Chapter 57 Proposal of the policy of "Deepening Land Revolution in Separated Areas"

On May 20, 1928, the first congress of the Communist Party of China on the border between Hunan and Jiangxi was held. The conference discussed and formulated policies for consolidating and developing base areas, a total of seven policies, one of which was "agrarian revolution in the separatist areas".Moreover, it was also at this meeting that extensive and lively discussions were held on how to carry out the agrarian revolution in depth. Linking the agrarian revolution in the separatist areas with the consolidation and development of the base areas shows that the "big one" of the Hunan-Jiangxi border party has a clear understanding of the importance of carrying out the agrarian revolution in the separatist areas.The establishment of rural revolutionary base areas and the implementation of armed separatism cannot be separated from the active participation of peasants. It can even be said that peasants are the main force in the armed separatist regime of workers and peasants; and peasants cannot do without land. Only in this way can we actively participate in the revolution and defend the red regime and revolutionary bases.The truth is obvious.

Therefore, the revolution to establish base areas cannot be separated from the solution of the land issue, and this is a revolution that cannot be separated from the land. So, what is the land situation in the Jinggangshan area? Mao Zedong was a caring person. After arriving at the border of Hunan and Jiangxi, he conducted in-depth rural surveys in Ninggang and Yongxin, and he had some direct first-hand information on the land occupation conditions here.With the deepening of the Jinggangshan struggle, Mao Zedong became more and more aware of the situation in Jinggangshan, which also included the land conditions in the Jinggangshan area.In his report to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on November 25, 1928, he talked about the land situation in Jinggangshan: "The border land situation, generally speaking, more than 60% of the land is in the hands of the landlords, and less than 40% of the land is in the hands of the landlords. In the hands of peasants. In Jiangxi, the land in Suichuan is the most concentrated, with about 80 percent owned by landlords. Yongxin is next, with about 70 percent owned by landlords. Wanan, Ningkang, and Lianhua have more owner-peasants , but the land owned by landlords still accounts for a relatively large majority, about 60%, and farmers only account for 40%. In Hunan, about 70% of the land in Chaling and Lingxian counties is in the hands of landlords .”

In order to change the situation that the land is concentrated in the hands of a few landlords and enable the peasants who account for the majority of the population to own the land, it is imperative to carry out the land revolution in the separatist areas. Based on this, the Hunan-Kiangsi border party's "big one" clearly put forward the "agrarian revolution that goes deep into the separatist areas." This coincided with the spirit of the Party Central Committee at that time. About half a month after the Hunan-Kiangsi Border Party’s “National Congress”, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China sent some instructions in the letter to the Front Committee of the Fourth Red Army: “How to go deep? It is to completely confiscate the land of the landlord class and renew it by the Soviets. distribute."

"Where our forces go, of course the land will be completely confiscated and distributed." Although the letter from the central government did not reach Jinggangshan until November, the confiscation of land from the landlords and the agrarian revolution had already begun in the Jinggangshan base area. How to carry out the agrarian revolution in the separatist areas is a process of exploration. Mao Zedong led the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army to divide the fields in Zhongcun, Lingxian County and Guidong Shatian, but it was only a useful attempt, because the fields that had been divided by cards at that time were completely lost after the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army left in a hurry. It never counted.

Mao Zedong also sent Mao Zetan to Ninggang Qiaolin Township to mobilize the masses. While helping to establish the party's grassroots organization, he also carried out some explorations of the agrarian revolution in the base area. However, just trying and fumbling is not enough! In May 1928, after Mao Zedong led his troops to victory in the Battle of Wudoujiang and occupied Yongxin County, he personally led the 31st Regiment to the Tangbian area of ​​Yongxin Xixiang to start the pilot work of the border land revolution. .In order to help Mao Zedong do a good job in the land survey, the Yongxin County Party Committee sent He Zizhen and Xu Peiyi who had returned to work in Yongxin to assist in the investigation.

The investigation started with visiting the poor and asking the poor, and Mao Zedong personally practiced it. There is a farmer in the village. People call him "Old Changgong" because he has been carrying sedan chairs and doing long-term labor all year round.After Mao Zedong went to the pond, he made friends with him, and the two often talked together. One day, the two chatted again. "Old Changgong" said: "Commissioner Mao, the landlords and gentry treat us poor people like cattle and horses. Our life is like boiling oil. It's really hard!" The ancestors did not (that is, "no") bury the grave!"

Mao Zedong shook his head: "Peasants suffer not because of bad luck, but because of oppression and exploitation by local tyrants and evil gentry." Then, Mao Zedong explained in detail why the poor are poor and why the rich are rich. The "old long-term worker" seems to understand a little bit, but he doesn't know how to make the poor no longer poor. Mao Zedong inspired him: "How many landlords are there by the pond? Are there more poor people or rich people?" "Old Changgong" quickly replied: "There are not many landlords by the pond, and there are only a few rich ones. But the poor just roll around in their palms and cannot jump out of this pit of fire. We give him a field, and in the end It's a hoe hanging on the wall, and there's nothing to eat in your mouth."

