We have received your report of January 13, 1942, and have forwarded it to Ye and Xiang. (1) The issue at hand is no longer which strategic line to follow, but rather a matter of life and death. If the attack is not halted immediately, our entire force will be annihilated. We urge you to promptly request Chiang Kai-shek to order a ceasefire and lift the encirclement. (3) Xiang, unable to break out, has rejoined the unit and resolved to share the fate of the entire army. (4) Those who attempted to break through were Fu Qiutao’s two regiments, but they have yet to escape the large encirclement. The main forces under Ye, Xiang, and Yao remain in their original position at Maolin, under siege by tens of thousands of enemy troops. They have been engaged in fierce fighting for eight days already and are in extreme danger.