Final answer:
The Red Guards targeted counterrevolutionary elements in rural areas, aiming to eliminate 'Four Olds' and disrupt the traditional social fabric, often resulting in the death of millions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The rural targets of the Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution included a purge of counterrevolutionary elements and organizers of the disruption of grain collection on collective farms. The Red Guards' mission was orchestrated by Mao Zedong, who aimed to eliminate the so-called "Four Olds": old customs, old culture, old habits, and old ideas. These militant activists targeted various sectors of society, including teachers, school administrators, and even peasants who resisted collectivization. Historical sites, temples, and books were destroyed, and individuals were forced into confessions of having bourgeois thoughts. The brutality of the Red Guards extended to the death of many, with numbers possibly as high as two million during the entire Cultural Revolution.