On September 13, 1933, the Soviet Court of Huang County in the recently established Chinese Soviet Republic (1930-1935) was completing a trial of six alleged criminals. According to the court, they were Huang Yufa, Zhang Wenshun, Zhou Mingzhao, Ou Shangqiu, Wu Chunfen, and Tu Laoxi. Huang Yufa was a landlord, a member of the class which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regarded as antagonistic, but the rest were all poor peasants or tenants. Huang had joined the Nationalist Party (the Guomindang, or GMD) in 1932 and had allegedly participated in a battle that resulted in the capture and killing of around 80 revolutionary commoners and comrades. Like Huang, Zhang Wenshun had joined the GMD and was a private in the Nationalist army. Zhang had joined Zhou Mingzhao and several other GMD soldiers in sneaking into a Communist base to spy on the Red Army. He had carried a handgun and dozens of bullets.

Unlike the three GMD soldiers, Ou Shangqiu was a 39-year-old poor peasant. On the evening of August 20, two Red Army soldiers had asked him to take them to join the GMD. According to the record, Ou had agreed to do so. Wu Chunfen was another poor peasant.