Chapter 109 Speech at the enlarged meeting of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in Xiaohe[1]

(July 21, 1947) one As for the military plan, the Northwest Field Corps and Chen Geng[2] column originally planned to gather together to attack Hu Zongnan[3] on the Northwest Battlefield, but now they have decided to fight separately[4], which is beneficial both strategically and in terms of food supply.This year we can only weaken Hu Zongnan, and by next July we can create the conditions for his elimination.The Shensi-Gansu-Ningsia Border Region is mainly dependent on the Shanxi-Suibei Border Region both militarily and financially, and this will be even more so in the future, because the war has reduced the size and population of the Shensi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region.Now it is decided that Comrade He Long will use the qualifications of the commander of the joint defense forces of Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Jinsui and Suizhou to unify the command and solve the three problems of unifying the rear, streamlining and saving, and local work.

The struggle against Chiang Kai-shek is planned to be resolved in five years, and judging from the achievements of the past year, it is possible.The situation in Shandong can be changed recently, but not in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, but the enemy's offensive has basically stopped, and this has laid a foundation for changing the situation in the future.In the past year, 1.12 million Chiang Kai-shek's regular and irregular troops were wiped out, and we suffered more than 300,000 casualties. Assuming that the second and third years of the war were more intense, we would have to prepare for 2 million casualties in five years.At present we have a main force of 900,000 and a local force of 600,000. If we can expand the main force to 1.5 million, that will be enough to solve the problem.

Chiang Kai-shek became more isolated politically, which means that the masses of the people distrusted him even more, and he became more rebellious.Of course, it has not reached the point of complete isolation, and some people still believe in him, which requires a process.During the Anti-Japanese War, our policy towards the diehards of Chiang Kai-shek was to isolate him. On the one hand, we had to make some concessions in the united front; Work with the masses and criticize diehards.We did not make the kind of mistakes that the American Communist Party made during a certain period[5], nor did we wait until the end of the War of Resistance to change our policy, or it would be too late.After Japan surrendered, peace talks between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party were necessary.Although our hope for a political settlement of all problems has not been achieved, Chiang Kai-shek has indeed become more isolated.Only after educating the masses for a long time can our party put forward sixteen slogans on July 7 this year.[6]The struggle against Chiang Kai-shek is planned to be resolved in five years. If we don’t talk about it publicly now, we still need to prepare for a long-term struggle, five to ten years or even fifteen years. Don’t be like Chiang Kai-shek, who first said to eliminate the Communist Party in a few months, and later They also said that it would take several months, and now they say that the war has only begun.

Since the end of the Anti-Japanese War, the composition of the party's united front is changing: some people have decreased, and some people have increased.It is the landlords in the liberated areas that have been reduced, because we are now carrying out land reform, unlike during the Anti-Japanese War where we only implemented rent and interest reductions.But the landlords in the south fell out with Chiang Kai-shek first because of the conscription of troops and grain, but they have not yet broken with us.What has been added is the middle faction. These people believed in Chiang Kai-shek more during the Anti-Japanese War, and now they join us in resisting Chiang Kai-shek. This situation did not exist during the ten-year civil war.Huang Yanpei[7] was very satisfied with the New Fourth Army during the Anti-Japanese War, but he could not join us in boycotting the National Political Council[8]. Now he is dissatisfied with the land reform in northern Jiangsu, but he can join us in boycotting the Puppet National Congress[9].Adherence to land reform will not scare away national capitalists, but failure to persist in land reform will inevitably lead to the loss of peasants, and thus the loss of the revolutionary war and the loss of national capitalists.The land reform should adopt the policy of equally dividing the land. Landlords should not divide more, but they must not divide.Land reform must be combined with the united front.During the ten-year civil war, we made "Left" mistakes. First, during the agrarian revolution, the landlords did not divide the land, and the rich peasants divided the bad land. Now we divide them equally; Now we are adopting a policy of overthrowing bureaucratic capital and protecting national industry and commerce.

