Chapter 14 Mystification of the Red Gun Society (1)
The Red Gun Society is a rural self-defense organization centered on invulnerability.
Its main opponents are bandits with firearms, various armies and militias.
Most of the members of the Red Gun Association are farmers. Except for some who can buy weapons such as fast guns and rifles, most of them are poor farmers who cannot afford to buy new weapons to achieve their own safety.They mostly use red-tasseled guns, big knives, small knives, etc., and even use bamboo knives and agricultural tools to fight against well-equipped troops. Therefore, they need spiritual support, so they traditionally look for the most suitable weapons for themselves, which is extremely mysterious. Chemical invulnerability.
Invulnerability to swords and guns is a traditional idea that evolved from the combination of witchcraft such as jumping gods, possession, spells, talismans, martial arts, and folk religion around the 18th century. It is widely spread in rural China.Although, the incantations, talismans, and spirit possession used in the practice of invulnerability rituals all appeared in the early White Lotus Sect and some Tiandihui in the south.At that time, most of them were used to avoid disasters, cure diseases, avert disasters, avoid weapons, and avoid insults.This is quite different from the usage of the Red Gun Society. The purpose of the Red Gun Society's spells is to borrow the idea of invulnerability to resist bandits and various hostile armed forces.
It is still unclear when the Red Spear Society's set of invulnerable spells came into being. In 1776, boxers in a mountain village near Ningbo, Zhejiang believed that they were protected by gods, and their leader claimed that the gods were possessed, which had some characteristics of invulnerability.Until 1826, in the patriarch associations of several villages in Baoding Prefecture, Zhili, there was a ceremony similar to the practice of martial arts (platooning swords) of the Red Spear Association. Moreover, a member who was arrested by the authorities also said that his grandfather was in During the Kangxi period, he learned these rituals.But these rituals are not widely spread and have not received enough attention.By the end of the 19th century, invulnerability was becoming more and more important for common people fighting to the death against well-armed armies or bandits armed with firearms.The myth of invulnerability to guns and guns spread throughout the vast rural areas in the east, west, north, and south through the Boxer Movement. In this way, the conditions for the common people to easily accept the invulnerability magic of the Red Spear Society have been formed.By the early Republic of China, the magic of invulnerability was generally favored by farmers and widely accepted.
The red gun is an invulnerable spell, which can only be effective under the protection of an extremely mysterious environment.Whether inside or outside the meeting, people must meet certain conditions in order to achieve the desired effect.For example, during a war, spells can strengthen the courage and encourage the people in the meeting to fight, on the contrary, it can weaken the confidence of victory and collapse for the enemy.Therefore, in each link of the Red Gun Club, there are strong mysteries and techniques that are not easy to be seen through - the means and process.The method used to demystify the Red Gun Society is mainly manifested in the following aspects.
1. Mystification methods In order to mystify the Red Gun Society, they used various methods.Its main means are religious activities, mystification of people, the use of taboos, spells, talismans, and exercises.But these are not created by the Red Gun Society, they are methods left over from ancient times and widely circulated in rural areas.That is to say, the common people have always been in awe and awe of them, and they have had a profound impact on the psychology of the common people.Especially in times of chaos, when the people are in dire straits, the people rely on them to get out of their plight.
(1) Religious activities In the history of China, peasants used the name of religion to organize many things against the oppressors. Although the targets are different, religion has become the best tool to unite peasants.There are many gods tablets in a red gun altar, which means that a red gun believes in multiple gods.It is hard to say how many gods the Red Gun Society believes in, because different regions and factions of the Red Gun Society believe in different gods, and there are also many gods believed in in a Red Gun Society altar.Among the broad masses of the people, they worship whatever gods have prestige among the people, and even worship some named warriors in novels.However, the gods that the Red Spear Club likes to worship are Taoism, Buddhism and Guandi.Because they are widely believed and prestige among farmers in rural China.Moreover, Guandi has the value of representing the god of war and has become a popular general. He not only has the effect of spreading the Red Spear Society, but also has combat effectiveness because of his superb martial arts. It is natural for the people to worship him as a god.
(2) The mystification of mages or leaders. Mages are not only the givers of spells in a Red Spear Society organization, but also the defenders of spells. Therefore, the level of spells of most mages depends on the future of the organization's development.In order to make the mage mystified, the mage is generally acted by outsiders.Because these mages are also ordinary people, and they don't have the ability of gods. Only when they go to other places can they deceive those who don't understand their roots.If the locals want to act as mages, most of them have to go through a special process before they can act as mages or leaders.For example, the leader of the Red Spear Club, nicknamed Crazy Zhang in Luyi County, was blackmailed several times by soldiers and bandits when he opened a dried fruit shop, and the government blackmailed him. By 1925, the business had been completely wiped out.
