A Historical Examination of the Construction of Living Discipline among the Red Army during the Long March

General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “On the road forward, the people’s army must use iron discipline to forge an iron will, temper an iron style, and build an iron force, at all times and under all circumstances obeying orders in all actions and advancing in unison.” As a great practice that tested the truth, the Long March was not only a victory in military strategy but also a victory in the construction of discipline by the Party and the Red Army. During the Long March, faced with extremely harsh natural environments, complex social ecologies, and frequent changes in the composition of the ranks, the Party Central Committee continuously advanced the construction of discipline in accordance with changes in the battle situation and the times, and made living discipline the normative value governing the daily behavior of the Red Army, enabling it to play a role in uniting people, shaping the army’s image, and winning the trust of the masses. Current academic research on the Long March mostly focuses on policies and strategies, important meetings, spiritual connotations, leading figures, and military command, while relatively little attention has been paid to the issue of living discipline construction. In view of this, this article, by combing through a large number of publicly published archival historical materials, memoirs, and other documents, conducts a multi-dimensional, panoramic examination of the construction of living discipline among the Red Army during the Long March. It analyzes the strategic considerations of the Party Central Committee in strengthening Red Army living discipline, explores the historical process of building the living discipline system and the results achieved in the struggle and practice, reveals the importance of living discipline for revolutionary victory, and at the same time provides a historical mirror for comprehensive and strict governance of the military in the New Era.

习近平总书记指出：“前进道路上，人民军队必须用铁的纪律凝聚铁的意志、锤炼铁的作风、锻造铁的队伍，任何时候任何情况下都一切行动听指挥、步调一致向前进。”作为检验真理的一次伟大实践，长征不仅是军事战略的胜利，更是党和红军纪律建设的胜利。长征途中，面对极端恶劣的自然环境、错综复杂的社会生态和队伍结构的频繁变动，党中央根据战情、时情的变化，不断推进纪律建设，并将生活纪律作为约束红军日常行为的价值规范，使其发挥了凝聚人心、塑造形象、赢得群众信赖的作用。目前学界对长征的研究多集中在方针政策、重要会议、精神内涵、领导人物、军事指挥等方面，对生活纪律建设问题关注相对不足。有鉴于此，本文通过梳理大量公开出版的档案史料、回忆录等文献，对长征途中红军的生活纪律建设进行多维度、全景式考察，分析党中央强化红军生活纪律的战略考量，探讨生活纪律体系构建的历史过程和在斗争实践中取得的成效，揭示生活纪律对革命胜利的重要性，同时为新时代全面从严治军提供历史镜鉴。

I. Real-World Motivations: The Practical Generation of Red Army Living Discipline Construction

一、现实动因：红军生活纪律建设的实践生成

Discipline is the basic guarantee for the Red Army to enhance its centripetal force, cohesion, and combat effectiveness. Only with strict discipline could it defeat enemies many times its own strength. During the Long March, the construction of living discipline was by no means a simple code of conduct, but a need arising from the triple pressures of the Red Army’s social environment, military pressure, and its own political nature.

纪律是红军增强向心力、凝聚力和战斗力的基本保障，只有严明纪律，才能战胜数倍于己的敌人。长征途中，生活纪律建设绝非简单的行为规范，而是红军所处社会环境、军事压力和自身政治属性三重叠加的需要。

(A) The Need of the Complex Wartime Survival Environment

（一）战时复杂生存环境的需要

The construction of Red Army living discipline originated first from the extreme complexity of the survival situation, a complexity reflected in the dual pressures of military “encirclement and suppression” and the natural environment. In the autumn of 1933, Chiang Kai-shek assembled approximately one million troops, adopting a policy of “three parts military, seven parts political,” to launch the Fifth Encirclement and Suppression Campaign against the Central Revolutionary Base Area. Due to the influence of “Left” dogmatism, the counter-encirclement campaign failed, and the Party Central Committee and the Central Red Army were forced to conduct a strategic转移. In the early stages of the Long March, the Kuomintang army pursued and attacked the Red Army from water, land, and air, “the enemy’s planes were like mosquitoes, eighty or ninety sorties every day.” After the Battle of the Xiangjiang River, the Central Red Army was sharply reduced from over 86,000 men at the start to just over 30,000. Under these circumstances, some soldiers felt uncertain about the future of the Party and the Red Army, and there were even instances of individuals leaving the ranks or taking private property from the people, which necessitated iron discipline to stabilize military morale, halt the decline, and strengthen confidence in inevitable revolutionary victory. At the same time, the Kuomintang deliberately spread rumors in the White areas that the Communists would “leave not a chicken or dog alive” and would practice “communal property and communal wives,” making it urgently necessary to use practices such as “not taking a single needle or thread from the people” to restore the Red Army’s good name.

红军生活纪律建设首先源于生存境况的极端复杂性，这种复杂性体现在军事“围剿”和自然环境的双重压力。1933年秋，蒋介石集结约100万兵力，采取“三分军事、七分政治”的方针，对中央革命根据地进行第五次“围剿”。由于“左”倾教条主义影响，导致反“围剿”失败，党中央和中央红军被迫战略转移。长征初期，国民党军队从水路、陆路、空中三面追剿红军，“敌人的飞机像蚊子一样，每天都有八九十架次”。湘江战役后，中央红军由出发时的8.6万余人锐减至3万余人。在此情况下，有些战士对党和红军的前途命运感到渺茫，甚至出现脱离队伍、私拿百姓物品的现象，这就需要铁的纪律约束，以稳定军心、止住颓势，增强革命必胜的信心。同时，国民党又在白区故意散播共产党“鸡犬不留”“共产共妻”等谣言，为此，亟需以“秋毫无犯”等实践为红军正名。

Living discipline was also a need for the Red Army to overcome the harsh natural environment. To use topographical obstacles to shake off the enemy’s pursuit and encirclement, and to avoid direct confrontation with the well-equipped Kuomintang army, the Red Army was forced to cross dangerous marshlands and scale freezing snow-covered mountains. The natural climate of the marshlands was harsh, with dark and bewildering thick fog making it “impossible to tell east from west or south from north.” “Crossing the marshland, there were dropouts every day,” and eating tree bark and leaves was common. The snow-covered mountains they crossed were mostly over 4,000 meters above sea level, with thin air and extremely low temperatures; getting lost, illness, and hunger plagued every Red Army soldier. “The physically strong supported the physically weak, and those with more food shared it with those who had less.” During the arduous march, “Marshal He Long often instructed the staff around him, to prevent them from secretly preparing special meals for him.” Faced with such a harsh environment, the rigid constraining role of living discipline had to be brought into play, to carve a path of survival out of desperate circumstances. Thus, the complex war ecology and harsh natural environment constituted the real-world field for the construction of Red Army living discipline, determining that the Red Army needed strong disciplinary support, making it a bond for tempering revolutionary will and sustaining operational capability.

生活纪律也是红军战胜恶劣自然环境的需要。为利用地形障碍摆脱敌人围追堵截，避免与装备精良的国民党军队发生正面交锋，红军被迫通过危险草地、翻越严寒雪山。草地自然气候恶劣，阴森迷蒙的浓雾使人“分不清东南西北”，“过草地，每天都有掉队的”，吃树皮、食树叶更是屡见不鲜。所过雪山海拔多在4000米以上，空气稀薄、温度极低，迷路、疾病、食不果腹困扰着每一名红军，战士间“身体强的搀扶身体弱的，粮食多的分给粮食少的”。在艰苦行军中，“贺老总经常叮嘱身旁的工作人员，以防他们偷偷给他搞小灶”。面对此种严酷环境，必须发挥生活纪律刚性约束的作用，在绝境中踏出生路。由此可见，复杂的战争生态和恶劣的自然环境构成了红军生活纪律建设的现实场域，决定了红军要有强有力的纪律支撑，使其成为锤炼革命意志和维系行动力的纽带。

(B) The Necessity of Forging a First-Class Revolutionary Army

（二）锻造过硬革命队伍的必然

Forging a first-class revolutionary army, discipline is key. Living discipline, as an extension of “iron discipline,” serves as a “compass” in the daily life of all personnel. “The strength of an army depends not only on its numbers, not only on its weapons and equipment, but also on its discipline.” Possessing iron discipline made it possible to defeat the enemy even when the balance of forces was extremely unfavorable. As early as the Jinggangshan period, Mao Zedong deeply understood the importance of discipline, especially daily living discipline, in forging a first-class revolutionary army. In response to soldiers randomly digging up the people’s sweet potatoes, he first proposed three rules that must be strictly enforced: “Obey orders in all actions; do not take a single sweet potato from the people; turn in all property confiscated from the local tyrants to the public.” Subsequently, in 1928, the “Three Main Rules of Discipline and Six Points for Attention” were formally proposed. In 1929, “Avoid women when bathing” and “Use the latrine for defecation” were added to the Six Points for Attention, forming the initial “Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention.” [n] Compared with the Kuomintang army, the Red Army was poorly armed during the Long March and conducted long-distance marches without a rear base. Its victories relied on the steel-like discipline of “obeying orders in all actions, with strict prohibitions and unified steps.”

