The Hunan People's Fierce Struggle for the Removal of Zhang Jingyao*
(April 27, 1920)

Telegram to President Lu of Nanning and President Tang of Yunnan
We have just read in the press the terms of the North-South peace negotiations and are utterly shocked. Since the peace conference resumed and the eight articles were put forward, subsequent negotiations should naturally take these as their basis. Even if mutual concessions are to be made, they should be resolved according to law. If the Shanghai conference is cast aside and a private peace is hastily arranged, this not only violates the principles of justice but also makes it impossible to hope for lasting peace. The dangers ahead are truly chilling. Moreover, the fourth article, which states that the Hunan governor shall not be removed, runs especially counter to reason. To sum up, Zhang Jingyao's crimes in bringing calamity to Hunan are monstrous and too numerous to count. Driven by the desperate need to save themselves, the people of Hunan have long considered staking everything on a single throw, but out of an ardent desire for peace, they have endured the pain and awaited a resolution. Now, if the arch-criminal is instead allowed to remain and continue poisoning Hunan, sacrificing the entire province for the sake of personal power exchanges, the Hunan people will swear to resist to the death. Even if only three households remain, they are determined to perish together with him. We earnestly implore you, gentlemen, to uphold the principle of aiding the afflicted and showing compassion for neighbors, to carry through the purpose of protecting the constitution and saving the nation, to take the overall situation into account, and to rescue Hunan from its dire plight. Otherwise, once the people's hearts are lost, the foundation will crumble. This would be a misfortune for Hunan, but how could it be a blessing for the Southwest? We present these words with tears, urgently hoping for your clear insight.

Telegram to President Cen of the Guangzhou Military Government
We have just read in the press that the Northern government has informally proposed peace terms to you and President Lu. Among them is a clause leaving Zhang Jingyao in Hunan unchanged, which we read with astonishment. Although this is said to be one-sided and the matter is as yet unverified, rumors are spreading widely, and there are layers of secret dealings between key figures of the North and South. As decay breeds worms, we cannot but harbor doubts and concerns. Consider that since Hunan first rose in revolt, the people's lives and property have been sacrificed on a scale far exceeding that in Fujian and Shaanxi. And Zhang Jingyao's calamitous rule over Hunan is indeed far more brutal and venomous than that of Li in Fujian or Chen in Shaanxi. Now, amid the clamor for peace, if a special clause is made for the vice-president's position and the Hunan governor is allowed to cling to his post, this would be tantamount to turning a deaf ear to the years of bitter and sorrowful appeals of the Hunan people, solely for the sake of exchanging power and benefits among key figures. Who could believe that this is not a case of being blinded by power and position to right and wrong? The Northern court has long ceased to fear the people's norms or to show concern for their hidden sufferings; its brazen proposal is thus hardly surprising and merits no blame. But the vice-president's position is not something the Northern court can privately bestow. A wise man should recognize this as deceit. Hunan has suffered extraordinary calamities in protecting the constitution. A benevolent person should feel compassion and pity. Moreover, Hunan is the gateway to the Southwest. If a lawless militarist and traitorous ringleader like Zhang Jingyao is allowed to entrench himself there, then Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangxi, and Guangdong will all be in imminent danger. If we cannot save ourselves, how can we speak of saving the nation? The Hunan people here ultimately believe that you, as the leader in protecting the constitution and one who embodies benevolence, will surely not abandon Hunan. We venture to request that you firmly uphold the masses' demand for Zhang's expulsion, do not overturn the established decisions of the peace conference, and eliminate this scourge for Hunan. This would be to overcome brutality for the nation's sake. Not only do the thirty million people of Hunan look to you with hope for this boon, but the overall situation in the Southwest and the nation's future truly depend on it. As we send this telegram, we are filled with trepidation and earnest supplication.

Public Letter to the Two Delegates, Zhang Xingyan and Peng Jingren
We have just read in the press that the Northern government has informally proposed terms to engage with the Southwest. Though the wording is one-sided and the military bandits are without foundation, the rumors circulating outside speak of layers of dark dealings, which is particularly chilling. Upon examination, these terms, apart from the distribution of loans and the positions and power of various key figures, contain nothing that truly addresses the people's hidden sufferings or relieves the nation's urgent crises. What is especially strange is that Zhang Jingyao, the governor of Hunan, has caused the deepest calamities, and the Hunan people, engaged in driving him out, are already in a state of irreconcilable enmity. Yet these terms, like those for Chen in Shaanxi and Li in Fujian, allow the status quo to remain. What crime have our people committed that they must endure such torment forever? If Hunan's tribulations do not cease, how can peace be relied upon? Moreover, the previous peace conference had already conducted a special review of this case, and the final eight articles also listed it as a key item. Now, all this is brushed aside, and only the private interests of two or three individuals in the South are followed, sacrificing the thirty million Hunan people as an exchange. The Hunan people would rather die than submit to this. You, gentlemen, are bound by ties to your native land and will surely understand and take pity. You have also made the struggle to remove Zhang the starting condition for continuing peace. We beg you to adhere to your original intent and carry through your stance. Otherwise, our Hunan will stake life and death on this, and not only will the overall situation be ruined, but you yourselves may also find it difficult to face the Hunan people. As we take up the brush, we shed tears and, in our urgency, cannot choose our words carefully.

On May 5, 1920, Mao Zedong, as a member of the "Expel Zhang" delegation, arrived in Shanghai and met Chen Duxiu once again. The picture shows the first communist activity site established by Chen Duxiu in Shanghai—No. 2, Laoyuyangli, Huanlong Road, in the French Concession.

"The East Is About to Dawn" (Chinese painting)