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

ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL PROBLEMS IN THE ANTI-JAPONESE WAR
various merchants and through them got Western medicine, milk,
arrowroot and so forth from Tianjin, Beijing, Baoding and other
places. This ensured the supply of necessities for the wounded. In
September 1939 the brigade received the order to take on the defence
of the Yellow River between Shanxi and Shaanxi. The cooperative
was closed down. The nine months’ business brought in
9,400 yuan. When the troops set off they had no money so 5,400
yuan was paid out in expenses. The remaining goods worth 4,000
yuan were brought west with the troops in five donkey packs. In
October we got to Wuliwan in Suide in the Border Region, we sold
them for 20,000 yuan and we sent people to Loufan, Wenshui and
Jiaocheng to buy writing-materials and cloth. By the end of the year
FROM MARX
TO MAO
we had 31,000 yuan in goods and cash.
⋆
In January 1940 the co-operative moved to Nanguan in Suide.
At that time the troops’ economy was in great difficulties. We could
only rely on the earnings of the co-operative to help pay expenses,
so we felt the name “Army-People Co-operative” was not suitable
and changed it into the “Daguang Store” showing that its goal had
changed into making a profit. During that year we built up friendships
with some merchants and bought goods either for cash or on
credit. We bought writing-materials, cloth, paper, shoes, socks, towels
and so forth, and made a profit in the market. We worked hard
and by the year-end earned NOT 191,700 FOR yuan. We apportioned 101,700
yuan to the troops to help with the expenses, and kept 90,000 yuan
as capital for 1941.
In 1941 the brigade COMMERCIAL
decided to expand its commercial activities
as a supplement to the major undertakings in agriculture, industry
and transport in order to meet the urgent requirements of the troops.
Besides the existing 90,000 yuan capital, a further 250,000 yuan
was given from DISTRIBUTION
the 400,000 yuan issued to the brigade by the Finance
Department for production capital. In addition all the small
shops run by the regiments were closed, and their capital of 60,000
yuan collected together. The town capital was 400,000 yuan. Beginning
in January 1941 we set up ten branch shops. After a year’s
operation we got a profit of 2,982,377 yuan of which 982,377 yuan
was used to supplement the troops’ expenses and 2 million was kept
as the store’s capital.
In 1942 the store and ten branch shops got a profit of 6,720,080
yuan from operations during spring, summer and autumn. Two million
yuan were used to supplement expenditure for the troops and
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