The Historical Role of the Three Major Disciplines and Eight Points of Attention in the Revolutionary Period

The three major disciplines and eight points of attention are the disciplines formulated by the older generation of revolutionaries with Comrade Mao Zedong as the main representative for the workers' and peasants' Red Army during the Agrarian Revolutionary War. With the continuous deepening of the new democratic revolution, this disciplinary regulation has shown its historical power and has become an important content of the people's army to strengthen discipline construction and carry out political work, as well as a powerful weapon for uniting the interior, uniting the people, and disintegrating the enemy army. It has played an important role in the construction of the people's army and the victory of the revolutionary struggle.
　　A Solid Foundation for Discipline Construction in the People's Army
In the revolutionary war years, the reason why the people's army under the leadership of the party has excellent military discipline and discipline is inseparable from the implementation of the three major disciplines and eight points of attention. During the Agrarian Revolutionary War, the party attached great importance to the implementation of the three major disciplines and eight points of attention, and many touching deeds emerged. In late August 1928, when Mao Zedong led his troops back to Jinggangshan from Guidong, he learned that the Red Army soldiers had eaten corn from the mass fields because of hunger, so he informed the troops to gather and conduct mass discipline education on the spot. He personally wrote on a bamboo board: because our army is hungry, in order to satisfy its hunger, it has eaten all your corn and violated discipline. Now it has buried two yuan (Guangyang) in the soil. Please accept it. The masses were very moved when they saw this and repeatedly praised the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army for its strict discipline and care for the people. In February 1929, the Red Army encircled and annihilated two regiments of the Kuomintang army in Dabadi and won a great victory. But since almost all the local people have gone up the mountain, eating has become a problem. Under such circumstances, in order to solve the problem of eating without harming the interests of the masses, Mao Zedong and Zhu De approved that various ministries could use the food from the masses' homes, and at the same time left IOUs and posted notices stating that they would be repaid in the future. When the Red Army once again passed through Dabadi, it repaid the peasants in full. The masses knew and accepted this unit from this action, and they all said: "The Red Army is fundamentally different from the Kuomintang army. The IOUs are honored and the words count."
During the war of liberation, the three major disciplines and eight points of attention were still important contents of strengthening discipline construction in the people's army. On November 8, 1948, the head of the Northeast Field Army reported on the discipline of the troops in a report to Mao Zedong and the Party Central Committee. It mentioned that the troops saw a large number of apples after the battle was resolved in Xingcheng, and "the soldiers did not move". The story of "Jinzhou Apple" has been widely circulated since then. mao zedong specifically mentioned this matter at the second plenary session of the eighth cpc national congress. He said, "Hard struggle is our political nature. Apples were produced in Jinzhou. During the Battle of Western Liaoning, it was autumn. There were many apples in common people's homes, and none of our soldiers took them. I was very moved when I read the news." Not only in Jinzhou, at that time, after the East China Field Army entered Shanghai, it exemplary implemented the party's urban policy and strictly abided by the three major disciplines and eight points of attention. In order not to disturb the citizens, in the drizzle, the officers and soldiers of the army slept quietly on the side of the road with their clothes and guns. This disciplined behavior has moved countless Shanghai residents.
　the discipline guarantee of keeping close ties with the masses
The three major disciplines and eight points of attention summarize and show the main contents of mass discipline in vivid and concrete language, and fix the fundamental position and attitude of revolutionary soldiers towards the masses in specific and concise language, so as to provide a disciplinary guarantee for the people's army to establish the concept of the masses and win the support of the masses.