锻造过硬革命队伍，纪律是关键。生活纪律作为“铁的纪律”的延伸，是全员生活中的“指南针”。“一支军队的力量，不仅要看其人数，不仅要看其武器装备，还要看其纪律性”，拥有铁的纪律才能在敌我力量异常悬殊的情况下克敌制胜。早在井冈山时期，毛泽东就深刻意识到纪律尤其日常生活纪律在锻造过硬革命队伍中的重要性，针对战士乱挖百姓红薯现象，首次提出“行动听指挥；不拿群众一个红薯；打土豪要归公”三项必须严格执行的纪律。随后在1928年又正式提出“三大纪律、六项注意”。1929年，在六项注意里加入“洗澡避女人”“大便找厕所”，形成最初的“三大纪律、八项注意”。与国民党军队相比，红军长征期间武器匮乏，且长距离、无后方行军，能取得胜利依靠的就是“一切行动听指挥，令行禁止统一步调”的钢铁纪律。

During the Long March, the initial purpose of living discipline was to help the Red Army strengthen self-restraint and cultivate the good character of adhering to Party commitments and respecting regulations. However, in the practice of extreme environments, it gradually became internalized as a behavioral habit and value choice of individual Red Army soldiers. During the march, “in the space of twelve months, dozens of enemy planes conducted reconnaissance and bombing every day, hundreds of thousands of enemy troops pursued and blocked from the ground, and countless indescribable difficulties and dangers were encountered on the road.” Only by using disciplinary norms to converge the combined force of the collective will, and thereby tempering a strong revolutionary army, could the Red Army achieve strict discipline, unity, and an indomitable spirit. Of course, living discipline was not an external constraint imposed on the Red Army, but a necessary choice made by the Red Army for its own survival and development in the torrent of history. The tempering of strict discipline forged the Red Army into a politically sound, well-disciplined, and highly effective steel-like force.

长征途中，生活纪律的初始旨在帮助红军加强自我约束，养成恪守对党承诺、尊重规章的良好品格，但在极端环境的实践中，它逐渐内化为红军个体的行为习惯和价值选择。行军途中，“十二个月光阴中间，天上每日几十架飞机侦察轰炸，地下几十万大军围追堵截，路上遇着了说不尽的艰难险阻”，只有以纪律规范来汇聚集体意志的合力，进而淬炼出坚强的革命队伍，才能让红军做到纪律严明、团结一致、一往无前。当然，生活纪律并非强加给红军的外在束缚，而是红军在历史洪流中为了生存发展而作出的必然选择，严格纪律的锤炼使红军锻造为一支政治过硬、作风优良和战斗力强的钢铁队伍。

(C) The Cornerstone for Winning Mass Support

（三）争取群众支持的基石

The masses are the starting point and the ultimate goal of all the Red Army’s work. The Red Army left its original base areas for a long-distance march. The people along the route lacked understanding of the Party’s and the Red Army’s policies, and coupled with the Kuomintang’s long-term reactionary propaganda, some local people, upon learning of the Red Army’s arrival, either fled or shut their doors. From a practical perspective, given the combat and marching conditions of the time, the Red Army long faced the predicament of supply shortages and material scarcity. Therefore, it was essential to use strong living discipline to win the support of the people along the route. “Discipline is the guarantee for implementing the line; without discipline, the Party cannot lead the masses and the army to wage a victorious struggle.”

群众是红军一切工作的出发点和落脚点。红军离开原来的根据地进行长途行军，沿路群众缺乏对党和红军政策的了解，加上国民党长期的反动宣传，有些地方群众得知红军到来便纷纷逃离或者闭门不出。从实践层面看，在当时作战和行军条件下，红军长期面临给养匮乏和军需短缺的困境，因此必须要以强有力的生活纪律赢得沿途群众的拥护，“纪律是执行路线的保证，没有纪律，党就无法率领群众与军队进行胜利的斗争”。

According to the administrative divisions of the time, the Red Army’s Long March passed through 14 provinces, most of which were White areas under Kuomintang rule. The weak mass base became the primary problem facing the army. To address this, the Party and the Red Army required, through strict living discipline, to care for and protect the common people, respect the beliefs and customs of ethnic minorities, and also continuously adjust disciplinary norms according to the environment, gradually transforming abstract revolutionary goals into value symbols understandable to the masses, letting the people understand that “this is a people’s army, different from any previous army.” When the Central Red Army reached the Yi ethnic group’s聚居地, because it strictly implemented the Party’s ethnic policy, “within two or three hours, over 700 people joined (the 11th Regiment of the Third Army Corps), including over 100 ‘Lolo’ [Yi] who joined the Red Army.” [n] When passing through Tibetan areas, the Red Army fully respected local religious beliefs and practiced the principles of ethnic equality and unity. “Some Tibetans gave the Red Army the little grain they had left.” Living discipline, as an emotional bond connecting the Party with the masses, was manifested not only in behavioral constraints, but more importantly in the Party’s profound grasp of gaining mass认同, linking each disciplinary rule to the interests of the masses, thereby forming a community of shared destiny, bound together by flesh and blood and united in heart and virtue, with the broad masses.

按照当时的行政区划，红军长征途径14个省，其中大部分是国民党统治的白区，群众基础薄弱成为部队面临的首要问题，为此，党和红军要求以严明的生活纪律关心爱护百姓，尊重少数民族信仰习惯，同时也根据环境不断调适纪律规范，逐步将抽象的革命目标转化为群众可理解的价值符号，让群众懂得“这是一支与以往任何军队都不同”的人民军队。当中央红军到达彝族聚居地时，因为严格执行党的民族政策，“在二、三个钟头内，加入（红三军团）十一团的达七百余人，就是‘倮倮’加入红军的也有百余人”。途径藏区时，红军充分尊重当地宗教信仰，践行民族平等与团结的主张，“有的藏民就将自己仅有的一点粮食拿出一部分交给红军”。生活纪律作为党联系群众的情感纽带，不仅仅体现在行为约束上，更多的是党基于取得群众认同的深刻把握，将每一条纪律与群众的利益相挂钩，从而与广大群众结成了血肉相连、同心同德的命运共同体。

(D) The Key to Enhancing Red Army Cohesion

（四）增强红军凝聚力的关键

Mao Zedong very early on regarded "strict observance of discipline" as the lifeline for uniting people, shaping the army's image, and winning mass support. At Sanwan Village he instituted the policy of "building the Party branch on the company," [n] fully leveraging the exemplary role of Party members in enforcing discipline. From "the army commander down to the cook, everyone except for grain rations ate from the same five-fen meal allowance, and when pocket money was issued, two jiao meant two jiao for all, four jiao meant four jiao for all," [n] regardless of rank, treating everyone equally. This gradually built a progressive chain among Red Army soldiers from identity recognition to disciplinary norms and then to emotional共鸣, strengthening unity within the forces. During the Long March, with hundreds of thousands of enemy troops in hot pursuit and under harsh natural conditions, the Red Army had to maintain high unity through strict living discipline to prevent disarray and分裂. The arduous marching environment required the Red Army to use living discipline that was "used daily without being noticed" to provide clear behavioral norms for the troops, enhancing trust among units, among soldiers, and between officers and men, thereby凝聚ing scattered individuals into a combat collective that could not be broken apart or worn down, ensuring that the ranks remained tightly organized, ideologically unified, and firm in conviction even under the test of极限生存 and fierce struggle.

