Chapter 31 Conversation with Wang Gongda, reporter from United Press

(February 1938) Wang Gongda: Many people are now pessimistic about the future of China's war of resistance. What's your opinion on this? Mao Zedong: I am completely optimistic about this, because the process of China's war of resistance must be to win first after defeat, and to turn weak into strong. This has become a definite direction.In the initial stage of the Sino-Japanese War, the general situation was that Japan was strong and China was weak, but the future situation will inevitably be that Japan's weaknesses will gradually be exposed, and China's strength will gradually increase.Japan is now borrowing money to fight the war. In addition to the 220 million yuan spent in the past six months, it is said that this year's needs are 400 million yuan.Japan's international credit has declined, its public debt has fallen, and its "quick fix" plan has failed. How can it have so much money to fight for an infinite long-term? In terms of military affairs, Japan's front in China has been extended to as far as Hangzhou. Baotou is thousands of miles away, and its military strength is not enough to allocate defense, so its military strength has gradually weakened with the depth and expansion.It has occupied long distances of railways, requiring troops to defend every station.Japan has already mobilized one-third of its army to invade China. If it wants to occupy Hankow, Canton and other places, it will have to mobilize at least several hundred thousand more troops, and its situation will be very difficult.Because China is not the only enemy of Japan, plus many other major domestic and international conflicts in Japan, it will eventually be on the road to complete collapse.

Wang: Do you think that China's power can be gradually strengthened? Chairman Mao: According to the combat experience of the past seven months, if we can use the three methods of mobile warfare, positional warfare, and guerrilla warfare to cooperate with each other in the military, we will definitely be able to put the enemy in an extremely difficult position.In my opinion, at present, in addition to forming several powerful field armies with 200,000 to 300,000 elite troops, in addition to inflicting annihilated blows on the enemy's advancing troops in mobile warfare, we should also mobilize 80,000 to 90,000 troops to form 20 to 30 cadres. Guerrilla corps, each with three to four thousand men, should be led by resolute and mobile commanders to strengthen their political work. They should be deployed in front of the enemy's front from Hangzhou to Baotou, and fight from twenty to thirty gaps in the long front. Go behind the enemy.If it can be used properly, combined with the masses, and multiplied by countless small guerrilla units, it will surely be able to establish anti-Japanese base areas in the enemy's rear, mobilize millions of people, and effectively cooperate with the mobile warfare of the field army, so that the enemy's army will be exhausted.As for positional warfare, due to our lack of technology, it should not be regarded as the main method at present.But we must build up the defense industry, make our own heavy and advanced weapons, and at the same time try to import these weapons so that we can effectively carry out defensive and offensive positional warfare. This is very necessary.Some people say that we only advocate guerrilla warfare. This is nonsense. We have always advocated the coordination of mobile warfare, positional warfare, and guerrilla warfare.At present, mobile warfare is the main force, supplemented by the other two. In the future, positional warfare must be effectively combined with mobile warfare.As far as guerrilla warfare is concerned, it is always auxiliary in terms of fighting methods, but guerrilla warfare undoubtedly occupies an important strategic position in semi-colonial national wars, especially in countries with vast territories.In terms of politics, we already have domestic unity, and we have the sympathy and assistance of democratic countries all over the world.But the current achievements are not enough and should be further strengthened.All the above-mentioned military and political reinforcements are necessary.As long as you continue to work hard, you will definitely be able to strengthen it, which shows a bright future.

Wang: Is the Eighth Route Army in danger of being expelled or annihilated by the Japanese army in the encirclement? Mao: The Eighth Route Army is currently conducting extensive guerrilla warfare in four areas.The first area is the area between the four railways of Ping-Han, Ping-Sui, Zheng-Tai and Tong-Pu and its east and north.There are 12 million people in this region who are resolutely anti-Japanese, and they are all closely integrated with the army. This is a great fortress of resistance.The Eighth Route Army has already established a firm foothold here. Although the enemy is stepping up their attacks on this area, it is impossible to expel them, let alone annihilate them.Several large eastward detachments of the Eighth Route Army were approaching the Jinpu line.The second area is the northwestern area of ​​Shanxi, south of Pingsui, west of the northern section of Tongpu, and east of the Yellow River.The third area is the southeastern Shanxi and southwestern Hebei areas between Pinghan, Zhengtai, and Tongpu.The fourth area is Southwest Shanxi.They all have close ties with the local people, and they all violently destroy the enemy's rear lines of communication at any time. They have won many victories, big and small, and have greatly reduced the enemy's advancing strength.Judging from these areas, what China has lost is only a few railways and a few cities, and nothing else has been lost.This example has concretely proved to the whole country that as long as this method is adopted everywhere, the enemy will not be able to destroy China.This is one of the strong foundations for future counter-offensives to regain lost ground.

