The Peasants of Hunan*
(November 30, 1926)

Currently Organized Peasants

I. Statistics of County Peasant Associations

Counties with formally established county peasant associations: 36

Counties with preparatory offices for county peasant associations: 18

Total: 54 counties

II. Statistics on Numbers

(1) Based on statistics from this month: 30 counties, 536,137 people

Based on statistics from last month: 11 counties, 50,500 people

Without statistics, estimated: 13 counties, 30,000 people

Total for 54 counties: 1,071,137 people

(2) Over 100,000 people — 4 counties

Over 50,000 people — 6 counties

Over 10,000 people — 12 counties

Over 5,000 people — 12 counties

Over 1,000 people — 18 counties

Fewer than 1,000 people — 2 counties

(3) The county with the largest number has 140,000 people

The county with the smallest number has 274 people

(4) Statistical Table of Numbers by County

Explanation: A. Detailed report this month; B. Estimated based on last month’s report; C. Estimated without statistics; D. County association preparatory office.

| Nanxian | A | 7,000 | Chaling | A | 11,266 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Hengyang | A | 88,223 | Daoxian | A | 1,435 |
| Zixing | A | 5,000 | Luxi | C | 5,000 |
| Suining | A | 1,100 | Xiangfen | B | 100,000 |
| Leiyang | A | 24,445 | Qiyang | B | 5,000 |
| Binxian | A | 10,000 | Xiangxiang | B | 60,000 |
| Liuyang | A | 139,190 | ? | BC | 1,000 |
| Youxian | A | 10,000 | Changsha | A | 71,450 |
| Liling | A | 50,000 | Baoqing | A | 377 |
| Huarong | A | 10,000 | Linxiang | OC | 5,000 |
| Hanshou | A | 7,229 | Changning | OC | 5,000 |
| Lanshan | A | 3,550 | Ningde | OC | 1,000 |
| Guiyang | A | 6,243 | Anxiang | OC | 2,100 |
| Xintian | A | 5,150 | Xinning | C | 1,000 |
| Yanxian | A | 5,468 | Xupu | C | 1,000 |

| Yizhang | A | 74,100 | Ningxiang | B | 50,000 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Xiangyin | A | 17,600 | Xinhua | OA | 6,300 |
|  |  |  |  |  | 77 |
| Yiyang | A | 15,600 | Linfen | OA | 1,100 |
|  |  | 80 |  |  | 66 |
| Anhua | A | 62,300 | Yongming | OA | 2,100 |
|  |  |  |  |  | 81 |
| Lingling | A | 700 | Rucheng | OA | 8,800 |
|  |  |  |  |  | 65 |
| Yueyang | OA | 2,070 | Changde | OA | 9,500 |
|  |  |  |  |  | 45 |
| Wugang | OC | 5,000 | Zhijiang | OA | 274 |
| Yuanjiang | OC | 1,000 | Chengbu | OA | 889 |
| ? | OC | 1,000 | Jiahe | OC | 1,000 |
| Jiangping | B | 100,000 | Taoyuan | OC | 1,000 |
| Leiyang | B | 100,000 | ? | OC | 1,000 |
| Yongxing | B | 10,000 | Fengxian | OD | 2,500 |
|  |  |  |  |  | 49 |

Peasant Participation in War During the Northern Expedition

1. Supplies: Wherever the Northern Expeditionary Army passed, the peasants were able to provide drinking water, or small amounts of food, and help with cooking and such matters.

2. Guides and Scouts: This kind of work occurred along the Zhuzhou-Pingxiang Railway, in Liuyang, Pingjiang, Changsha, Xiangtan, Ningxiang, Hengshan, Nanxian, Huarong, and other places.

3. Transport: Besides peasants voluntarily being hired by the army for transport, there were also instances of organized transport for the army.

4. Harassment of the Enemy’s Rear: This occurred in Xiangtan, Pingjiang, Nanxian, Liuyang, along the Zhuzhou-Pingxiang area, and other places.

