Recent Work of All Columns[1]

(October 3, 1935)

Lin and Nie, Peng and Li, Ye and Deng:

(1) Our First, Second, and Third Columns arrived today at the line of Qingjiangyi, Jieshibao, and Gaojiapu; the Detachment Headquarters arrived at Jieshibao. Tomorrow (the 4th), except for two large detachments of the First Column, the main force of the remaining First Column, the Second Column, the Third Column, and the Detachment Headquarters shall each rest in place for one day, conduct discipline education, strike the local tyrants to raise grain, and prepare to advance the day after tomorrow toward the line of Changjiaji and Xiaohecheng. (2) The First Column shall dispatch two large detachments with a radio set, led by Nie and Chen, to proceed tomorrow (the 4th) via Shengmiao to the Yanjiamiao area (thirty li north of Jingning), investigate the situation in Longde, and prepare to advance toward Longde the day after tomorrow to seize it when the opportunity arises, so as to facilitate our army’s advance toward the line of Pingliang, Suiyuanchuan, Zhenyuan, and Xifengzhen. (3) The enemy’s Eighth Division is at Maying, and the Twenty-Fourth Division is at Caijiapu with reports of returning to reinforce Jingning; a portion of Deng’s enemy forces is stationed at Jingning; the situation at Longde and Pingliang is unclear, but there appears to be no large enemy presence.

Peng and Mao

22:00, the 3rd

[1] This is a telegram from Mao Zedong and Peng Dehuai, Commander of the Red Army’s Shaanxi-Gansu Detachment, to Lin Biao, Commander of the First Column of the Red Army’s Shaanxi-Gansu Detachment, and Political Commissar Nie Rongzhen; Peng Xuefeng, Commander of the Second Column, and Political Commissar Li Fuchun; and Ye Jianying, Commander of the Third Column, and Political Commissar Deng Fa.