It has now been two years since the War of Resistance began, and the Liberation Daily, the Xinhua Daily, the New China Daily, and the Eighth Route Army Military and Political Journal have asked me to write a commemorative article. I have gathered considerable material and plan to compose a paper marking the second anniversary of the war, in which I shall respond to the criticisms, challenges, and doubts that have arisen from certain quarters since the publication of “On Protracted War” and “On the New Stage.” I propose to title it “A Further Discussion on Protracted War.” Here, however, I can only briefly touch upon the crisis confronting the current situation.

The paramount issue facing the Chinese nation in the face of the aggressor, Japanese imperialism, has always been whether or not to fight. Between the Mukden Incident and the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, this question was debated with extraordinary intensity. “If we fight, we shall survive; if we do not, we shall perish”—such was the conclusion reached by all patriotic parties and all patriotic compatriots. “If we fight, we shall perish; if we do not, we shall survive”—such was the verdict of all those advocating surrender. The cannon fire at Marco Polo Bridge temporarily resolved this debate, declaring that the former view was correct and the latter utterly wrong. Yet why did those shots settle the matter only temporarily, rather than bringing it to a definitive close? Because of Japan’s policy of inducing surrender, because of the compromise attempts of international appeasers, and because of the wavering stance of certain elements within China’s anti-Japanese front, the issue was subtly rephrased as the so-called “question of peace or war,” thereby igniting a struggle within China between the belligerent and the pacifist camps. Their respective arguments remained unchanged: “If we fight, we shall survive; if we make peace, we shall perish”—this was the position of the belligerents. “If we make peace, we shall survive; if we fight, we shall perish”—this was the stance of the pacifists. However, the belligerent camp—comprising all patriotic parties, all patriotic compatriots, and the vast majority of the nation—stood in stark contrast to the pacifists, or the surrenderists, who, in terms of numbers, constituted merely a small fraction of the wavering elements within the anti-Japanese front. Consequently, the so-called pacifists were compelled to engage in deceptive propaganda, with anti-Communism serving as their primary weapon. They began to churn out, like snowflakes, fabricated reports, false documents, and spurious resolutions alleging that the Communists were sowing discord, that the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army were engaging in feints without delivering decisive blows or obeying orders, that the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region was carving out a semi-independent fiefdom and expanding outward, that the Communist Party was experiencing explosive growth, and even that the Communists were plotting to overthrow the government, or that the Soviet Union was hatching a plot to invade China. All these fabrications were designed to obscure the truth and mislead the masses, with the aim of gradually shaping public opinion to advance the cause of peace—and thus of surrender. The reason the pacifists, or surrenderists, resorted to such tactics lay in the fact that the Communist Party had initiated and steadfastly upheld the united front for national resistance, the Anti-Japanese National United Front. Without undermining the CPC, they could neither disrupt the cooperation between the KMT and the CPC, nor split the Anti-Japanese National United Front, nor effect a surrender. Moreover, they pinned their hopes on concessions from Japanese imperialism, believing that Japan was already on its last legs and would reverse its fundamental policies, voluntarily withdrawing from Central and Southern China, and even from North China, thereby enabling China to achieve “victory” without further fighting. Still another line of reasoning relied on pressure from the international community: many among the so-called pacifists not only hoped that the major powers would bring sufficient pressure to bear on Japan to force it to yield and open the way for peace talks, but also sought to induce these same powers to exert similar pressure on the Chinese government, so as to enable them to tell the belligerents, “You see, such is the international climate—what more is there to be gained by continuing the war?” Thus, they argued, the only option left was to accept peace. They claimed that the Pacific International Conference would benefit China, insisting that this was no Munich Agreement, but rather a step toward China’s revival. Such, then, was the entire ideological framework, the modus operandi, and the intricate conspiracy of China’s pacifists—the surrenderists. And this conspiracy was not confined to Wang Jingwei alone; far more insidious were the numerous “Zhang Jingweis” and “Li Jingweis” who lurked within the anti-Japanese front, colluding with Wang Jingwei behind the scenes—some acting in tandem, others playing the roles of good cop and bad cop.

