Political Work

Strong Military Forum | Unity Between Officers and Soldiers, Sharing Weal and Woe

强军论坛丨官兵一致，同甘共苦

PLA Daily (解放军报) 13 August 2026

Summary

A political work commentary in the PLA's 'Strong Military Forum' column calls on cadres at all levels to deepen officer-soldier unity (官兵一致) by leading troops with law, feeling, civility, and science (依法带兵、以情带兵、文明带兵、科学带兵), and links the appeal explicitly to Xi Jinping's remarks at the CMC Conference on Grassroots Development and to the ongoing political rectification training (政治整训). The piece documents a recurring institutional concern — that cadre work styles have grown detached from the grassroots, with named problems including insufficient commitment to serving soldiers and failure to act on unit-level contradictions — framed here as a threat to the combat synergy (战斗合力) required for system-of-systems warfare. Its value is as a record of how PLA political organs are using Long March heritage narratives and the rectification campaign to pressure mid-level cadres on internal cohesion, not as evidence of a new policy line.

Translation

Unity Between Officers and Soldiers, Sharing Weal and Woe

■ Tan Lehui

During the Long March more than 90 years ago, Comrade He Long discovered a soldier who had fainted in the snow. He immediately opened his own cotton jacket, pulled the soldier into his arms, and scooped up a handful of snow to melt and feed to him. Some Red Army soldiers fell into their final sleep on the grasslands, their palms still clutching a last handful of highland barley (青稞) for their comrades. It was precisely this profound bond of unity between officers and soldiers (官兵一致), shared purpose between superiors and subordinates (上下同欲), shared weal and woe (同甘共苦), and mutual dependence in life and death that gave our army its invincible and unconquerable fighting strength.

Unity is strength; unity is victory. When speaking of the reasons for the Red Army's victory in the Long March, Comrade Chen Yun remarked with deep feeling: "The unity of heart among Red Army soldiers and the vigor of their morale surpassed that of any other army in the country." In peacetime they shared hardship and comfort alike; in wartime they depended on each other with their lives. The reason our army has been able to maintain a high degree of stability and centralized unity, and the reason it possesses such powerful cohesion and combat effectiveness, is inseparable from the brotherly revolutionary comradeship among comrades-in-arms. Practice has proven that comradeship in arms (战友情) generates combat effectiveness; sound internal relations within the military can give rise to the passionate spirit of those who will "go together into the deep ravine and die together," forming the combat synergy (战斗合力) of "mutual dependence in life and death, rowing the same boat through thick and thin."

Chairman Xi emphasized at the Central Military Commission Conference on Grassroots Development: "We must conduct in-depth activities to respect cadres and cherish soldiers, and to foster love among soldiers, cultivate the revolutionary comradeship of officers and soldiers sharing hardship and sharing life and death (甘苦与共、生死与共), and consolidate and develop internal relations that are united, loving, harmonious, and pure." During the revolutionary war years, it was precisely by relying on officers loving soldiers and soldiers respecting cadres that the People's Army gathered its overwhelming and invincible power. At present, although the times are changing, conditions are changing, and the mission is changing, the spirit of united struggle must not diminish and the mechanism by which unity produces victory will not change. It must be recognized in particular that modern warfare is a contest of system against system (体系与体系的对抗) and a competition of system against system (系统与系统的较量). "If one wishes to win one battle and thereby win ten thousand battles, one must unite ten thousand hearts into one heart." This demands an even higher degree of trust, tacit coordination, and close cooperation—the requirements placed on officer-soldier relations have not decreased but increased.

Where there is love, the military's heart is united; where there is no love, morale disperses. Respecting cadres and cherishing soldiers, unity between officers and soldiers (官兵一致)—these are the basic principles and glorious traditions our army has consistently upheld. In the television drama "Meritorious Service" (《功勋》), the reason Political Instructor Li Yannian was able to win the support and affection of all the officers and soldiers of his company was that he genuinely cared for his subordinates, led with feeling (以情带兵), and forged the company into a solid block of steel, winning one hard battle after another. "Respect and trust are also combat effectiveness." Cadres and backbone personnel at all levels should persist in leading troops according to law (依法带兵), leading with feeling (以情带兵), leading with civility (文明带兵), and leading with science (科学带兵), and should consistently view officers and soldiers through eyes of trust, appreciation, and development. Persist in rectifying fundamental attitudes and consolidating the foundation of trust; intensify efforts to address problems and safeguard the rights and interests of officers and soldiers; enhance the warmth of work and close emotional distances; raise the purity of atmosphere (风气纯度) and optimize the internal environment—so that throughout the force there is an abundance of upright spirit (堂堂正气), vigorous vitality (虎虎生气), and warm cohesion (融融暖气).

