Reply to Zhou Enlai’s Telegram[1]

(March 3, 1937)

At present, the focal point of the negotiations is solely the question of the number of troops in the Red Army. In order to bring the negotiations to a swift and successful conclusion, we believe that the proposal to reorganize the main force of the Red Army into four divisions comprising sixteen regiments, plus two engineer divisions, totaling sixty thousand men, can generally be accepted. Our central concern today is that, after the negotiations succeed, we attain legal status under the Nanjing Government, so that work on all fronts across the nation can begin.

[1] This is the main content of the telegram sent in reply to Zhou Enlai by Mao Zedong and Luofu (Zhang Wentian).