Reply to Lin Boqu’s Telegram [1]
(August 16, 1938)

During the negotiations, please adhere to the three conditions already put forward: first, the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region shall comprise twenty-three counties; second, all personnel must be formally appointed by the National Government; third, a monthly subsidy of 100,000 yuan is required. The central issue in the talks is the territorial question, and each county must be fully autonomous.

[1] On August 12, 1938, Lin Boqu sent a telegram from Xi’an to Mao Zedong, Luo Fu (Zhang Wentian), Chen Shaoyu (Wang Ming), Zhou Enlai, and Bogu (Qin Bangxian): This morning, Jiang Dingwen stated that the Executive Yuan believes the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region issue can be resolved locally by Shaanxi Province, with the border region limited to a maximum of seventeen counties. I intend to negotiate based on the original three conditions. This was the main content of the reply telegram from Mao Zedong and Luo Fu (Zhang Wentian) to Lin Boqu.