Wang: Do you think the KMT-CCP ​​cooperation is permanent? Mao: I thought so.The split between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in the 16th year of the Republic of China was originally against the will of the Communist Party.The Communist Party has always been unwilling to split with the Kuomintang.In the past ten years, both the KMT and the Communist Party and the people of the whole country have experienced difficult experiences, and this experience can strengthen the unity in the future.The purpose of the current and future cooperation is to jointly resist Japan and build the country together. Under this principle, as long as our friendly parties can have the same sincerity as ours, coupled with the supervision of the people of the whole country, this cooperation must be long-term.

Wang: Yes, the Communist Party has stated in the manifesto on the current situation that the KMT and the Communist Party will not only fight against Japan together, but also jointly build the country after the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan.How can this represent two political parties of different classes cooperate to build a new country in the future? Chairman Mao: Because China is in a semi-colonial status, and at present it is even more at the juncture of national subjugation and genocide. Even its semi-colonial status is in danger.Although the parties and classes are different, this common status is the same, which determines that the two parties can not only cooperate in resisting Japan, but also cooperate in building the country.However, cooperation is cooperation under a certain program, principled cooperation, and genuine cooperation, rather than promiscuous and superficial cooperation.If you deviate from the program and principles, you will definitely become promiscuous and superficial, which is not allowed by any principled political party.Cooperation with a program and principles is like a friendship between friends. Only this kind of friendship can last long.

Wang: What is the "democratic republic" advocated by the Communist Party? Mao: The democratic republic we advocate is a country in which all the people in the country who do not want to be subjugated are elected by unlimited universal suffrage to organize representative bodies.This kind of country is a country of civil rights, which is generally advocated by Mr. Sun Yat-sen, and the policy of China's founding should move in this direction. Wang: Is the Communist Party satisfied with the current central government? Is it necessary to convene an interim National Assembly? Chairman Mao: We support the current central government because it adheres to the policy of the War of Resistance and leads the actions of the War of Resistance.But we hope to enrich and expand it, and carry out necessary reforms in internal affairs so as to be more conducive to the War of Resistance.We once put forward the idea of ​​a provisional national assembly, which was also advocated by Mr. Sun Yat-sen. We believed that it would be beneficial to unite the whole country and strengthen the strength of the war of resistance.But we have no prejudices on which method is more beneficial to the War of Resistance. As long as it is really beneficial to the War of Resistance, any method can be adopted.

Wang: Was the Chinese Communist Party leading the anti-Japanese activities of the Volunteers in the three eastern provinces? Mao: The Communist Party of China and the Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army in the three northeastern provinces do have a close relationship.For example, well-known rebel leaders Yang Jingyu, Zhao Shangzhi, Li Hongguang, etc., are all members of the Communist Party, and their achievements in resolute resistance to the Japanese are well known.There is also the National United Front, in addition to the Communists, there are other factions and various military and popular groups, which have been united under a common policy.

Wang: How do you feel about the United States in general? Mao: The American Democratic Party’s sponsorship of international peace, President Roosevelt’s condemnation of fascism, the Howard’s[1] newspaper’s sympathy for China’s resistance against Japan, and especially the solidarity of the broad masses of the American people for China’s resistance against Japan are all things we welcome and appreciate.But I hope that the United States can go one step further and come forward to unite with other countries to impose actual sanctions on the violent Japan.Now is the time for China, the United States and all other countries that oppose the threat of aggression to further unite against the enemy.

According to the thirty-second issue of "Liberation" published on March 5, 1938. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] Refers to the Scripps-Howard newspaper system founded by American journalist and newspaper publisher Roy Wilson Howard in 1925 with Robert Scripps.