Regarding the international situation, the United Kingdom and the United States continued to unite in an attempt to isolate the Soviet Union. It seemed that the principle of solving problems through international cooperation at the Tehran Conference and the Potsdam Conference[10] was shaken.Although it cannot be said that the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union will definitely not sign a peace treaty with Germany, the possibility of signing it separately already exists. This is an amendment to the analysis of the international situation at the Seventh National Congress, but no final conclusion can be made yet. .It is certain that the counter-revolutionary united front of various countries has emerged headed by the American reactionaries. They are trying to start a third world war.On the other hand, the revolutionary united front of various countries headed by the Soviet Union has also greatly developed, and this united front will defeat the counter-revolutionary united front.We should not be intimidated by a gust of wind, but analyze the situation.The three factors mentioned in the Central Committee’s directive on February 1 this year[11]—the strength of the Soviet Union, the progress of the peoples of all countries, and the economic crisis of capitalism—remain unchanged.The economic crisis of capitalism will force Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union to engage in trade, give the Soviet Union a chance to build, and give the Chinese revolution and the peoples of all countries a chance to strengthen their unity.The last economic crisis of world capitalism made it impossible for the United States not to restore diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union.Pollett [12] said that 1928 was the highest peak of anti-communism in the capitalist world, and the economic crisis of 1929 brought this peak down.The current anti-Soviet campaign is limited to propaganda and diplomacy.Anti-communism is actually against the people of all countries.The counter-revolutionaries of various countries and the counter-revolutionaries of China have one thing in common, that is, they are strong outside the country, and this is because they have political and economic crises.Chiang Kai-shek's general mobilization order[13] illustrates this point.The general mobilization order also solved a huge problem, which is to make the people who demand peace see clearly the true nature of the civil war launched by the Kuomintang.Analyzing the situation, we must see that the sympathy of the people of the whole country, the sympathy of the people of the world, the national united front, and the agrarian revolution are factors that often play a role, while the superiority of the Kuomintang army and the sudden offensive are factors that work temporarily .The urgent internal crisis of Chiang Kai-shek and the impending crisis in the United States will eventually drive them to betray their relatives.Rebellion means that the masses don't want them, and closeness means internal discord.There was discord within Chiang Kai-shek, and there was also discord between Chiang Kai-shek and the United States.

Local work is to connect with the masses, and its center is to solve the land problem.We must learn from the method of Northwest Shanxi, form poor peasant leagues, and resolutely overcome the sentiment among some cadres that they are biased towards landlords and rich peasants.Most of the cadres who have made mistakes can be educated well, and the few who are not well educated can be eliminated, which is beneficial and harmless.This is a matter of principle, and I believe the comrades of the Northwest Bureau can accomplish this task. two There are two fundamental mistakes in the financial and trade systems: first, only looking at finances and not the economy, and only looking at the minority and not the majority.If you don't know that the financial and trading system does not take the right approach, it will be difficult to start work in other areas.Second, there is no strict control over the outside world, and the trade of large and small publics and the masses must be strictly controlled. This is what any weak and small revolutionary force must resolutely implement when fighting against the encirclement of counter-revolutionary forces.In short, the principles of self-sufficiency, external control, and military and civilian considerations should be adhered to in the coming period.It is difficult to solve this problem, and it must be done step by step.

three From a comprehensive and long-term perspective, this slogan is very important, and it must be explained in the entire party and army.The enemy places victory on a point that we cannot support for the long term.Our countermeasure is to transfer the main force to the outside line and streamline and save internally.Each border region should implement simplification of administration and lower living standards, starting with cadres.Foreign trade must be strictly controlled. Not only luxury goods and non-essential goods are not allowed to be imported, but also daily necessities are not allowed to be imported when necessary, and they are produced by themselves.Chinatex's cloth is good and cheap. We still have to ban imports and develop self-spinning and weaving in rural areas. Only in this way can we survive.Finance and trade serve the entire national economy, so it is imperative to give consideration to both the military and the civilian population.

Four Regarding land issues.Our land policy during the ten-year civil war must be changed during the Anti-Japanese War, otherwise we will not be able to ease domestic conflicts and internal conflicts in the base areas, develop the strength of the Chinese people themselves, and fight Japan together.At that time, the political power in our base areas implemented the "three-three system"[14], and also engaged in a united front with the landlord class. This did not affect the lower-level political power, nor did it limit the struggle of the masses.Now generally speaking, the "three-three system" remains unchanged, but the explanation for it is that Communist Party members, progressive elements and centrists each account for one-third, excluding reactionary landlords.Today's land policy can and needs to go further than the May 4th directive[15], because the peasant masses demand further steps, such as the leveling of land.Dividing the land equally is a principle, but it can be flexed to some extent depending on the situation, such as for Du Bincheng and Hou Wailu[16], but there should be no exception for Communist Party members.The land of the middle peasants should not be left untouched, but in the midst of the mass movement and with the consent of the middle peasants, it is also permissible to ask the rich middle peasants to give up a small amount of land, and this practice should not be formally written down in the document.After our troops go to the outer lines, instead of immediately confiscating the land of the landlords, it is better to first apportion taxes according to the class line. Immediately implementing land to the tiller will inevitably force the masses to do so.The central leadership should also be responsible for the problems that arise in Northwest financial work.The leaders of the Northwest Bureau should increase their courage, adopt a sharp and serious attitude towards mistakes, and strengthen specific leadership, so as to achieve the goal of uniting comrades and the masses.In the region of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia, there are several favorable conditions to unite the masses and persevere in the struggle: First, there are local leading cadres.This is for the entire border area, but Sanbian[17], Longdong and some other counties and districts have not yet solved this problem.This border area is the only area left over from the period of the Agrarian Revolution. Thousands of cadres have been preserved. Among them, only a very small number of them are hopelessly corrupt. Most of the cadres are good. Many of the problems at work are because we have not explained clearly in the policy.Assuming certain responsibilities in leadership is an important working method.Second, have a politically reliable army.Third, the people are good.Fourth, many good work styles of the old areas during the Agrarian Revolution have been preserved.With these conditions, the enemy can be defeated.

