Letter from the Eighth Route Army to the Friendly Army, the 90th Army[1]

(March 1940)

Your esteemed army is an anti-Japanese force; its task should be to resist Japan and absolutely should not be to attack the Border Region. Our humble army is tasked with river defense, confronting the Japanese bandits across the river in battle. We have faced each other for a long time; though we have achieved no extraordinary feats, we are fortunate to report no transgressions. We sincerely wish to unite with your esteemed army as one, under the leadership of Chairman Chiang, to jointly annihilate the enemy and puppets, and to rejuvenate our Chinese nation. We absolutely do not wish to engage in civil war with your esteemed army or any friendly army. For at this moment in time, whoever turns their guns inward is a criminal against the nation and will by no means receive the sympathy of their countrymen. Both your army and ours clearly understand this.

[1] In March 1940, the Kuomintang 90th Army suddenly concentrated its forces on the eastern bank of the Yellow River, in the areas of Daning and Puxian within Shanxi Province. Intelligence obtained by our army proved that the opposing forces were pressing on the border with malicious intent, and the situation was extremely tense. Mao Zedong assessed the situation and, in the name of the "Political Department of the Eighth Route Army River Defense Corps," drafted the "Letter from the Eighth Route Army to the Friendly Army, the 90th Army." This is the main content of that letter.

In 1940, Mao Zedong was reading Stalin's works in Yan'an.