zài / zhè / bù / xiǎo / shuō / lǐ / dāo / bà / zi / bèi / yòng / lái / zhǐ / zhǎng / guǎn / zhì / ān / de / shì / lì

在这部小说里，刀把子被用来指掌管治安的势力。

In this novel, the term refers to the forces in charge of public security.