The army, police and court of the state are instruments for classes to oppress classes. To the hostile classes, those instruments are instruments of oppression. They are violent not benevolent things. The key difference between their Taiwanese adaptation and the original Chinese version of this ancient mutual responsibility and local control system was its linkage with a modern, professional police system.
Severe restrictions were imposed upon the population, which had to undergo a census and maintain a wooden tablet on residential and commercial doors with the names of all inhabitants. Anyone missing during spot checks was presumed by Japanese troops to be a guerrilla. When the system was transferred to South China, however, the occupation authorities did not have enough soldiers to police the rural areas; and consequently had to rely upon local hoko leaders who were in effect collaborators to participate in local administration and establish self-defense corps.
The model peace zone would be created, after Japanese mop-up operations, by walling off the subjugated area with bamboo palisades, electrified barbed wire, and watchtowers.
Within the zone, would be baojia with Chinese collaborators, a police system, a secret service system, and a self-defense corps. With the help of Japanese soldiers, the police and cadres suppressed most of the Guomindang Loyal and Patriotic Army Zhongyi jiuguo jun and at least one-quarter of the Communist New Fourth Army units in the zone.
Households were registered under the baojia system, and all males between 14 and 45 were enlisted in a self-defense corps, which was not, however, allowed to carry guns on patrol. They had also linked together urban baojia units and the police, which in addition permitted them to command the food rationing system for each neighborhood in the city.
