敌后抗战是一个极复杂、极艰难的斗争，我们已经胜利地渡过了整整的六年，并且已经奠定了继续坚持争取最后胜利的基础。
The war of resistance behind enemy lines is an extremely complex and arduous struggle.
After six successful years we have laid the foundation for the continued struggle and final victory.
以八路军这样窳劣的武器，四年来没有得到一个铜板一颗子弹的接济，而能战胜各种困难，与强大的敌人进行短兵相接的斗争，这不能不是一个奇迹。
For the Eighth Route Army, though poorly equipped and without a single copper or bullet of assistance in four years, to have overcome so many difficulties and to have done battle with such a formidable enemy at close range is nothing short of a miracle.
究竟它的秘诀在什么地方呢？
What is the secret behind this miracle?
依据这个原则，从无数的战斗中，才创立、保卫与巩固了各个抗日根据地，才箝制了日寇在华总兵力的一半，减轻了大后方正面作战的负担。
It is by following these principles that through innumerable battles we have established, defended and consolidated each and every anti-Japanese base area and pinned down half of the Japanese invading troops in China, lightening the burden of frontal military operations in the great rear area.
如人所共知的，我们同敌人进行了严重的政治、文化和反特务的斗争，大大地发扬了根据地和敌占区人民的抗日积极性，坚定了人民的民族自尊心和自信心。
As everyone knows, we have been carrying on serious political, cultural and anti-secret-agent struggles with the enemy, greatly inspiring the enthusiasm of the people in the base areas and enemy-occupied areas for resistance and increasing their sense of national pride and self-confidence.
然而，还有如人所共知的，就是我们在敌后还在极端困难的条件下，进行了经济战线的斗争，而且获得了不小的胜利。
In addition, everyone knows that our struggle on the economic front in the enemy's rear area, under extremely difficult conditions, has been highly successful.
也正是因为有了这一经济战线的胜利，我们才有可能坚持敌后抗战六年之久，并且还能继续坚持下去。
It is this successful struggle that has enabled us to persevere in the war of resistance in the enemy's rear area for six years and will enable us to do so in the future.
敌后的经济战线斗争的尖锐程度，绝不亚于军事战线。
The struggle on the economic front in the enemy's rear area is by no means less intense than the struggle on the military front.
敌人对我们的经济进攻，是与军事、政治、特务的进攻密切结合着的，是极其残暴的。
The enemy's economic attack, closely connected to his military, political and secret-agent attacks, is extremely cruel.
在敌占区，敌人实行了无穷尽的人力、物力的掠夺。
In the areas under his occupation the enemy has been rapaciously plundering manpower and material resources.
人民的负担超过了全部收入的二倍到三倍，粮食、金钱没有了，还不得不以家具折价缴纳负担。
The people's financial burden is double or treble their total income.
When they run out of grain and money, they have to hand over their furniture to pay for the burden.
而人力的掠夺尤足惊人，大批壮丁被捉走服役，支差难以数计。
The plunder of manpower is even more horrifying.
A great many able-bodied men have been press-ganged and the amount of corvée can hardly be calculated.
据敌酋宣布：“华北封锁沟的长径等于长城的六倍，环绕地球一周的四分之一”。
An enemy commander announced, “The length of blockade trenches in north China is six times that of the Great Wall, or one-fourth of the circumference of the earth.”
这都是敌占区人民的血汗堆积起来的。
All this has been built up with the blood and sweat of the people in enemy-occupied areas.
因此，形成了敌占区连年的歉收和今年严重的灾荒。
As a result there have been consecutive crop failures there over the past few years and a serious famine this year.
而敌人又利用这个灾荒挑拨人民到根据地抢粮，企图形成抗日根据地与敌占区中国人之间的严重对立。
Taking advantage of this famine, the enemy has incited the people to seize grain from the base areas in an attempt to create deep animosity between Chinese in the anti-Japanese base areas and those in areas under his occupation.
对抗日根据地，敌人实行了一面封锁一面掠夺的政策，封锁我们的必需物资，吸收我们的有用物资（如粮食），不断地对边地蚕食和在每次“扫荡”时大肆抢掠摧毁――杀人、捉壮丁、烧房子、毁农具、抢耕畜、烧粮食、损毁青苗。
With regard to the anti-Japanese base areas, the enemy has been pursuing a policy of blockade and plunder, i.e., blocking the supply of the materials we need, taking the materials he needs (like grain), incessantly “nibbling” the border areas and flagrantly plundering and trampling on the base areas in each “mopping-up” operation -- killing and press-ganging people, burning houses, destroying farm tools, seizing draught animals, burning grain and ruining growing crops.
敌人极尽残暴之能事，其目的则在于“毁灭抗战生存力”。
The enemy has perpetuated all kinds of atrocities to “destroy the life blood of the war of resistance”.
在敌人这样的摧残之下，人民创伤极其深重，如不采取有效办法，一旦人民元气耗尽，一旦军需民食没有保证，敌后抗战的坚持是不能设想的。
The people are deeply distressed by the devastation caused by the enemy.
Unless effective measures are taken, it would be inconceivable to persevere in the war behind enemy lines once people's vitality is exhausted and provisions for the soldiers and people cannot be guaranteed.
太行区就在这样的警惕下，加强了对于经济战线的注意。
In the Taihang area, we are guarding against such an eventuality and we are paying particular attention to the economic front.
敌后的经济战线，包含了两个不能分离的环节，一是对敌展开经济斗争，一是在根据地展开经济建设。
The economic front behind enemy lines consists of two inseparable factors -- the economic struggle with the enemy and economic development in the base areas.
没有对敌斗争，谈不上根据地建设，没有根据地建设，更谈不上对敌斗争。
Without the former, the latter would be out of the question; without the latter, the former would be even more doubtful.
我们各种具体的经济政策，都是照顾了这两方面而订出的。
It is with these two factors in mind that we have drawn up all our specific economic policies.
抗战初期，我党中央和毛泽东同志就提出了“自给自足、自力更生”的经济建设方向，六年来我们就在这个方向下进行我们的建设的工作。
During the initial stage of the war of resistance, the Party Central Committee and Comrade Mao Zedong advocated “self-sufficiency and self-reliance” as a guide for our economic development, and we have been following this guide in our development work over the past six years.