5. Participation in Battle: There are as yet no precise statistics on casualties or captured firearms. The general situation is as follows:

a. Zhuzhou: When Tang’s army attacked Changsha for the second time, the peasants together with Ye’s forces captured over a hundred rifles, as well as machine guns, cannons, etc.

b. Liling: When the Northern Expeditionary Army entered Changsha, the peasants captured over two hundred rifles, machine guns, cannons, etc. In November, when defeated troops from Jiangxi entered Liling, the peasants captured a great many rifles.

c. Pingjiang: In July, when the Northern Expeditionary Army entered Pingjiang, 25 peasants died in battle, and they captured several hundred rifles, machine guns, etc. In November, during the mutiny of the 2nd Division, the peasants surrounded and disarmed the mutinous soldiers, capturing 250 rifles. The current government wants to take back these rifles; the peasants oppose this, and a standoff is underway.

d. Liuyang: The peasants rescued a surrounded regiment of the Northern Expeditionary Army, repelled scattered enemy troops, suffered casualties, and captured firearms.

e. Huarong: The first time Cai Jian’s army entered Huarong, the peasants together with the garrison troops repelled them. The second time Cai Jian entered Huarong, over 3,000 peasants independently repelled Cai’s army.

f. Yuanjiang: When Huarong repelled Cai’s army the first time, the peasants of Yuanjiang participated.

g. Xiangtan: The peasants set up decoy troops, helped the Northern Expeditionary Army cross the river, attacked scattered troops, etc.

h. Ningxiang: Rescued a surrounded regiment of the Northern Expeditionary Army, attacked scattered troops, and captured firearms.

i. Along the Zhuzhou-Pingxiang Railway: Clashed with enemy troops and destroyed the railway.

j. Changsha: Besieged retreating enemy officers, assisted the government in surrounding and disarming scattered and mutinous troops.

6. Reasons for Peasant Participation in War:

a. The effect of Party members’ propaganda: The peasants all knew that the Northern Expeditionary Army supported the interests of workers and peasants, and that they must aid the victory of the Northern Expeditionary Army before the peasants could gain benefits.

b. Hostility toward the Northern Army and Ye’s Army: A comparison of military discipline between the two sides deepened the peasants’ hostility.

c. Under the direction of the peasant associations (a very small minority acted on their own).

d. In September and October, the peasants’ willingness to participate in war was to obtain firearms, because by this time the peasants’ demand for arms had already arisen.

7. Effects of Peasant Participation in War:

a. Progress in the peasants’ political consciousness.

b. Progress in the peasants’ self-confidence.

c. Made the government recognize the strength of the peasants, influencing the government to lean left.

Current Tendencies of the Peasants

1. The peasants already feel they have rendered meritorious service in the war and need to be rewarded. Even in counties where they did not participate in the war, they feel that the Party members’ propaganda should now be fulfilled.

2. Economic Demands: These demands have become widespread in all counties where the peasant movement exists. The following demands are the most common:

(a) Rent reduction — There is as yet no demand for (land to the tiller) or for not paying rent.

(b) Interest reduction — Reducing interest from 80-90% to 40-50% is considered satisfactory.

(c) Solving the problem of food during lean months — This has formed a widespread movement for equitable grain sales and bans on grain export.

(d) Reduction of levies and taxes — In a few places, there is a demand for not paying taxes.

(e) Reduction of deposits, and no eviction of tenants without cause, etc. — There is as yet no clear conception of these.

These demands can be said to be very low; they are all immediate to them. In some places, all kinds of demands have already arisen; in a few places, they are only aware of one or two kinds. In the area of Hunan near Guangdong and Guangxi, the peasants’ demands are somewhat higher than in the central Hunan area.

3. Political Demands:

(a) Reform of the tuanfang (local militia) — They pay very close attention to the personnel of the tuanfang bureaus.

(b) Opposition to the du and tuan (administrative units) — In many places, the du and tuan have already lost their function; incidents of beating du and tuan heads are very numerous.

(c) Hope for a good government.

The economic and political demands of the peasants can be said to be still very immature. The peasants naturally have not yet felt slogans like the popular election of county magistrates, and even their political demands in the villages are still only negative in nature. As for rumors spread by the reactionaries about “confiscation of land” and “organizing a workers’ and peasants’ government,” there is not even a shadow of these.

4. Demand for Arms: The peasants’ demand for arms is becoming more urgent by the day. They are all willing to seize firearms from scattered and mutinous troops, as in the case of the very intense movement by the Pingjiang peasants to keep the rifles (see the earlier account of their participation in war).

Struggles Already Waged by the Peasants

1. Rent Reduction Movement:

(a) The rent reduction movement in Hengyang: The rent rate in Hengyang ostensibly says the landlord and tenant each get half, but in reality the tenant does not get half. Since the 5th year of the Republic, due to a great flood and an increase in education funds, rents were gradually increased throughout the county. Although the amount of increase was not uniform, there was no case without an increase. As a result, what the tenant received was even less than the previous amount, which was already less than 50%. After Tang left Hunan, the peasants in Hengyang who had joined the peasant associations had a very urgent demand for rent reduction. Thus, the slogan of restoring the original rent for the whole county was raised, meaning restoring the rent rates from before the 5th year of the Republic (before 1916). As a result, the whole county restored the rent rates from before 1916. In this movement, about 70,000 peasants joined the peasant associations. At the same time, the reactionary elements also united during this movement. This movement can be said to have involved all peasants in the county, both those who had joined the associations and those who had not.