毛泽东很早就将“严守纪律”视为凝聚人心、塑造形象和获得群众支持的生命线，在三湾村制定了“支部建在连上”的政策，充分发挥党员执行纪律的示范作用，从“军长到伙夫，除粮食外一律吃五分钱的伙食，发零用钱，两角即一律两角，四角即一律四角”，无论职级高低，一律平等对待，逐步构建起红军将士从身份认同到纪律规范再到情感共鸣的递进链条，增强了部队内部的团结。长征途中，在数十万敌军穷追不舍和恶劣的自然环境下，红军要以严明的生活纪律保持高度团结，防止涣散和分裂。艰难的行军环境要求红军必须以“日用而不觉”的生活纪律为队伍提供明确的行为规范，增强部队间、战士间、官兵间的信任，从而将分散的个体凝聚成为一个打不散、拖不垮的战斗集体，确保队伍在极限生存和严酷斗争考验下，依然能保持组织严密、思想统一和信念坚定。

Living discipline, as the daily behavioral norms for Red Army soldiers, had a deeper function: it emphasized the Party's absolute leadership over the army, with the aim of building political cohesion, enabling the revolutionary forces to form a consciousness of political discipline and thereby strengthen their identification with the Party's system and line. Zhang Guotao, [n] relying on his "strong troops and horses" during the Long March, refused to accept the Central Committee's orders and attempted to "set up another Central Committee." [n] The essence of this act of splitting the Party lay in Zhang Guotao's lack of seriousness toward discipline and disloyalty to the Party, his arbitrary and autocratic behavior violating the Party's discipline requirements of unity and democracy. After the Lianghekou Conference, [n] Zhang Guotao "despised and abused the Central Red Army, creating all kinds of difficulties in supplies," in stark contrast to the fact that "when the Central Committee delegation arrived at the Fourth Front Army headquarters in Zagunao, they were warmly welcomed by the broad masses of Red Army officers and soldiers with firecrackers and enthusiastic crowds lining the road." Zhang Guotao's violations of political and living discipline ran counter to the mainstream理念 of the Red Army and were unacceptable to the vast majority of Red Army soldiers. In the resolute struggle waged by the Party Central Committee and Mao Zedong, Zhu De, and others, he ultimately failed. The Fourth Front Army's unswerving loyalty to the Party was precisely the high degree of discipline and organization of the Red Army that enabled them to cultivate a sense of the big picture, thereby thwarting Zhang Guotao's "split" intentions. It is evident that strict discipline is the fundamental prerequisite for maintaining cohesion, consolidating combat effectiveness, and tempering spiritual conviction.

生活纪律作为红军将士的日常行为规范，更深层次的作用是强调党对军队的绝对领导，目的是构筑政治凝聚力，让革命队伍形成政治纪律意识从而强化对党的制度、路线的认同。张国焘在长征途中倚仗自己“兵强马壮”不接受中央号令，试图“另立中央”，这种分裂党的行为的本质就在于张国焘对待纪律不严肃、对党不忠诚，独断专行违背党中央团结、民主的纪律要求。两河口会议后，张国焘“对中央红军轻视、谩骂，在供给上百般刁难”，与之形成鲜明对比的是，“当中央代表团来到杂谷脑红四方面军总部时，受到广大红军指战员燃放鞭炮、热烈夹道欢迎”。张国焘违背政治和生活纪律的行为与红军主流理念背道而驰，不为广大红军将士所接受，在中共中央和毛泽东、朱德等人坚决的斗争中终归失败，红四方面军坚定不移追随党，正是红军的高度纪律性、组织性使他们树立了大局意识，才使张国焘的“分裂”意图未能得逞。可见，严明的纪律是维系凝聚力、巩固战斗力和淬炼精神信念的根本前提。

II. Breaking Through and Breaking Out: The Multidimensional Construction of Red Army Living Discipline

二、破障突围：红军生活纪律建设的多维构建

During the Long March, the construction of living discipline in the Red Army was not a scattered or fragmented set of behavioral rules, but rather a scientific system built around the practical logic of institutional norms, propaganda and education,凝聚ing consensus, and supervision and enforcement, forming a "Five-Sphere Integrated Plan" [n] of institutions, propaganda, example, practice, and supervision.

长征途中，红军生活纪律建设并非零散和碎片化的行为规定，而是围绕制度规范、宣传教育、凝聚共识和监督执行的实践逻辑，构建起了“制度、宣传、示范、实践、监督”五位一体的科学体系。

(I) Using Institutions for Overall Planning, Forming Specific Norms

（一）以制度为统筹，形成具体规范

From its founding, the Chinese Communist Party attached importance to the institutional construction of discipline. As early as the Second National Congress of the CPC, [n] it was stipulated that "if words or actions violate the Party's宣言, constitution, or the resolutions of the congress and its executive committees, the local executive committee concerned must expel that person." The Party Constitution of the Sixth National Congress of the CPC [n] then stipulated that "strict observance of Party discipline is the highest responsibility of all Party members and Party bodies at all levels." In November 1931, the "Resolution on Party Building Issues of the First Party Congress of the Central Soviet Area" [n] emphasized that "tightening Party discipline and strengthening the Party's leading role have become the most pressing and important issues." Under complex and ever-changing circumstances, Party discipline and military discipline were highly unified in essence: Party discipline pointed the direction for building military discipline, while military discipline was the concrete extension of Party discipline in military struggle. The Red Army's special mission required stricter discipline, from daily routines to battlefield actions, from officer-soldier relations to army-people unity, from not taking a single needle or thread from the people [n] to adhering to the founding principles—all needed iron discipline to regulate. To forge a style of absolute obedience and ironclad conduct, in October 1930 the Red Army issued its first disciplinary code, the "Draft Regulations on Discipline of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army"; in August 1933, it compiled the "Provisional Regulations on Discipline of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army," clarifying the nature of discipline in the people's army. These regulations, which had already proven effective in practice, played an important role during the Long March, forming the main body of living discipline construction for the Red Army on the march.

中国共产党自创建起就重视纪律的制度建设，早在中共二大时就规定，“言论行动有违背本党宣言、章程及大会各执行委员会之议决案”，则“该地方执行委员会必须开除之”。中共六大党章则规定，“严格的遵守党纪为所有党员及各级党部之最高责任”。1931年11月，《中央苏区第一次党代表大会党的建设问题决议案》强调，“严紧党的纪律，增加党的领导作用，成为最先决最重要的问题”。在复杂多变的形势下，党纪与军纪具有高度的内在统一性，党纪为军纪指明建设方向，军纪则是党纪在军事斗争中的具体化延伸。红军特殊的使命要求纪律更严格，从日常作息到战场行动，从官兵关系到军民团结，从秋毫无犯到恪守宗旨，无不需要铁的纪律来规范。为锤炼令行禁止的过硬作风，1930年10月，红军颁发了第一部纪律条令，即《中国工农红军纪律条例草案》；1933年8月，又编写了《工农红军纪律暂行条令》，阐明了人民军队纪律的性质。这些已取得实践成效的律令在长征中起到了重要作用，奠定了长征途中红军生活纪律建设的主体。

At the start of the Long March, the General Political Department of the Red Army (hereafter the General Political Department) issued the "Political Directive on Preparations for Long-Distance Marching and Combat," stating: "Resolutely struggle against any behavior that alienates the masses or violates discipline, and punish incorrigible bad elements who破坏 discipline." As the situation developed, the living discipline regulations of the Red Army were continuously adjusted, forming a dynamic and adaptive institutional arrangement. After the Battle of the Xiangjiang River, [n] in order to win support from the ethnic minority masses in northern Guangxi, the General Political Department formulated the "Guiding Principles on Work among the Yao and Miao Nationalities," stating: "Our basic position toward the Yao (or Miao) people is to oppose all Han oppression and exploitation, to uphold ethnic equality between Han and Yao, and to show respect for their forms of governance, customs, habits, and religious rituals." After arriving in Sichuan, the General Political Department issued the "Instruction on Work to Win Over Ethnic Minorities," emphasizing that winning over ethnic minorities should be given the highest priority, and that "the religious and customary habits of the ethnic minority masses must be absolutely respected, and these habits must be explained to the soldiers." After crossing the snow-covered, year-round, and virtually impassable Mount Jiajin, [n] the Red Army units had exhausted their supplies and urgently needed replenishment. The General Political Department, in its "General Order on Harvesting the Wheat of the Fan [n] People," emphasized: "Units may only send people to harvest ripe wheat from the fields of the Fan people when no other means of obtaining grain is available. When harvesting wheat from ordinary Fan people, the amount harvested and the reason for harvesting the wheat must be written on a wooden placard with a brush (according to the form issued by the General Political Department) and placed in the field. When the Fan people return, they can take this placard to the Red Army units to claim payment." In addition, the Party Central Committee and the General Political Department published a series of articles through the Red Star News, [n] such as "Don't Defecate Everywhere," "When Gathering Straw and Torches, Do Not Harm the Masses," "Raise Observance of Discipline to the Highest Place in Life!" and "Don't Drink Cold Water, Don't Get Sick," requiring all units to ensure they did not harm the interests of the masses. It is evident that every regulation issued by the Red Army embodied respect for and trust in the masses. By perfecting rules and regulations and transforming them into enforceable norms for the Red Army, an institutionalized framework of约束 was formed, highlighting the distinctive feature of the Chinese Communist Party in shaping organizational strength and combat effectiveness through institutional construction.

