the eastern and western banks and the front and the rear. Without unified
command along such a long front there would surely be chaos. We await your
prompt reply.
Zhang [Wentian] Mao [Zedong] Peng [Dehuai]
Order Regarding Military Operations During
the Eastern Expedition'
(February 18, 1936)
I. The Situation:
1. One division of the Manchurian army has occupied Zhangjiakou, Japan
has set up military organs in Taiyuan and Baotou, and the puppet régime in
Beijing is in the process of turning North China into another Manchuria.
2. Under orders from Japan, Yan Xishan is conducting all kinds of traitorous
activities. His troops are deployed as follows: one division in Taiyuan; one
division in the area of Datong in northern Shanxi; one division in the area of
Changzhi and Changzi in southern Shanxi; one division in the area of the lower
part of the Fen River, Daning, and Ji xian; one division in the area of Yonghe,
Shilou, Zhongyang, Lishi, Fenyang, Liulin, and Jundu, as well as the garrison
division along the river (Yang Yaofang's Seventy-first Division)² in western
Shanxi; two independent brigades in the area of Xing xian, Lin xian, Jikou, and
Baode in northwestern Shanxi; one division that has invaded the area of Wubu,
Suide, and Jia xian in northern Shaanxi (Li Shengda's Seventy-second Division);
and two divisions in the entire province of Suiyuan. Sun Chu's³ "bandit suppression" general headquarters appears to be in Jikou (Sun Chu himself has gone to
see Chiang [Kaishek] in Nanjing and his duties are assumed in his stead by the
chief of staff). Yang Yaofang's western Shanxi defense headquarters is in
Fenyang.
3. The Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army in Hebei is growing (in Daming,
Changping, Fuping, and other places). There are Red troops operating along the
Our source for this order is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 1, pp. 442-46, where it is
People's Liberation Army.
border between Shanxi and Henan (Yan Xishan sent a brigade there to deal with
it). Prince De4 of Inner Mongolia has declared independence and confronted
Shanxi. The anti-Japanese revolutionary enthusiasm among Yan Xishan's troops
is developing. There have been signs that the popular masses on the east bank of
the Yellow River welcome the Red Army.
II. Our Tasks:
The Party Central Committee's and Military Commission's basic policy is to
resist Japan, punish traitors to their country, go to Shanxi to wipe out Yan
Xishan's forces, develop the anti-Japanese bases, expand the anti-Japanese Red
Army, call for a nationwide movement to resist Japan and punish the Chinese
traitors, and make steady military progress. In accordance with this orientation,
the Front Army's first step includes the tasks of crossing the Yellow River to the
east, wiping out the enemy troops in the area on the eastern bank through firm
measures, taking all xian in the Lüliang Mountain Range, first occupying Shilou,
Zhongyang, Yonghe, and other xian, smashing all fortifications along the river,
gaining control over ferry operations, and creating temporary operational bases
on the eastern bank.
III. The Battle to Cross the River:
1. Assessment of the enemy's situation
The area in which our troops will cross the river is within the defense zone of
Yang Yaofang's Seventy-first Division. It is estimated that his six regiments are
positioned as follows: one regiment in Yonghe, one regiment in the town of
Shilou (according to one account, there is a regiment with one artillery company
attached to it), two regiments in the defense [area] along the river subordinated
to Shilou (about one hundred li between Xinguan, across the river from Hekou,
and Sanjiaozhen, across from Goukou), one regiment in the town of Zhongyang
and for defense along the river near Zhongyang, one regiment in Liulin, and the
unit directly under the division in Fenyang. On the second day of our armies'
crossing (the 22nd), there is a possibility that two or three of the enemy's regiments will fight us in the vicinity of Sanjiaozhen, and that one or two of the
enemy's regiments will fight us near Yidiezhen. Within three to seven days there
is a possibility that the enemy will fight us in the area around Shilou,
Zhongyang, and Yonghe with forces of approximately two divisions. Concentrating a larger military force to advance would take more time.
2. Our military dispositions
In accordance with our objective of crossing the river around Goukou and
Hekou, occupying Liuyuzhen and Yidiezhen, and seizing an opportunity to occupy the town of Shilou, the deployment of our armies is as follows:
a. Areas of concentration
The First Army Group near Goukou.
The main forces of the Fifteenth Army Group near Hekou.
The Eighty-first Division of the Fifteenth Army Group near Jiejiagou.
Units directly under the Front Army near Chuankouzhen.
b. Areas of river crossing
The First Army Group near Goukou.
Main forces of the Fifteenth Army Group and units directly under the
Front Army, near Hekou.
The Eighty-first Division of the Fifteenth Army Group is to prepare to
cross the river following the First Army Group.
Goukou and Hekou are the two main crossing points; Laoguan and
Sheyuli are the two supplementary crossing points. (Both supplementary crossing points belong to the Fifteenth Army Group.)
c. Command during crossings
At every crossing point, both army groups should appoint crossing
commanders, political commissars, and boat instructors (one for each
boat), to guarantee that the crossing is carried out with the utmost
speed and in good order.
d. Time of the crossing
All army units will begin crossing the river simultaneously at each
point at 8:00 P.M. on February 21.
e. Method of crossing
The vanguard is to be absolutely concealed, cross the river stealthily
under cover of night, seize the enemy's fortifications through resolute
and rapid action, cut the electric lines [dianxian],5 control the locations
that will allow us to advance as well as the covering locations on the
wings, so as to secure an advantageous position that will guarantee the
subsequent crossing of our troops and the fight against the enemy's
reinforcements. If the secret crossing is discovered by the enemy, it
should be changed immediately to a crossing in force.
f. Operations after the crossing
The First Army Group must prepare and advance to the area twenty or
reproduced from a printed text located at the Academy of Military Science of the Chinese

--- Notes

1. Regarding the Eastern Expedition, which began with the crossing of the Yellow
River on February 20, 1936, see the Introduction to this volume. In the face of Chiang
Kaishek's strong reaction to this offensive, and in the context of efforts to achieve a new
united front against Japan, the Red Army withdrew back across the river into Shaanxi in
early May.

2. Yang Yaofang, commander of the Guomindang army's Seventy-first Division, was
at this time commander of the western Shanxi garrison forces.

3. Sun Chu (1886-1962), a native of Shanxi, was a graduate of the Baoding Military
Academy. He had commanded the 101st Division of the Guomindang Army since 1934,
and continued to do so, but was at the same time the commander of the Third Defense
District of the Northwest "Bandit Suppression" Headquarters.


4. Demchukdonggrub (1902-1966), commonly known in Chinese as De Wang or
Prince De, was a Mongolian prince of the West Sunid Banner, born in Inner Mongolia. He
had begun moving toward autonomy in 1933, and in February 1936 called a conference to
proclaim the independence of Inner Mongolia, under the protection of the Japanese. In
November and December 1936, he commanded Mongolian forces, allied with those of
Manchukuo, in an attack on Suiyuan Province.

5. Dianxian could refer either to power lines or to telegraph lines, but given the
context, the latter seems more probable.