Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army

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After the Empire of Japan invaded and occupied the Northeast in 1931, the Chinese Communist Party organized anti-Japanese guerrilla units, and formed the Northeastern People's Revolutionary Army. Despite party disapproval, some party members joined or rendered assistance to to the various Anti-Japanese Volunteer Armies fighting the Japanese and the forces of Manchukuo.

In 1934, after the defeat of the Volunteer Armies, all these Communist Party units were reorganized into the single Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, with Zhao Shangzhi as its Commander-in-Chief. This force continued the struggle against the Japanese pacification of Manchukuo. In 1935, the party officially changed policy, and began creating a united front, absorbing most of the remaining anti-Japanese forces in Manchuria and some Korean resistance fighters including Kim Il-sung. The army was organized into Yang Jingyu's 1st Route Army, Zhou Baozhong's 2nd Route Army, and Li Zhaolin's 3rd Route Army.

Despite years of fighting, the army was gradually worn down by the pacification campaign of the Japanese. Yang Jingyu died on Feb 23rd 1940 during a Japanese encirclement campaign. Remnants of the Army, retreated into the USSR.