The Red Army's Main Force Shall Not Take the Ping-Han Railway but the Tong-Pu Railway

(17 August 1937)

Comrade Zhang Huainan[1] to forward to Brothers Zhu, Zhou, and Ye[2]:

Secret telegram of the 16th at chen hour received.

A. Agree that our army's main force shall concentrate in the area of Yangyuan, Yuxian, Laiyuan, Guangling, and Lingqiu, but the advance shall not take the Ping-Han Railway[3] but the Tong-Pu Railway, boarding at Houma and disembarking at Daixian, then concentrating toward the designated area.

B. Without money to buy rice, speedily draw the six hundred thousand for August and the mobilization fee.

C. Speedily order Taiyuan to prepare the replenishment of fur clothing, arms, and ammunition.

D. Under the principles of independent and autonomous command and guerrilla and mountain warfare, accept the direction of Yan Baichuan[4]; speedily notify Yan.

Mao Zedong

17th

[1] Zhang Huainan, i.e., Zhang Chong, formerly a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Kuomintang and acting head of its Central Organization Department. At the time, he participated in KMT-CPC negotiations as a representative of the Kuomintang.
[2] Zhu, Zhou, and Ye refer to Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, and Ye Jianying. At the time, they were in Nanjing attending the National Defense Conference convened by the Kuomintang government.
[3] Ping-Han Railway refers to the railway from Beiping (present-day Beijing) to Hankou, i.e., a section of today's Beijing-Guangzhou line.
[4] Yan Baichuan, i.e., Yan Xishan, then serving as Director of the Taiyuan Pacification Headquarters of the Kuomintang army.