长征伊始，红军总政治部（以下简称总政治部）发布了《关于准备长途行军与战斗的政治指令》，指出：“坚决的与脱离群众、破坏纪律的现象斗争，对于不能教育的破坏纪律的坏分子，应给以处罚。”随着形势的发展，红军生活纪律规章不断调适，形成了动态适配的制度性安排。湘江战役后，为争取桂北少数民族群众支持，总政治部制定了《关于瑶苗民族中工作的原则指示》，指出：“我们对瑶民（或苗民）的基本主张，是反对一切汉族的压迫与剥削，汉民与瑶民的民族平等，对于他们统治的方式、思想、习惯以及宗教仪式，应该表示尊重。”到达四川后，总政治部又下达《关于争取少数民族工作的训令》，强调把争取少数民族放到最高地位，“绝对的遵从少数民族群众的宗教的风俗的习惯，并将这些习惯向战士说明”。在翻越终年积雪、人迹罕至的夹金山后，红军各部队物资给养消耗殆尽，亟需补充，总政治部在《关于收割番民麦子问题的通令》中强调：“各部队只有在其他办法不能得到粮食的时候，才许派人到番人田中去收割已熟的麦子，收割普通番人的麦子，必须将所收数量、为什么收麦子的原因等（照总政所发条子），用墨笔写在木牌上，插在田中，番人回来可拿这木牌向红军各部队领回价钱。”除此之外，中共中央和总政治部还通过《红星报》发表了《不要到处屙屎》《找禾草火把不要侵犯群众》《把遵守纪律提到生活的最高位！》《不喝冷水不生病》等一系列文章，要求各部队保证不损害群众利益。可见，红军颁布的每条律令都体现了对群众的尊重和信任，通过完善规章制度并将其转化为红军可执行的规范，形成了制度化的约束框架，凸显了中国共产党通过制度建设塑造军队组织力和战斗力的鲜明特色。

(II) Using Propaganda as a Vehicle to Embed Discipline Deep in People's Hearts

（二）以宣传为载体，使纪律深入人心

Propaganda work, as one of the tasks the Party has always valued, played an important role during the Long March. Externally, it publicized Red Army discipline to the masses; internally, it educated all Red Army soldiers to understand and observe discipline. Through diverse forms of propaganda and education, Red Army soldiers came to grasp the political significance behind living discipline, achieving a transition from passive obedience to active compliance. Mao Zedong emphasized: "The Red Army's propaganda work is the Red Army's first major task; to neglect this work is to abandon the Red Army's main mission." During the Long March, various army corps widely used newspapers, composed songs, staged文艺 dances, and employed slogans and posters to propagandize living discipline, forming a powerful舆论 field. The Red Star News, as the newspaper with the largest circulation during the Long March, played a key role in the Red Army's propaganda and education work. On November 7, 1934, the Red Star News published a special supplement titled "Create Model Companies for Winning Over the Masses," which, in通俗易懂 language, set out seven disciplinary norms for the Red Army's mass work, stating the need to "struggle against坏蛋 who破坏 Red Army discipline." From 1934 to 1935, the Red Star News also published negative examples, using specific cases of violations of living discipline to conduct warning education for the entire army. An article published in April 1935, "Raise Observance of Discipline to the Highest Place in Life!" stated that the General Political Department had, during inspections, discovered phenomena such as wasting grain and borrowing without returning, and called on the entire army to raise observance of discipline to the highest place in life.

宣传工作作为党历来重视的工作之一，在长征中发挥了重要作用，于外向群众宣传红军纪律，于内教育全体红军明纪守纪，通过形式多样的宣传教育，让红军战士理解生活纪律背后的政治意义，实现了从被动服从到主动遵守的转变。毛泽东强调：“红军的宣传工作是红军第一个重大工作，若忽视了这个工作就是放弃了红军的主要任务。”长征途中，各军团广泛利用报纸、编写歌曲、文艺舞蹈、标语口号等进行生活纪律宣传，形成了强大的舆论场。《红星报》作为长征途中发行量最大的机关报纸，在红军宣传教育工作中扮演了重要角色。1934年11月7日，《红星报》发布了一篇《创造争取群众工作的模范连队》的号外，这篇号外以通俗易懂的语言对红军群众工作提出了七点纪律规范，指出要向“破坏红军纪律的坏蛋作斗争”。从1934年到1935年，《红星报》还相继刊登反面事例，以违反生活纪律的具体案例向全军进行警示教育。1935年4月刊发的《把遵守纪律提到生活的最高位！》称，总政治部检查时发现了浪费粮食、有借无还等违反纪律的现象，要求全军把遵守纪律提到生活的最高位。

Using discipline requirements presented through created and adapted songs was also a highlight of propaganda work. The "Red Army Discipline Song," adapted from the "Three Main Rules of Discipline and the Eight-Point Regulations"[n], was catchy and easy to recite: "The Red Army's discipline is the strictest, departing and bivouacking must be remembered in every detail: put up the door planks, bundle the bedding straw, sweep the house clean, return borrowed items, compensate for damage, relieve yourself in the latrine, do not search the bodies of prisoners. The Three Main Rules of Discipline and the Eight-Point Regulations, everyone must carry them out." The "Song of Discipline of the Red Army's Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou Guerrilla Column" sang: "The Red Army's discipline is extremely strict, ... be cordial to people, ... do not curse when speaking, return borrowed items, bathe away from women, ... be closer than a family," and was written on the wall of the Guandi Temple in Xingxian County. This song, as it was sung, strengthened the Red Army soldiers' understanding of living discipline, using song to spread to the masses along the way that the Red Army was a strictly disciplined force. Similarly, slogans were also used in discipline propaganda, such as "The Red Army does not take a single needle or thread from workers and peasants," "The Red Army does not take a single thing from the masses," "The Red Army buys and sells fairly," "The Red Army does not conscript labor, does not levy funds, and does not ask peasants to provide hospitality," and so on. Propaganda about living discipline did not consist of lengthy persuasive education; rather, it used language the masses could understand and vivid methods to forge the "flesh and blood" of living discipline, striking directly into the hearts of Red Army officers, soldiers, and the masses, thereby achieving the goal of propaganda and edification.

将纪律要求通过创作和改编的歌曲展现出来，也是宣传工作的亮点。《红军纪律歌》根据“三大纪律、八项注意”改编，朗朗上口：“红军纪律最严明，出发宿营样样要记清：上门板，捆卧草，房屋扫干净，借物要送还，损坏要赔偿，解溲找茅坑，不搜俘虏身。三大纪律，八项注意，个个要实行”。《红军川滇黔游击纵队纪律歌》则唱道：“红军纪律顶严明，……对人要和气，……开口莫骂人，借物要归还，洗澡避女人，……胜似一家人”，并书写在兴文县关帝庙墙上。这首歌曲在传唱中强化了红军战士对生活纪律的理解，用歌声向沿途群众传播红军是纪律严明的队伍。同样，标语也被运用到纪律宣传之中，如“红军不拿工人农民的一针一线”“红军不拿群众一点东西”“红军公买公卖”“红军不拉夫、不筹款、不要农民办招待”等等。关于生活纪律的宣传没有连篇累牍的说服教育，更多的是以群众听得懂的语言和活灵活现的方式铸造生活纪律的“血肉”，直击红军将士和群众内心深处，进而达到宣传教化的目的。

(3) Party cadres and members take the lead in setting an example, strengthening the implementation of discipline

（三）党员干部率先示范，强化纪律落实

The Red Army's living discipline, through the exemplary role of Party cadres and members, transformed specific requirements into behavioral norms jointly observed by officers and soldiers. The words and deeds of Party cadres and members reflected not only personal moral cultivation but also interpreted the Party's purpose and principles, having a powerful demonstration effect and guiding function. Mao Zedong once said: "The vanguard role and model role of Communist Party members are extremely important." During the Long March, the troops faced harsh natural environments, material shortages, and pursuing enemy blockades. Mao Zedong and other Party leaders still led by example, setting a clear model through their actions, thus forming a powerful magnetic field. When bodyguard Wu Jiqing contracted malaria, Mao Zedong insisted on giving him his stretcher, saying: "You are sick, and I have not been able to take good care of you. Just sit on my stretcher and rest until you recover." During the Long March, Peng Dehuai's mule "along the way... was either carrying grain and equipment or carrying the sick and wounded; it was rarely seen carrying the army commander." The Party leaders' strict self-discipline embodied the excellent trait that "the internal relations of this army are one of equality between officers and soldiers." It was both an external display of noble morality and a sublimation of living discipline, enabling the disciplinary requirement of equality between officers and soldiers to take root.

