SPEECH AT THE MEETING CELEBRATING THE COMPLETION OF THE BUILDING OF THE ANTI-JAPANESE MILITARY AND POLITICAL UNIVERSITY

1937

What I want to say to you, Comrades, is that, in short. the success of this great enterprise is due to [our] overcoming difficulties and uniting with the masses. The experience of the struggle in the past ten years. the cave [-buildings] you have dug, and the future course of the Resistance War have proved or will prove that if we continue to overcome difficulties and unite with the masses we shall be ever victorious!

To overcome natural difficulties by defeating the foes and to overcome military difficulties by defeating the Japanese bandits have something in common but quite a lot of differences. The latter is harder and more arduous. Therefore in addition to orienting oneself towards overcoming difficulties and uniting with the masses, the Resistance War requires skills in strategy and tactics, in mobilizing, organizing, and leading the masses, and in winning allies.

You have now the spirit to overcome difficulties and unite with the masses. If you can use your talents to develop from this basis, it is entirely possible to defeat Japan and drive the Japanese out of China.

Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung