Current Party Policy and Work Agenda for
the New Fourth Army
 (August 24, 1945)
To Rao [Shushi], Zhang [Yunyi], and Lai [Chuanzhu],1 and to be forwarded to Su
[Yu] and Ye [Fei]2:
All telegrams have been received.
	 1.	 The current political situation has changed. The stage of war with Japan is
over and the stage of peaceful reconstruction has begun.
	 2.	 Our Party’s slogan is: Peace, democracy, unity.
	 3.	 In the large cities, work for peace, democracy, and unity; improve the status
of our Party and do not adopt a policy of military occupation.
	 4.	 Strive to occupy small cities and the countryside.
	 5.	 At present, the Central Committee is negotiating with Chongqing to avoid a
civil war and to advance our country’s peaceful reconstruction.
	 6.	 Chiang Kaishek is beset by difficulties; in addition, he is facing pressures
from both within the country and without, so he may agree to a peaceful
reconstruction of the country.
	 7.	 To wipe out this stubborn enemy resolutely, thoroughly, neatly, and completely when he attacks, the main forces of our troops along the Yangzi
River must be assembled for on-site training and consolidation and they
must recover and conserve their strength. (Do not strike lightly, strike to win.
Destroy one portion of the enemy army at a time; crush it piece by piece.)
Win a few major victories and our reputation will grow in the region. This
Our source for this text is Mao Zedong wenji, Vol. 4, pp. 13–14, where it is reproduced
from the manuscript.
1.  Rao Shushi (1903–1975, born in Linchuan, Fuzhou) was deputy secretary of the
Central China Bureau of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and political commissar of the New Fourth Army. Zhang Yunyi (1892–1974, native of Hainan) was
deputy commander of the New Fourth Army. Lai Chuanzhu (1910–1966, born in Ganxia
District of Ganzhou) was chief-of-staff of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Military Region of the New
Fourth Army.
2.  Su Yu was Party secretary of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Region, and commander and
political commissar of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Military Region of the New Fourth Army. Ye
Fei (1914–1999, born in the Philippines) was deputy commander of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang
Military Region.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719511-22

will be extremely helpful in the negotiations with the Guomindang and the
enemy will not take you lightly.
	 8.	 Use long-term planning for everything and rely on the support of the people.
	 9.	 Try to purchase ammunition from the enemy and the puppet regime, more
and faster is better. At the same time, maintain a long-term strategy of collecting abandoned military equipment and materiel from the areas vacated
by the enemy and the puppet regime.
Mao Zedong