, and construction on the "Sino-Japanese Friendly Yijing Exchange Institute" broke ground in the Zhoushan Archipelago.

Time flew swiftly, the cold and heat alternated, and autumn departed as winter arrived.

On November 1, 1935, the Sixth Plenary Session of the Fourth Central Executive Committee of the Kuomintang convened. During the assembly, a shocking Sino-foreign incident occurred: Kuomintang elder statesman Wang Jingwei was assassinated at the venue. The assassin was Sun Fengming, a reporter for the Morning Light News Agency and a patriotic righteous soul. Wang Jingwei was struck by three consecutive bullets; the second bullet, which penetrated between the sixth and seventh ribs, was the fatal wound. Although he did not die on the spot, he was in critical condition. Though he survived via emergency medical treatment, his gunshot wounds relapsed in 1944, and he died in Nagoya, Japan.

The mastermind behind this assassination operation was Wang Qiaolao. Originally, the primary target of this assassination was Chiang Kai-shek. Who could have anticipated that on the day of the operation, seeing the intense disorder within the venue, Chiang Kai-shek repeatedly refused to come downstairs, leading Sun Fengming to redirect his muzzle toward Wang Jingwei.

The news appeared in the newspapers, sending shockwaves across the entire nation. Grandpa Zu broke out in a cold sweat on the spot, unable to help himself from recalling Wang Qiaolao's handwritten letter from not long ago: "...This brother, overestimating his own capabilities, desires to carry out another great deed in Nanjing, decapitating the heads of the three traitors to swear an oath to wash away the national humiliation and manifest the righteousness of public justice clearly across the Middle Kingdom!" This Ninth Brother was truly daring enough; whatever he wanted to do, there was nothing he could not accomplish. Yet once this incident broke out, Ninth Brother's situation would inevitably become even more perilous, and the Kuomintang would undoubtedly spare no cost to eliminate Ninth Brother. Thinking of this, Grandpa Zu broke out in a cold sweat all over. Should Ninth Brother meet with misfortune, there would no longer be anyone in the Jianghu underworld backing him up.

In truth, ever since joining the Japanese religious organization, Grandpa Zu had virtually ceased contact with Wang Qiaolao. Passing messages occasionally through Zeng Jingwu was done with extreme caution, as he feared the Japanese would follow the vine to unearth the melon and avenge Wang Qiaolao's assassination of Yoshinori Shirakawa. However, after a period of observation and probing, he discovered that the Japanese did not seem in any rush to make a move. It was not until the assassination of Wang Jingwei occurred that Yoshiko Nishida revealed the truth: we long ago tracked down Wang Qiaolao's whereabouts, but rather than directly moving to assassinate Wang Qiaolao, it is better to wait until he kills Chiang Kai-shek, whereupon the Kuomintang will inevitably launch a frantic counterattack. We need only sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, delivering the supplementary shot at the crucial moment!

"When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman reaps the profit—Grandpa Zu cannot possibly be ignorant of this logic, right? Who could have expected Chiang Kai-shek to possess such great fate, escaping a calamity," Yoshiko Nishida said. "The good show is about to begin. Grandpa Zu must not forget his own mission!"

Promptly, on November 24, under Japanese manipulation, the major northern traitor Yin Rugeng launched the "Jiandong Incident," issuing a declaration in Tongxian to sever ties with the Nanjing Nationalist Government. On the 25th, he further established the "Jiandong Anti-Communist Autonomous Committee," declaring twelve counties in eastern Hebei free from the Nationalist Government's control.

During the independence process of the twelve counties of eastern Hebei, the momentum-building efforts of the Beiping "Tiansheng Cult" branch were indispensable. They continuously propagated slogans such as "Great calamities afflict heaven and earth, the last age has reached its head, blessings come from the eastern direction, and a full heart rescues all living beings," gradually infiltrating the philosophy of "Sino-Japanese friendship." Relying further on the paper-piercing techniques provided by the Japanese religious institution, they played the ghost and deceived the common folk. After the independence of the twelve counties, the common people truly believed that good days had arrived.

Simultaneously, Japanese spy leaders scurried about Baoding, Taiyuan, Jinan, and other places, attempting to utilize Song Zheyuan in the Hebei-Chahar-Peiping region, Yan Xishan in Shanxi, Han Fuju in Shandong, and Shang Zhen in Hebei to realize the "Autonomy of the Five Northern Provinces"!

amidst a clamor of noise, China survived the perilous and life-or-death year of 1935.

On New Year's Eve, Grandpa Zu once again plunged into deep contemplation.

The Japanese side incessantly urged the various sectarian doors to build up massive momentum, propagating the philosophies of "Sino-Japanese friendship" and "same ancestry and same clan," while repeatedly manufacturing immortal grand spectacles in North China, Jiaodong, and Jianghuai to hoodwink the common people thoroughly. The leaders of the various sectarian doors acknowledged thieves as their fathers, completely discarding the moral baseline of Chinese people. Grandpa Zu felt that matters were growing increasingly urgent!

