Chapter 49 On the Transformation of Tactics against the Rich Peasants and Other Issues

Letter to Zhang Wentian[1] (December 1, 1935) Luo Fu: Letters on the 20th and 25th both arrived. A. I completely agree with the fundamental policy of the Red Army approaching Outer Mongolia.Because this policy is the correct policy to make China's revolutionary war more powerful and develop more rapidly, especially the soon-to-come national war against Japan.What I disagree with is the issue of time and route.First, the Red Army must now increase by 10,000 men. Within four months, we must use unprecedented efforts to achieve this goal based on the Northern Shaanxi Soviet Area.Second, it is best to take the road of Shanxi and Suiyuan [2], which is to use the policy of war, development, and whether to separate the northern Shaanxi Soviet area from us to get closer to Outer Mongolia.In order to complete the above two tasks, I think about six months will be enough.Therefore, we should approach Outer Mongolia next summer or autumn, and immediately start organizing Mongolian guerrillas.

B. I fully agree with the content of the strategy of the anti-Chiang anti-Japanese united front and the specific slogans and programs. Please publish the declaration [3]. C. Basically agree with the transformation of the rich peasants' strategy, but the resolution [4] should point out that when the struggle to develop the poor and middle peasants requires equal distribution of the rich peasants' land, the party should sponsor this request.Rich peasants can share the same land as poor peasants and middle peasants, and the principle of distributing bad land in the past is wrong; but the principle of rich peasant land not being kept at all is also wrong in the Soviet areas, especially in the southern Soviet areas.On the land issue, there should be a little difference between the strategy for the rich peasants and the middle peasants.The party in the countryside should be good at leading and supervising the rich peasants, and strictly guard against being led by the rich peasants.It should be pointed out that when the struggle deepens, the rich peasants will inevitably turn to the front of the landlords. This is a characteristic of the semi-feudal rich peasants in China.With the consent of the masses, the class of small landlords who have labor and have gone bankrupt should be treated as rich peasants.

D. The policy of not killing all captive officers and giving preferential treatment to release has been implemented here.My letter to Dong Yingbin[5] has been widely published, and the extensive disintegration of the White Army is now underway. E. I may return to the rear in a few days. Zedong Twenty-four o'clock on the 1st Printed from transcripts kept at the Central Archives. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] Zhang Wentian (1900-1976), also known as Luo Fu, was born in Nanhui, Jiangsu (now part of Shanghai).At that time, he was a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and was in charge of the party.

[2] Suiyuan, see note [16] on page 371 of this volume. [3] Refers to the Declaration of the Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic and the Revolutionary Military Committee of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army on November 28, 1935 to resist Japan and save the nation.See pp. 360-362 of this volume. [4] On December 6, 1935, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made the "Decision on Changing the Tactics Against Rich Peasants". [5] Refers to Mao Zedong's letter to Dong Yingbin, commander of the 57th Army of the Kuomintang Army, on November 26, 1935.The letter stated: (1) The Northeast Army will not fight the Red Army, and the Red Army will not fight the Northeast Army; (2) Anyone who is willing to resist Japan and Chiang Kai-shek, regardless of whether they have fought the Red Army in the past, the Red Army is willing to sign a treaty with Japan and Chiang Kai-shek; ( 3) The army gave preferential treatment to the officers and soldiers of the Northeast Army. Not only did they not kill them all, but they were appointed or repatriated to the army separately.