Home >
Date(s)： 2026/02/26
Time： 10:00~12:00
Venue： Archives 2nd Conference Hall
Host： Prof. Xie Xin-Zhe（Assistant research fellow, IMH, AS）
Speaker：Dr. KIANG Chi Ho (Postdoctoral research, IMH, AS)
Disscussant： Prof. Chen Yao-huang （Research fellow, IMH, AS）
Organizer： IMH
Abstract: The presentation aims to examine the strategies employed by the Chinese Communist Party(CCP)'s New Fourth Army in the Jianghuai(江淮) region during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It analyzes the characteristics and evolution of these strategies through the framework of “liaison work”(聯絡工作)—specifically, the political work conducted by the Communist forces among enemy and allied officers and soldiers. During the War, the Guomindang (GMD) and the CCP both cooperated and clashed. The root of their conflict lay in the Nationalist government's efforts to contain the CCP and the CCP pursuit of expansion. This strategic contradiction between the two sides could not be fundamentally resolved. However, under the political premise of the Second United Front, they could not completely sever ties. Consequently, in the vast rear areas, a tripartite struggle emerged between the occupying authority, the GMD, and the CCP. Within this dynamic, the CCP advanced liaison work with GMD forces, aiming to win over those troops amenable to political persuasion while isolating staunchly anti-Communist elements. This strategy sought to achieve a balance of power through alliances and counter-alliances, thereby partially reversing the military disadvantage where the enemy held superior strength. In other words, by taking the initiative in political work, the New Fourth Army partially compensated for the CCP's military weakness and secured greater political space for the CCP's development in rear areas. This presentation examines the various strategies and resources employed by the Chinese Communist Party to “liaise” with the Nationalist forces, using the activities of the New Fourth Army in the rear areas of the Jianghuai region as a case study. These include “making friends,” “concealing the front line,” “peripheral forces,” and “both coaxing and striking,” thereby revealing the complex interplay of competition and cooperation between the GMD and CCP armed forces during wartime.