(March 24, 1938)

Comrade Zhu Rui, and convey to Zhu [De], Peng [Dehuai], Yang [Shangkun],
Liu [Bocheng], Xu [Xiangqian], Deng [Xiaoping], and Tang Tianji:1

The central task confronting the whole of the Hebei-Shanxi-Henan region is to
establish as quickly as possible the Hebei-Shanxi-Henan Border Region as a consolidated base area which persists in the War of Resistance. Consequently, the
tasks of the Party organization and the Eighth Route Army where you are located
are:
1. Establish several combat-ready guerrilla units (like the guerrilla detachment
under Comrade [Nie] Rongzhen) and local guerrilla contingents which are completely under the leadership of the Party.
2. Organize widely self-defense corps which do not quit production and get
them to shoulder the responsibilities of reconnaissance, security, sentry duty, and
hiding provisions and clearing the fields.
3. Strive to reform the friendly forces, especially those which are prepared to
remain permanently in North China to engage in guerrilla war, turning them into
strong, progressive forces resisting Japan.
4. Gradually reform the political organs and turn them into democratic régimes
resisting Japan with the participation of diverse strata of the people, while remaining Guomindang régimes. Let the mobilization committees at different levels recruit the real representatives of people's organizations and armed forces, and turn
them into actual government committees at various levels. Gradually purge the
corrupt elements within the political organs, especially the Chinese traitors and
wavering elements.

--- Notes

Our source for this document is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 2, pp. 203-4, where it is
reproduced from a copy in the Central Archives.

1. Tang Tianji (1904-1989) was at this time the commander of the Shanxi-Henan Border Detachment of the Eighth Route Army.