Chapter 119: The Meeting

On the other side, in a shabby conference room in Yuzhang Ruijin, a kerosene lamp flickered in the deep night. The expanded meeting of the Central Politburo was proceeding tensely, and the participants wore solemn expressions. The conference table was assembled from several old wooden tables, covered with a faded red cloth.

Xiang Zhongfa chaired the meeting, scanning the comrades present, his voice low and powerful: "Comrades, we have just received an urgent report from the Northeast Provincial Committee: the Japanese Kwantung Army has occupied Shenyang and is advancing across the entire Northeast. Yet the Chairman's Jinling Government orders the Fifth Army not to resist, which is a betrayal of the Huaxia Nation!"

Yongzhi sat at the table edge, his cigarette half‑burned, and he took a deep drag, his brows tightly knit. The senior clerk was quickly noting the speakers' remarks, occasionally looking up at the speaking comrades. Wang Ming and Bogu sat on either side of Xiang Zhongfa, their expressions solemn.

Bogu spoke first, his tone bearing a distinctive theoretical hue: "According to the latest directive of the Communist International, we must explicitly label the Japanese Imperialism's aggression as a provocation against the worldwide proletariat. We must uphold the policy of armed defense of the Soviet Union while exposing the Kuomintang government's traitorous nature."

"I disagree with this one‑sided view," Yongzhi snuffed out his cigarette, his voice loud and firm. "The Japanese invasion of the Northeast is first and foremost a crisis for the Huaxia Nation. We should issue a proclamation in the name of the Huaxia Soviet Republic Provisional Central Government, not only to condemn the Japanese invasion but also to expose the substance of the Kuomintang's non‑resistance policy. This concerns the life‑and‑death survival of forty million fellow countrymen!"

The senior clerk took up the thread, his tone calm yet powerful: "I endorse Comrade Yongzhi's view. The most important thing now is to unite every force that can be united. I propose that our work be carried out on three fronts: first, military support; second, mass mobilization; third, political propaganda."

Wang Ming pushed up his glasses and, in his usual theoretical language, said: "But we must soberly recognize that the Kuomintang remains our principal enemy. While supporting the Northeast Anti‑Japanese struggle, we cannot relax the fight against the Kuomintang reactionaries. This is a basic principle of Leninism concerning revolutionary strategy in the imperialist era."

"I fully agree with Comrade Wang Ming's view," Bogu immediately expressed support. "We should concentrate our main effort on expanding the Soviet areas and developing the army. Support for the Northeast's anti‑Japanese struggle can be provided in a limited manner."

The venue instantly fell into heated debate. Comrades backing Wang Ming and Bogu's line and those supporting Yongzhi and the senior clerk's line each voiced their opinions, and the atmosphere grew extremely tense.

Seeing the argument drag on, Yongzhi stood up, walked to the map hanging on the wall, and pointed to the Northeast region with a wooden stick.

"Comrades, look," his voice drew everyone's attention. "Japan's occupation of the Northeast is by no means accidental. It is an inevitable step in Japanese Imperialism's continental policy. If we do not step forward now, tomorrow they will attack Huabei, and the day after they will covet all of Huaxia!"

He turned to face the participants, his eyes bright: "Why does the Chairman dare not resist? Because he fears losing his ruling position, fears the people's power growing in the anti‑Japanese war. That is precisely the essential difference between us and the Kuomintang—we represent the fundamental interests of the broadest masses of people!"

The senior clerk nodded in agreement: "Comrade Yongzhi is right. We should act immediately: first, issue a proclamation in the name of the Huaxia Soviet Republic Provisional Central Government; second, mobilize the base‑area masses to support the war; third, launch guerrilla warfare in the Northeast."

After six hours of intense discussion, the meeting finally reached consensus. Xiang Zhongfa gave the concluding remarks:

"Comrades, based on the discussion, the Central Committee makes the following decisions: first, Comrade the senior clerk shall be responsible for military coordination, overseeing the deployment of national forces and local armed units, with a focus on supporting the anti‑Japanese struggle in the Northeast."

Second, Comrade Yongzhi shall handle political mobilization and propaganda, issuing a proclamation in the name of the Huaxia Soviet Republic Provisional Central Government to expose Japanese aggression and the Kuomintang's non‑resistance policy. Third, Comrades Wang Ming and Bogu shall be responsible for liaison and coordination with the Communist International, seeking international support.

Fourth, the Northeast support mission shall be led by Comrade Luo Dengxian, mobilizing party members, guerrilla units, and the broad masses of the Northeast to wage anti‑Japanese struggle.

After the meeting, the senior clerk immediately convened a military conference. Standing before the operational map, he assigned tasks to the commanders of each military district: "Comrades, although our main forces are engaged in counter‑encirclement by the Kuomintang, we cannot ignore the Northeast's peril. I have decided on the following measures: first, dispatch elite detachments northward to assist the Northeast Anti‑Japanese Volunteer Army in guerrilla warfare. These detachments must excel in demolition, reconnaissance, and guerrilla tactics. Second, establish secret supply lines in the Huabei area adjacent to the Northeast, providing weapons, medicine, and intelligence to the Northeast's anti‑Japanese forces. Third, order the guerrilla units in each Soviet area to intensify sabotage of the Japanese‑occupied transportation lines, tying down Japanese troops."

A military commander raised a question: "We can barely protect ourselves now; should we still disperse forces to support the Northeast?"

The senior clerk answered firmly: "The Northeast's today could be our tomorrow. Helping the Northeast's fellow countrymen is helping ourselves!"

Meanwhile, Yongzhi was drafting the "Proclamation of the Huaxia Soviet Republic Provisional Central Government to the Whole Nation on the Japanese Imperialist Seizure of the Dongsansheng." He chose his words carefully, his prose sharp: "Workers and Peasants of the nation! Japanese Imperialism has seized the Dongsansheng by force, slaughtering countless Chinese people! Yet the Kuomintang government adopts a non‑resistance policy, a betrayal of the Huaxia Nation… We call on the entire populace to organize, arm themselves, and resolutely fight Japanese Imperialism!"

After finishing the proclamation, Yongzhi immediately began organizing mass mobilization. He told the base‑area cadres: "We will launch a movement within the Soviet area to support our Northeast fellow countrymen, mobilizing the masses to donate money and supplies, organizing medical teams, and establishing an intelligence network. Every Soviet‑area citizen must understand that the Northeast's anti‑Japanese war concerns the survival of the entire Huaxia Nation!"

In the Northeast, the Huaxia Communist Party's Northeast Provincial Committee Secretary Luo Dengxian had already taken action. He convened an emergency meeting at a secret base in Harbin, conveying the Central Committee's directive to party leaders across the Northeast: "Comrades, the Central Committee demands we act at once, fully supporting the anti‑Japanese struggle. Our specific tasks are: first, mobilize all party members and progressive masses to provide intelligence, food, and medicine to the anti‑Japanese forces. Second, organize guerrilla units to raid Japanese supply lines, destroying railways and communication facilities. Third, establish an underground resistance network in the Japanese‑occupied areas, carrying out propaganda and education work."

A responsible official from Jilin said anxiously: "The Japanese forces are too strong; we fear we cannot confront them head‑on."

Luo Dengxian answered firmly: "We need not engage the Japanese in direct combat; rather, as Comrade Yongzhi said, we should adopt guerrilla tactics, harass the enemy, and support our allies. Remember, a single spark can start a prairie fire!"