1922

Zhu De

On October 1922 I had joined the Chinese Socialist Youth League. I helped Chou En-Lai organize the German headquarters of the Kuomintang, but I was arrested twice with demonstrations leading me to be expelled from Germany in 1926. Luckily I arrived at China at the right time, it was the height of the Northern Expedition where I became a dictator. When the Nationalists fought with the Communists I retreated Canton and eventually to the base of Mao where I became commander in chief. I then successfully defended and extended the base area and in 1934 I became a member of the Political Bureau of the party. I planned the evacuation and subsequent Long March to northwestern China. Together with Mao Zedong, we made a formidable team during the communist struggle to power,

“The Long March The Red Army is not afraid of hardship on the march, the long march. Ten thousand waters and a thousand mountains are nothing. The Five Sierras meander like small waves, the summits of Wumeng pour on the plain like balls of clay. Cliffs under clouds are warm and washed below by the River Gold Sand. Iron chains are cold, reaching over the Tatu River. The far snows of Minshan only make us happy and when the army pushes through, we all laugh. October 1935”

It was a massive military retreat by the Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party where our goal was to evade the Kuomintang army. Due to my strong, able, and experienced military commission, the communists, under my command escaped a circling retreat to the west and north. My bravery and skill in leading my men gave me much honor and prestige. This did not surprise me though, because my inner strengths were tested years ago when I successfully overcame an opium addiction. The Long Match ended when we broke through three encircling lines of the Kuomintang troops and went through a very difficult. 8,000-mile route. Our successful retreat was the best way to avoid annihilation; we would come back and succeed another time. This will allow our army to re cooperate and rebuild in Northern China.