Who is in Charge: Several Ups and Downs of Mao Zedong in the Central Soviet Region

Author: Yu Boliu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: As early as the 1930s, Ruijin in Jiangxi was hailed as China's "Red Capital." The Central Soviet Region centered around it was a piece of red earth on the vast land of China. The Soviet Red Government established here can be said to be the prototype of today's people's government, a great practice of the Communist Party of China in carrying out proletarian governance, and holds an extremely important page in the history of the Chinese revolution. The older generation of proletarian revolutionaries who fought in the Central Soviet Region were the backbone of the Chinese revolution and the founders of the republic, as well as the gravediggers of the old regime. The Central Soviet Region was the revolutionary red cradle. This book, with a solemn pen, vivid language, and rich, precious historical materials, recreates the magnificent yet little-known early history of the Chinese revolution, showing the Chinese people today the difficulties of the revolution and the hardships of starting a new business. During the fervent development of the Soviet Region, with the support of the Comintern, the "Leftist" adventurist errors were implemented within the party by Li Lisan, and the "Leftist" dogmatist errors were implemented by Wang Ming. Meanwhile, the leaders led by Mao Zedong were repeatedly and excluded. In June 1929, at the "Seventh Congress" of the Party of the Red 4th Army in Western Fujian, Mao Zedong was forced to leave his position as the head of the General Command of the Red 4th Army. It was Zhou Enlai who had a keen eye and strong support that allowed him to return to his post. In November 1931, at the Jiangnan Conference in Yepping, Ruijin, he was criticized wrongly by the party and pushed out of the Central Bureau of the Soviet Region. In October 1932, at the Ningdu Conference, Mao Zedong suffered another exclusion, and even the position of the Political Commissar of the Red First Army was revoked. In January 1934, during the "Second All-Soviet Congress," Mao Zedong was sidelined, and his position as Chairman of the Central People's Committee was removed. The Central Soviet Region was the only place in Mao Zedong's life where he experienced such dramatic ups and downs. During this period, this great man who had dominated the times was forced to retreat to the ancient temples in the wilderness of Sujiapo, Donghuashan, and Yunshishan, spending his days in the company of monks, with Buddha statues as companions, morning bells and evening drums, incense and lanterns, just as he later recalled it as living a "four-year life of a young wife." How tragic and heart-wrenching it was. Yet, despite being in adversity, Mao Zedong still prioritized the bigger picture and obeyed the organization's decisions. While he was on the mountain, his heart was with the people below. He constantly paid attention to the military struggles in the midst of the flames of war; he quietly conducted research on the social and folk conditions of the Soviet Region; he studied Marxist-Leninist works and summarized the experiences and lessons of the struggle against the enemy and the construction of the party and army, preparing for the future of the party. Due to the exclusion of Mao Zedong's correct leadership, under the guidance of "Leftist" adventurism, dogmatism, and errors, the red base area shrank day by day, the revolution entered a low ebb, and ultimately led to the failure of the fifth anti-"encirclement" campaign. The Red Army was forced to carry out a strategic transfer, beginning the tragic chapter in the history of human warfare—the Long March of 25,000 li. The Central Soviet Region, which Mao Zedong had personally established, was destroyed. From the painful lessons of blood, from the sharp contrast between right and wrong, one after another of the Red Army soldiers woke up in the practice of struggle, until at the Zunyi Conference they acclaimed Mao Zedong to lead the party again, steering the ship of the revolution back on course. The authors of this book, Yu Boliu and Chen Gang, are experts in the history of the Red Army revolution. For many years, they have devoted themselves to the study of the history of the Central Soviet Region. They have deeply explored Jiangnan and Western Fujian, collecting and organizing a large amount of precious historical materials, and have written with a spirit of seeking truth from facts about the difficult journey of the red government in the Central Soviet Region for 5 years and 9 months, intending to commemorate Mao Zedong and the martyrs and comrades who fought alongside him in the Soviet Region. The completion of this book won the First Prize of the Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences Outstanding Scientific Research Achievement Award.
Author Introduction:
Yu Boliu, male, born in 1942, native of Shangrao, Jiangxi. Researcher and professor of history at the Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences, expert in the study of the Soviet Region, enjoying special allowances from the State Council. He has published individual works such as "The Economic History of the Central Soviet Region," "The Story of Red Land," and "The Heroic Spirit of the Soviet Region," co-authored "The History of the Central Soviet Region" and "Mao Zedong and Ruijin" with Ling Bujī, "The Complete History of the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base Area," "The Bloody Jinggangshan," and "Mao Zedong and Jinggangshan" with Chen Gang, and "The Study of the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base Area" with Xia Daohan, among others. His works are fair in argumentation, insightful, deeply reflective, and concise in writing, receiving praise from experts and scholars at home and abroad. "The History of the Central Soviet Region" won the 13th "China Book Award" in 2002.
