K. This is the 1st working draft of vol. VI. It still ... - From Marx to Mao

BASIC TACTICS
suit and attack in the wrong direction.
At such times, it is best to evacuate the popular masses and
such armed forces as the militia, police, volunteer army, etc., by
various routes in all directions, in order to confuse the enemy’s
eyes and ears. We can leave behind part of our men, who bury
their uniforms and weapons and disguise themselves as merchants,
street vendors, etc. They spread rumors or pretend to be obliging
in order to spy out information regarding the enemy’s numbers,
his plans, the location and routine of his camps, and the precautions
he is taking. If the enemy questions them about the direction
in which we have withdrawn and the strength of our force, they
should talk incoherently, pointing to the east and saying the west,
FROM MARX
TO MAO
pointing to the south and saying the north, replacing big by small
⋆
and small by big, talking at random and creating rumors. They
wait until our army is about to attack, and then they dig up their
uniforms and put them on, take out their weapons, and attack the
enemy from within his midst, thus completely routing him and leaving
him with nowhere to turn.
(2) When the enemy retreats, we pursue. When the enemy army
retreats, it is appropriate to take advantage of the situation to advance.
On such an occasion, the enemy’s military situation must
have undergone a change, otherwise he would not have retreated,
and he is certainly not NOT prepared to FOR join battle against us with any
resolution. If we take advantage of the situation and make a covering
attack on his rear, the enemy’s covering units will certainly
not be resolved to COMMERCIAL
fight, and in the context of the enemy’s over-all
plan it will be difficult for his forward units to return and join in
the fray. In rough mountainous terrain, where the paths are narrow
and rivers and streams intertwined so that there are many
bridges, even if DISTRIBUTION
the enemy’s forward forces were to turn back, this
move would require much time. So, by the time he turns back, his
rear will already have been annihilated and he will already have
been disarmed.
At this time, the organizations of the popular masses, should
devise methods for destroying the bridges on the route over which
the enemy is retreating, or cutting the wires of his communications
system. Or, best of all, they should wait until the bulk of the enemy’s
army have retreated and, taking advantage of the protection afforded
by our guards and army, block the enemy’s path of retreat, so that,
although his forces may want to turn back, they cannot do it, and,
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