(April 1934)

Worker and peasant masses in the whole Soviet Area:

"May Day" of this year arrives precisely at a time when we are engaged in a
decisive and cruel battle against the Fifth "Encirclement and Suppression" of the
imperialist Guomindang.

Two-thirds of the regular army of the Guomindang in the whole country, and
all the main forces of the fascist bandit chieftain Chiang Kaishek, totaling sixty-six divisions and eight independent brigades of more than seven hundred thousand White army soldiers, are mounting an attack on our Central Soviet Area.

All the battlefields at the front are bombed by the airplanes and artillery,
strafed by the machine guns and rifles, and blocked by the fortified lines of the
Guomindang's White army. People are ruthlessly and inhumanely massacred and
houses are burnt. The imperialists and Guomindang just want to use these measures to immerse our soviet régime of the workers and peasants in a sea of blood.

But such crazy and desperate attacks by the imperialists and the Guomindang
cannot in the slightest degree cause panic and despair among our brave Red
Army soldiers fighting at the front and our workers, peasants, and poor laboring
people in the whole Soviet Area. On the contrary, such attacks by the imperialist
Guomindang arouse the indignation and strengthen the fighting resolve of every
Red Army soldier at the front and every member of the laboring masses in the
whole Soviet Area to an even greater degree. Thousands upon thousands of
worker and peasant masses are getting involved in the powerful current of participating in the battles, and swear to carry the struggle through to the end in order
to defend the soviet régime.

The fifth war¹ is more cruel and protracted than any of the previous wars.
This is a war to the death between the Guomindang régime of the landlords and
capitalists and the soviet régime of the workers and peasants. Only by mobilizing
all the masses of workers and peasants in the whole Soviet Area to participate in
this war can our soviet régime achieve a final victory.

This proclamation was first published in 𝘏𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘦 𝘡𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘩𝘶𝘢, no. 179, April 24,
1934. Our source is 𝘔𝘢𝘰 𝘡𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘫𝘪, Vol. 4, pp. 355-57, where it is reprinted from this
version


1. I.e., the Fifth "Encirclement and Suppression."


On "May Day" of this year, the Central Government of the Chinese Soviet
Republic calls upon every worker and peasant in the whole Soviet Area to arm
himself and join the Red Army, join the Red Guard armies, the Young Pioneers,
the Model Little Red Guards, and guerrilla forces! Let us fight a decisive battle
against the attacking enemies and defend our Soviet Area.
All the comrades and members of the Model Young Red Guards who participated in the military parade on Red May! Join the Red Army in the form of whole
companies, whole battalions, and whole regiments! Let's carry the struggle
through to the end in order to smash the Fifth "Encirclement and Suppression."
Let us develop guerrilla warfare extensively to disturb, encircle, fatigue, strike,
and wipe out the enemy. Let us defend every inch of land in our Soviet Area. Let us
help our Red Army main force to achieve victory in this decisive battle.
Only by victory in the armed struggle, and first of all only by wiping out the
main force of the bandit chieftain Chiang Kaishek, can we protect the land, the
freedoms, the eight-hour working day, and all the other revolutionary rights that
the soviet revolution has brought us. Only by victory in the armed struggle can
we finally overthrow the rule of the imperialists and the Guomindang, establish
soviet political power in all of China, and finally liberate ourselves from under
the iron hooves of the landlords and capitalists.
Toiling worker and peasant masses in the rear area! Assemble all our capital
and goods to ensure provisions for our Red Army. Every worker and peasant,
please save 3 sheng of rice to help the food supply of the Red Army.² Grow
more vegetables and raise more pigs to treat our Red Army soldiers fighting at
the front. Let us carry out the sale of economic construction bonds as quickly as
possible. Let us collect and transport our grain to where it is most needed. Let us
save on all the expenses in the rear, and save every copper cash for achieving
victory in the struggle at the front.
Toiling masses of workers and peasants in the whole Soviet Area! The decisive battle, which will decide between life and death, lies ahead of us. Let us
make use of our iron fists, and of the strong and resolute united wills of the
worker and peasant masses, to smash the Fifth "Encirclement and Suppression"
of the imperialist Guomindang and strive for the victory of the soviets in all of
China. Only the soviet road is the road of liberation for all the exploited popular
masses and all the oppressed nations.
Long live the "May Day" holiday of the toilers!
Long live a new Soviet China!

Chairman of the Central
Executive Committee
Mao Zedong

2. Regarding the "Three Sheng of Rice Campaign," see above, the relevant note to the
text of March 1, 1933.