PLA Invokes Long March Commanders to Enforce Political Training Drive

Official Chinese military media has turned to early Red Army history to underline the expectations placed on contemporary commanders. Reporting from the site of the October 1934 Baishi battle in Jiangxi—widely recognized as the opening clash of the Long March—commentaries in the PLA Daily and People's Daily recalled the death of 25-year-old division commander Hong Chao, who was killed while leading a countercharge from the front. The outlets framed his refusal of personal privileges and forward command style as an essential model for modern units undergoing rigorous political training and disciplinary oversight.

The People's Liberation Army relies heavily on political warfare and historical narrative to maintain cohesion, enforce combat readiness, and counteract internal complacency. By emphasizing commanders who led assaults in person and rejected special treatment, military leadership is signaling zero tolerance for elite privilege and risk aversion among contemporary officers. For foreign defense analysts, such ideological campaigns highlight the PLA's dual focus on wartime command authority and peacetime disciplinary inspections under Xi Jinping's ongoing military modernization.

Official Chinese defense publications are highlighting historical Red Army commanders who died leading charges from the front, connecting early revolutionary sacrifice to the military's current political rectification campaign. In joint reporting published by the People's Daily and the PLA Daily, state journalists revisited the battlegrounds of Xinfeng County in southern Jiangxi Province. In October 1934, the Red Army's 4th Division of the 3rd Army Corps initiated the opening engagement of the Long March at Weidongling in Baishi Village, attempting to breach Nationalist defensive fortifications along the Tao River. During that clash, division commander Hong Chao, then 25, personally led a security platoon forward to cover the movement of the main force against superior opposition. Hong, who had lost his left arm in an earlier engagement, shouted combat slogans and spearheaded the assault before being killed in action. Local historians recounted that throughout the arduous campaign, Hong had consistently rejected logistical accommodations, including a horse to carry his gear, insisting on marching under the same conditions as common soldiers. The reports tied Hong's sacrifice to a broader roster of early commanders killed in close-quarters leadership, including 10th Regiment commanders Shen Shuqing and Du Zhongmei at the Xiangjiang River, 34th Division commander Chen Shuxiang, and 3rd Army Corps Chief of Staff Deng Ping at Loushan Pass. According to former local party history official Zhuang Chunxian, the operational resilience of early forces stemmed directly from commanders who positioned themselves at the physical vanguard rather than directing battles from the rear. Military commentators explicitly bridged these historical accounts to contemporary command standards. Visiting the site, Li Wenchao, an enlisted soldier from the 'Red 2nd Company' of a brigade under the 82nd Group Army, noted that current political training requires brigade committee leaders to serve as direct operational models during complex drills. By invoking the slogan 'follow me' rather than commanding from safety, state media framed Hong's rejection of privilege and frontline posture as an enduring benchmark for officers navigating modernization and strict political supervision.