Order to the First Front Army of the
Red Army About Mobilizing the Masses
to Force the Enemy in the Area Northeast
of Changsha to Submit
(August 30, 1930, 8:00 P.M., at Baitianpu)
1. He Jian's reactionary armies are still waging stubborn resistance against
us, relying on fortifications in such places as Houzishi, Lannichong, Shimapu,
Shiba, Yuhuating, Huangtuling, Wumeiling, Erliting, and so on.
It has been reported in the newspapers that the armies of Zhang and of
Guangxi¹ have indeed reached Wugang, and that the enemy in Xinning and
Hengbao (approximately three regiments) may retreat to Xiangtan.
2. Led by commander-in-chief He,² our Second Army Group has already arrived
at the Gong'an and Shishou line, and is now pushing forward toward Xiangyuan.
Our Third Army Group of the left route and First Army Group of the middle
route are now in the region from Yijiawan and Dongsigang to the south of the
city of Changsha, and are in the middle of surrounding and attacking the provincial capital.
3. Your army will remain as the left wing and be stationed along the
Huaixidu, Dongtundu, and Shanmudu line, and should start at once to mobilize
the masses along this line to connect with the Red Area in Ping[xiang] and
Liu[yang], and pin down the enemy forces in the northeast section of the city of
Changsha, seize an opportunity to cross the river and fight a way through, and
establish firm contact with our Liu[yang] Seventh Regiment in Dongshan.
It is so ordered.
Sixteenth Army

Commander Kong Hechong
Political Commissar

Commander-in-chief Zhu De
Political Commissar Mao Zedong

We have translated this order from Jiangxi dangshi ziliao, Vol. 6, p. 107.
1. Relying on their fortifications, the enemy forces in Changsha continue to
wage stubborn resistance against us. The enemy in Banshigang has gathered
many boats and appears to be preparing a secret crossing between Datuopu and
Yijiawan.
Two regiments of the enemy's troops under the command of Gong Bingfan²
arrived in Changsha from Yuezhou³ on the 24th.
It is also said that the enemy troops in Hengbao⁴ (approximately three regiments) have marched into Xiangtan.
2. The Front Army is still planning to lure the enemy forces out of their
fortifications, destroy them, and march into Changsha on the heels of victory.
3. The Third Army Group (excluding the First Division of the Fifth Army) is
still located around Linjiadan, Yangjiachong, Longshantang, Xitangchong, and
Huanghuchong, and they will wait until after the enemy in Banshigang has
crossed the river to attack and annihilate them. After accomplishing this they will
carry out their original task of attacking and advancing along the railways and
highways toward the southern outskirts of Changsha.
4. The First Division of the Fifth Army is still located in the vicinity of
Mojialong. Tonight it should send troops to make a feigned attack on the
enemy's position in Houzishi, and before dawn it should occupy a position
immediately behind Shipailing. It should be able to destroy very rapidly the
enemy coming from Houzishi, and at the same time to support through coordinated action the left wing of the First Army Group (Twelfth Army) and the right

Our source for this document is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 1, pp. 164-66, where it is
stated that the text has been reproduced from a documentary collection published in 1942.
wing of the Third Army Group (primarily supporting the Twelfth Army).
5. The Twelfth Army remains at its present location (around Laomiao and
Dongjingpu). Tonight it should send troops to make a feigned attack on the
enemy's positions in Shiba, Shimapu, and elsewhere. It should leave patrols
along the line of Yanziling, Jingwanzi, and Laomiao, which will be in charge of
attacking Guitang, Shiba, Shimapu, and other places (including the Guitang
highway) when the enemy launches an offensive.
6. The Fourth Army should immediately withdraw to the north end of
Liaojiachong and Zhoujiaba. Before dawn tomorrow it should occupy a position
to the south of Tianjiling, from which it should be able to launch a fierce assault
on the enemy attacking us from the right wing, and destroy them. Tonight it
should send forward patrols to the vicinity of Xujiachong, in order to establish a
link with our Seventh Regiment of the Liuyang Red Guards Army, and with the
Twelfth Army in Yanziling. When the enemy strikes, this army should connect
with the right wing of the Twelfth Army and carry out the attack on the area to
the right of the Guitang highway (not including the highway).
7. The Third Column of the Third Army should withdraw tonight to the area
around Duanjialong and rejoin its main forces.
8. The entire Third Army is located around Duanjialong and Baitianpu as
the general reserve forces.
9. The heavy baggage and the station for wounded soldiers of the First
Army Group remain in the original location.
10. We ourselves are with the general reserve forces in Baitianpu.

Attention:
1. At night it is necessary to watch out for enemy harassment.
2. There must be mutual exchange of personnel among all units in order to
establish links, and any intelligence should be shared among them.

Commander-in-chief
Political Commissar
Zhu De
Mao Zedong
Land Law
Promulgated by the
Chinese Revolutionary Military Commission

(August 1930)1

Chapter One: Confiscation and Redistribution of Land

Article 1. Following the overthrow of the political power of the despotic
gentry and landlord class through armed uprising, all land, hills, woods, ponds,
and houses owned by all private individuals or groups the despotic gentry,
landlords, ancestral halls, temples, societies, and rich peasants must be immediately confiscated, turned over to public ownership by the soviet government, and redistributed by the soviet to landless peasants, peasants with little
land, and other needy people for their use. Where there is only a peasant association, and a soviet has not yet been set up, the peasant associations can also carry
out confiscation and redistribution.2
Article 2. The families of the despotic gentry, landlords, and reactionaries,
after undergoing investigation by the soviet and receiving permission to reside in
the countryside, may receive an appropriate amount of land when they have no
other means of supporting themselves.
Article 3. Officers, soldiers, and porters of the Red Army currently in military
service and those engaged in revolutionary work shall also receive redistributed
land; moreover, the soviet shall assign people to help their families farm the land.
Article 4. Rural residents who can make a living through other lines of work,
such as industry, commerce, and education, shall not receive redistributed land.
Those who cannot make ends meet may receive a suitable amount of land, no
more than enough to make up the shortfall in their income.

Our source for this text is Mao Zedong ji, Vol. 2, pp. 179-84, where it is reproduced from
a collection of captured Communist documents published by the Guomindang in 1931.

--- Notes

1. As indicated in a note to the text of June 22, 1930, Zhang refers to Zhang Fakui,
and Guangxi to the forces of the Guangxi faction and of its leader, Li Zongren, which
were combatting Chiang Kaishek in Hunan.

1. This order to the First Front Army of the Red Army was issued by Mao Zedong and
Zhu De on the afternoon of August 31 from Baitianpu in the southern suburbs of
Changsha.

1. On the relation between this land law and that of February 7, 1930, see above, the
Introduction to this volume. In assessing the evolution of Mao's agrarian policy during the
summer and autumn of 1930, the resolution of June 1930 on the problem of the rich
peasants should also be consulted.

2. He is He Long.
Order to Lure the Enemy out of Their
Fortifications, Destroy Them, and March into
Changsha on the Heels of Victory
(August 31, 1930)¹

2. Gong Bingfan (1902-1982), a native of Shaanxi, was the commander of the Fifth
Division of the Guomindang Ninth Route Army.

2. The relative moderation of Mao's line at this time is underscored by the omission,
in this text, of the article in the February 7 law providing for the distribution of the land of
owner-peasants if the poor peasants demanded it.


3. Yuezhou is now called Yueyang.

4. Hengbao was the collective designation for Hengzhou and Baojing, which were the
old names for the towns now called Hengyang and Shaoyang.