Annoyed, he abandoned his business and hid in Kuixing, where people rarely go, to sleep for three days and nights. Afterwards, he suddenly lost his mind and yelled in the street, claiming to be the patriarch descending from heaven Do justice for the sky.Then, he became the leader of the Red Spear Society. From 1927 to 1931, he became the leader of the Red Spear Society with tens of thousands of congregations in more than a dozen counties in eastern Henan and northern Anhui. He was a prominent figure in this area.Another example is Han Yuming, the leader of the Tianmen Society.After Han Yuming became the leader of the Tianmen Society, in order to stabilize his leadership position and make people believe that his leadership position is given by the gods, it is justified and unshakable, he created a myth that Han Yuming met in a dream. The god told him that a jade seal was given to him in a certain big stone on the mountain. The next day Han Yuming went to the mountain and split the big stone, and he got a big jade seal. Archmage..."
Han Yuming told everyone that this was a gift from God, who asked him to act on behalf of the sky and protect all living beings.After that, he became the leader of the Tianmen Society with more than 400,000 members in 26 counties.Things like this are fairly common, but the plot is different.In addition to the above, there are many legends about the teacher, that is, the mage can call the wind and call the rain, cast beans into soldiers and so on.This kind of legend was passed on to ten, ten to hundreds, and false rumors were passed on, turning the mage into a magical figure.
(3) Taboo There are many taboos in the red gun.Because it is directly related to spirit possession and invulnerability, the members of the Red Spear Society strictly abide by these taboos according to the requirements of the mage, otherwise they will not be able to protect themselves.Its main taboos are: First, it is a taboo on diet.The Red Spear Club has strict requirements on eating, that is, it does not follow the three dislikes: the three dislikes of the sky - geese, quail, and dove; the three dislikes of the earth - dogs, horses, and cattle; Or the three disgusts of heaven - geese, pigeons, and doves; the three disgusts of earth - dogs, horses, and monkeys; the three disgusts of water - scaleless fish, turtles, and loach.There are differences in each place and each, but the same.Members must fast and bathe before going to the venue to make their bodies clean.Fasting means that you can’t eat meat and onion and garlic three days before going to the venue (onions, leeks, peppers, coriander, and garlic, that is, five meats).During the seven days and nights during which the altar is laid, all believers must be vegetarians.After the seven days, the first and fifteenth day of each month will be vegetarian, and meat from high-legged animals (muscles, horses, cows, donkeys, etc.) is not allowed to be eaten in normal times.
The second is the taboo related to confidentiality.All red guns will have the rule of "do not pass the law to the six ears".In order to cover up the superstition, it is required that all the Buddhist names and mantras taught by the members must be "only for wives and daughters, but not for father and son".That is to say, when the teacher teaches mantras to the disciples individually, two people are not allowed to listen together, and even chickens, dogs and sheep with ears are not allowed to be around, and offenders are severely punished.In particular, the "Old Man-True Words" and "If you don't pass it up to your parents, don't pass it down to your wife" are extremely mysterious and important.Only word of mouth is allowed, no writing is allowed.If it is written, it is leaking secrets, and the crime should be death, so the pronunciation of the transmitted characters is ambiguous and difficult to distinguish.
The third is taboos related to women.The red gun will be combined in a religious form, and there are many rules and regulations related to women.Outsiders, especially women, are generally not allowed to enter the house dedicated to the gods of the Red Gun Society.Those who have just joined the club are not allowed to sleep with their wives in the first week, and they are not allowed to have contact with women, even if they are their biological mothers, they are not allowed to speak.Otherwise, it will be regarded as insincere and unclean, so the spell will not work.From then on, every first and fifteenth day of the lunar new year, members must have separate rooms for men and women.It is strictly forbidden for minors and women to approach or peep at the practice site, especially for pregnant women.On the eve of the iron plate congregation going out to fight, husband and wife are not allowed to have sex.Even before going out to fight, one hundred days after being separated from his wife, he can swallow the amulet and go to battle.
Fourth, there are taboos related to daily life.To participate in the Red Gun Club, you must follow the rules and obey the precepts: "Don't face east in the morning, don't face south at noon, don't face west at night, and never face north."
Because the gates of all nunneries and temples and the Bodhisattvas inside face south.If you defecate and defecate in the face of the sun bodhisattva and the bodhisattvas in temples and temples, and offend the bodhisattva, you will break the law of "invulnerability".Avoid the three lights (sun, moon, and lamps) when defecating, do not face the "three lights" (sun, moon, and stars (lamps) to relieve your hands, and avoid five sets (grinding, milling, wells, stoves, and platforms).
