Central Military Commission in Yan’an.

We Should Develop Guerrilla Warfare
Extensively in North China
(May 26, 1938)

Zhu [De], Peng [Dehuai], and Fu [Zhong]; Chen [Guang] and Luo [Ronghuan];
He [Long], Xiao [Ke], Guan [Xiangying], and Gan [Siqi]; Liu [Bocheng], Xu
[Xiangqian], and Deng [Xiaoping]; Nie [Rongzhen], Peng [Zhen], Ye [Ting], and
Xiang [Ying]; Guo [Hongxiu] and Li [Yu]:

1. After the loss of Xuzhou, we judge that the enemy will take the attack on
Wuhan as the heart of his war plans.
2. The estimate that the enemy will immediately move his main force to North
China and to the Northwest to attack the guerrillas and to sever the route of communications between China and the Soviet Union, disregarding the fact that Wuhan
is the center of gravity of the resistance struggle, is incorrect. This move will take
place, but at a slightly later date.
3. If war breaks out or a major crisis unfolds in Europe, the enemy will rapidly
invade Guangdong.
4. Our slogan is: Defend Wuhan, defend Guangzhou, defend the Northwest,
and resolutely carry out the guerrilla war in North China.
5. Given the above-mentioned circumstances, it remains an opportune time to
engage in extensive guerrilla warfare in North China. At present, more attention
should be paid to Shandong, Rehe, and the Daqing mountain range.

Mao [Zedong]

Our source for this text is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 2, pp. 227–28, where it is reproduced from a copy in the Central Archives.