Concerning Inquiries About the Situation of the Western Route Army

Telegram to Xu Xiangqian and Chen Changhao[1]

(November 11, 1936)

Xu and Chen:

A. Where are you now, and what is the situation?

B. Because east of the [Yellow] River we have still been unable to defeat the various armies of Hu, Mao, and Wang,[2] this has hindered the execution of the Ningxia plan. We are currently considering a new plan, but the main force east of the River will temporarily remain separated from the Western Route Army.

C. Please consider and telegraph back on the following points:

(1) Based on the enemy and our own situations, are you confident of advancing westward alone to approach Xinjiang and securing supplies?

(2) If you return east of the River, what difficulties would there be?

(3) Can you resolve the clothing problem?

Mao and Zhou

20:00, 11th

[1] This is a telegram from Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai to Xu Xiangqian, commander-in-chief of the Red Army’s Western Route Army, and Chen Changhao, its political commissar.

[2] Hu and Mao refer to Hu Zongnan and Mao Bingwen, who at the time respectively served as commander of the Second Column (First Army) and commander of the Third Column (Thirty-seventh Army) of the First Route of the Northwest “Bandit Suppression” General Headquarters of the Kuomintang Army. Wang refers to Wang Jun, formerly deputy commander-in-chief of the First Route and concurrently commander of the First Column and commander of the Third Army of the Northwest “Bandit Suppression” General Headquarters of the Kuomintang Army, who died in an airplane crash on November 9, 1936.