Opinions on Military Work and Local Work
in the Northeast
(April 23, 1946)
To Comrade Peng Zhen, and for the information of Lin [Biao]:1
I have read the several recent directives from the Northeast Bureau and they
are all fine. The five-point directive of April 19 is particularly good, and I hope
it is carried out conscientiously. Quickly concentrate the northern and southern
main forces in the direction of Siping, as per Lin Biao’s telegram; quickly recruit
new soldiers to reinforce the front line; quickly form militias and local armies
to suppress the bandits and protect the countryside; quickly mobilize the broad
popular masses north of Siping and south of Harbin to fight for the defense of
Changchun and Harbin; quickly resolve the land question throughout Manchuria;
when doing all these things, use the local people boldly and in large numbers.
After Changchun and Harbin are taken, many people will undoubtedly fix their
sight on the big cities and forget the countryside and the arduous work still to be
done, which will need to be pointed out and corrected time and again.
Mao Zedong
Our source for this text is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 3, pp. 184–85, where it is
reproduced from a handwritten manuscript preserved in the Central Archives.
1.  Peng Zhen was secretary of the Northeast Bureau of the Central Committee of
the Chinese Communist Party and first political commissar of the Northeast Democratic
Allied Army. Lin Biao was commander-in-chief of the Northeast Democratic Allied Army.
2.  This Northeast Bureau directive called for speeding up local work, preparing local
armed forces to supplement the main forces when needed, improving operations in the war
zone, organizing militia, and eliminating regional Party committees and military subregions.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719511-122