Page "Zhou Enlai" Paragraph 53

In early 1930, Zhou began to disagree with the timing of Li Lisan's strategy of favoring rich peasants and concentrating military forces for attacks on urban centers.

Zhou did not openly break with these more orthodox notions, and even tried to implement them later, in 1931, in Jiangxi.

When the Soviet agent Pavel Mif arrived in Shanghai to lead the Comintern in China in December 1930, Mif criticized Li's strategy as " left adventurism ", and criticized Zhou for compromising with Li.

Zhou " acknowledged " his mistakes in compromising with Li in January 1931 and offered to resign from the Politburo, but was retained while other senior CCP leaders, including Li Lisan and Qu Qiubai, were removed.

Like Mao later recognized, Mif understood that Zhou's services as Party leader were indispensable, and that Zhou would willingly cooperate with whoever was holding power.