Consolidate the Liaison Between the Central Authorities and Southeastern Shanxi as well as Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei[1]

(March 19, 1940)

Zhu, Peng, Teng, He, Guan, and Nie[2]:

To consolidate the liaison between the Central Authorities and southeastern Shanxi as well as Hebei-Chahar-Shanxi:

(1) Comrades He and Guan and Nie Rongzhen are requested to take responsibility for ensuring the communication lines between northwestern Shanxi and the military area. The military area shall designate units to move westward, reaching directly to the Tongpu Railway, while He and Guan shall designate units to move eastward and establish contact with the units from Nie’s military area moving westward. If this route is not secured, there is a danger of cutting off the entire North China from the rear area of Yan’an. Please telegraph your plans for deployment.

(2) The liaison between the Central Authorities and southeastern Shanxi has been obstructed at Yuanqu, and the military supply line in southwestern Shanxi (because the Central Authorities’ 90th Army has arrived in that area) cannot be established for the time being, thus causing major difficulties. Peng, He, and Guan are requested to send troops to reconnoiter and advance northward, establishing a communication line from northwestern Shanxi directly to southeastern Shanxi, crossing the Tongpu Railway between Yuci and Pingyao. Please advise on your plans.

Military Commission
Mao, Wang
Hao

[1] This is a telegram from Mao Zedong and Wang Jiaxiang, Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, to Zhu De, Peng Dehuai, and others.

[2] Teng refers to Teng Daiyuan, then Chief of Staff of the CPC Central Military Commission, who was directing the struggle against the diehards in northwestern Shanxi as the representative of the Central Military Commission. He and Guan refer to He Long and Guan Xiangying, then Commander and Political Commissar, respectively, of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army. Nie refers to Nie Rongzhen, then Commander and Political Commissar of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Area of the Eighth Route Army.