The First All-China Congress of Soviets adopted the Regulations on Preferential Treatment for the Red Army, which set forth numerous advantageous rights and benefits for its members. Why were so many preferential measures established for the Red Army? Because, over several years of struggle, the Red Army has been the principal force steadfastly carrying out the land revolution and resolutely opposing imperialism and the Kuomintang warlords; it is a powerful defender of the Soviet government. In the history of China’s revolutionary struggles, it has performed glorious and heroic deeds. At present, the Chinese revolution is unfolding in a brutal environment of armed conflict, a time when active revolutionary warfare must be waged—more intense, large-scale battles against imperialism and the Kuomintang warlords. Only by maintaining a vast Red Army can we secure initial victories in one or several provinces and ultimately achieve Soviet power throughout China. The Red Army fights to liberate the working class, the peasantry, and all oppressed people; it is a warrior defending Soviet power, striving with the utmost spirit of sacrifice for the interests and liberation of the workers, peasants, and all toiling masses. Therefore, the Soviet government and the working-class and peasant masses should accord special preferential treatment to the Red Army, so that its soldiers may find solace, have no anxieties about their families, and devote themselves wholeheartedly to courageous combat. Accordingly, the First All-China Congress of Soviets specifically enacted these Regulations on Preferential Treatment for the Red Army.

In the past, local Soviet governments had indeed issued certain provisions regarding preferential treatment for the Red Army and its families, but in practice these were often neglected; in some places they were virtually ignored and never implemented. In other areas, the treatment of Red Army families actually undermined the army itself—such practices seriously impeded efforts to expand and strengthen the Red Army’s fighting capacity, constituting a grave error. Henceforth, Soviet governments at all levels must rigorously correct these past mistakes and strictly enforce the Regulations on Preferential Treatment for the Red Army adopted by the All-China Congress of Soviets. Any further neglect of such preferential treatment, or any dereliction of duty in implementing these regulations, shall be punished as if it were an act of counterrevolution.

The following specific measures are hereby prescribed for the implementation of the Regulations on Preferential Treatment for the Red Army:  1. At the district level, an immediate survey shall be conducted to identify all individuals from this district serving in the Red Army, together with data on the size of their families, the amount of land they possess, the number of able-bodied members, and the number of those who are unable to work or have insufficient labor capacity. This information is to be compiled into detailed records, one copy to be retained locally and another submitted to the county Soviet for safekeeping. This work is to be completed by March 1.

2. Within each Red Army unit—whether a corps, an independent division, or a local armed force detached from production—the political department and the political commissar shall be responsible for meticulously registering the names, ages, places of origin, and family circumstances of all officers, combatants, and support personnel, and reporting these details to the Revolutionary Military Commission or the local Soviet government. This task too must be finished by March 1.

3. With respect to Red Army soldiers who have previously fallen in battle, local governments, in collaboration with the Red Army’s political department and political commissars, shall make every effort to ascertain and report the relevant information to the Military Commission or the appropriate local authorities, for disposition by the respective county governments.

4. Among former Red Army personnel and local armed forces, there remain those who participated in counterrevolutionary organizations—whether they have already been executed or have since confessed and reformed. The commanding officers of each unit and local armed force shall determine their class background and distinguish between ringleaders and mere followers, then report their findings to higher authorities to decide whether their land should be confiscated. Once a decision is made, the matter will be handed over to the local governments for execution.

5. With the exception of foreign Red Army soldiers, the central government will forward the registration lists of all units to the respective district governments. These district governments, in turn, shall compare the unit lists with their own locally compiled surveys of household registrations and submit the results to their superior authorities for record-keeping. Any discrepancies must be thoroughly investigated and reported upward to prevent omissions or errors.

6. Regarding the key issue of implementing the preferential treatment regulations, the district and township governments, based on the survey registers, shall total up the number of dependents within their jurisdiction who are either unable to work or have limited labor capacity, thereby calculating the total amount of compulsory labor required. They will then assess the available labor resources across all townships in the district and allocate appropriate assistance: specific groups of local workers and peasants will be assigned to help the families of Red Army soldiers cultivate their fields and the Red Army’s public farmland. Responsibility for organizing and executing this cultivation shall rest with the respective township Soviets.