红军生活纪律通过党员干部的率先垂范将具体要求转化为官兵共同遵守的行为准则。党员干部的言行举止体现的不仅是个人道德修养，更诠释了党的宗旨、理念，有强大的示范效应和导向作用。毛泽东曾说：“共产党员的先锋作用和模范作用是十分重要的。”长征途中，部队面临恶劣的自然环境、物资匮乏、追兵堵截，毛泽东等党的领导人仍以身作则，以行动树立了鲜明的榜样从而形成了强大磁场。警卫员吴吉清感染疟疾，毛泽东执意把担架给他使用，说道：“你病了，我没有顾得上好好照顾你，你就安心坐着我的担架养病好了。”长征途中彭德怀的骡子“一路上……不是驮着粮食、器材，就是驮着伤病员，很少见过军团长骑”。党的领导人严以律己，体现了“这支军队的内部关系是官兵平等”的优秀特质，既是崇高道德的外在展现，又是对生活纪律的升华，促使官兵平等的纪律要求落地生根。

Fair trade and caring for the masses were always living disciplines practiced by Party cadres, members, and Red Army soldiers during the Long March. In the early stages of the Long March, Mao Zedong led the troops into a Miao village. Seeing that the troops had no food, the Miao people brought several bags of corn. Mao Zedong emphasized that they "must buy at the market price." When entering a Yi village, a bodyguard wanted to borrow a cooking pot to cook for Mao Zedong and borrow a door plank for him to sleep on. Mao Zedong replied: "We should help our Yi compatriots, and should not cause them any trouble at all. We must strictly observe the Three Main Rules of Discipline and the Eight-Point Regulations!" Before Wu Huanxian arrived at the Hui-inhabited area of Xinglong Town, "he established several rules that had to be followed: forbidding troops from staying in mosques, forbidding eating pork in Hui homes, forbidding confiscating the property of Hui landlords, and forbidding saying the word 'pig' or cursing 'pig' in front of Hui people." This practice of "discipline before the troops arrive" demonstrated respect and care for the ethnic minority masses. The personal example and strict adherence of Party cadres and members dispelled any potential resistance among the soldiers, giving living discipline indisputable credibility and enforceability, achieving the transformation from "I must obey discipline" to "I want to obey discipline."

公平买卖、爱护群众一直是党员干部和红军战士在长征途中践行的生活纪律。长征初期，毛泽东带领部队进入苗寨，苗族人民见部队没有粮食就送来多袋苞谷，毛泽东强调“要按价购买”。在进入彝族村寨时，警卫员想借口锅给毛泽东烧饭，借个门板让毛泽东睡觉，毛泽东回答道：“我们应该帮助彝族同胞，而不应该给他们添任何一点麻烦。我们要严格遵守三大纪律，八项注意！”吴焕先在到达回族聚居地兴隆镇前，“他制定了几项必须遵循的规定，禁止部队驻扎清真寺，禁止在回民家中吃大荤，禁止打回族的土豪，不准在回民面前说‘猪’、骂‘猪’等等”。这种“军队未到，纪律先行”的做法体现了对少数民族群众的尊重和爱护。党员干部亲身示范和严格遵守，消解了战士们可能的抵触情绪，使生活纪律具有了无可辩驳的公信力和执行力，实现了“要我守纪律”到“我要守纪律”的转变。

(4) Emphasizing the enforcement of discipline, adhering to the fundamental purpose

（四）强调纪律执行，恪守根本宗旨

The Red Army's living discipline, through the specific enforcement of "not taking a single needle or thread from the masses," transformed the purpose of serving the people into a perceptible and trustworthy real-world behavior, establishing a political image of the army and people being one family in the hearts of the people along the route. "Not forcibly taking or occupying" was a fine quality ingrained in the Red Army's bones. A witness along the route recounted: "We offered them sweet potatoes to eat; they wanted to pay. If you didn't take their money, they wouldn't take the sweet potatoes." Eating sweet potatoes was a "small matter," but the Red Army soldiers' strict adherence to discipline made this "small matter" unforgettable for the people. Passing through Liuhe Township, "Red Army soldiers came to Pan Baodong's house in Huanggutun. Finding two *sheng* of rice in a vat, they cooked and ate it. Before leaving, they placed two silver dollars in the vat." Crossing the grasslands, "when arriving at the homes of ordinary Tibetan people, sometimes we found grain and livestock, but could not find the owner. We would leave money (Tibetan silver coins) and write a note explaining how much grain we had eaten and how much money we had left." Even when no one was home, the soldiers still tightened the reins of discipline, showing that adherence to living discipline had become internalized as a profound value identification. During the Long March, in situations without supervision, the Red Army borrowed and used the people's items and food, paying appropriate compensation. This was the inevitable result of strict discipline and the absolute enforcement of orders.

红军生活纪律通过“不拿群众一针一线”的具体执行，将为人民服务的宗旨转化为可感知、可信任的现实行为，在沿途民众心中树立了军民一家亲的政治形象。“不牯吃霸占”是刻在红军骨子里优良品质。有沿途亲历者讲述，“我们请他吃红薯，他们要给钱，你不要他的钱，他们就不要红薯”。吃红薯是一件“小事”，红军战士严守纪律用行动将这件“小事”令百姓铭记。过六合乡时，“红军战士来到黄古屯潘保东家，发现缸里有两升米，把这两升米煮吃了，临走时，放了两块银元在米缸里”。过草地时，“到达一般藏民居住的地方，有时发现了粮食和牲畜，但又找不到主人，我们就把钱（藏洋）留下，并写个条子，说明吃了多少粮食，放下多少钱”。在家中无人的情况下战士们仍系紧纪律准绳，说明对生活纪律的遵守已内化为一种深刻的价值认同。长征期间，在无人监督的情况下，红军借取使用百姓的物品食物，付以相应报酬，这正是纪律严明、令行禁止的必然结果。

"Respecting the people's principal position, safeguarding the people's interests, and reflecting the people's will is the secret to the Party's long-term vitality and eternal vigor." Adhering to the fundamental purpose, putting the principle of returning what is borrowed and compensating for what is damaged into practice—this was the discipline-consciousness fused into the very flesh and blood of the Red Army soldiers. The Red Army took every "trivial matter" in life seriously. These daily "trivial matters" had long surpassed mere disciplinary constraints, becoming habits born from the sublimation of the spirit of discipline into inner cultivation. Passing through Shidong, "the Red Army, on our Shidong Street, treated the poor well. Wherever they cooked a meal, before leaving they would fill the water vat and sweep the floor clean." It is evident that the Red Army continuously transformed the power of discipline enforcement into the power of adhering to the fundamental purpose, turning the protection of the masses' interests from an external requirement into a heartfelt, active choice and a high degree of self-awareness, vividly interpreting the principle of equality and fraternity between the army and the people.

“尊重人民主体地位、保障人民利益、反映人民意愿，是党长盛不衰、永葆生机的奥秘之所在”。恪守根本宗旨，将有借必还、有坏必赔的准则付诸实践，这是红军战士融入血肉里的纪律自觉。红军认真对待生活中的每件“琐事”，这些日常“琐事”早已超越了纪律约束，而是将纪律精神升华为内在修养后的习惯。过石洞时，“红军在我们石洞街上，对穷人很好，在哪家煮饭吃，走的时候要把水缸挑满，把地上扫干净才走”。可见，红军不断将纪律的执行力转化为恪守根本宗旨的践行力，将维护群众利益从外在要求转化为发自内心的主动选择与高度自觉，生动诠释了军民之间的平等友爱原则。

(5) Strict supervision and inspection, ensuring the effectiveness of discipline

（五）严格监督检查，确保纪律有效性

Supervision is the sword that ensures the enforcement of discipline. It can effectively prevent and correct phenomena of laziness, slackness, and procrastination, promote the implementation of all disciplines, and make them a universal, self-conscious observance for Red Army officers and soldiers. In the early stages of the Long March, the General Political Department issued the "Directive on Strengthening Discipline Inspection in Relations with the Miao People Along the Route," which emphasized: "Strengthen the work of discipline inspection teams and collection teams. Conduct spot checks of discipline at bivouac sites, wage struggle, and immediately overcome all actions that harm the masses or separate from the masses." After the Liping Conference, the General Political Department stated in the "Order on Creating a New Base Area in the Sichuan-Guizhou Border Region": "Strengthen the work of discipline inspection teams and collection teams. Continue to conduct mobilization for strict discipline within the troops. Further improve relations with residents. Wage a resolute struggle against all actions that violate discipline and harm the interests of the masses." After the Zunyi Conference, some soldiers' laxity increased. The General Political Department demanded: "Conduct education on strict military discipline. Strictly enforce and inspect the implementation of the Three Main Rules of Discipline and the Eight-Point Regulations. Wage struggle against phenomena of laxity, chaos, and non-observance of discipline to educate all soldiers." These directives highlighted the Party Central Committee's emphasis on disciplinary supervision to ensure strict enforcement of discipline. Their significance lay in educating and restraining Red Army soldiers in practice on how to interact with the masses, while simultaneously letting the masses along the route understand that "the Party is the people's Party" and "the Red Army is the people's army."

