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

250 MAO TSE-TUNG
Plains country is generally not satisfactory for guerrilla operating
bases, but this does not mean that guerrilla warfare cannot flourish
in such country or that bases cannot be established there. The
extent of guerrilla development in Hopeh and west Shantung proves
the opposite to be the case. Whether we can count on the use of
these bases over long periods of time is questionable. We can, however,
establish small bases of a seasonal or temporary nature. This
we can do because our barbaric enemy simply does not have the
manpower to occupy all the areas he has overrun and because the
population of China is so numerous that a base can be established
anywhere. Seasonal bases in plains country may be established in
the winter when the rivers are frozen over, and in the summer when
FROM MARX
TO MAO
the crops are growing. Temporary bases may be established when
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the enemy is otherwise occupied. When the enemy advances, the
guerrillas who have established bases in the plains area are the first
to engage him. Upon their withdrawal into mountainous country,
they should leave behind them guerrilla groups dispersed over the
entire area. Guerrillas shift from base to base on the theory that
they must be in one place one day and another place the next.
There are many historical examples of the establishment of bases
in river, bay, and lake country, and this is one aspect of our activity
that has so far received little attention. Red guerrillas held out for
many years in the Hungtze NOT Lake region. FOR We should establish bases
in the Hungtze and Tai areas and along rivers and watercourses in
territory controlled by the enemy so as to deny him access to, and
free use of, the water COMMERCIAL
routes.
There is a difference between the terms base area and guerrilla
area. An area completely surrounded by territory occupied by the
enemy is a “base area”. Wu Tai Shan, and Taiheng Shan are examples
of base areas. DISTRIBUTION
On the other hand, the area east and north of
Wu Tai Shan (the Shansi-Hopeh-Chahar border zone) is a guerrilla
area. Such areas can be controlled by guerrillas only while they
actually physically occupy them. Upon their departure, control reverts
to a puppet pro-Japanese government. East Hopeh, for example,
was at first a guerrilla area rather than a base area. A puppet government
functioned there. Eventually, the people, organized and
inspired by guerrillas from the Wu Tai mountains, assisted in the
transformation of this guerrilla area into a real base area. Such a
task is extremely difficult, for it is largely dependent upon the degree
to which the people can be inspired. In certain garrisoned ar-