The Current Situation and the Expansion of the Movement for a Cessation of Civil War and Resistance to Japan[1]

(October 15, 1936)

To Zhu and Zhang, Xu and Chen, Ren, He, Guan, and Liu, and for the information of Peng:

(A) At present, Sino-Japanese relations are extremely tense. The Japanese imperialists are increasing troops and warships in Shanghai and along the Yangtze River, and have even raised the demand to station troops on Hainan Island. Their intention is to direct the attention of the entire nation toward central and southern China, to pressure the Nanjing government into submission, and to induce concessions from the British market[2], so as to realize their fundamental plan of establishing autonomy in the five provinces of North China and occupying Suiyuan and Inner Mongolia. According to claims by the Japanese special service agency stationed in Guisui, Suiyuan is in a special position and Japan is determined to seize it. At present, the forces of Li Shouxin, Wang Ying, and others in northern Chahar and Inner Mongolia have been rearmed with twenty to thirty thousand men. Japan has dispatched a large number of military advisors to accompany these troops. Their vanguard has already entered Suiyuan territory, and skirmishes have occurred with Suiyuan forces, with formal contact imminent. A portion of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army has already been deployed to eastern Suiyuan, and Tang Enbo’s unit has also received secret orders from Chiang to prepare to move to Suiyuan for resistance. Wan Yaohuang’s division is setting up defensive fortifications in Luoyang. Chiang has also issued secret orders for the Guangdong Army to assemble in Shanghai for resistance and for the Hunan Army to assemble along the Beiping-Hankou Railway. It appears that Chiang intends to use heavy forces to protect the Yangtze River valley and the area south of the Yellow River, while carrying out localized resistance in Shanxi and Suiyuan.

(B) In order to seize the current favorable opportunity to expand the movement for a cessation of civil war and resistance to Japan, in addition to sending an open letter to the Kuomintang and telegraphing a demand for ceasefire negotiations, we now plan to issue a message in the names of the various generals of the Red Army to the various armies of the Northwest, reiterating the call for them to immediately cease the civil war and dispatch troops to aid Suiyuan, and expressing the Red Army’s willingness to serve as the vanguard in order to defend the Northwest, defend North China, defend China, and recover the Northeast. After this document is issued in the Soviet area,

[1] This is a telegram from Mao Zedong and Luo Fu (Zhang Wentian) and Bo Gu (Qin Bangxian) to Zhu De, Zhang Guotao, Xu Xiangqian, Chen Changhao, Ren Bishi, He Long, Guan Xiangying, and Liu Bocheng, and for the information of Peng Dehuai.

[2] The original text reads as such; there is a suspected error or omission.

we intend to carry out an extensive movement for a cessation of civil war and resistance to Japan directed at the White armies and White areas surrounding us, in order to respond to and support the possible initiation of resistance in eastern Suiyuan. We now request that the Second and Fourth Front Armies telegraph the names of the current commanders and political commissars of all armies and divisions, so that they may be included, to broaden the propaganda and strengthen the momentum. Please also telegraph any opinions you may have.

Luo, Ze, Bo
Noon, October 15