Nanchang Uprising
In 1926, he joined the Communist Youth League of China, and in 1927 joined the Communist Party of China. He took part of the Northern Expedition and later the Nanchang Uprising. He emerged as one of the ablest guerrilla commanders in the Jiangxi Soviet during the 1930s. He did not join The Long March because he was tasked to fight against the Nationalist troops for a delaying action, and stayed in the South of Zhejiang until 1937.