Chen Gang, male, born in 1952, native of Ninggang, Jiangxi. A middle-aged scholar. He once served as the Deputy Director of the Party History Office of Ninggang County and the Director of the Martyrs' Park Committee of the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base Area. He co-authored "The Complete History of the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base Area," "The Bloody Jinggangshan," "Mao Zedong in the Central Soviet Region," and "Mao Zedong and Jinggangshan" with Yu Boliu.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: The Jiangxi River is Vast and Mysterious
1. The Red 4th Army Advances into Jiangnan
2. Wu Ruolan's Sacrifice
3. Battle at Dabaidi
4. Reunification at Donggu
5. Killing Guo Fengming
6. Decisions at Xineng Villa
7. Zhu De's Marriage
8. "A Red Corner on the Other Side of the Jiangxi River"
9. "Do Fish Sleep?"
10. "Four Stars Gazing at the Moon"
Chapter 2: The Spring Evening of Gutian
1. Three Victories in Longyan
2. Losing the "Seventh Congress"
3. Recovery Period
4. "Reclaiming the Golden Territory, Distributing Land and Fields!"
5. Chen Yi's Arrival in Shanghai and Zhou Enlai's Support
6. Central "September Letter"
7. Returning to the Leadership Position of the General Command
8. The Spring Evening of Gutian
9. Criticizing Lin Biao
10. "Leaving Western Fujian, Consolidating Western Fujian"
Chapter 3: The Iron Hoof's Heroic Spirit
1. Striving for First Victory in Jiangxi
2. Praise for Luo Binghui's Uprising
3. The Downfall of Tang Yunshan's Brigade
4. The Xunwu Survey
5. "Oppose Dogmatism"
6. The Third Expedition into Fujian
7. "Distributing More to Compensate for Less, Taking the Fattest to Compensate for the Thinnest"
8. The Majestic and Heroic Red 1st Corps
9. "Sweeping Jiangxi to Attack Hunan and Hubei"
10. The Ox Demon Demonstration
Chapter 4: Advancing and Retreating in Large Steps
1. Huangmao's Military Strategy
2. Reunification at Yonghe
3. The "Fire Ox Formation" in Changsha
4. Persuading the Representative of the Yangtze River Bureau
5. Occupation of Ji'an
6. Wandering and Controversy on Both Sides of Yuan River
7. Luring the Enemy Deep
8. Peng Dehuai Crossing the River
9. Purging the "AB Group"
10. The Shocking "Futi Incident" in the Soviet Region
Chapter 5: Breaking the "Iron Encirclement" Three Times
1. "Retreat to Seek the Heart"
2. A Wonderful Couple of Lines
3. Capturing the "Ace" Division Commander Zhang Huizan
4. "The Red Army Must Have Its Own Eyes and Ears"
5. Resolving the Issue of Land Ownership
6. The Qingtang Dispute
7. Sweeping Seven Hundred Li
8. Returning a Thousand Li
9. Winning with Surprise Tactics
10. The Fall of Huang Gonglu
Chapter 6: Establishing the Capital in Ruijin
1. Deng Xiaoping Governing Ruijin
2. Being Demoted at the Jiangnan Conference
3. "The Opening Ceremony" of the First Soviet Congress
4. Taking Office as Chairman of the Central Soviet Government
5. A Small Government and a Large Soviet Region
6. Stopping the Mistaken Purge of "Society Party" in Western Fujian
7. Meeting the Leaders of the "Ningdu Uprising"
8. The "Five Elders" of the Soviet Region
9. "Wise Wife" He Zizhen
10. Zhou Enlai Enters the Central Soviet Region
11. Seclusion on Donghuashan
Chapter 7: Shocking Zhongzhou
1. Xiang Ying Invites Mao Zedong Down the Mountain
2. After the Siege of Ganzhou
3. Crossing Shanghang at Night
4. The Great Victory in Zhongzhou
5. The Laughter in the Red Building on Zhi Mountain
Chapter 8: Midway Trials
Chapter 9: Managing the Rear
Chapter 10: Before the Long March
Chapter 11: Taking the Lead After Returning to Power
Postscript