The Urgent Task at Present Is to Strengthen
Security Along the River
(November 17, 1937, in the evening)

To He [Long], Xiao [Ke], Guan [Xiangying], and Gan [Siqi];¹ Wang [Zhaoxiang]
and Sun [Chaoxun], and for the information of Zhu [De], Peng [Dehuai], and
Zhou [Enlai]:

1. In order to guarantee to our troops on the east bank of the [Yellow] river in
Shanxi the possibility of sustaining an arduous and protracted guerrilla war in
Shanxi, and also to assure them the possibility of crossing the river rapidly and
safely to the west bank when this proves necessary, and to increase the obstacles to
crossing by the enemy, the strengthening of security along the river has become an
urgent task at the present.
2. We have divided the entire line of defense along the river, from Shenfu and
Mazhen to Linzhen and Yichuan,² into three sections, and we have set up a river
security headquarters in each section to exercise command.
a. The Two Yans³ River Security Headquarters will be set up and is responsible
for the section from the north of the Linzhen River to the mouth of the Qingjian
River, with He Changgong as commander and the Fifth Garrison Regiment
as the river security troops.
b. The Five-xian River Security Headquarters is responsible for the section
from Hekou to Jiaxian, and the River Security troops are the 718th Regiment
and the Third Garrison Regiment.

Our source for this text is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 2, pp. 121-23, where it is reproduced from a copy in the Central Archives.
1. He, Xiao, Guan, and Gan were respectively commander, deputy commander, political
commissar, and head of the Political Department of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route
Army.
2. Shenfu and Mazhen are located near the northern end of the boundary between Shaanxi
and Shanxi Provinces. Linzhen and Yichuan are some two hundred miles to the south.
3. The two Yans refers to Yanchuan and Yanchang, located between Yan'an and the
Yellow River.
4. The Qingjian River flows into the Yellow River between Yanchuan and Yanchang.
5. The five xian are Suide and four others in the middle of the portion of the Yellow River
dealt with here.

c. The Shenfu River Security District Headquarters will be set up and is responsible for the section from Jiaxian to Mazhen. The Shenfu Security Forces
are the river security forces.
3. In order to guarantee the crossing to the west of the troops on the east bank,
we have selected the following places as the main crossing points:
a. All the ferries from Sanjiao to Sui and Mi.
b. The two ferries in Matou and Pingdu between the two Yans.
c. Choose two or three ferries in the Shenfu River Security District (in case the
troops in northwestern Shanxi need to use them).
4. Each crossing area should prepare more than twenty boats, of which each big
boat can carry a hundred people each time. Moreover, there must be enough sailors
and steersmen. For the purpose of concealing our intentions, these boats should be
hidden on the west bank of the river and be guarded by our troops so as to prevent
them from being destroyed or discovered by the enemy. Of the boats at the other
ferry points, apart from leaving one or two boats for crossing in case of necessity,
all the rest should be either gathered in another place or anchored along the west
bank. In addition, you should be prepared to destroy them when necessary.
5. All the ferries which our troops do not need should be completely destroyed
step by step according to our plan. Moreover, in some of the major spots along the
river, particularly in the crossing points, we should take advantage of the places
which are strategically located and difficult of access, either to destroy them or to
build up some kind of fortifications. Every River Security Command Headquarters will be responsible for the specific arrangements, surveillance and planning,
and they should keep us informed.
6. The Two Yans and the Five-xian River Security Regions have already begun
the arrangements. As regards the Shenfu District, He and Xiao should assign somebody directly, or they can ask Wang Zhaoxiang to appoint a capable cadre as the
commander of this river security district to go there to investigate and arrange
everything, as well as command the security forces that are responsible for the
security of this section of the river. Please also inform the Shenfu Special Committee of this.

Mao [Zedong] Xiao [Jingguang]

6. As already noted, Shenfu is located in the northern tip of Shaanxi.