In the past a thousand years, China as a nation-state and as a civilisation was in the blink of demise three times: During 1206 and 1368 when the Mongols occupied China and turned China into a barbaric caste state with the native Han Chinese at the bottom level of the apartheid system; then during 1566 and 1911 when the Manchus inhabited China and dragged China back to a primitive slavery society with the native Han Chinese on the lowest social status; and finally during 1931 and 1945 when the Japanese attacked China.

China on the Blink of Demise, Again

The 9.18 incident 93 years ago was the first step in Japan’s plan to conquer China, which was the key step towards Japan’s goal of dominating Asia.

In 1931, the self-claimed “Chosen Heir” of Sun Goddess accused the Chinese resistance force blew up a section of a railway in their China colony and used this incident as an excuse to occupy the entire China’s northeast region.

With just 900 armed men, Japanese troops drove out 200,000 Chinese forces stationed in the three northeast provinces, owning to the non-resistance policy put into practice by the Nationalist Government in Nanjing.

Historically, the Nationalist Party successfully led an armed struggle against Manchu’s rule. However, since the party’s founder died and Chiang Kai Shek became the new leader, factional battles within the party and between parties became its main focus.

Before long the Chinese were forced to face the consequences of non-resistance.

If We Do Not Resist

Since the Nationalist Government decided not to fight back, it only took little more than a year for the Japanese troops to march to the front door of Beijing from Shenyang, leaving the vast region in between under Japanese rule.

In 1937, the “Chosen Heirs of Sun Goddess” used another excuse, that a Japanese soldier was kidnapped by the local resistance force as a hostage, to launch a full-scale war against China.

On December 13, China’s capital Nanjing fell and the Japanese troops went on a killing spree that lasted for 6 weeks and killed around 300,000 Chinese, most were civilians. This genocidal event was followed by Japan’s military occupation of nearly the entire China.

The biggest lesson the Chinese learned from 9.18 is that to compromise without principle in the face of alien aggression would only bring the total demise of China as a nation and as a civilisation. The Chosen Heir’s ambition to expand its rule beyond the islands is deeply imprinted in its national gene which would not be persuaded to give up but can only be crushed by force

If We Do Not Resist is a Chinese poem published in 1938:

If we do not resist,
The invaders will kill us with bayonets.
Then point at our bones
And said: Look,
These are the bodies
Of the conquered.

Modern Chinese Art of War

At the time there were two major political forces in China: The Nationalist Party which governed China by name, and the CPC Party which had been the de facto ruler in much of China’s rural areas.

While the Nationalist government adopted a non-resistance approach towards Japanese aggression and fancied the international community could help negotiate a peaceful resolution, the CPC took armed resistance right from the beginning.

And it was during the years of resistance war against the Japanese, that CPC Chairman Mao Zedong developed the modern Chinese art of war.

Strategy: Protracted War

Chairman Mao, one of the greatest political visionaries and military strategists in human history, foresaw China could finally win the war but the victory would not come easily and swiftly, thus he told Chinese people that both optimistic prospect of a “quick win” and pessimistic view of defeat are absurd.

In his On Protracted War, a directive and strategic work to guide China’s resistance movement, Chairman Mao pointed out there should be three stages of the war.

Stage 1: Attack – Japan tried to occupy half of China.
Resistance strategy: Utilize mobile warfare over the fluid front line, with a high degree of mobility across extensive battlefields.

Stage 2: Stalemate – Japan tried to defend the land they occupied
Resistance strategy: Employ guerrilla warfare that includes covered attacks and going to the enemy’s rear to attack within its camps.

Stage 3: Count-attack – Recover lost land from the Japanese
Resistance strategy: Use the combination of positional warfare, mobile warfare and guerrilla warfare to conclude the resistance war.

The key to winning a protracted war is the ability to power through hardship over the long haul.

Tactics in the Protracted War

Strategy: pit one against ten;
Tactics: pit ten against one.

Launch offensive in a defensive operation – take offence for defence;
Quickly conclude each battle in a protracted war – concentrate your strength in each battle;
Never lose sight of the big picture – to catch the ringleader is the key to destroying the criminal gang.

When your enemy advances, you should retreat;
When your enemy camps, you should harass;
When your enemy is exhausted, you should attack;
When your enemy retreats, you should pursue.

Tunnel: undercovered wrestles;
Raid: unexpected attacks;
Sparrow: fast gathering & disperse;
Ambush: dig traps;
Siege: set up blockage;
Guerrilla: move like shadows;
See-saw: withdraw to hit out harder;
Attrition: keep on keeping on to wear off the enemies.

Beyond the Strategy and Tactics

The contest on war strength is not merely about military and economic power, but the commander’s determination, soldiers’ morale and community support.

In fact, the will of soldiers and the support of civilians are the most crucial factors in winning wars.

Some Examples

Tunnel Warfare

Tunnel warfare, hey, tunnel warfare,
Warriors emerge from here and there.

Across the vast high plain,
Shadowy forces lurk everywhere.

Under each building and open area,
We wait for the monsters to appear.

Even they are equipped with cannons.
We’ll make them tremble and despair.

We are armed peasants
In the number of millions.

One hand with a gun, another with a hoe,
We’re fighting for the nation’s survival.

When they came to occupy our land,
We hit back from above and under.

We are now all fighters,
Until finishing off all basters.

To the Rear of the Enemy

To the Rear of the Enemy,
Drive it out of the territory.
Don’t let the devil unite its force,
Make it lose its focus.
Through the underpass,
We attack from both sides.