Mao Zedong smiled and said humorously: "It's just a fight. It's hard to win one against one, but several against one will win! We poor people are the majority in the village. As long as we unite to make a revolution, we will definitely be able to overthrow the local tyrants and evil gentry. " Mao Zedong also said that some poor people should have guns and seals. The "Old Changgong" believed in the words of Commissar Mao. Not only did he tell Commissar Mao everything, but he also actively participated in the struggle for dividing the land. With the assistance of He Zizhen and other local comrades from Yongxin, Mao Zedong's investigation went smoothly.He asked He Zizhen and Xu Peiyi to invite some farmers to his residence for a symposium to learn more about the land conditions around the pond, as well as the farmers' attitudes and demands on land issues.He worked day and night, and soon had a preliminary understanding of the land conditions around the pond.

Tangbian is composed of 4 natural villages including Dawu, Tangbian, Herbal Tea Tree, and Xinlingbei, with more than 100 households.The land occupation situation here is almost the same as other places, and the concentration of land is also quite serious.The 48 poor peasant households in Tangbian Village only own 43 mu of land, and most of the land is in the hands of landlords and gentry. The landlord Xu Meishan alone owns 191 mu of land. It is obviously necessary to redistribute highly concentrated land, but the question is how should it be divided?With this question in mind, Mao Zedong sought the opinions of many poor peasants.

At a symposium, Mao Zedong sincerely asked the farmers to share their views on how to distribute the land. A farmer said that it is not good to divide the land according to labor, so that the elderly and children have no land. There are 9 people in their family and only 4 laborers, so it should be distributed equally according to the population. A farmer said that it is not appropriate to confiscate all land and distribute it evenly, which will hurt the enthusiasm of self-cultivating farmers. Mao Zedong listened carefully to everyone's opinions. In order to learn more about the situation, Mao Zedong, He Zizhen, and Hu Bo, the secretary of the district party committee, went to nearby villages such as Nancheng and Hanshan to hold symposiums for investigation and research.

On the basis of extensive solicitation of opinions and full investigation and research, Mao Zedong drew up a provisional program for dividing the fields by the pond, with a total of 17 items.At the same time, with the help of the revolutionary army and local party organizations, all villages by the pond established land committees and carried out land surveying, registration and other preparatory work. Soon, under the guidance of the 17-article subdivision program, Yongxin Xixiang carried out the subdivision movement. The masses first confiscated the large tracts of land and forests occupied by the big local tyrant Xu Meishan, and then pushed down the boundary stones of other landlords, and burned all the leases and debts.Then, divide the land into A, B, C, etc., and use the township as the unit and distribute it equally according to the population. Regardless of men, women, old or young, each person gets two and a half mu of land.The poor peasants rejoiced. The pondside pilot project not only guided the agrarian revolution movement in Yongxin County, but also provided a practical basis for the "1st National Congress" of the Hunan-Jiangxi border party to determine the policy of "deepening the agrarian revolution in the separatist areas". Shortly after the "big congress" of the Hunan-Kiangsi Border Party, the first Congress of Workers, Peasants and Soldiers of the Hunan-Kiangsi Border Counties was held, and the Hunan-Kiangsi Border Workers, Peasants and Soldiers Soviet Government was established. The establishment of the border government provided a specific leading body for the development of the border agrarian revolution.The agrarian revolution was included in the important agenda of the border government and the governments of the workers, peasants and soldiers of the counties. The border government established a Land Department headed by Tan Zhenlin, and all counties, districts, and townships established corresponding land committees to coordinate matters related to the agrarian revolution. Tan Zhenlin, the land minister at the time, had this memory of the agrarian revolution on the border: "We attacked Suichuan, Ninggang, Yongxin and other counties, and after establishing a democratic government of workers, peasants and soldiers in the county, we started to grasp the agrarian revolution to meet the land demands of the farmers. However, before April 1928, the agrarian revolution on the border had not yet deepened. In March, the Hunan Provincial Party Committee transferred regular troops to southern Hunan, causing the border to be trapped by the enemy for more than a month. This once again proved that the victory of the armed struggle and the deepening of the agrarian revolution were of great importance to the people. The consolidation of the red base areas is very necessary. At the end of April, Comrade Mao Zedong and Comrade Zhu De joined forces in Long City and established the Fourth Red Army. They summed up past experience and lessons and formulated correct policies. Those who are closely integrated." "It will soon make the border red area develop to its peak."