First Strike at Hu Zongnan, Then Attack
Ningxia
(October 30, 1936, 4:00 P.M.)

Zhu [De] and Zhang [Guotao]:

The current policy is to strike first at Hu Zongnan and then to attack Ningxia;
otherwise, it will be impossible to attack Ningxia. You two elder brothers should
please base your leadership on this crucial theme. Apart from the Ninth Army
and the Thirtieth Army, which have crossed the river, the rest that is, the entire
First and Second front armies and the three armies of the Fourth Front Army should all be used according to Dehuai's arrangements of the 29th,¹ to fight one
battle and win it. Then the entire situation will take a turn for the better.

Mao [Zedong] Zhou [Enlai]

We have translated this telegram from Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 1, pp. 636-37,
where it is reproduced from a copy in the Central Archives.
1. The reference is to the forces under Zhou Xiangchu (1900-?), a native of Gansu,
and Kong Lingxun (1898-?), a native of Shandong, respectively, commanders of the
Forty-third and Ninety-seventh divisions of the Second Column of the First Route of the
Northwest Bandit-Suppression General Headquarters.
Our source for this telegram is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 1, pp. 638-39, where it is
reproduced from a copy in the Central Archives.
1. For a summary of Peng Dehuai's telegram of October 29, see note 3 to this text in
Mao Zedong junshi wenji.