Reasons for the Red Army's victory in the Long March

Why did the Red Army always achieve its goals despite such harsh conditions? What were the reasons for our victory?

First of all, we have really brave and tenacious Red Army soldiers who are not afraid of sacrifice. The Red Army is able to rush and fight, but at the same time, it can retreat smoothly and in an organized manner. When we attacked Wang Jialie's two divisions in Zunyi, we found that the enemy was retreating along the highway. So we marched all night along the small roads, without being able to light torches, and covered 50 kilometers in eight hours. When we arrived at the Wu River, the enemy's rear regiments had not yet crossed the river. We burned the bridges and wiped out the remaining regiments. Isn't this enough to prove our Red Army's flexible mobility and offensive ability? The battle of Chishui lasted all day. At 10:00 p.m., we learned that enemy reinforcements were coming, so we decided to retreat. We built a bridge. The bridge was repaired at night, but by dawn the Red Army had already crossed the river 15 kilometers. After eight months of training, we could walk an average of 50 to 60 kilometers a day, all on mountain roads and often at night.

Our soldiers have high political awareness, so they show a high degree of heroism. The Red Army knew in Jiangxi that their mission was to defend the fruits of the land revolution, and they are still very clear about their mission, which is to fight for national liberation and the completion of the Soviet revolution in the whole of China.

What makes the Red Army so brave and strong is that it has an excellent and strong cadre. These cadres grew up during the civil war. Our cadres are not only excellent militarists, but also outstanding politicians who carry out the Party's line. They were proactive, often advising the Party leaders on the next steps in the program, the tasks and the future of the Red Army. They always started from the actual situation and were good at adopting flexible strategies. They were able to fulfill all the tasks given to them by the Party independently.

The second reason for our victory in the Western Expedition is that the Party has really matured, especially the Party leaders. It has been tempered by the fire of the civil war and has indeed become capable of leading such an honorable and great cause as our Western Expedition. The Party has always led the army, presided over the formulation of military plans and strategic tactics. We have been engaged in a civil war with the Kuomintang for many years. Without truly proper Party leadership, we would not have achieved such success. Before every battle, the Party members of the company held a meeting to select reserve commanders, about four or five of them. If the company commander was wounded or sacrificed on the front line, the group would not be scattered because the first reserve commander would immediately step forward; in the unfortunate event that he was wounded, the second reserve commander would take his place, one after the other. When a party member was wounded, in order not to affect the mood of his comrades, he always said to them, "It's all right, you go on." It should be said that the members of the ****production party in the Red Army are the best members of our party.

The third reason for our victory was the support of the masses wherever we went. Every time we occupied a new area, we mobilized the masses to confiscate the property and grain stocks of the local warlords and landlords. We distribute these properties and foodstuffs to the poor and needy. Wherever possible, we set up local revolutionary power - revolutionary committees. We allocated some of our weapons to organize local guerrillas. Every Red Army soldier knows the Three Disciplines and Eight Points of Attention. These rules contain our fine traditions, and therefore we require every soldier to observe them. Every Red Army soldier carries a piece of chalk with him, and every day he writes at least three slogans on the places he passes. It was thanks to our close contact with the people that we gained their support and were able to recruit volunteers for the Red Army. Everywhere we could find porters to help us carry provisions, and everywhere we could place Red Army soldiers in the homes of the people. When we needed food, the people sold it to us.