Page 16 - SELECTED WORKS OF MAO TSE-TUNG Volume IV.indd

14 MAO TSE-TUNG

consist only of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese people -
it is a pity that they do not include Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomin-
tang. Here one side does not want to fight and the other does. If both
did not want it, there would be no fighting. Now, since only one side
is against it and this side is not yet strong enough to check the other,
the danger of civil war is extremely grave.
Our Party pointed out in good time that Chiang Kai-shek would
stick to his reactionary policy of dictatorship and civil war. Before,
during and after the Seventh Party Congress, we did fairly adequate
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work to call the people’s attention to the danger of civil war, so
that the whole people, our Party members and our troops should be
mentally prepared well in advance. This is a very important point,
and it makes a world of difference whether or not there is such pre-
paredness. In 1927 our Party was still in its infancy and was mentally
wholly unprepared for Chiang Kai-shek’s counter-revolutionary sur-
prise attack. Consequently the fruits of victory won by the people
were soon lost, the people had to undergo long suffering, and a
bright China was plunged into darkness. This time things are
different; our Party has acquired the rich experience of three revolu-
tions and a much higher degree of political maturity. Time and
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again, the Central Committee of the Party has clearly explained the
danger of civil war, and so the whole people, all Party members and
the troops led by our Party are in a state of preparedness.
Chiang Kai-shek always tries to wrest every ounce of power and
every ounce of gain from the people. And we? Our policy is to
give him tit for tat and to fight for every inch of land. We act
after his fashion. He always tries to impose war on the people,
one sword in his left hand and another in his right. We take up
swords, too, following his example. We found this method only
after investigation and study. Such investigation and study are very
important. When we see the other fellow holding something in his
hands, we should do some investigating. What does he hold in his
hands? Swords. What are swords for? For killing. Whom does
he want to kill with his swords? The people. Having made these
findings, investigate further - the Chinese people, too, have hands
and can take up swords, they can forge a sword if there is none
handy. The Chinese people have discovered this truth after long
investigation and study. Warlords, landlords, local bullies and bad
gentry and the imperialists all have swords in their hands and are
out to kill. The people have come to understand this and so act