(under the direction of the head of the military supplies section of the Third
Army, Fan Shude). The First Army Group's mess unit will be positioned on
the road between Dongsigang and Xujiachong. The Third Army Group's
mess unit will be positioned in Dongshan.
g. During the general offensive tonight we will be on Wumafeng Mountain in
front of Xujiachong.

Addendum:
a. Along the way each army group's advance troops attacking the city should
pay attention to destroying the enemy's advancing security forces.
b. Darkness is taken to fall at precisely 7:00 o'clock.
c. When attacking the city, all officers and soldiers must march ahead with
full courage. Anyone who shrinks and retreats from the battle shall be dealt
with by military law.
d. When there is the possibility of attacking an enemy's stronghold, a torch
should be lit as a signal.
e. All army groups are to communicate with General Command Headquarters
(on top of Wumafeng) by telephone. All armies and army groups, in turn,
are to communicate through orderlies or special signals.
f. Command positions at all levels are to be indicated according to originally
stipulated torch signals.
g. All night attacks are to be carried out through hand-to-hand combat.

2. According to orders, this army group will take the enemy's stronghold in
Wumeiling by storm, and has made the following arrangements:

a. The Fourth Army constitutes the force attacking the city. It should move at
2:00 P.M. today from its present location to the area of Guitang and Shiba,
and promptly launch a fierce attack on the enemy's stronghold in Wumeiling.
b. The Twelfth Army will be the reserve force for the attack on the city. It
should move from its present location at 4:00 P.M. today and advance
following the Fourth Army. Tonight it should dispatch forces (roughly the
equivalent of a company) along the main road in Dongjingpu to feign an
attack on Shimapu and Huangtuling.
c. The forces attacking the city and the reserve forces for the attack on the
city are all under the command of Attack Commanding Officer Lin Biao
and Political Commissar Luo Ronghuan.
d. The Third Army constitutes the reserve force of this army group. It should
move at 4:30 P.M. today following General Headquarters to the reserve
forces position near Tianjiling behind Xujiachong. It should also post a
strong security force to stand guard in the direction of places such as
Mojialong and Shipailing.
3. The army group's heavy baggage and the mess units of its combatant
forces should halt at the positions designated in the Front Army's aforementioned order and begin cooking.
4. During the general offensive tonight we will be atop Wumafeng Mountain.

Commander-in-chief Zhu De
and
Political Commissar Mao Zedong

Instruction on Methods for Capturing
the Enemy's Weapons
(September 12, 1930)
During the period of guerrilla warfare in the past, our Red Army did not fight
any campaigns against big enemies and did not capture large amounts of enemy
weapons. As a result, our comrades, officers and soldiers, often ran forward,
seized a gun in their hands, and asked the enemy to give it to them. Once they
got the gun, they slung it on their back. This habit has been maintained down to
the present day. During our attack on Changsha this time, one detachment of the
Fourth Army had pursued a regiment under Chen Guangzhong to the point
where it was willing to surrender its weapons voluntarily. As in the past, however, our officers and soldiers wanted to carry all these guns themselves, and this
was simply impossible, for they were few and the enemy's guns were many, so
they naturally could not carry them all. As a result, while they were struggling
with this problem, the enemy launched a counterattack, and all the guns of this
entire regiment were taken back again by the enemy. This was truly a pity. From
now on, every one of us should understand the methods for fighting big campaigns and capturing large numbers of weapons. Whenever the enemy troops
raise their banners or hands and wave, or play a salute, or raise their guns and
indicate that they are willing to give up their weapons and surrender, we should,
on the one hand, be on guard with arms, order them to put their guns in piles
(stack their rifles), or order them to put their guns on the ground and move a few
steps backward. Afterward, officers should be sent to gather these captives together and lead them away from the battlefield, and the necessary number of
troops should be sent to guard them to the rear. As regards all the weapons
(whether lying on the ground or piled up in stacks), we should send someone else
(it is best to send an adjutant) to lead a few soldiers to escort them to the nearest
place in the rear and give them to the empty-handed people to transfer to the rear
(removing the triggers if necessary). We absolutely must not carry large amounts
of captured enemy weapons ourselves, for this will reduce our fighting strength.
Our source for this document is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 1, pp. 167-68, where it is
stated that the text has been reproduced from the original document in the Party
archives.
1. This is Instruction No. 2 of the General Headquarters of the First Front Army.
Particular attention must be paid to this point. The people sent should run back to
their units immediately, to deal with the enemy elsewhere. While gathering up
the weapons surrendered by the enemy, we should act swiftly and guard them
with extreme caution, so as not to give the enemy the opportunity to launch a
counterattack. While the guns are still in the enemy's hands, in order to reduce
their fighting capacity and accomplish our fighting tasks, we should kill them
without the slightest compunction. Conversely, if the enemy has already laid
down his weapons and expressed his willingness to surrender, we should not
injure him simply because of hatred. This is a very important matter. We hope
that all our comrade officers and soldiers will pay special attention to the importance of carrying this out. Be it so ordered.
Commander-in-Chief
Political Commissar
Zhu De
Mao Zedong

Order to the First Army Group of the Red Army
to Occupy Places Such as Ping[xiang],
You[xian], Li[ling], and Zhu[zhou], and
to Await Opportunities

(September 12, 1930, 5:30, at Xinqiao)

1. It is said that Zhang [Fakui]'s troops and those of Guangxi have arrived at
Xiangtan, and that there is one unit of the Nineteenth Division in Zhuzhou.
2. To achieve the objective of first eliminating the forces of Zhang [Fakui]
and Guangxi, and those of He Jian, and then taking Changsha and attacking
Wuhan, the Front Army's intention is to take Ping[xiang], You[xian], Li[ling],
and Zhu[zhou] and await opportunities.
3. Our Third Army Group will enter and take Pingxiang today by way of
Liling.
4. This army group has received orders to take Zhuzhou tomorrow (the
13th).
5. The Twelfth Army is designated as the vanguard, and it should set out
tonight at 4:00 o'clock by way of Longtoupu. If there are enemy forces in
Zhuzhou they must destroy this enemy and occupy [Zhuzhou].
6. The unit directly attached to General Headquarters (to set out at 4:00
o'clock) is to march following the vanguard.
7. The Fourth Army constitutes the rear guard. It should set out at 6:00
o'clock and advance following the unit directly attached to General Headquarters.
8. The Third Army should find its own route to advance toward Zhuzhou
(on the principle of marching to the right of the Longtoupu road so as not to
cross paths with those troops going through Longtoupu).
9. Baggage is to be returned to its original unit.
10. Our movements shall be with the position of General Headquarters.

Addendum:
If there is no enemy upon arrival in Zhuzhou, the Twelfth Army is to be
stationed in the direction of Lukou, the Third Army is to be stationed in

We have translated this order from Jiangxi dangshi ziliao, Vol. 6, pp. 125-26.
Zhuzhou, the Fourth Army is to be stationed in Longtoupu and Zhuzhou, and
General Headquarters is to be stationed in the direction of Liling. In other words,
they are not to be all stationed in one clump. It is forbidden to sabotage the
railroad power lines from Zhuzhou to Liling and Lukou.
It is so ordered.

Front Committee general espionage team leader, He
General Headquarters espionage team leader, Chen
Political Commissar, Liu
Transportation team deputy leader, Yang
Political Commissar, Feng
Headquarters adjutants' section
General Political Department general affairs section, He

Commander-in-chief Zhu De
Political Commissar Mao Zedong