It Is Necessary to Prepare for Battle
When Passing Through Hongde City and
Huan Xian
(October 13, 1935, 3:00 P.M.)
Peng [Dehuai]:
1. The First Column will march today for about seventy li, to the
Miaojiazhuang, Zhengjiawan, and Xiaonan'gou line, and camp there. It is
planned to go via Helianwan tomorrow (the 14th) to Hongde City and the area to
the east, and camp there.
2. The Second and Third Columns should go tomorrow by way of the southern edge of Helianwan, advance to the area southeast of Hongde City, and camp
there.
3. According to people who came from Huan xian on the 12th, there are two
regiments of the enemy's Thirty-fifth Division in Huan xian. It is unclear how
many enemy troops are in Quzizhen. On that morning no cavalrymen had arrived
in Huan xian, but the Sixth Cavalry Division may have arrived yesterday or
today. As for the enemy troops pursuing us, they may reach the Maojiachuan-Lianjiachuan line today.
4. When our troops arrive at and pass through the Hongde City-Huan xian
line tomorrow, they must be prepared to fight the enemy cavalrymen who may
appear. If the enemy force is small we will wipe it out. If it is large we will pin it
down, and then pass through the gaps in that line under cover of darkness.
Mao

--- Notes

We have translated this document from Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 1, pp. 372-73.