PROCLAMATION ON THE NORTHWARD MARCH OF THE CHINESE WORKER'S AND RED ARMY TO FIGHT JAPAN

July, 15 1934

[Extracted from a proclamation published in 1934. (Min-tsu chan-hsien hsun-pao, no. 2, 10 August, 1935 ).]

The hateful Japanese imperialism... intends to transform China into its colony and turn the people of all China into slaves without a country doomed to suffer eternally the massacre, rape, exploitation, and trampling of the Japanese bandits.

If their reaction toward the invasion of Japanese imperialism the Kuomintang militarists—Chiang Kai-shek, Chang Hsueh-liang, and all the others—have all capitulated and sold out. . . Under the slogan 'No strength to fight Japan' they have instituted ceaseless 'campaigns of encirclement' of the Soviet Government, which is the only anti-Japanese and anti-imperialist government in all China, and the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. All this proves that the Kuomintang is the most faithful running dog of Japanese imperialism and that the Kuomintang militarists are the greatest traitors in all Chinese history. In the face of the ceaseless aggressions of Japanese imperialism, the Chinese Soviet Government has repeatedly called upon the Chinese masses to arm themselves for a national revolutionary war... and it is preparing for a direct combat with Japanese imperialism. Under. . . three conditions, the Soviet Government is willing to conclude an agreement regarding military operations with any armed force anywhere in China... The Kuomintang attacks make it impossible for our Soviet Government to unite directly with the masses of all China and to wage a revolutionary war against Japanese imperialism together with the anti-Japanese volunteers in the North-east, in order to drive the Japanese imperialist bandits out of China...

Therefore, if the Soviet Government and the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army is to mobilize all its forces to fight Japanese imperialism, it can do nothing else but fight a bloody war with the millions of Kuomintang bandit troops that are attacking us. Only thus can it protect and maintain the free Soviet area that has already been saved from imperialist bondage, so that it will not again be trodden underfoot and sold out by the imperialist running dogs, the Kuomintang bandits. We will definitely not abandon the revolutionary anti-imperialist bases that have been created as a result of countless bloody fights with Kuomintang bandit troops. But the Soviet Government definitely cannot sit by and watch the ruin of the Chinese people at the hand of the Japanese imperialism. The Soviet Government and the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, fearing no difficulties and with the greatest resolution, are sending an advance guard detachment northward to fight the Japanese. If this detachment should encounter any armed force that will accept the three conditions we have put forth, the main units of our Workers' and Peasants' Red Army will follow the advance guard to unite with all armed forces in China for a common struggle against Japan... More concretely, the Soviet Government proposes:

1. To oppose resolutely the selling out. . . of the whole of China by the Kuomintang Government...

2. To proclaim the immediate breaking off of diplomatic relations with Japan....

3. To call upon the masses of all China to arm themselves with the weapons that can be found in the Kuomintang arsenals and factories as well as with all the imported weapons and to organize popular anti-Japanese volunteer units and guerrillas...

4. To confiscate all the enterprises and property of the Japanese imperialists and the Chinese traitors…

5. To organize everywhere anti-Japanese groups of the masses. Let the running dogs of imperialism, the Kuomintang, let the Kuomintang traitors who are selling out their country, shout 'no strength to fight Japan'. By mobilizing the masses of all China against Japan, by arming the masses of all China against Japan, we shall gain the strength to overthrow Japanese imperialism and the band of traitors of Kuomintang.

Chairman of the Provisional Central Government of
the Chinese Soviets:

MAO TSE-TUNG

Chairman of the military committee of the Chinese Workers'
and Peasants' Red Army:

Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung