Chairman, Revolutionary
Military Commission of the
Chinese People's Red Army
Zhu De
Our Army Has Decided to Leave Wayaobao
and Prepare for Battle
(June 14, 1936, 11:00 P.M.)

To Yan [Hongyan]¹ and Cai [Shufan]:2

1. The Northeastern Army³ is advancing toward Wayaobao in three separate
columns, and may arrive at the Yongping-Panlong-Ansai line tomorrow (the
15th). There is a possibility that the enemy in Sui[de] and Qing[jian] may cooperate with them.
2. Our forces have decided to leave Wayaobao and prepare for battle.
3. After receiving this order the Thirtieth Army should proceed on a threeday journey to Yanshui City for concentration, to arrive by the 17th, and prepare
to make flank attacks on the enemy troops advancing from Qingjian or from
Yongping toward Wayaobao. After arriving at Yanshui City, contact should also
be made in secret with the Twenty-ninth Army so as to facilitate coordinated
action.
4. The Thirtieth Army should leave the area south of the blockade line from
Wubao to Suide before daybreak tomorrow, and its guerrilla missions in the
direction of the Wubao-Suide blockade line should be handed over to the third
Qingjian-Suide combat district.
5. Xie Song and Gan Weihan have been ordered to lead the Twenty-ninth
Army beginning on the 17th from Lingzhen by way of Yudong to arrive between
Yanshui and Fengjiaping and await orders. It is hoped that you will establish
contact with them since they have no transceiver.
6. You are expected to inform us by telegram about your operations and
about the combat district troops.

Mao [Zedong] Zhou [Enlai]

Our source for this document is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 1, pp. 544-45, where it is
reproduced from a copy in the Central Archives.
1. Yan Hongyan was commander of the Red Army's Thirtieth Army at the time.
2. Cai Shufan was political commissar of the Red Army's Thirtieth Army at the time.
3. This refers to Guomindang forces from Zhang Xueliang's Northeastern Army sent
under Chiang Kaishek's orders to fight the Communists in the Northwest.
4. The reference is to the Guomindang blockade of the Communist areas in
Northwest Shaanxi.
5. Xie Song was deputy commander of the Red Army's Twenty-ninth Army, and Gan
Weihan its political commissar.