7. Upon receiving notification from the district Soviet, each township Soviet shall promptly convene a meeting to determine the implementation plan. It shall then call a general assembly bringing together the families of Red Army soldiers and all residents of the township to discuss and publicize the significance of assisting these families in tilling their fields and cultivating the Red Army’s public land, as well as the specific amount of compulsory labor assigned to the township. After gaining the approval of the populace, the exact number of days and the timing of the labor service shall be determined. Simultaneously, the township Soviet must do everything possible to convene leaders of poor-peasant associations and hired-labor unions to assist the government in mobilizing the population to provide aid to the Red Army and its families. During both planting and harvesting, the township Soviet bears the responsibility of ensuring proper organization while preventing coercive orders (except in the case of rich peasants).

8. When planting and harvesting take place, the township Soviet shall, through propaganda and agitation, mobilize the broad masses to carry out the prescribed compulsory labor in support of the Red Army and its families, ensuring that the Red Army’s fields are planted and harvested earlier than ordinary farmland.

9. As for the allocation of public farmland to foreign Red Army soldiers, the amount shall be determined according to the per capita share of land allocated in each locality: those receiving smaller shares shall be allotted correspondingly smaller plots, while those with larger shares shall receive more. Following Jiangxi Province’s practice, for example, townships where each person is allocated five dan of land shall reserve three to five plots for the Red Army, whereas those allocating more than five dan should set aside even larger portions. Townships allocating fewer than five dan must also designate at least one plot for the Red Army. Other Soviet regions may adopt Jiangxi’s approach; moreover, in newly developed areas, particular attention must be paid to reserving public farmland when distributing land.

10. Public farmland shall be tallied at the district level and reported to the county government, then aggregated at the provincial level and submitted to the central government. Based on the number of foreign Red Army soldiers and the total acreage of public farmland in each county, the Red Army’s General Political Department will allocate specific plots. A corresponding notice will be sent from the central government to the local governments, which will inform both the general populace and the individual Red Army units of the new allocations, including the location of each plot. Representatives from each unit will be invited to visit their assigned plots.

11. Each parcel of public farmland shall bear a distinctive marker designated by the district government, clearly indicating its allocation to a particular Red Army unit. Seeds, fertilizers, and other supplies shall primarily be provided through mass mobilization, supplemented where feasible by government subsidies.

12. Following each year’s harvest, the district Soviet shall oversee the sale of the produce to generate funds, which will then be forwarded successively to the county government, the provincial government, and finally to the Red Army, to be distributed among those entitled to benefit from the public farmland.

13. The names, places of origin, and family details of foreign Red Army soldiers who have fallen in battle shall be recorded. Should revolutionary developments later reach their home locales, the central government will direct the local authorities to locate and verify their identities, thereby enabling the application of the preferential treatment regulations to their surviving relatives.

14. If, after a Red Army soldier’s death, his or her family lacks sufficient means to subsist or is completely unable to do so, the government shall provide a subsidy equivalent to the local minimum cost of living, continuing payments until the children attain self-sufficiency or, in the absence of children, until the parents or spouse have reached the end of their lives.

15. Where schools have been established, the children of Red Army soldiers shall enjoy the right to free education, to be administered by the township and district Soviets.

16. Red Army soldiers and their families shall be accorded special privileges in postal communications, in accordance with People’s Committee Directive No. 1.

17. Disabled Red Army veterans shall receive preferential treatment under the Regulations on Preferential Treatment, administered by the Red Army Welfare Committee of the Military Commission and by rehabilitation institutions for the disabled.

18. To ensure the effective implementation of the foregoing measures and all provisions of the Regulations on Preferential Treatment for the Red Army, a Committee for Preferential Treatment of the Red Army shall be established under each county military department, responsible for overseeing related matters. At the provincial level, a Provincial Committee for Preferential Treatment of the Red Army will be created to guide and supervise the work of the county committees.

19. In order to compel governments at all levels to faithfully implement the Regulations on Preferential Treatment for the Red Army, the Workers’ and Peasants’ Inspection Departments of each government shall regularly dispatch inspectors to conduct spot checks. Should it be discovered that a government is failing to enforce the regulations, or if complaints are received from Red Army soldiers or their families, the Inspection Departments shall swiftly investigate and rectify the situation, and may refer the matter to the courts for prosecution.

Spring has now arrived, and the spring plowing season is approaching. Governments at all levels and the Red Army’s political organs must, in accordance with the Regulations on Preferential Treatment for the Red Army and the procedures outlined herein, immediately deliberate on specific implementation steps and proceed without delay. Progress in implementation is to be reported hierarchically to higher authorities, up to and including the central government, for review. Neglect or dereliction of duty will not be tolerated; this is of paramount importance.  Given this day, November 1, 1391 (1932), by order of the Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Soviet Republic:  Chairman Mao Zedong  Vice Chairmen Xiang Ying and Zhang Guotao