Grandpa Zu began relentlessly urging the construction progress of the "Sino-Japanese Friendly Yijing Exchange Institute."

The "Sino-Japanese Friendly Yijing Exchange Institute" was a building complex constructed according to the layout of Zhuge Liang's "Eight-Gate Array."

The entire building complex faced south with its back to the north, consisting of a total of nine small buildings. Among them, a main hall was situated in the center, flanked by sub-halls at the front, back, left, and right, with four auxiliary halls stationed at the four corners. This structure precisely matched the Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces diagram. Twenty-four large trees were transplanted into the Kan position, symbolizing the twenty-four roaming cavalry arrays. Four small rivers wove through the architectural complex, creating a state of flowing geomantic energy that channeled the breath of the Eight Gates—the Rest Gate, Life Gate, Injury Gate, Delusion Gate, View Gate, Death Gate, Startle Gate, and Open Gate. The halls were connected to one another by fully enclosed corridors, with stone gates blocking the connecting points. Anyone entering the complex had to enter through the Life Gate, circulate in accordance with the breath of the Eight Trigrams, and finally exit through the Rest Gate to emerge safely. Otherwise, once they mistakenly entered the Death Gate and triggered the stone gate mechanism, the stone gates would automatically seal shut, and whoever entered was bound to be trapped to death within. There was a clever trick to this: when lost, one must never remain indoors; one simply needed to walk out, walk along the direction of the water flow, follow the breath downstream, and one could rediscover the Life Gate, subsequently escaping through the Rest Gate.

This design originated entirely from the hands of Pei Jinglong and Grandpa Zu, winning high praise from the Japanese side. The Japanese anticipated that once the "Sino-Japanese Friendly Yijing Exchange Institute" was completed, Japanese military spies and religious sorcerers would gather there, inevitably attracting Chinese assassins to carry out assassinations. What if a swarm of desperate men were drawn in—would the Japanese numerology talents be wiped out in one fell swoop?

Upon hearing Grandpa Zu and Pei Jinglong's explanation of the Eight Trigrams Array, the Japanese military finally set their minds at ease, though they still dared not lower their guard, with Japanese warships patrolling day and night among the Zhoushan Archipelago to guard against unforeseen events.

Under Grandpa Zu's repeated urging and personal supervision of the construction, on May 6, 1936, the "Sino-Japanese Friendly Yijing Exchange Institute" was successfully completed. Japanese spy leader Yoshio Kodama personally arrived at the scene to cut the ribbon, and Sino-Japanese numerology masters all attended to celebrate. In view of the outstanding contributions of Grandpa Zu and Pei Jinglong, the Japanese specifically prepared two rooms for the two masters in the southern hall, providing them a place to reside long-term, delve into numerology, and better serve the Imperial Army.

At this moment, uproar filled the interior of "Wood-Child Lotus." Paper cannot wrap up fire; the fact that Grandpa Zu had become the "Grand Master of Chinese Yijing" was ultimately discovered by all the brothers.

That the ordinary members discussed it endlessly went without saying, but even the dam leaders began to generate division. The Third Dam Leader and Fifth Dam Leader resolutely supported him, the First Dam Leader and Second Dam Leader resolutely opposed him, while Fourth Dam Leader Zhang Zizhan remained on the fence. This Grandpa Zu of unyielding integrity, this fourteenth generation head of "Wood-Child Lotus," this fiercely righteous Jianghuai master—how could he have become a traitor?

At night, Zhang Zizhan frantically interrogated Huang Farong: "What on earth have you and Grandpa Zu been doing these past few months? My father was killed by the Japanese, and my eldest brother was also killed by the Japanese—what on earth are you people doing?"

Huang Farong calmly replied: "We must trust Grandpa Zu!"

Zhang Zizhan flew into a rage: "I told you to tell me!"

Huang Farong stated composedly: "You know the rules of the faction. Matters you ought to know, Grandpa Zu will naturally announce; matters you ought not know, no one dares speak a single extra word!"

Zhang Zizhan froze: "Are we husband and wife or not?"

Huang Farong smiled: "How could we not be?"

Zhang Zizhan shouted irritably: "Get lost! Get lost!"

Huang Farong looked at him silently, uttering no further sound.

On the night of August 15, Grandpa Zu suddenly summoned the dam leaders for a meeting.

Strangely enough, this meeting was not held in the faction hall; instead, Grandpa Zu led everyone to the ancestral hall enshrining the founding fathers and patriarchs of the "Jiang Xiang Faction."

Grandpa Zu lit three sticks of incense, respectfully inserted them into the censer, and then without speaking, simply gazed silently upward at the commemorative tablets and portraits of the ancestors.