(b) Rent reduction situations in various places: Except for Hengyang, there are only scattered rent reduction movements elsewhere, where a certain tenant reduces rent from a certain landlord. Because in various places, rents are increased whenever tenants are changed or land changes hands, and sometimes when the increase is too great, the tenant requests a reduction. The peasant associations have resolved many such cases on behalf of the peasants. Although this is not a struggle, the peasants’ trust in the peasant associations has increased because of it.

(c) The rent reduction movement is inherently an urgent demand of the peasants everywhere, but since the rent collection period has already passed, no struggle has occurred. The general conception among the peasants is that the issue of rent reduction next year will involve a major struggle.

2. Interest Reduction Movement:

(a) In Anhua, interest reduction has been successfully implemented throughout the county, without any particular reaction. Monthly interest has been reduced from about 70-80% to 40-50%. The peasants also consider this satisfactory.

(b) The interest reduction movement among a part of the peasants in Yueyang has not yet yielded results, but victory is likely.

(c) The peasants of Niuzhou in Xiangyin demanded the cancellation of overdue interest and failed.

(d) There are interest reduction movements in all counties, none involving major conflicts.

3. Deposit Reduction Movement:

(a) In Liuyang, the reduction of deposits throughout the county to 2 yuan per shi of rent grain has succeeded. However, whether conflicts will arise hereafter is still hard to determine.

(b) For a part of the lake fields in Yueyang, the landlords plan to increase the deposit by 7 yuan per shi of rent. The peasants have risen up to resist, and the landlords have also contacted the tuan from three counties to deal with it. This matter will lead to a major conflict.

(c) There are still small-scale deposit reduction movements in various counties.

4. Tax Reduction Movement:

(a) Youxian, Liling, and Yizhang all have tax reduction movements.

(b) Anxiang has already abolished the mu tax throughout the county, but has increased the surcharge on the land tax.

(c) A part of the peasant movement in Yueyang demands the abolition of the mu tax, conflicting with the tuanfang; no result yet.

5. Land Reclamation Movement:

The peasants of Anhua demand to freely plant miscellaneous grains on the winter month without paying taxes. Part of this has succeeded, part is still under contention.

6. The Issue of Equitable Grain Sales and Bans on Grain Export:

(a) Origin: For successive years, Hunan has suffered from famine. Every lean month, the villages lack food or food prices skyrocket, thus forming a peasant movement for equitable grain sales and bans on grain export.

(b) This movement can be said to exist in seven or eight out of ten places where there are peasant organizations, though the forms vary. The following forms exist approximately:

i. The peasant association or the village assembly decides on a grain price, and grain cannot be sold above this price.

ii. Two or three kinds of grain prices are decided, and it is determined which kind of people eat grain at which price.

iii. Restricted transport of grain and rice out of the locality.

iv. No transport of grain and rice out of the locality at all.

v. Grain prices to be discussed again during the lean months; not discussed now.

vi. Only a certain percentage of the rent grain is retained.

(c) Conflicts arising from this struggle:

i. Hoarding: If landlords do not sell grain, they are forced to sell it, and may even be fined or beaten.

ii. Smuggling: If smuggling is discovered, the grain is confiscated or a fine is imposed.

iii. Conflicts arising from the setting of grain prices.

(d) Effects: Landlords and merchants have developed great ill-feeling. Even large owner-peasants and tenant-peasants are not willing to accept this method. When the government presses for payment of the land tax, the landlords use the excuse that they cannot sell their grain. The government is also very dissatisfied with this action.

(e) The policy of the Provincial Peasant Association has already decided to allow only the retention of a part of the rent grain to prepare for equitable sales during lean months, and not to permit unrestricted bans on export. But this has already become the psychology of the masses, and it will be very difficult to change for a time.

7. Conflicts with the Tuanfang:

(a) In Ningxiang, the heads of the tuanfang bureaus (at the township branch bureaus) are now all elected by the village assemblies. Wherever there are peasant association organizations, the peasants pay extreme attention to the choice of personnel.

(b) Yueyang:

i. The tuan bureau prohibited the peasants from holding meetings, leading to conflict. As a result of the peasants’ petition, the tuan bureau was dissolved.

ii. The peasants are in conflict with the tuanfang over resistance to the mu tax; this has not yet concluded.

iii. In a conflict between two tuanfang, over ten peasants were shot dead.

