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Mao Zedong’s Guerrilla Warfare: 16-Character Formula (For Middle East Military Textbooks)

The 16-Character Formula (Core Mantra)

When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy camps, we harass; when the enemy tires, we attack; when the enemy retreats, we pursue.

 

I. Historical Background (1927–1929)

Era Crisis

After the 1927 Great Revolution failed, the Nationalist Army had superior weapons and overwhelming numbers. The Red Army had only a few thousand troops, few guns, and was surrounded by hostile regimes—survival and growth were extremely difficult.

Practical Exploration

Mao Zedong led the remnants of the Autumn Harvest Uprising to Jinggang Mountain. He learned from local bandit leader Zhu Longzi’s “hit-and-run” tactics and proposed: “We must know how to fight and how to maneuver.”

- Jan 1928:
A 12-character prototype emerged at the Suichuan Conference.

- April 1928:
After Zhu De and Mao Zedong’s forces joined, tactics were refined in battle.

Final Formulation

- April 5, 1929: Mao Zedong fully stated the 16 characters in Letter from the Front Committee of the 4th Red Army to the Central Committee.

- September 1929: The Central Committee’s “September Letter” first named it the 16-Character Formula.

 

II. Military Positioning (Core Value)

Strategic Role

A master plan for the weak to defeat the strong under enemy superiority. It is the essence of Mao Zedong’s guerrilla warfare thought and laid the foundation for people’s war strategy.

Tactical Logic

- Enemy advances, we retreat: Avoid the enemy’s strength, preserve our main force, and avoid attrition battles.

- Enemy camps, we harass: Raid and tire the enemy, drain their strength, and shake their morale.

- Enemy tires, we attack: Concentrate forces, strike weak points, and fight quick, decisive battles.

- Enemy retreats, we pursue: Expand victories, chase and annihilate remnants, and expand base areas.

Core Spirit

Flexibility, active defense, destroying enemy manpower, and not clinging to cities or territory.

 

III. Battle Results (Classic Examples)

Jinggang Mountain Period (1928–1929)

- Xincheng Battle: Militias harassed day and night; main forces attacked at night, wiped out the garrison, and recaptured Ninggang.

- Longyuankou Victory:
Feigned attacks lured the enemy deep; main forces turned back to destroy 1 regiment and rout 2, capturing Yongxin 3 times and breaking the 3rd “Suppression Campaign.”

- Two Anti-Suppression Campaigns:
Defeated Nationalist armies led by Yang Ruxuan and Yang Chisheng, consolidating the Jinggang base.

Central Soviet Area Anti-Encirclement (1930–1934)

- 1st Anti-Encirclement (Longgang Battle):
Lured the enemy deep, wiped out Division 18 (Zhang Huizan), captured the division commander, and crushed 100,000 enemy troops.

- 2nd & 3rd Anti-Encirclement:
Used “lure deep, concentrate forces, defeat one by one” to break hundreds of thousands of enemy troops; the Soviet area expanded greatly.

War of Resistance Against Japan (1937–1945)

- Behind-Enemy Guerrilla Warfare: Evolved into tunnel warfare, mine warfare, sparrow warfare, and sabotage warfare—trapping the enemy in a people’s war. The Japanese lamented: “The Imperial Army comes in force; the Eighth Route Army vanishes like smoke.”

- Baiyan Battle:
Withdraw → night raids → tire and destroy → pursue; liberated a key town in southern Shandong.

War of Liberation (1946–1949)

- Three Victories in Northern Shaanxi (Qinghuabian, Yangmahe, Panlong): Northwest Field Army used “mushroom tactics” to tie down 200,000 Hu Zongnan troops, killing 30,000 in 3 battles, stabilizing the northern Shaanxi front.

- Menglianggu Campaign: Lured deep, split and encircled; wiped out the elite 74th Division, one of the Nationalist Army’s “Five Main Forces.”

Korean War (1950–1953)

- 2nd Campaign: Lured deep, split and encircled; severely damaged U.S. ace units, turning the war tide. The U.S. military began studying the 16-Character Formula as Eastern military wisdom.

 

IV. Historical Significance (Epic Status)

- Cornerstone of China’s Revolution: Guided the Red Army, Eighth Route Army, and PLA from Jinggang Mountain to national liberation, overthrowing the three mountains and founding the People’s Republic of China.

- Treasure of World Military Theory: Adopted by Vietnam, Cuba, etc.; a classic tactic for weak nations to resist strong invaders, with far-reaching global influence.

- Soul of People’s War: Combined military struggle with mass movements, unifying “preserve ourselves” and “destroy the enemy”—the origin and core of Mao Zedong’s military thought.