Chapter 26 Struggle (1927-1935)

Mao went to the mountains, which was the only place to go.He stopped now and again along the way to cheer up a thousand or so depressed followers. When he arrived in Wenjia City, Mao already had a new strategy.He wants to lead the team into the mountains like the peasant rebels in "Water Margin".He has found a way to save the revolution, but what dare his men follow him? Some people did follow him.Others backed off because they saw the prospect was so bad.Homesickness is a common problem, and many people yearn to go home and farm.Some thought it might be more beneficial to fight for the Kuomintang.

In Sanwan Village, Mao's troops gathered in a dilapidated temple to escape the continuous autumn rain and the red mud covered with straw sandals.Mao talked for hours on end.He expounded some of his thoughts on the army, but in some people's eyes, this peasant armed force is not like a military team, but more like a political group.He emphasized democracy in the force, which some officers believed would throw away some of the distinctions that should exist. Circumstances did not permit objection.It is Mao's style to still have courage in adversity. The Communist Party of China has been destroyed on a large scale. A few months ago, there were 50,000 members, and now there are only 7,000.The left-wing Nationalists either disappeared or were forced into exile.Most of the peasant movement leaders in Hunan and Guangdong either died or were arrested.

Mao's workers' and peasants' armed forces, which launched the Autumn Harvest Uprising a month earlier, also lost almost 90%.He's now trying to persuade the remaining 10% to embrace his novelty plan, and probably get nothing more than sweat and tears.They must have all guessed the unfavorable situation of Mao in the party.So is it worth serving for this unique leader? Mao himself must have had doubts.Although the news of his expulsion from the party apparatus did not arrive until three months later, he knew that day would come sooner or later.The reproaches from Shanghai alone—the Party Central Committee insisted on moving back to Shanghai, like a group of ants being lured by honey and ignoring the dangerous environment—was enough to annoy Mao, and what made him even more unbearable was that even he himself The Hunan party organization that was created is also defaming him.

His heart must ache with regret as he recalls all the suffering he has endured all summer.He has been separated from Kai Hui and other people close to him. He looks thin and exhausted, his eyes have dimmed, his hair is disheveled like a broom, and his tattered clothes are full of lice. If he didn't express his anxiety about the future at that time, it was only because of his strong will during these few weeks.On the road to success, this dark winter, is a turning point. Landlords were hard to come across in this sparsely populated mountain, so food was scarce and soldiers' salaries were meager.Few of Mao's subordinate officers were party members, and some wanted to leave the ranks.Several officers were so annoyed by Mao's practice of democracy in the army that they apparently wanted to assassinate Mao as they continued their retreat from Sanwan. ①

Mao, however, was unwavering.He carried out his policy with the stubbornness unique to Hunan people.An inner force drives him forward bravely.A whole new strategy was formed after his failed attack on the city.Now, he's going to put it into practice. The glow of wit comes from the instinct of self-preservation.Going back and getting in touch with the Party Central Committee would be of no use, and besides, they were prejudiced against Mao.It is best to fight independently. Mao never thought of taking refuge in Europe, and in 1927 many prominent leftists were in exile.Mao's phrasing of this trend shows how attached he is to the homeland: "Many party leaders have been assigned by the party to the Soviet Union, to Shanghai, or to safe places

up. "② Mao turned his last ray of hope to nature.It seems that his art of survival is closely related to his choice of mountains.Mao's remaining Communist Party members rooted in the soil may be renewed and strengthened like the cycle of all things in nature. Mao set up camp on the cloud-shrouded Jinggang Mountains.This is a majestic and desolate world. Mao chose this base area with his keen eyes that combined farmers and politicians.The idea is simple, the rest of his army is really weak.But the enemy certainly has weaknesses, so how do you find them and exploit them? The warlords acted independently and could not form a unified force.When they competed with each other for territory, this competition became more intense for the military interests of Taiwan's foreign powers in China, and it was impossible to control the regional agricultural economy in China's remote areas at the same time.

The enemy is strong on the outside and dry on the inside.Although they occupy towns, their food comes from the countryside.If it is said that China still relies on the countryside for food, the Communist Party should take root in the rice fields.root. But there is one thing that cannot be ignored, and that is steel.The insurgents must have weapons of defense at all times.