(c) In Jiahe, the tuanfang shot peasants dead.

(d) In Guiyang, the reactionaries colluded with the tuanfang to transfer troops into the city to dissolve the peasant association.

(e) In Zixing, the tuanfang forcibly reorganized the peasant association.

(f) In Xiangtan, during a peasant protest against the tuanfang, a fight occurred and one peasant was shot dead.

(g) In Niuzhou (Yueyang), the tuanfang prohibited the peasants from organizing an association.

(h) Everywhere there are incidents of conflict between peasants and tuanfang, with the tuanfang mostly victorious.

8. Conflicts with the Local Tyrants and Evil Gentry:

It can be said that there is no time and no place without conflicts between the peasants and the local tyrants and evil gentry. The attacks by the local tyrants and evil gentry on the peasants are also becoming more severe day by day. The peasants beat them, accuse them, parade them through the villages, fine them, expel them — there is nothing they do not do. Naturally, the majority of these actions are provoked by the attacks of the local tyrants and evil gentry on the peasants, arousing the anger of the masses.

The Situation of Rural Political Power

1. In some villages, the peasant associations have already taken political power.

2. Village assemblies exist in many counties and can serve as the highest legislative organization in the village. In a few counties, the heads of the tuanfang bureaus and township directors, etc., can also be elected by the village assemblies.

3. In a few places, joint organizations of peasant associations, educational associations, merchant associations, labor unions, etc., have obtained rural political power.

4. In many places, rural political power has been obtained by Guomindang party branches, which sympathize with or support the peasant movement.

5. In the majority of places, political power is still monopolized by the local tyrants and evil gentry to oppress the peasants. Where there are peasant associations, conflicts occur constantly.

Peasant Self-Defense Organizations

1. In the various counties of southern Hunan, due to the advocacy of Tang Shengzhi, there are organizations of the Aihutuan (household militia). Although the directing organs of this organization are in the hands of the gentry and landlords, the rank-and-file members and lower-level commanders are all peasants. In places where there are peasant associations, they naturally and effortlessly become peasant organizations. The Aihutuan have no firearms; most have suobiao (a kind of spear with a long shaft attached to a sharp blade), bird guns, broadswords, etc. Most have regular drills, and there are drill fees (about 500 wen per person each time). In the counties of central Hunan, such as Pingjiang, Liuyang, Changsha... and the surrounding area, this kind of organization also exists, but it is not widespread and there are no drill fees. In their participation in the war and defense against bandits this time, they were able to play a very significant role. There are no statistics on the number of people organized.

2. Apart from the Aihutuan, the peasants of Hunan have no other self-defense organizations. Although names like Peasant Self-Defense Army and Self-Defense Corps existed before, they have all ceased because the funding problem could not be solved.

3. In places like Pingjiang, Anhua, Liling, Xiangtan..., the peasants have seized a small number of firearms (Pingjiang has 250 rifles, but the issue is still unresolved). These can all be brought out for peasant self-defense.

Sabotage of the Peasant Movement by Local Tyrants and Evil Gentry

The local tyrants and evil gentry and all reactionary forces everywhere are gradually uniting. Their attacks on the peasants take approximately the following forms:

(1) Secretly organizing Wealth Protection Associations, Property Protection Associations, Baihua Party, etc.; openly organizing District Head Joint Associations, Township and Village Joint Associations.

(2) Propagandizing that the peasant associations are going to conscript labor, levy a head tax, and that when Wu Peifu comes, heads will be chopped off, in order to intimidate the peasants and prevent them from joining the peasant associations.

(3) They propagandize that the peasant associations practice communism and implement some kind of 3-3-3-1 system.

(4) Organizing fake peasant associations and issuing manifestos advocating some kind of 3-3-3-1 system.

(5) Infiltrating the peasant associations to monopolize them; if monopolization fails, then creating disturbances.

(6) Buying off, inciting, or promoting localism, clan ideology, and superstition to make the peasants rise up against the peasant associations.

(7) Infiltrating the Guomindang to oppress the peasants and monopolize the peasant associations.

(8) Propagandizing that the Northern Expeditionary Army has failed.

(9) Colluding with the Right Wing of the Guomindang, Zhao, and Sun.

(10) Pretending to be peasants rioting and creating disturbances, destroying tax bureaus, in order to cause all sides to lose sympathy for the peasant movement.

(11) Using the tuanfang and other means to directly oppress the peasants, massacre peasants, and dissolve peasant associations.

These sabotage methods of theirs seem to be carried out in a coordinated manner everywhere.