(January 29, 1934)

At 1:00 on the afternoon of the 29th, it was originally scheduled for Comrade
Lin Boqu to make a report on soviet economic construction. Because it was
learned, in an urgent dispatch on enemy movements, that Chiang Kaishek had
launched a three-pronged attack against the Soviet Area, the presidium decided
to shorten the duration of the meeting and designate Chairman Mao to make a
report to the congress. Chairman Mao finished his report in about thirty minutes and enormous excitement swept over the congress. The report on economic construction was then given. The following is a summary of Chairman
Mao's report:

In the last two days we have received news from the front that the counterrevolutionary Chiang Kaishek has already defeated the Nineteenth Route Army of
Fujian. Those gentlemen of the so-called People's Revolutionary Government of
Fujian have also fled. Now Chiang Kaishek is aggressively launching a massive
attack against the Soviet Area. According to the information of the past two
days, Chiang Kaishek's plan is to launch a massive attack against the Soviet
Area along three routes, which are the eastern, central, and western routes. The
eastern route force, starting from Shaxian in Fujian, is to attack our territories of
Guihua, Qingliu, and Quanshang, in an attempt to occupy Shicheng and Ruijin;
Jiang Dingwen is its commander-in-chief. The central route force, starting from
Lichuan, is to advance toward our soviet area in Jianning. The battle [there] has
been especially fierce during the last two days. Their objective is to occupy our
territories of Jianning, Guangchang, and Bosheng. Chen Cheng is the commander-in-chief. The western route force is to start from Yongfeng and go
through Xingtian and Shaxi, with an attack on our territory of Xingguo as its
objective. Xue Yue is the commander-in-chief.

A correct estimate of the enemy's Fifth "Encirclement and Suppression"
against us has been reached in the reports and discussions of the past few days.
We have won the initial victory in smashing the enemy's Fifth "Encirclement
and Suppression." But the final decisive battle of the Fifth "Encirclement and
Suppression" lies before us. This estimate of ours has been proved to be completely correct by the facts. The urgent task at the moment is to mobilize all
available resources to smash the Fifth "Encirclement and Suppression" and rout
the enemy's three-pronged attack completely. We have the support of the broad
masses; we have a strong Red Army; we have the correct orientation laid down
by the Second All-Soviet Congress. We hold in our hands the assurance of
smashing the enemy's attack. But we must devote the greatest efforts to carrying
out many urgent tasks. The first task is to expand the Red Army. We should
continue the experience of the shock mobilization movement in December last
year and in the first half of January, and learn from the glorious examples of xian
like Ruijin, Xingguo, and Xijiang in the expansion of the Red Army. If we want
to defeat the enemy's three-pronged attack, we must make every effort to expand
the Red Army. Second, we must impose Red martial law.¹ The work of Red
martial law is extremely important in the face of the enemy's massive attack.
Third, we must put down counterrevolutionary activities. Landlords, rich peasants, and capitalists are certain to seize the occasion offered by the enemy's
three-pronged attack to carry out their activities and attempt to act as the
Guomindang's agents from within. We should raise our class vigilance and keep a
close watch for conspiratorial activities by reactionary elements everywhere and
at all times. Fourth, strengthen the walls and clear the fields² in areas the enemy is
about to attack, so that the enemy will not get a single grain of rice to eat or find a
single guide. Fifth, mobilize transportation teams to go to the front to carry the
wounded and captured goods. Such teams should be ready at all times to move
whenever they are needed. Sixth, collect food and ensure supplies for the Red
Army. We should mobilize the masses to complete the sale of treasury bonds and
collect the rice used to purchase the bonds; we should get the rice in lieu of the
land tax to the soviets immediately. We should economize to help finance the war.
Seventh, in order to smash the enemy's three-pronged attack, we must mobilize
the entire personnel of the soviets, mobilize them for battle. In order to intensify
our work, we should call on the broad masses of workers and peasants to unite
closely around the Soviet Government and devote all their energy to helping fight
the war, so as to smash thoroughly the Fifth "Encirclement and Suppression" of
the imperialist Guomindang! (Applause.) This time, the imperialist Guomindang
is committing all its forces to the attack on us. We should exert every effort to
respond to them. We must unite as one to deal with the enemy; we must conduct
propaganda and agitation everywhere among the masses, and tell every male
comrade, every female comrade, every old comrade, and every young comrade, so
that they may understand their responsibilities and unite closely to smash the
enemy's Fifth "Encirclement and Suppression"! (Applause.)

1. Regarding the meaning of chise jieyan, here translated "Red martial law," see above,
the relevant note to the text of March 20, 1931.
2. The traditional expression jianbi qingye, translated literally here, implies action to
strengthen defense works, evacuate non-combatants, and hide provisions and livestock.
Regarding the history of the term, and the Central Committee's criticism of Mao for his
usage of it, see above, the relevant note to the text of July 4, 1931.

We have already smashed the enemy's First, Second, Third, and Fourth "En-
circlement and Suppression," and won initial victory in the Fifth "Encirclement
and Suppression." We have gained much experience. We have gone through
many storms. We are not children without any experience and incapable of
weathering storms. We should collect the experience of past victories, in order to
struggle for the complete destruction of the enemy's Fifth "Encirclement and
Suppression"! (Applause.)
We must sternly oppose any rightist opportunism of panic, pessimism, wavering, retreat, and flight in face of the enemy's attack! (Applause.)
We must oppose even more any "leftist" opportunism, which downplays the
gravity of the war and neglects the work of mobilization! (Applause.)
We must unite as one and seek the complete victory of thoroughly smashing
the enemy's Fifth "Encirclement and Suppression"!
Make great efforts to expand the Red Army!
Intensify Red martial law!
Carry out strengthening the defenses and clearing the fields!
Mobilize transportation teams to go to the front!
Gather food and ensure supplies for the Red Army!
Let all the work of the soviets support the revolutionary war!
Strive for the victory of the new Soviet China!
Long live Soviet China!
Long live the Red Army!
Long live the ever-victorious Red Army!
Long live the Chinese Communist Party! (Thunderous applause.)

--- Notes

This report was first published in Hongse Zhonghua, Special Issue no. 6, February 1, 1934,
on the Second National Soviet Congress. We have translated it from Mao Zedong ji.
Bujuan, Vol. 4, pp. 205-8, where it is reproduced from this source.