The Central Committee’s Directive on the Friction Issue in Hebei and Other Places (February 10, 1939)

The enemy is currently attacking the North China anti-Japanese base areas in central Hebei, southern Hebei, Hebei-Chahar-Shanxi, southeastern Shanxi, and other regions. Yet within our anti-Japanese front, the extremely erroneous actions of Lu Zhonglin and Shen Honglie have caused serious friction and disputes, bringing immense difficulty and danger to the anti-Japanese war in North China. Therefore, the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the leaders of the Eighth Route Army put forward the following propositions, negotiating with Chiang and various generals on the one hand, while on the other hand resolutely upholding our own stand:

1. The situation of the war of resistance behind enemy lines demands unity among the military, government, Party, and people. The local senior commander should concurrently serve as the local administrative officer. The cause of the friction in Hebei lies precisely in the disunity between military and government affairs, brought about by Lu Zhonglin’s seizure of political power and territory from the Eighth Route Army. Therefore, for the sake of truly unified command and unified administration, we must resolutely demand the removal of Lu Zhonglin, with Zhu De serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Hebei-Chahar War Zone and concurrently Chairman of Hebei Province, and Shi Yousan as deputy. Under no circumstances can Lu be allowed to act recklessly and harm the war of resistance.

2. The three provinces of Hebei, Chahar, and Shandong serve as the protective screen for Shanxi, the Central Plains, and the Northwest. Without the heroic resistance of the Eighth Route Army in these three provinces to recover lost territory, both the Central Plains and the Northwest would be endangered, and the current situation in Shanxi could not be maintained either. In order to develop guerrilla warfare in the three provinces and consolidate their anti-Japanese base areas, a portion of the Eighth Route Army troops in Shanxi should be transferred to the three provinces, while the Eighth Route Army forces in the three provinces must by no means be reduced. Otherwise, it would only benefit the enemy and be detrimental to us. Moreover, the Eighth Route Army has been sweeping away puppet regimes in the three provinces and restoring Chinese political authority. Positioned at the very front line of the war of resistance, its achievements are outstanding and its service to the nation is great. We must absolutely not heed the muddled reports of Lu Zhonglin and others, or the traitorous nonsense of Wang Jingwei, thereby disrupting our own steps and harming the war of resistance.

3. The situation of the war of resistance behind enemy lines proves that establishing border regions is correct, while maintaining the original provincial boundaries is erroneous. Therefore, the existing political authorities in the Hebei-Chahar-Shanxi Border Region, central Hebei, and southern Hebei not only must not be abolished, but on the contrary, new administrative areas should be delineated in Shandong and other regions according to strategic circumstances.

4. Policies that cause disunity among the military, government, Party, and people behind enemy lines, that create disunity in command, and that restrict and squeeze out the Eighth Route Army and others are erroneous and harmful to the war of resistance. If allowed to continue, they will inevitably lead to defeat. Therefore, they must be corrected. Unreasonable attacks must be counterattacked; concessions must never be lightly spoken of.

5. At a time when the enemy is attacking and our troops are fighting bloody battles, suddenly hearing calls to abolish the Administrative Offices of central Hebei and southern Hebei, and the Political Affairs Committee of Hebei-Chahar-Shanxi, truly fills the anti-Japanese officers and soldiers and the people behind enemy lines with indignation upon hearing it. The impact is enormous, and this must absolutely not be complied with.

6. The government provides very little in the way of pay and provisions, so the Eighth Route Army and guerrilla forces cannot but raise grain locally. The people support and embrace them, enthusiastically contributing resources; this benefits the nation and does no harm to the people. This should continue in the future; we must absolutely not fight on empty stomachs.

7. The name of the Eighth Route Army is feared by the enemy and loved by our countrymen; it must absolutely not be changed lightly.

Secretariat of the Central Committee