We Communists openly declare that we have consistently stood with the belligerent faction and fully support Chiang Kai-shek and the National Government’s repeatedly proclaimed national policy of resisting aggression. We firmly oppose those who call themselves the “pacifists.” Our sole aspiration is to join hands with all patriotic parties and all patriotic compatriots throughout the country to consolidate unity, strengthen the Anti-Japanese National United Front, fortify cooperation between the KMT and the CPC, implement the Three Principles of the People, and stand shoulder to shoulder with Chiang Kai-shek and the National Government until final victory is achieved—at the Yalu River, with every lost territory restored. Nothing else matters. We vehemently denounce both the overt Wang Jingweis and the covert ones who are stoking anti-Communist sentiment, provoking friction between the two parties, and even plotting yet another schism and civil war within the ranks of the revolutionaries. To them we say: the true nature of your secessionist schemes is nothing more than preparatory steps for capitulation. Your policies of surrender and division are but manifestations of a comprehensive plan to betray the national interest and serve narrow personal gains. Every member of the people possesses discerning eyes; your conspiracies will surely be exposed. We likewise roundly reject the absurd notion that the Pacific Conference does not constitute an Eastern Munich—that conference, on the contrary, is indeed an Eastern Munich, a prelude to turning China into a second Czechoslovakia. Equally untenable are the empty speculations that Japanese imperialism might suddenly awaken and make fundamental concessions. The imperial regime’s fundamental policy of annihilating China remains immutable. The honeyed words uttered by the Japanese after the fall of Wuhan—such as their supposed abandonment of the doctrine that the Nationalist government was not a legitimate adversary and their subsequent recognition of it as such, along with conditions ostensibly attached to the withdrawal from Central and Southern China—are nothing but a cunning stratagem to lure prey onto the hook before cooking it. Anyone who takes the bait is preparing himself for destruction. Similarly, the maneuvers of international appeasers aimed at coaxing China into surrender are part and parcel of their sinister strategy: they condone Japan’s aggression while sitting idly by, waiting for the opportune moment to stage a so-called Pacific mediation conference and reap the rewards. Those who place their trust in such schemers will inevitably fall victim to their machinations.

The question of war versus non-war has now transformed into one of war versus peace, yet its essence remains unchanged—it remains the foremost, most fundamental issue of all. Over the past six months, owing to the intensification of Japan’s policy of inducing surrender, the active machinations of international appeasers, and, above all, the increased wavering among certain elements within China’s anti-Japanese front, the so-called “peace question” has grown increasingly clamorous. As a result, the prospect of surrender has emerged as the principal danger threatening the current political landscape, while anti-Communism—aimed at shattering cooperation between the KMT and the CPC and fracturing the united front—has come to be regarded as the crucial, indeed indispensable, first step in the surrenderists’ preparations for capitulation. Under these circumstances, all patriotic parties and all patriotic compatriots across the nation must first turn their gaze to the activities of the surrenderists, must recognize the unequivocal truth and defining characteristic of the present situation: “Surrender is the main danger; anti-Communism signals the onset of surrender.” Only then can they muster every possible effort to resist both surrender and division. The sacred War of Resistance, waged for two full years with the flesh and blood of the entire nation against Japanese imperialism, brooks no room for those who would waver or betray. Likewise, the Anti-Japanese National United Front and the cooperative relationship between the KMT and the CPC, forged through the concerted efforts of the whole nation and universally acknowledged, cannot be permitted to be undermined or torn asunder by any segment of society.

Continue to fight, continue to unite—only then can China endure.

Yield to peace, embrace division—only then will China perish.

The choice lies before us; let our people decide swiftly.

We Communists are determined to continue the fight and to uphold unity.

All patriotic parties and all patriotic compatriots throughout the nation share this resolve.

Even if the forces of surrender and their conspiracies succeed for a time, they will ultimately be exposed by the people and brought to justice. The historic mission of the Chinese nation is to unite in resistance for liberation. Those who seek to reverse this course may enjoy temporary success and exult in the belief that no power can harm them; yet their ultimate fate will inevitably be sealed by the collective judgment of the entire nation.

Opposing surrender and division—this is the urgent task confronting all patriotic parties and all patriotic compatriots nationwide.

Let the people of China rally together, persevere in resistance and unity, and crush the plots of surrender and division once and for all!

June 30, 1939, excerpted from the special “July 7th” commemorative issue, Nos. 75–76, of Liberation Magazine