Introduction to Mount Wu
This story draws on historical records of the 1930 Duxiang Red Tenth Army revolution. Set against frozen Poyang Lake and the Red Army base at Shibujian in Wangxiaoyuan, Mount Wu, it adopts the restrained, somber style of the spy drama The Brink to tell how local revolutionaries stayed behind in the four counties of Duhu, Poyang, and Peng after the main force withdrew to northeastern Jiangxi, continuing the struggle behind enemy lines. Liu Jiansan, commander-in-chief of the base, is stationed at Mount Wu to coordinate recruitment across the region. Zhan Jinkun, from the old Zhan family house in Fangjiabian, Shuangfeng Township, Second District, becomes the chief communications officer for the four counties, using the tailoring skills he learned in his youth to build an underground intelligence network around the lake. He works with Liu Longsi, commander of the cave garrison, and Shao Yongnian, in charge of the ancient fortress defenses, to hold the line, while Lin Wantang, a military doctor, devotes herself to treating the many frostbite casualties. Fearing the base’s continued growth, Nationalist regimental commander Lu Binkun blockades every waterway and land route. He also bribes Wang Erzhu, a porter from Datian Mountain in Huangjin Township, to infiltrate the stronghold and steal its defense plans. Forced to go undercover in the enemy camp, deputy sentry chief Zhou Xian has close relatives held hostage and can only risk passing intelligence through secret codes sewn into his work. The people living around the lake are divided in their convictions: some give everything they own to support the Red Army, while others, lured by reward money, become informants. Interweaving conflicts among comrades, bonds between clans, and revolutionary faith, the novel uses a succession of traps and psychological battles to bring to life the arduous years when the people of Duchang fought alongside the Red Tenth Army.