The room was dead silent. The dam leaders also raised their heads, carefully studying the lineage roster:

First Generation Ancestor: Fang Zhaoyu, Lady Xu, Lady Zeng

Second Generation Ancestor: Tang Yonghe, Fang Dachong, Lin Kaishi, Yuchi Lin

Third Generation Ancestor: Xiao Wenyuan, Zhou Yunkai, Jiang Acai, Zhao Siniang

...

As they watched, Grandpa Zu's eyes moistened, and the eyes of the dam leaders moistened as well. The portraits of the ancestors flickered amidst the lamplight and candles. Those stories of wind and clouds seemed as though they were right before their eyes—overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming, assassinating Emperor Yongzheng, robbing the rich to aid the poor, upholding justice on behalf of heaven, roaming the north and south, pacifying the Jianghu. Scroll after magnificent and heroic scroll drifted back and forth through the corridors of memory. Stars shifted and epochs transformed; the "Jiang Xiang Faction" had traversed nearly three hundred years of history, and now...

Suddenly, Grandpa Zu swept his long robe and dropped to his knees, and the various dam leaders dropped to their knees in succession.

"Tonight we form an alliance to unite all under heaven!" Grandpa Zu chanted in a loud voice.

"Tonight we form an alliance to unite all under heaven!" the dam leaders involuntarily echoed.

"Recruiting across the four seas, all bear the surname Hong!" Grandpa Zu shouted loudly.

"Recruiting across the four seas, all bear the surname Hong!"

"Drawing blood with golden needles to swear a mutual oath!"

"Drawing blood with golden needles to swear a mutual oath!"

"Brothers of one heart must be united!"

"Brothers of one heart must be united!"

The resounding voices reverberated through the night sky alongside passionate fervor, displaying chivalrous daring and loyalty to the utmost!

Afterward, Grandpa Zu rose, turned around, faced the various dam leaders, and said: "Brothers! The time for the 'Jiang Xiang Faction' to repay the country with our lives has arrived!"

The dam leaders all widened their eyes, staring blankly at Grandpa Zu. Grandpa Zu did things for a purpose; the dam leaders knew Grandpa Zu was about to speak the truth.

"I came from the mortal world to act as a physiognomist; everything in the mortal world is past. Lightning strikes and fires burn, yet the wind cannot be swept away; life and death reside within the physiognomy gates! Living, I am a man of the 'Jiang Xiang Faction'; dying, I am a ghost of the 'Jiang Xiang Faction'! Tomorrow at the third quarter of the Xu hour, I shall perish together with the Japanese devils! Those willing to follow me shall go together; those unwilling to go shall remain right here. Once tomorrow's major undertaking is settled, you shall divide the assets amongst yourselves and go your separate ways!"

"Men!" Grandpa Zu shouted commandingly.

Six sturdy ABao entered from outside the door, stripped to the waist and brandishing gleaming broadswords. Grandpa Zu said: "It is not that I do not trust you brothers, but this matter is of paramount importance. Before action is taken, not a single whisper can be leaked! Brothers who are unwilling to go must not take a single step outside before the third quarter of the Xu hour tomorrow!"

The dam leaders looked at one another, still not entirely understanding. The Second Dam Leader could no longer hold back and finally asked: "Grandpa Zu, we have all been kept in the dark. Please give us your clear instructions—we swear to follow Grandpa Zu to the death!"

Grandpa Zu nodded and laid out his operational plan step by step.

Only then did the dam leaders comprehend Grandpa Zu's painstaking efforts. To await this moment, Grandpa Zu had willingly endured humiliation; for this moment, Grandpa Zu had willingly deceived his brothers; for this moment, he had willingly shouldered the infamous stigma of being the "number one traitor in the Yijing community"!

After listening, the dam leaders felt their blood surge with heat. This was the Grandpa Zu worthy of being followed for a lifetime!

"Where there is a will, things are accomplished; breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats, the hundred and two Qin passes ultimately belong to Chu! To the painstaking heart, heaven is not ungrateful; tasting gall and sleeping on firewood, three thousand Yue armor can swallow Wu!" shouted the Third Dam Leader.

"Grandpa Zu, we swear to follow you to the death!" the dam leaders chanted in unison.

Grandpa Zu looked at his brothers, his eyes growing moist, and cried out: "Bring the wine!"

A few ordinary members carried up a jar of top-quality Daughter's Red wine, pouring seven or eight bowls in one breath.

Grandpa Zu produced a golden needle, pricked his own middle finger, and as fresh blood welled up, dripped it into the bowls. The dam leaders each took needles, pierced their fingers, and dripped their own fresh blood into the bowls.

Grandpa Zu raised his wine bowl, faced the ancestral tablets, and said in a loud voice: "Not seeking to be born on the same year, month, and day, but seeking to die on the same year, month, and day!"

With hot tears streaming down their faces, the dam leaders chanted along: "Not seeking to be born on the same year, month, and day, but seeking to die on the same year, month, and day!"

Having spoken, everyone tossed back their heads, swallowed the wine in one gulp, and then raised their bowls high and smashed them onto the ground, shattering them to pieces.