Comrade Zhu De once said: "Standing guard for soldiers, tucking in their blankets—these seemingly insignificant things contain within them the success of the Chinese revolution." Leading cadres and organs at all levels should further strengthen their service consciousness and deepen their sense of the mass line (群众观念), consistently uphold the principle of unity between officers and soldiers, strengthen the crucible role of organizational care, consolidate the comradeship of unity and mutual affection, and to the greatest extent possible mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of officers and soldiers in their work and endeavors, enhancing the broad ranks of officers and soldiers' sense of belonging, sense of gain, and sense of happiness. In conjunction with the ongoing deepening of political rectification training (政治整训), serious effort should be made to address problems such as insufficient commitment to serving the grassroots, work styles that are not deep or solid, and failure to take responsibility or act when resolving grassroots contradictions and problems. Genuinely and sincerely think of officers and soldiers, actively and proactively handle matters for the grassroots, and do everything possible to relieve their worries and resolve their difficulties—so as to consolidate the united heart of "thinking together" and inspire the striving force of "working together."

Original Chinese

官兵一致，同甘共苦 ■谭乐会 90多年前的长征途中，贺龙同志发现一名战士晕倒在雪地里，马上解开自己的棉衣，把战士搂进怀里，抓起一把雪融化后喂给战士；有的红军战士长眠于草地上，掌心里还留着给战友的最后一把青稞……正是这种官兵一致、上下同欲，同甘共苦、生死相依的深厚情谊，让我军产生了战无不胜、攻无不克的战斗力量。团结就是力量，团结就是胜利。在谈起红军长征胜利的原因时，陈云同志感慨：“红军兵心之团结及士气之旺，为国内任何军队所不及。”平时甘苦与共，战时生死相依。我军之所以能够保持高度稳定和集中统一，之所以具有强大的凝聚力战斗力，与战友之间亲如兄弟的革命情谊是分不开的。实践证明，战友情出战斗力，良好的军队内部关系能够催生“可与之赴深溪、可与之俱死”的热血情怀，形成“生死相依、同舟共济”的战斗合力。习主席在中央军委基层建设会议上强调：“要深入开展尊干爱兵、兵兵友爱活动，培养官兵甘苦与共、生死与共的革命情谊，巩固和发展团结、友爱、和谐、纯洁的内部关系。”革命战争年代，正是依靠官爱兵、兵尊干，人民军队汇聚起战无不胜的磅礴伟力。当前，虽然时代在变、条件在变、使命在变，但团结奋斗的精神不能少、团结制胜的机理不会变。特别应看到，现代战争是体系与体系的对抗、系统与系统的较量，“如欲奋一战而胜万战，必须联万心而作一心”，更加需要高度的信任、默契的配合、密切的协同，这对官兵关系的要求不是降低了，而是提高了。有爱则军心聚，无爱则士气散。尊干爱兵、官兵一致，是我军一直坚持的基本原则和光荣传统。电视剧《功勋》中，指导员李延年之所以能得到全连官兵的支持和爱戴，就在于他对部属真心关爱、以情带兵，把连队团结成一块坚硬的钢铁，打赢了一场场硬仗。“尊重和信任也是战斗力。”各级干部骨干应坚持依法带兵、以情带兵、文明带兵、科学带兵，坚持用信任的眼光、欣赏的眼光、发展的眼光看待官兵。坚持端正根本态度，巩固信任基础；加大治理力度，维护官兵权益；增强工作温度，拉近情感距离；提升风气纯度，优化内部环境，让部队上下充盈堂堂正气、虎虎生气、融融暖气。朱德同志曾说：“给战士站岗、盖被子，这些不起眼的事情包含着中国革命的成功。”各级领导干部和机关应进一步强化服务意识、增强群众观念，始终坚持官兵一致原则，强化组织关爱的熔炉作用，巩固团结友爱的战友情谊，最大限度调动官兵干事创业的积极性、主动性、创造性，增强广大官兵的归属感、获得感和幸福感。应结合持续深化政治整训，下功夫整治服务基层思想不牢、作风不深入不扎实、解决基层矛盾问题不担当不作为等问题，真心实意为官兵着想，积极主动为基层办事，想方设法为他们排忧解难，凝聚起“想在一起”的团结之心，激发出“干在一起”的奋斗之力。