(February 15, 1938)

Xiang [Ying] and Chen [Yi]:

We have taken note of your various telegrams.
1. We are in agreement with the principles of action contained in the telegram
of the 14th, to strive to concentrate on the borders of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui
to develop guerrilla war. But the area that is the most advantageous for the expansion of our forces at present is still the Mao mountain range within the borders of
Jiangsu. That is, if we take the area of Liyang and Lishui as the center and engage
the enemy located along the Nanjing-Zhenjiang-Danyang-Jintan-Yixing-
Changxing-Guangde line, we will definitely be able to establish base areas and
expand the base of the Fourth Army. If there are two detachments, then at least one
should be deployed in the Mao mountain range. The other one should be deployed
to the west of the Wuxing-Guangde-Xuanchen line to support them by coordinated action.
2. When the third class of prospective cadres graduates from the Anti-Japanese
Military and Political University, a group of them should be sent to the Fourth
Army, but if for the moment they cannot be transferred, we hope you will send a
few men to study.

Mao Zedong

Our source for this text is *Mao Zedong junshi wenji*, Vol. 2, pp. 155-56, where it is reproduced from a copy preserved in the Central Archives.