Zhu+De+and+Zhou+Enlai+-+Their+role+as+military+leaders

= Zhu De =

 = Zhou Enlai =
 * Supreme commander of the People's Liberation Army until 1954
 *  Following the Japanese surrender Zhu ordered the Red Army to occupy areas previously under Japanese and Chinese puppet troop control and receive their surrendered weapons thus disobeying the Nationalist party and their order that they were only to retrieve these weapons
 * Responsible for the elevation of Mao's tactic of guerilla warfare, helping it become a major strategic concept esspecially for the revolutionary armies
 *  Zhu's leadership allowed for the Red Army to develop as a highly mobile, flexible and independent force that operated througout the country side, winning the support of the rural population. This was achieved through its dicipline, courage and responsiveness.
 * His strategy was generally the policy of attrition rather than fighting pitched battles with crushing troops
 * Responded to situations as he saw them
 * Fully devoted to the communist cause, sharing hardships with the troops such as the Long March

//'Zhou was that rarest of all creatures, a pure intellectual in whom action was perfectly coordinated with knowledge and conviction' - American journalist Edgar Snow//
 * Throughout the second world war in China (1937-45), Zhou acted as chief Communist liaison with Chiang Kaishek signifying his transition from commander to diplomat.
 * He helped plan the overall strategy of the Chinese Civil War. However,he did not personally did not lead the troops in to combat
 * Gave talks in Nanjing and Shanghai where he won over Chinese intellectuals and politicians who were discontent with the Nationalist government. Therefore, this support was important for the Communist victory during the civil war
 * Had political toughness and understood western power hence he was a sole leader in reforming China