As early as the Jinggangshan period, when the fifth column of the Fifth Red Army entered Huangsha Town in southeastern Hubei, it strictly abided by the three major disciplines and eight points of attention, helping the masses carry water and firewood, and propagating revolutionary principles to them. This further strengthened the relationship between the army and the masses, so that the team not only found a foothold, but also quickly took root. In the meantime, Mao Zedong set up a disciplinary inspection team at the Secondary specialized school of the army to check the compliance of the troops with mass discipline. When the army leaves a place, the discipline inspection team goes to the masses to understand the situation and listen to opinions, so as to promote the army to strictly implement mass discipline. When Mao Zedong set out with the troops, he always followed the guards to check whether the soldiers had good door panels and tied up the grass. Even where the money given to the landlord is placed, he will ask very seriously. Because of this, the implementation of the three major disciplines and eight points of attention has formed a new type of military-civilian relationship that is consistent with the military and civilians. The Jinggangshan area once circulated such a ballad: "The Red Army is really strict in discipline and obeys orders in its actions. Take good care of the common people and are popular everywhere. Ask the masses when things happen, and trade is fair. The interests of the masses will not be damaged by half a cent."
In the course of the arduous war of resistance, the New Fourth Army strictly implemented the three major disciplines and eight points of attention, did not commit any crimes wherever it went, and maintained close contact with the people. Therefore, along the way when the troops went to the front line to fight against Japan, the people had a good impression of the New Fourth Army and expressed their warm welcome and comfort. After the outbreak of the War of Liberation, relying on the exemplary actions of strictly implementing the three major disciplines and eight points of attention, the party and the people's army under its leadership gathered the hearts and minds of the people and won one after another on the battlefield. For example, the Taiyue column wiped out the entire first brigade of the elite Hu Zongnan Army in the outlying area of Fushan in southern Shanxi. The reason is just as the enemy's captured brigade commander Huang Zhengcheng said: When we enter your liberated areas, we are like deaf and blind people. We can't find a common people to lead us. Even if we find it, we won't give us a good way. lead the way. You can't find any food in your liberated areas, and officers and soldiers will go hungry to fight and walk.
　A powerful weapon for defeating the enemy and overcoming difficulties
In the arduous Long March, the reason why the Red Army was able to defeat the enemy and overcome difficulties was inseparable from the implementation of the three disciplines and eight points of attention. After the Red 2. and the Sixth Army of the Red Army crossed the Lishui River in the south, the Kuomintang made every effort to build a blockade line, blocking the front and chasing the back, and constantly carrying out air raids. The troops carried out propaganda while walking, strictly abiding by the three major disciplines and eight points of attention, and welcomed anyone who was willing to resist Japan. Therefore, although they had walked a lot and fought a lot of battles, the ranks had not decreased. When the Red Army passed through ethnic minority areas, it properly handled its relations with ethnic minorities by relying on correct ethnic policies and strict discipline, thus successfully realizing the strategic shift. For this period of history, Deng Xiaoping later said that in the southwest ethnic minority areas, the Communist Party of China has done some work in history, such as educating the army on ethnic and religious policies, and requiring them to strictly abide by the three major disciplines and eight points of attention, so as to win the trust of the ethnic minority masses. It can be seen that although the reasons for the victory of the Red Army in the Long March are complicated, strict discipline in the troops is undoubtedly a crucial aspect.
During the War of Liberation, the People's Liberation Army was able to quickly turn into a large-scale counteroffensive on a national scale, and achieved a decisive victory on the battlefield in just three or four years, which is also related to the implementation of the three major disciplines and eight points of attention. In the summer of 1947, after entering the Dabie Mountains, the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army encountered difficulties such as unaccustomed diet, language barriers, and unfamiliar terrain. Some troops even showed fatigue and slack discipline. They had a lot of misgivings during the war and missed some opportunities to annihilate the enemy. In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, Deng Xiaoping used three disciplines and eight points to pay attention to strict military discipline at the meeting of senior cadres at and above the brigade level held in Guangshan, thus overcoming the negative thoughts and emotions in the team, such as fear of fighting a tough battle, and enabling them to firmly establish the idea of taking Dabie Mountain as their home. After a certain column of the Northeast Democratic Allied Forces studied the three major disciplines and eight points of attention by combining education and inspection, the fighting will was significantly enhanced. In the battle of Bai Longju Mountain, the Ministry wiped out one regiment of the temporary 56th division of the enemy's new army with one regiment. On the whole, during the War of Liberation, the three major disciplines and eight points of attention had an important impact on the self-construction of the army, and it was a powerful weapon for the people's army to defeat the enemy and overcome difficulties.

Source: Learning Times