Published based on the transcript of the speech kept by the Central Archives. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] The first part of this article is Mao Zedong's speech, and the second, third, and fourth are Mao Zedong's interjections. [2] Chen Geng, then commander of the fourth column of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army. [3] Hu Zongnan, then director of the Xi'an Appeasement Office of the Kuomintang Army. [4] See pages 258 and 264 of this volume. [5] Refers to Browder's mistake in disbanding the Communist Party of America.After the Tehran meeting of the Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom in 1943, Browder, who was then the general secretary of the American Communist Party, explained the Tehran meeting from the perspective of "class cooperation", and published in April 1944 Tehran: Our Path in War and Peace.Browder believed that to achieve cooperation with the monopoly capitalist class, the proletariat must give up its own goals and abolish its own independent political party.In May 1944, Browder presided over the dissolution of the American Communist Party and formed the non-party Communist Political Association of America.Browder's mistakes were opposed by many members of the American Communist Party headed by Foster. In June 1945, under the leadership of Foster, the American Communist Political Association adopted the line of criticizing Browder. In July of the same year, a special congress was held to decide to rebuild the American Communist Party.

[6] Refers to the "Slogan Issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on July 7 Anniversary Day" published by "People's Daily" (the official newspaper of the Central Bureau of Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong and Henan) on July 7, 1947, which stated In order to resolutely, thoroughly, cleanly and completely eliminate all Chiang Kai-shek's invading troops, oppose Chiang Kai-shek's civil war, hunger, dictatorship, and traitorous policies, establish a democratic coalition government, confiscate bureaucratic capital, implement land reform, and protect national industry and commerce.

[7] Huang Yanpei (1878-1965), a native of Chuansha, Shanghai.At that time, he was an executive director of the China Democratic National Construction Association. [8] The People's Political Council is the highest advisory body established by the Kuomintang Provisional National Congress on March 31, 1938.Political representatives are appointed by the Kuomintang government, and Kuomintang members make up the majority.In the early days of the establishment of the National Political Council, it played a certain role in uniting the people of the whole country, carrying forward the anti-Japanese democracy, and promoting the comprehensive anti-Japanese war.With the development of the Kuomintang's passive anti-Japanese and active anti-communist policies, the National Political Council became more and more the official tool of the Kuomintang government.After the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Kuomintang held a "National Assembly", and the National Political Council was abolished after the third meeting of the fourth session in May 1947. [9] See note [14] on page 201 of this volume. [10] The Tehran Conference was held from November 28 to December 1, 1943 by the heads of the Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom in Tehran, the capital of Iran, on major issues such as accelerating the defeat of fascism and post-war world arrangements. s meeting.The meeting signed the Tehran Declaration of the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United Kingdom and the Declaration of the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United Kingdom on Iran.The Potsdam Conference was held from July 17 to August 2, 1945, in Potsdam near Berlin, Germany, between the heads of the Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom to further discuss the arrangements for the post-war world and the issue of the Soviet Union sending troops to Japan. .During the meeting, with the consent of the Chinese government, the "Potsdam Proclamation of China, the United States and Britain Urging Japan to Surrender" was issued on July 26. [11] Refers to Mao Zedong’s instructions to the party drafted by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on February 1, 1947, "Meeting the New Upsurge of the Chinese Revolution" ("Selected Works of Mao Zedong", Volume Four, People's Publishing House, 1991 edition, pp. 1211- 1217 pages). [12] Pollett (1890-1960), one of the founders of the British Communist Party.He was then General Secretary of the British Communist Party. [13] The general mobilization order refers to the "General Mobilization Order for the Suppression of the Communist Rebellion" issued by the Kuomintang government on July 4, 1947. [14] "Three-Three System", see note [13] on page 225 of this volume. [15] May 4th Instructions refers to the "Instructions on Land Issues" issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on May 4, 1946. The "Instructions" decided to change the policy of reducing rent and interest during the Anti-Japanese War to a policy of confiscating land from landlords and distributing it to farmers. [16] Du Bincheng (1888-1947), a native of Mizhi, Shaanxi, was a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the China Democratic League and the chairman of the Northwest General Branch.Hou Wailu (1903-1987), native of Pingyao, Shanxi Province, historian. [17] Sanbian refers to Dingbian, Anbian and Jingbian in Shaanxi.