监督是确保纪律执行的利剑，能有效防治工作庸、懒、散、拖的现象，促进各项纪律贯彻落实，使其成为红军将士普遍的自觉遵循。长征初期，总政治部在颁布的《关于我军沿途注意与苗民关系加强纪律检查的指示》中强调：“加强纪律检查队与收容队工作，在宿营地分段检查纪律，开展斗争，立即克服一切侵害群众、脱离群众行为。”黎平会议后，总政治部在《关于创立川黔边新根据地工作的训令》中指出：“加强纪律检查队与收容队工作，继续在部队中进行严肃纪律的动员，更加改革与居民关系，严厉地向一切破坏纪律、侵害群众利益的行为作坚决的斗争。”遵义会议后，部分士兵散漫现象有所增长，总政治部要求：“进行严整军纪教育，严格执行与检查三大纪律八项注意的实行，对散漫混乱与不遵守纪律的现象，要开展斗争，以教育全体战士。”这些指令凸显了党中央重视纪律监督，以确保纪律严格执行，其意义是在实践中教育约束红军战士如何与群众相处，同时让沿途群众了解“党是人民的党”“红军是人民的军队”。

In the process of supervision, the Red Army established special organs to inspect the implementation of discipline. Whether ordinary soldiers or senior cadres, if any violation of discipline occurred, once discovered, it was dealt with severely, in order to maintain the deterrent power and authority of discipline. "In Red Army units, at the division, regiment, battalion, and company levels, mass work teams or discipline inspection teams were established to inspect whether troops had violated the Three Main Rules and Eight Points for Attention."[n18] In January 1935, the General Political Department issued the "Proclamation of the General Political Department of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army," stating that "the Red Army is an army with strict discipline, it does not take a single thing from the masses, things borrowed from the masses must be returned, and buying and selling are conducted according to market prices. If there is any act that infringes on the interests of the masses, every member of the masses can come to the Political Department to file a complaint." "Allowing the masses to participate in supervision not only embodies the masses' status as masters but also safeguards the masses' own interests." In addition, the local work departments, besides carrying out mass activities, were also responsible for inspecting and supervising Red Army discipline. "The work done by the local work departments generally included the following aspects: First, urging and helping the troops to implement the Three Main Rules and Eight Points for Attention. … Fifth, propagating the Party's ethnic policies, treating all ethnic groups equally, and promoting mutual assistance and unity." Furthermore, members of the Communist Youth League, who had a high cultural level and advanced thinking, were assigned to work in various companies. Besides mass work, they were also responsible for discipline inspection work, educating and urging those with lax discipline awareness. "The Communist Youth League taught Red Army soldiers to observe the 'Three Musts and Three Must-Nots.' The 'Three Musts' were: must observe discipline, must maintain cleanliness and hygiene, must be polite; the 'Three Must-Nots' were: must not drink alcohol excessively, must not smoke, must not drink unboiled water." It can be seen that the strict enforcement of Red Army living discipline was due, first, to the emphasis on supervision work, and second, to the perfection of discipline inspection work. Discipline inspection teams, local work departments, the Communist Youth League, and the masses jointly conducted supervision and inspection, forming a multi-pronged and mutually complementary system that ensured the comprehensive implementation of Red Army living discipline.

在监督过程中，红军设立专门机构，检查纪律落实情况，无论普通士兵还是高级干部，如有违纪，一经发现，严肃处理，以维护纪律的震慑力和权威性。“红军部队里师、团、营、连都建立有民运工作组或纪律检査组，检査部队有无违反三大纪律八项注意的行为”。1935年1月，总政治部发布《中国工农红军总政治部布告》，指出“红军是有严格的纪律性的军队，不拿群众一点东西，借群众的东西要送还，买卖按照市价。如有侵犯群众利益的行为，每个群众都可到政治部来控告”。“让人民群众参与监督，既体现了人民群众的主人翁地位，又捍卫了人民群众的自身利益”。此外，地方工作部除开展群众活动外，也负责对红军纪律检查、监督。“地方工作部所做的工作约有下列方面：一、督促和帮助部队执行三大纪律八项注意。……五、宣传党的民族政策，对各民族平等相待，互助团结”。再者，共产主义青年团成员文化水平高、思想先进，被委派到各连队工作，除群众工作外也负责纪律检查工作，对纪律意识松散人员进行教育督促。“共青团教导红军战士遵守‘三要三不要’。‘三要’是：要遵守纪律，要讲清洁卫生，要讲礼貌；‘三不要’是：不要酗酒，不要吸烟，不要喝生水”。由此可见，红军生活纪律能够认真执行，其一在于对监督工作的重视，其二在于对纪律检查工作的完善。纪律检查队、地方工作部、共青团、群众共同监督检查，多位一体，相互补充，保证了红军生活纪律的全面贯彻。

III. Iron Discipline Forges the Soul: The Effectiveness of Red Army Living Discipline Building

三、铁纪铸魂：红军生活纪律建设的成效

Strict discipline was the key to the Red Army's victory over the strong through the weak and its creation of military miracles. During the Long March, the building of Red Army living discipline achieved a dual effect: strengthening internal quality externally and uniting the hearts of the people internally. It shaped the identity and collective sense of honor of all Red Army officers and soldiers, enabling them to maintain firm convictions and high morale under extremely harsh conditions.

严明的纪律是红军以弱胜强、创造军事奇迹的关键。长征途中，红军生活纪律建设取得了内强素质、外聚民心的双重成效，塑造了全体红军将士的身份认同和集体荣誉感，使得他们能在极端严酷的环境中保持坚定的信念和高昂的斗志。

(i) Winning the Trust of the Masses through Strict Enforcement of Discipline

（一）在严格纪律执行中赢得了群众信任

During the Long March, the Red Army strictly enforced the "Three Main Rules and Eight Points for Attention" and the living discipline regulations promulgated by the General Political Department, transforming abstract political beliefs into perceptible behavioral norms. In their interactions with the masses, they adhered to the principles of equality, politeness, and respect. When leaving a bivouac, they would clean up the hygiene; when requisitioning grain, cloth, and other materials from the masses, they would pay appropriate compensation. When the masses saw that Red Army soldiers would rather go hungry than seize the people's grain, and would rather get wet in the rain than enter civilian houses, the original label of "Red Bandits"[n19] was gradually torn off. Especially when passing through areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, they respected local customs and beliefs—for example, "not eating pork" in front of Hui people, and "not violating temples or sacred mountains" in Tibetan areas—thus shattering the Kuomintang's slanderous rumors. This allowed the masses along the route to gradually understand that the Red Army was fundamentally different from other armies and local armed forces that "plundered and seized." The Red Army was a true people's army. Through strict adherence, the vast number of Red Army officers and soldiers deepened the living discipline from written regulations into inner conviction, creating a new situation in troop work, ethnic work, and mass work.

红军在长征途中严格执行“三大纪律八项注意”以及总政治部颁布的生活纪律规章，将抽象的政治信念转化为可感知的行为规范，与群众相处坚持平等、礼貌和尊重的原则，在宿营离开时会打扫好卫生，收取群众粮食、布匹等物资会支付相应报酬。当群众看到红军战士宁肯饿肚子也不抢夺群众粮食，宁肯淋雨也不进民房时，原有的“赤匪”标签逐渐被撕掉，尤其在路过少数民族聚居地时，尊重当地习俗信仰，比如在回族群众面前“不得吃猪肉”，在藏族群众聚集地“不得侵犯寺庙、神山”，打破了国民党的污名化谣言，使沿途群众逐渐了解红军与其他军队、地方武装的“抢夺掠取”大不相同，红军是一支真正的人民军队。凭借严格遵守，广大红军将士将生活纪律由纸面的条文深化为内心的信念，开创了部队工作、民族工作、群众工作的新局面。

In their interactions with the common people, the Red Army demonstrated a high degree of self-discipline: fair buying and selling in daily life, no gambling, no opium smoking, and respect for local customs. This led the masses along the route to gradually recognize that the Red Army was completely different from the Kuomintang army. After entering Guizhou, Han people and ethnic minorities such as the Miao spontaneously sent grain and meat to the Red Army, greatly replenishing supplies. "Thanks to the help of Han and Miao people, we did not suffer hunger in this barren region." After arriving in the Northwest, "the masses not only provided tea and water for the Red Army along the way but also sent sheep and chickens. It was originally planned to raise 770 dan[n20] of grain for the Red Army within one month, but according to current statistics, the amount has already exceeded the original target by more than 200 dan." The masses along the route actively comforted and provided for the Red Army, donating grain and goods. The Red Army, through its concrete actions, won the trust of the masses, effectively breaking the Kuomintang reactionaries' information blockade and achieving self-vindication. As Chen Yun[n21] stated: "The reason the Red Army was able to win the people's hearts was not only because the rural peasants supported the Red Army's 'overthrow the local tyrants, distribute the land,' but also because the army had discipline."