Fifth, there are taboos related to war.When fighting bandits, you are not allowed to carry copper coins or silver dollars on your body, you are not allowed to pick up things when you encounter them, and you are not allowed to sleep with women.There are also altars or when fighting, it is not allowed to smile and say unlucky words, and it is not allowed to take anything other than weapons in battle, otherwise the curse will not work.When the Red Spear Club is marching, the tip of the gun must not be pointed at the sun.
When fighting, because you can't get wet or wading in the water, the date of march must be sunny, and the road ahead must be a dry road that has been selected in advance.Because the spell can be broken with dirty cloth or dog blood used by pregnant women and parturients, pregnant women and dog blood are the most taboo in battle.Women are not allowed to touch the swords and spears used.
(4) Spells Spells are witchcraft languages used by wizards and other spellcasters to expel ghosts and evil spirits and eliminate various hazards.After the emergence of full-time wizards, wizards often practice witchcraft as psychics. They issue orders on behalf of the gods, and through the orders, the supernatural power bestowed by the gods is applied to the object, thus making the spell a more powerful means of witchcraft. .
There are several aspects to the spell of the Red Guns.One is the spells used to block the power of the opponent's weapons, that is, the gun-stopping spell, the gun-sealing spell, the cannon-blocking spell, and the bullet-avoiding spell.The second is the spells used for body protection, that is, body protection spells, invulnerability spells, etc.The third is the mantras used to treat injuries, namely the hemostatic mantra, the healing mantra, the pimple-reducing mantra, and the wound-healing mantra.The fourth is the incantations used in martial arts training and combat, that is, the cannon-discharging mantra and the lamp-swallowing mantra.The fifth is the mantras to be chanted when going to battle, that is, the mantras before the battle, the methods of combat, etc.In addition to the above, there are also mantras such as the Bean Soldiers Mantra and the Peeing Mantra.Most of these spells are guarding, because if the spells of the Red Spear Society are offensive, the spells of the Red Spear Society are easy to shatter.
(5) Talismans Talismans and mantras are closely related from the very beginning.All talismans are nothing more than written forms of curses, and a talisman is a spell or a spell.However, there are different ways of how the talisman expresses the incantation. Some directly record the incantation in words, while others indirectly express the content of the curse and the concept of witchcraft through symbols.
The talismans of the Red Spear Society include three-way talismans, amulets and life-saving talismans.There are several ways to use the talisman, one is to stick it on the wall, and the other is to swallow the talisman or drink the water from the talisman.The so-called Fushui (Shenshui, Fashui) is to cremate the Talisman in an iron furnace first, and then put the paper ashes into the boiling water tank that has been burned with Yangjinhua. This is Fushui.The mages said that if you drink the water with the magic talisman, it will become steel and iron bones, invulnerable to guns and knives.Drinking talisman water has three purposes, one is to fight.Members of the Red Gun, every time before fighting the bandits, they "serve the soup" and drank the guns and knives.The second is to "play the method" and "Pai Dao" after each drinking a sip of talisman water, and then the missionaries "play the method" and "Pai Dao" take off their shirts, and chop countless times with the gun knife on their stomachs, resulting in no flesh and blood. hurt.The crowd of onlookers believed in God and widely praised it, and more and more people wished to be god soldiers.The third is to treat people. "Shenshui" can cure all diseases and prolong life; drinking "shenshui" is invulnerable.Some sick people got better after drinking the divine water.As soon as the news spread, people around and far away came to ask him to draw "Shenshui" to cure diseases.
There is an endless stream of people seeking "Shenshui", more and more every day.
(6) Practicing members usually practice martial arts.The main content of martial arts is the five field of kung fu, that is, the field of swords, the field of guns, the field of guns, the field of fire, and the field of water.Where they practice martial arts, it is strictly forbidden for minors and women to approach or peep, especially pregnant women are strictly forbidden to peep.During the seven days and nights of paving the altar, married people are strictly forbidden to have the same room and bed with their wives, and all believers must be vegetarians.After the seven days, the first and fifteenth day of each month will be vegetarian, and meat from high-legged livestock is not allowed in normal times.
Members of the Red Spear Society don't spend much time practicing real swords and guns, but spend a lot of time and money burning incense and praying to gods and reciting mantras.Some missionaries, in order to show their superb spells and deceive their members into believing the myth of invulnerability, conducted experiments of arranging knives, guns, and cannons. The purpose was to use the myth of invulnerability to expand the organization and recruit more disciples. Warns the other party and boosts members' confidence in invulnerability.In order to compete for the masses, there were also competitions between various red gun associations.The experiments of arranging knives, guns, and cannons are generally held in crowded places, with hundreds or thousands of onlookers on the field.
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