Suggestions for Crack Troops and
Simple Administration for Central
China
(August 4, 1942)
Comrade Chen Yi:
After reading the telegram on Crack Troops and Simple Administration, we are
aware of the entire situation in Central China. This is very good. It has not been
long since your enlarged meeting at the end of April, and you do not have to
make changes in a hurry. However, there is one point to which I would like to
draw your attention. That is, along with the bitter struggle there will certainly
come a contraction of the base areas, and it is highly possible that this will occur
very soon. If you do not prepare for it, you will be sure to suffer great losses.
Under such circumstances, whether in Central China or North China, it is
impossible to maintain excessively large armies. If we manage with great effort to
do so, it certainly will not last for long. We should not forget the lesson of the
Central Soviet in the latter half of 1934. As for Central China, you have decided
to expand the current main army of 80,000 and local armies of 40,000 to 100,000
each, or 200,000 in all, and this does not yet include Party and government staff.
Since the Jiangnan, East Anhui, North Anhui, and Central Hubei base areas have
all contracted, this number is too large. Next year will be very difficult, and the
degree of difficulty is beyond the imagination of many people now. Nevertheless,
the senior leading organs must estimate and prepare beforehand. In civil war, it is
possible to have a Long March, but it is absolutely out of the question now. If we
use up the human and financial resources of the base areas very quickly, putting

both the people and the military in a difficult situation, then we will face the
danger of sentencing ourselves to death. North China and Shandong must
determine now to begin to thoroughly implement Crack Troops and Simple
Administration; otherwise, by next year they will not be able to carry on.
Although the situation in Central China is slightly different, the general direction
is the same. You should think this over beforehand and make a comprehensive
plan by the end of this year or by early spring of next year in order to fulfill our
hopes for Crack Troops and Simple Administration.
Mao Zedong
Note
Our source for this text is Mao Zedong wenji, Vol. 2, pp. 437–38, which is based on a manuscript held in the
Central Archives.