(A shorter salutation) To all whom it may concern: Xu Kexiang, on the pretext that the peasant and labor movement in Hunan was too extreme, surrounded and attacked trade unions and peasant associations in Changsha on Horse Day last month, disarmed the workers’ pickets and peasant self-defense forces, massacred revolutionary comrades, dissolved the provincial party headquarters and the Third Branch of the Central Military and Political School, raided educational institutions, shut down Changsha Normal School, expelled and ransacked the offices and homes of the Director of the Construction Department and the Director of the Education Department of the Hunan Provincial Government, seized 70,000 yuan in rice funds belonging to the Hankou Civilian Food Maintenance Association, and, imitating the actions of the renegade Chiang Kai-shek, organized a so-called Provisional Special Committee for Party Salvation in order to sabotage the peasant and labor movement at all levels of party headquarters. Was the movement excessive or not? What connection does it have with the party headquarters or schools? Are the Director of the Construction Department and the Director of the Education Department also so-called thugs who deserve to be expelled and ransacked? The plundering of the Hankou Civilian Food Maintenance Association’s rice funds and the obstruction of transportation between Hunan and Hubei particularly disrupt the rear of the Northern Expedition. Even if these actions were due to misunderstanding, they have clearly undermined revolutionary discipline and defied military orders and the government! As a result, not only have the workers and peasants been brutally persecuted, but the prestige of the central authorities has also been utterly destroyed! The provincial government, under duress, is practically dissolved. These are entirely counter-revolutionary acts. In its early stages, the mass movement was like untrained new recruits; immature actions are virtually unavoidable, as all revolutionary comrades well understand. A revolutionary soldier must never, on this account, distance himself from the workers and peasants, much less use it as a pretext for suppression. Even if opinions differ, absolute respect for party and military discipline must be observed, and the matter should be referred to the government for handling. The workers and peasants are the main force of the revolution; the aim of the National Revolution is precisely to relieve the suffering of the workers, peasants, and all oppressed masses. That is why our Party previously passed a resolution prohibiting armed attacks on peasants, and more recently issued orders to protect workers’ pickets. How dare Xu Kexiang deliberately violate laws and decrees, raise troops to attack workers and peasants, and dissolve their pickets—exactly as Chiang Kai-shek did in Shanghai and Nanjing? As for immature actions occurring in the peasant and labor movement, these are primitive phenomena among the masses before political guidance has been fully consolidated. The Central Party Headquarters, the National Government, the All-China Federation of Labor, and the All-China Peasants’ Association have long since drawn up concrete measures and issued explicit orders for their implementation. The Hunan Provincial Peasants’ Association is also beginning to correct them—facts such as purchasing grain for the front-line soldiers and civilians in Wuhan and assisting various army units in recruiting new soldiers are witnessed by all eyes. How could one imagine that Xu Kexiang, ignoring the methods laid down by the Party headquarters and the government, would arbitrarily use military force, perpetrate brutal destruction, dissolve party headquarters, and stage a coup d’état—clearly showing contempt for the government, disrupting the rear of the Northern Expedition, and sabotaging the Premier’s policy on workers and peasants, all in coordination with the renegades Chiang Kai-shek and Xia [Douyin], seeking to launch an attack from Hunan to overthrow the revolutionary base in Wuhan? After the incident, the central authorities dispatched special commissioners to Hunan to investigate and deal with it, but they were again refused by Xu Kexiang. Commander-in-Chief Tang’s telegram of the 24th, which set forth an appropriate solution, was also defied and not carried out. Recently, the situation has only escalated further, with troops being dispatched to raid Xiangtan, Changde, and other places, committing [massacre]. Thus Xu Kexiang is not only the murderer of the workers and peasants of Hunan but has also become a criminal against all our armed comrades and a public enemy of the people of the entire nation. The National Government had not previously issued explicit orders to suppress him, hoping that he might repent and pull back from the brink. Now that he has openly refused investigation and defied Commander-in-Chief Tang’s orders, if further indulgence is granted, he may mistakenly take it as tacit approval from the government, becoming daily more violent and brazen, and increasingly difficult to stop. Should that happen, not only will the revolutionary forces in Hunan be utterly wiped out, but local tyrants, evil gentry, and reactionary feudal forces everywhere will follow suit, dealing a severe blow to the progress of the Northern Expedition and the entire future of the revolution. In order to prevent the upsurge of reactionary forces and safeguard the victory of the National Revolution, our Association, on behalf of ten million organized peasants throughout the country, earnestly petitions the Central Party Headquarters and the National Government to immediately dismiss Xu Kexiang from his post and investigate him. If Xu Kexiang still refuses to repent and reform, then we request that explicit orders be issued for his suppression, so as to purge the source of chaos. As we send this telegram, we are in utmost urgency and await orders. The All-China Peasants’ Association. [Jiang day (3rd)]

To the Honorable Hunan Provincial Government, Changsha: We have read your telegram of the 30th and are utterly astonished! The mass movement in its early stages is like untrained new recruits; immature actions are virtually impossible to avoid completely, as all revolutionary comrades well understand. A revolutionary soldier must never reject the masses for fear of minor setbacks, much less use this as a pretext for oppression. Even if opinions differ, party and military discipline should be respected, and the matter should be referred to the government for handling. This is the just position of Chairman Tang of your provincial government, which both the masses and soldiers should strictly observe. In fact, the Central Party Headquarters, the National Government, the All-China Federation of Labor, and our Association have already drawn up concrete measures to remedy the primitive phenomena of the early mass movement and have issued explicit orders for their implementation. The Hunan Provincial Peasants’ Association is also beginning to correct them—facts such as purchasing grain for the front-line soldiers and civilians in Wuhan and assisting various army units in recruiting new soldiers are witnessed by all eyes. Xu Kexiang’s use of these as a pretext for rebellion only shows that his efforts are in vain. Counter-revolutionary deeds—such as dissolving the provincial party headquarters and the Third Branch of the Central Military and Political School, shutting down Changsha Normal School, trampling upon educational institutions, expelling and ransacking the offices and homes of the provincial government’s Director of the Construction Department and Director of the Education Department, and arbitrarily organizing a so-called Provisional Special Committee for Party Salvation—are glaringly obvious to everyone and can hardly be glossed over with specious words. Yet in Changsha, where Xu Kexiang has entrenched himself, even the Central Special Committee has been blocked; Commander-in-Chief Tang’s telegrams have been tampered with; and the family members of provincial government committee members have been searched and ransacked. What have these atrocities to do with the peasant movement? The telegram of the 30th must have been sent by Xu Kexiang abusing the government’s name; its absurd language is no surprise! Xu Kexiang, however, has become a public enemy of the Party, the government, and the people. Our Association has already petitioned the government by telegram to dismiss him from his post and investigate him. Although you, members of the provincial government committee, have unfortunately been held captive by him, you should still find ways to free yourselves, eliminate this arch-criminal, and thereby save the Party and the nation. We hereby offer our sincere advice and hope you will accept it. The All-China Peasants’ Association. [Jiang day]