(December 31, 1939)

1. As a result of battle between the new and old armies in southwest Shanxi,¹
our Chen detachment² and two decisive columns, with a total strength of five
regiments, left southwest Shanxi on the 27th and reached Zhaoxianzhen north of
the Fen[yang]-Li[shi] blockade line.³ The Internal Security Brigade and our Third
Guerrilla Regiment, as well as four guerrilla brigades, are left behind in southwestern Shanxi.
2. At present, looking at the situation as a whole, Yan is going all out to attack
southwestern Shanxi. After prevailing there, he is prepared to move to attack northwestern Shanxi, so as to sever communications between North China and the border regions and among the various regions in North China. For this purpose, the
Central forces are being mobilized in southeastern Shanxi and are prepared to
expand the war in southwestern Shanxi at any time. One division under Hu
Zongnan has already reached a point southeast of Yichuan. This will have an
impact on the whole situation in North China and affect the major struggles facing
the whole Party.

3. The central question for the present is to wage this struggle victoriously, so
as to keep the base areas in Shanxi for resisting Japan within our hands and maintain communications between North China and the northwest. To this end:
a. The 358th Brigade and the New Army in northwestern Shanxi shall immediately concentrate in suitable regions to get ready for combat.
b. The 120th Division shall dispatch two to three regiments to northwestern
Shanxi. He and Guan⁵ should immediately depart for northwest Shanxi to
take command of the battle, the faster the better. For the question of command will affect victory or defeat in the battle, and we hope that there will be
no delay.
c. The defense sector of the 120th Division in the military district shall be completed by forces to be transferred from the middle of Hebei by Nie [Rongzhen].
Nie shall also make plans for wiping out all of Yan [Xishan]'s old forces in
the surrounding areas of the military district.
d. The Chen detachment and the new army under his command shall be strictly
on guard against sudden attacks from the old army. Peng and Luo⁶ shall
support them.
e. Redeployments for southwestern Shanxi shall be made separately by Zhu
[De] and Peng [Dehuai].

Mao [Zedong] Wang [Jiaxiang]

Our source for this text is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 2, pp. 503-4, where it is reproduced from a copy in the Central Archives.
1. See above, "The Clashes Between the New and Old Armies in Southwest Shanxi and
Our Overall Policy," December 6, 1939, and the notes thereto. The tension had now peaked
and broken out in actual combat. Mao was determined to avoid the separation of the various
base areas in Shanxi and their isolation from one another. He was particularly concerned to
maintain the corridor through northwestern Shanxi, which was the main line of communication between the Yan'an area and the bases farther east in North China.
2. The Western Shanxi Detachment of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army,
commanded by Chen Shiju.
3. The reference is to the blockade line established by Yan Xishan along the highway
between these two points.
4. Hu Zongnan (1896-1962), hao Shoushan, was a native of Zhejiang. He graduated
from the Huangpu Military Academy in 1924, attracted the attention of Chiang Kaishek by
his performance, and rose steadily in rank. As commander of the Guomindang First Army,
he fought against the Red Army during the Long March. (For details, see the many references to him in Volume V of our edition.) In August 1939, he had become commander of
the Guomindang Thirty-fourth Group Army, and it was this force which was assigned the
task of containing the Communists in northern Shanxi.
5. The reference is to He Long (1896-1969) and Guan Xiangying (1902-1946), respectively commander and political commissar of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army.
6. Regarding Peng Shaohui and Luo Guipo, see the relevant note to the text of December 6, 1939, on the clashes between the old and new armies.