红军在与百姓相处中展现出高度自律的精神，生活中公平买卖、不赌博、不抽鸦片、尊重地方风俗，使沿途群众逐渐认识到红军与国民党军队截然不同。转战贵州后，汉族与苗族等少数民族群众自发给红军送去粮食、肉，物资得到极大补给，“因有汉苗人民之助，故在此贫瘠之区未受饥饿”。到达陕北后，“群众不仅沿途烧茶水给红军吃并又送羊鸡等，本拟定一月内募捐七百七十担粮食给红军，据现在统计已超过了原定数目二百余担”。沿途群众积极慰劳红军，捐粮捐物，红军也用实际行动赢得了群众信任，有效瓦解了国民党反动派的舆论封锁，完成了自我正名，正如陈云所言：“红军之所以能得民心者，不仅在于乡村农民拥护红军‘打土豪，分土地’，而且在于军队有纪律。”

(ii) Shaping the Army's Excellent Work Style through Observing Discipline

（二）在遵纪守纪中塑造了军队优良作风

The Red Army's observance of discipline and its excellent work style, as an interdependent and mutually reinforcing dialectical unity, together constituted the fundamental characteristics that distinguished it from old-style armies. It was precisely under the restraint of discipline that Red Army officers and soldiers developed an excellent work style, which became a powerful spiritual driving force for defeating the enemy and achieving victory. The key to the Red Army's observance of discipline lay in a dual "education" that coordinated internal and external factors. Externally, various methods—including discipline inspection teams, local work departments, and the local masses—were established to monitor implementation. Violations of discipline were dealt with on a "strict" basis, with resolute punishment: minor offenses were met with educational criticism and self-criticism, while serious offenses could lead to expulsion from the army or even execution by firing squad. This deepened the officers' and soldiers' understanding of living discipline through discipline inspections, ensuring the smooth progress of discipline observance. Internally, Party leaders played an exemplary role, eating from the same pot, sleeping on the same bed, and caring for the common people. They transformed concrete practices into a spiritual resonance with Red Army soldiers, internalizing discipline observance as a personal matter of conscience. This was of great significance for shaping the army's excellent work style of loving the people, enduring hardship, unified command, and thrift and economy.

红军遵纪守纪与优良作风作为互相依存、互相促进的辩证统一体，共同构成了区别旧式军队的根本特征，也正是在纪律的约束下让红军将士形成优良作风，成为战胜敌人、夺取胜利的强大精神动力。红军遵纪守纪的关键在于内外协调的双重“教育”。于外，设立纪律检查队伍、地方工作部以及地方群众等多种方式监督落实情况，针对违反纪律的行为以“严”的基调予以坚决处罚，轻者教育批评、作检讨，重者开除队伍甚至枪决，使官兵在纪律检查中深化了对生活纪律的认知，确保了遵纪守纪的顺利推进。于内，党的领导人发挥榜样作用，同吃一锅饭、同住一张床、爱护百姓，将具体实践化作与红军战士间的精神共鸣，使遵纪守纪内化为个人自觉，保障了生活纪律的贯彻落实，对塑造军队友爱人民、艰苦奋斗、统一号令、勤俭节约的优良作风具有重要意义。

Discipline is the "soul" that unites the Party and the army, and it is also a sharp tool for strengthening the building of the army's work style. The Red Army traversed the 25,000-li Long March and repeatedly smashed the plots of the Kuomintang reactionaries. The key lay in a consciousness of observing discipline characterized by "orders once given must be carried out, and orders given must be obeyed." The composition of Red Army soldiers was complex, including intellectuals, peasants, workers, as well as "new recruits" from uprisings in old armies and captured soldiers. Shaping an army with an excellent work style relying solely on external-to-internal methods like supervision and propaganda was not solid; it also required an internal-to-external sense of self-discipline, a "self-cultivation" in daily life that produced identification with discipline. This was particularly important. When bivouacking, commanders and soldiers slept together on straw pallets; when distributing supplies, from the army commander down to the soldiers, all adhered to strict quotas, with absolutely no special treatment; officers and soldiers ate and lived together, sharing hardships. It was precisely this deeply rooted sense of equality that greatly strengthened the Red Army's internal unity, enabling the force to operate with the coordination of a single arm even in the most extreme danger. In summary, observing discipline is the cornerstone for shaping an excellent work style, and an excellent work style is the external manifestation of the effectiveness of discipline building. The two intertwined in the crucible of the Long March, becoming the genetic code for overcoming difficulties, winning popular support, and achieving victory.

纪律是凝聚党心、军心的“魂”，更是加强军队作风建设的利器，红军穿越二万五千里长征路，数次粉碎国民党反动派阴谋，关键在于有令出必行、令行禁止的遵纪守纪意识。红军战士构成复杂，有知识分子、农民、工人，也有旧军队起义来的“新兵”及俘虏兵，塑造作风优良的军队仅靠监督、宣传这种由外而内的方式是不牢固的，还应依靠由内而外的自觉性，在生活中“修身”，产生对纪律的认同尤为重要。驻地宿营时，将领与士兵同卧草铺；分配给养时，从军长到战士皆以严格定额为准，绝无特殊；官兵同吃同住，同甘共苦，正是这种深植于心的平等意识极大增强了红军的内部团结，使队伍在濒临极限的危难中仍能如臂使指。总而言之，遵纪守纪是塑造优良作风的基石，优良作风则是纪律建设成效的外在展现，两者在长征的熔炉中相互交织，成为战胜困难、赢得民心和夺取胜利的基因密码。

(iii) Expanding the Red Army's Sources through Emphasizing Unity with the Masses

（三）在注重团结群众中扩大了红军来源

The Kuomintang had long slandered the Red Army with accusations of "sharing wives and property" and "murder and arson," filling the masses, who did not know the truth, with fear of the Red Army. During the strategic转移, the Red Army, in order to break the rumors created by the Kuomintang, always treated non-infringement of the masses' interests as an iron law, strictly observing the living discipline of the masses. Along the march, they distributed the materials seized from local despotic landlords and evil gentry to the poor masses. This not only greatly improved the living conditions of the local masses and dispelled misunderstandings, but also won their support, leading them to regard the Red Army as their own army. For example, Tibetan compatriots affectionately called the Red Army the "Bodhisattva army that saves from suffering and hardship." On the Long March, the Red Army, with its demeanor as an "army of iron discipline," established a flesh-and-blood connection with the people. It was precisely because of this trust that the troops were able to continuously expand during rest and consolidation, ensuring a steady supply of recruits.

国民党长期对红军进行“共产共妻”“杀人放火”的污蔑，使不了解真相的群众对红军充满恐惧。战略转移途中，红军为打破国民党制造的谣言，始终将不侵犯群众利益作为铁律，严格遵守群众生活纪律，并在沿途行军中将剿灭地方土豪劣绅所得的物资分给贫苦群众，不仅极大改善了当地群众的生活处境，消除了误解，而且获得了群众的支持，使他们将红军视为自己的队伍，如西藏同胞亲切地称红军为“救苦救难的菩萨军”。长征路上，红军以“纪律铁军”的风范与人民群众建立了血肉联系，正是源于这份信任，部队得以在休整中不断扩军，保证了兵源的持续补充。

The results of troop expansion reflect the masses’ support for the Red Army. When the Central Red Army entered the Hunan-South region, because the Red Army mobilized and organized the masses, distributing captured property to the poor, the latter actively supplied the Red Army with food, guided it along the route, and cared for the wounded; four to five hundred young adults also enthusiastically enlisted. According to Chen Yun’s recollections, “In Zunyi we recruited a total of three thousand young new soldiers”; “after entering the Yao ethnic-minority concentrated area, we recruited over ten thousand new soldiers”; “in Huili we recruited five thousand young soldiers with combat effectiveness.” Taken together, the Red Army’s First Front alone expanded its forces by roughly twenty thousand men. A small sign reveals a larger trend: the work of troop expansion, under extreme conditions, achieved a regeneration of strength by consolidating popular support, deepening trust between the Party and the masses, and laying the foundation for revolutionary victory. This stemmed precisely from the Red Army’s high degree of discipline in daily marching and its unity with the people along the route.

