July 11, 1937 To Chairman Lin of Nanjing, Chairman Chiang, the Kuomintang, the National Government, Chairman Song Zheyuan of Beiping, Commander Feng Zhi’an, Commander Zhang Zizhong, Commander Zhao Dengyu, Commander Liu Ruming, Commander Zheng Dachang, General Sun Lianzhong, General Pang Bingxun, Director Yan of Shanxi, Chairman Zhao, Chairman Fu of Suiyuan, Chairman Han of Shandong, Director Liu of Henan, Chairman Shang, Director Gu of Xi’an, Acting Director Chiang, Chairman Sun, Chairman He of Lanzhou, Chairman Ma of Ningxia, all deputy commanders-in-chief throughout the country, party organizations in all provinces and municipalities, provincial and municipal governments, commanders of all armies, divisions, and regiments, together with all officers and men, and to all newspapers and public organizations nationwide: The Japanese aggressors’ offensive has now pressed the Chinese nation into a corner from which there seems no escape.
The battle of Peiping–Tientsin has both vented six years of pent-up indignation and struck terror into the hearts of our rampant foes.
Our anti-Japanese commanders at the front and all our soldiers have thereby achieved a glorious feat that has resounded at home and abroad.
This is not only wholeheartedly supported by every member of our army; it is also universally cherished by men, women, and children across the nation.
Since the loss of Northeast China six years ago, our fellow countrymen have been consumed by grief and anger.
In this latest Japanese onslaught, North China found itself in dire peril.
Fortunately, thanks to the sincere cooperation between the KMT and the CPC, to Chairman Chiang’s resolute call for all-out resistance in his address on the 17th, to Mr. Song Mingxuan’s profound sense of national duty, to the heroic fighting spirit of our troops at the front, and to the unanimous support rendered by all sectors of society and all branches of the armed forces, we were able to achieve the great victory of the 18th of this month.
From that moment onward, military morale soared, public opinion rallied, and it became clear that the Japanese were not invincible; the real problem lay in flawed strategy.
It likewise became evident that our nation was by no means lacking in strength; the issue was one of improper methods.
Henceforth, with our strategic course firmly set and our tactics steadily improved, if the entire nation remains united and the military and civilian populations stand as one, then further recovery of eastern Hebei, northern Chahar, and the four northeastern provinces will certainly be within our reach.
However, having suffered this setback, the Japanese are bound to throw their full weight into mounting a large-scale campaign of oppression against us—seeking to hold onto their existing gains while simultaneously launching offensives across North China.
Under such circumstances, the only path open to our people and armed forces, from top to bottom, lies in basing our efforts on close cooperation between the KMT and the CPC, in forging a solid national unity, and in launching a full-scale war of resistance, so as to safeguard our homeland, reclaim our lost territories, drive out the Japanese invaders, and root out the traitorous collaborators.
Our army is currently undergoing accelerated reorganization and will soon be ready to enter combat.
We earnestly solicit your guidance at every turn.
What a blessing it would be for the national revolution!

Mao Zedong Zhu De Zhou Enlai Zhang Guotao Peng Dehuai He Long Biao Lin Liu Bocheng Xu Xiangqian Ye Jianying Zhang Yunyi Xiao Ke Xu Haidong July 29th