A Secret Order on the Problem of
Organizing Local Armed Forces
(December 20, 1932)
A. In order to wipe out more enemy troops in this campaign, completely
shatter the large-scale offensive of the enemy, and strive to win victory first in
Jiangxi, we must make the greatest efforts to strengthen the local armed forces
and bring into full play the role of the local armed forces in the campaign. This is
a necessary condition for us to win complete victory in this campaign.
B. In order to smash the enemy's collective strategy as well as the ten tactics
it uses in the offensive, local armed forces must cooperate forcefully in the
operations of the Red Army main forces, so that every attempt of the enemy ends
in failure. At the same time, we must strengthen the organization and power of
the local armed forces in particular, so that they will be able to carry out their
tasks effectively.
C. Although the current organization of local armed forces is exactly modeled on that of the regular Red Army, because the weapons of local armed forces
are mainly naked blades, and also because of the lack of military cadres, while
the Red Guard armies and the Young Pioneers represent even more the masses in
arms, they have not yet established a regular military lifestyle. They suffer more
difficulties than the Red Army as far as training and supplies are concerned, and
moreover, in the course of operations, they merely assist the Red Army main
forces in the campaign and their tactics are mainly guerrilla tactics. All these
factors determine that the organizational system of the local armed forces must
be drawn up to fit these conditions. The major principle is that although small in
stature, they should be capable and bold, so as to promote swiftness in operation
and forcefulness in attack. Therefore, the old organizational system is much too
cumbersome and is not suited to carrying out the assignments.
D. The main thing in guerrilla tactics is to make surprise attacks on the
enemy, and hand-to-hand fighting is the main form of combat. As for the weapons of our local armed forces, they are very well adapted to this kind of tactics
and this kind of fighting, and we should take full advantage of this favorable
condition. Recently, however, most of the armed forces that are no longer engaged in production want only rifles and look down upon spears. This is incor-

Our source for this order is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 1, pp. 308-11, where it is
reproduced from a mimeographed copy in the Central Archives.

rect. It is assuredly very important to increase our firepower, but the great majority of the rifles in the hands of the local armed forces do not have bayonets.
Hence, when making a surprise attack on the enemy and engaging in hand-to-hand combat, not only is the capacity to wipe out the enemy reduced, but at
times we have to withdraw under the threat of hand-to-hand fighting by the
enemy, to the point where it even affects the carrying out of assignments.
E. As regards the weapons of the Red Guard armies and Young Pioneers,
spears constitute the backbone, but everywhere, when the units were being organized, the small number of rifles would be concentrated in one particular
model battalion or one model unit of the Young Pioneers. This prevented cooperation between firepower and the naked blade, thus weakening the combat capacity of the armed forces of the Red Guard armies and the Young Pioneers as a
whole, especially the model battalions of the Red Guards and the model Young
Pioneers units.
F. In light of the special conditions and tasks of the local armed forces, we
have now laid down the following new principles concerning the organization of
local armed forces:
1. Independent regiments may be organized like the Red Army, but in
terms of the allocation of weapons, two-thirds should consist of firearms and
one-third of naked blades (spears). They should be mixed together in the
platoons.
2. Guerrilla detachments should adopt the five squad system as their basic
pattern of organization. These should comprise three squads with firearms
and two squads with naked blades (spears). No platoons should be set up;
they should all come under the direct command of the detachment headquarters and appoint two vice detachment leaders. Guerrilla detachments, when
advancing into battle, should continue to imitate the Red Army in their organizational systems.
3. The model teams of the Red Guard armies and Young Pioneers should
adopt the organizational system of three platoons and six squads, each squad
consisting of eleven men. Three companies of model Red Guards and one
company of model Young Pioneers will make up one battalion. Each district
has one battalion, and three battalions make up one regiment (three districts
together will organize one regiment). Each xian will have from three to five
regiments, making up one division.
4. The Red Guard armies should adopt the system in which three squads
make up one platoon, and four platoons make up one company. Three of the
platoons are the combat platoons, and one platoon is the first aid platoon (it
should consist of middle-aged women). During a battle, the combat platoons
will fight at the front, and the first aid platoon will be responsible for first aid
during the fighting and services in the rear. Four companies will make up a
battalion, three battalions will make up a regiment, three regiments will make

up a division, and three to five divisions will make up an army. Each township should organize at least one company, two or three townships should
organize one battalion, every district should organize a regiment, every three
regiments will make up a division, and each xian will establish an army.
5. Because the Young Pioneers are the semi-military organization of the
young masses, they should be organized according to the system originally
laid down.
6. In guerrilla detachments and model battalions, each squad should be
divided into two sections. Each section should have one section head. During
a battle, it can become a combat group, and this will make it easy to attack
and withdraw.
7. As regards the allocation of weapons to model teams of the Red
Guard armies and Young Pioneers, each squad should be allocated three
rifles, one each for the squad head and the [two] group heads, and the members
should have eight spears. Company heads, political commissars, and platoon
heads each should have a rifle; each company will have twenty-three rifles and
forty-eight spears.
8. The allocation of weapons to the Red Guards and the Young Pioneers
should be the same as to the model battalions. Nevertheless, instead of rifles
they should use fowling pieces and homemade cannons. But homemade cannons can be put together to make up one platoon and put under the direct
command of the battalion headquarters.
9. The length of the spear should be uniformly fixed at 5 feet [chi] 2
inches [cun]. Every Red Guard soldier and every member of the Young
Pioneers should be equipped with one kind of weapon or another.
10. Apart from the general organizational principles, if there are still
some rifles left, each squad in the model battalion may have two to four more
rifles, and the number of rifles in each company may be increased to thirty-five to forty-seven.
11. The political commissar system should be established uniformly in
the course of this reorganization. In the Red Guards and the model Young
Pioneers, each company should establish a political commissar and a political
instructor, and every battalion, regiment, and division should establish a political commissar. If a company is on a mission alone, a political commissar
should be appointed temporarily. All the commanders and political commissars should be appointed by the military districts, military subdistricts, military affairs departments, and their political departments.

G. The time limit for completing the reorganization is set at January 20,
1933.

1. A Chinese "foot" (chi) was about one-third of a meter, there were 10 "inches" (cun)
to a foot.


H. During the reorganization, if the guerrilla detachments and independent
regiments are still out on missions, you should wait until they have come back to
the Soviet Area before carrying out the reorganization. Those that have not set
out should be reorganized at once.
I. Insofar as the reorganization of the model battalion is concerned, the number may be either increased or reduced, taking the number of people in the past
as the basis. Reorganization should not be carried out by mixing everyone together, so as to avoid delay.
J. You should mobilize the masses to gather together promptly all kinds of
weapons (such as spears and gunpowder). Meanwhile, after the reorganization,
all training must pay attention to practical education and exercises in battle. The
various forms of formalistic education and training not related to combat practiced in the past must be completely eliminated, and the education plan decided
by the Committee on Labor and War must be thoroughly carried out.
We expect that governments, military districts, military subdistricts, and military affairs departments at every level will strictly abide by and carry out all of
the aforementioned points.
It is so ordered.

Chairman
Vice Chairmen
Mao Zedong
Xiang Ying
Zhang Guotao