从扩红的成果可以反映出群众对红军的拥护。中央红军进入湘南地区时，由于红军放手发动和组织群众，将缴获的财物分给贫苦百姓，他们积极为红军送粮带路并照顾伤员，还有四五百名青壮年踊跃参军。据陈云回忆，“在遵义我们一共招了三千名年轻的新战士”；“进入瑶族聚居区后，招募了一万多名新兵”；“在会理我们招收了五千名有战斗力的年轻战士”。综合来看，仅红一方面军扩红人数就达到2万人左右。见微知著，扩红工作在极端环境之下通过凝聚民心实现了力量再生，不仅深化了党和群众之间的信任，也为革命胜利奠定了基础，这恰恰源于红军在日常行军中高度的纪律性和对沿途群众的团结。

(4) The Construction of Discipline Enhanced the Red Army’s Combat Effectiveness

（四）在纪律建设中提升了红军战斗力

Military combat effectiveness is not narrowly a matter of fighting capability; it is also the outward manifestation of strict discipline. In the fiery trials of the Long March, the Red Army was able to overcome countless difficulties not only because of firm convictions and flexible strategy and tactics, but also because of strict discipline. Among these, living discipline, as the foundational link in the disciplinary system, was an important factor in maintaining and enhancing the army’s combat effectiveness. During the arduous march, living discipline regulated the daily words and actions of officers and men, purified the internal atmosphere, and provided a continuous source of momentum for raising combat effectiveness. Throughout the Long March, the Red Army constantly formulated practical disciplinary regulations suited to the changing combat situation and environment, especially strict rules on mass discipline, bivouac discipline, and conduct. Through flexible and diverse methods of propaganda, discipline was impressed upon the hearts of officers and men, while strong inspection and supervision ensured its enforcement. It was precisely these details of daily life — “removing door planks and bundling straw bedding” — that enabled the Red Army, in its daily practice, to shed individual inertia and cultivate a consciousness of discipline, turning “habit” into “instinct,” and fostering a high degree of organization, obedience, and executive ability in the soldiers, so that orders were carried out and steps were unified. In the Battle of the Xiang River, the 34th Division was tasked with covering the main forces of the Central Red Army as they crossed the river. Facing an enemy several times its strength, the division’s officers and men showed no fear; they obeyed orders, displaying an indomitable spirit in battle, and fulfilled with their lives the disciplinary requirement that “all actions obey commands.”

军队战斗力不仅是狭义的战斗素养，更是严明纪律的外在体现。在长征路上的血火淬炼中，红军之所以能够战胜重重困难，除了坚定的信念和灵活的战略战术外，还依靠严明的纪律。其中，生活纪律作为纪律体系的基础环节，是维持和提升军队战斗力的重要因素。在艰苦卓绝的行军中，通过生活纪律规范官兵日常言行、净化内部风气，为提升部队战斗力提供了源源不断的动力。长征途中，红军始终根据战情和环境的变化不断制定契合实际的生活纪律约束条例，尤其对群众纪律、宿营纪律、作风建设都有严格规定，通过灵活多样的宣传方式让纪律深入将士内心，同时以强有力的监督检查确保纪律执行。正是“上门板、捆铺草”这些生活中的细节使红军在日常实践中摆脱个人惰性、养成纪律意识，让“习惯”成为“本能”，培养了军人高度的组织性、服从性和执行力，做到令行禁止、步调统一。在湘江战役中，红三十四师负责掩护中央红军主力部队渡江，面对数倍于己的敌军围堵，全师官兵没有丝毫畏惧，他们遵守上级命令，在战斗中展现出坚忍不拔的精神，用生命践行了“一切行动听指挥”的纪律要求。

During the march, the Red Army strictly observed the living discipline of fair buying and selling, speaking politely, not hitting or cursing people, not damaging crops, not molesting women, and not harassing the masses, thereby winning popular support. “Near Xinxu, more than thirty poor peasants from the Huangrong and Huangrongxin families of Long Village ground rice and cooked meals for the Red Army, delivering food and water,” and “carried timber, door planks, and even their own bed boards to build bridges for the Red Army,” supporting the Red Army’s logistics. “People of all ethnicities risked their lives to shelter and nurse wounded and sick Red Army soldiers,” preserving the Red Army’s effective strength. In this way, living discipline was transformed into a source of support and combat effectiveness. Moreover, the Party’s leaders set a personal example; stories such as “Mao Zedong’s stretcher” and “Peng Dehuai’s mule” greatly boosted morale and profoundly illustrated the truth that unity is strength. In sum, the living discipline of the Red Army — which sustained equality between officers and men, fairness and justice, and the deep bond between the army and the people — integrated the wills of thousands of individuals into a unified collective will, greatly enhancing the army’s combat effectiveness. This enabled the Red Army to maintain high morale under harsh conditions and ultimately win the Long March.

行军途中，红军严格遵守公平买卖、说话和气、不打人骂人、不损坏庄稼、不调戏妇女、不骚扰群众的生活纪律，赢得了民心。“新圩附近龙桥村的黄荣甫、黄荣新等三十多个贫苦农民，为红军磨米煮饭，送饭送水”，还“将自己家的木料、门板，甚至把床板也扛来给红军架桥”，支援了红军的后勤工作，“各族人民冒着生命危险掩护和护理红军伤病员”，为红军保存了有生力量，从而将生活纪律在此刻转化为保障力和战斗力。除此之外，党的领导人亲身示范，“毛泽东的担架”“彭德怀的骡子”等故事极大鼓舞了士气，也深刻诠释了团结就是力量的真谛。总之，红军生活纪律所维系的官兵平等、公平公正和军民鱼水情，将成千上万的个体意志整合为统一的集体意志，极大提升了部队战斗力，使红军在艰苦条件下仍能保持高昂的士气，最终赢得了长征胜利。

IV. Conclusion

四、结语

The Long March was a strategic redeployment carried out by the CPC Central Committee and the Red Army under extremely harsh conditions. Living discipline, as a core component of the army’s disciplinary system, became an important guarantee of the Long March’s victory. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “The Long March tempered the people’s army, the Long March honed the people’s army, the Long March forged the people’s army, and the Long March opened a new starting point for the development of the people’s army.” The Long March is not only a monument to military miracles; it also stands as a monument to the construction of living discipline. The Red Army’s ability to maintain unity and strong combat effectiveness during the Long March was fundamentally due to strict living discipline. In the heat of battle, discipline was internalized as conviction and externalized as conscious action; with iron discipline, the Red Army won the support of the masses. Throughout this period, the Party Central Committee continuously adjusted and enriched the content of the Red Army’s living discipline in response to changing circumstances, fully reflecting the Party’s advanced nature, its purity, and the people’s character of the army. In practice, this fostered in the Red Army a high degree of organization, discipline, indomitable perseverance, a spirit of self-sacrifice, and the courage to overcome all difficulties. The experience thus accumulated constitutes a precious asset for Party and military discipline building. Historical facts fully prove that strict military discipline is the foundation of victory and the basis of a strong army. At present, we are at a critical juncture in the fight to achieve the centenary goal of building a strong military [22]22 The centenary goal of building a strong military refers to the target set by the Chinese Communist Party to complete the modernization of the People’s Liberation Army by 2027, the 100th anniversary of the PLA’s founding.. We should therefore carry forward the red gene of the Red Army’s living discipline construction, integrate its spirit into the daily education of the armed forces, guide the entire military to firmly establish a concept of discipline, provide solid guarantees for accelerating the building of the people’s army into a world-class military, and also safeguard the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization.

长征是中共中央和红军在极端艰苦的条件下实行的战略大转移，生活纪律作为军队纪律体系中的核心构成，成为长征胜利的重要保障。习近平总书记指出：“长征锻炼了人民军队，长征磨炼了人民军队，长征成就了人民军队，长征开启了人民军队发展的新起点。”长征不仅铭刻着军事奇迹，更矗立着生活纪律建设的丰碑。红军在长征途中能够保持团结统一和强大的战斗力，根本在于严格的生活纪律，在激烈的战火中将纪律内化为信念，外化为自觉，用铁的纪律赢得了群众支持。其间，党中央根据形势发展不断调整和丰富红军生活纪律内容，充分体现了党的先进性、纯洁性和军队的人民性，并在实践中培养了红军高度的组织性、纪律性以及坚韧不拔的毅力、自我牺牲的精神和克服一切困难的勇气，其所形成的经验是党纪军纪建设的宝贵财富。历史事实充分证明军队纪律严明是制胜之本、强军之基。当前正处在打好实现建军一百年奋斗目标攻坚战的关键节点，我们更应该传承红军生活纪律建设的红色基因，将其精神融入军队日常教育中，引导全军树牢纪律观念，为加快实现把人民军队建成世界一流军队提供坚实保障，也为以中国式现代化实现中华民族伟大复兴保驾护航。