Comrade Xiang Ying:

Please inform us by telegraph of your views on each of the following points:
(1) When the army headquarters and the southern Anhui forces are subject to sudden attack from certain quarters, is there a way for them to break out of the encirclement and avoid major losses? Which method is more advantageous, to fight
a guerrilla war southward or to move east to join forces with Chen Yi? Will it be
already absolutely impossible to cross the [Yangzi] River to move northward?
(2) Are cadres who are Party members fully prepared mentally to cope with possible sudden attacks from certain quarters? (3) Among the various friendly troops
in southern Anhui and southern Jiangsu, are there high-level or middle-level progressive officers or units who persist in resisting Japan and sympathize with our
Party? If sudden incidents occur, is it possible that they might provide cover for, or
act in unison with, our forces? How is our united front work within the friendly
troops nearby? (4) What is the intention of certain quarters in the Third War Zone?
What is the attitude of the Central forces under Gu Zhutong¹ and others? What is
the attitude of Huang Shaoxiong?? Is the local Party under the leadership of the
Southeast Bureau prepared, mentally and in reality, to preserve cadres, accumulate strength, and cope with sudden incidents?

[Mao] Zedong

Our source for this text is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 2, pp. 540-41, where it is reproduced from the handwritten original preserved in the Central Archives.
1. Gu Zhutong (1893–1987), zi Mosan, a native of Jiangsu, participated in the 1911
Revolution and taught in 1924-1925 at the Huangpu Military Academy, where he established a lasting relationship with Chiang Kaishek. He fought against the Communists in the
Fifth "Encirclement and Suppression" of 1933-1934. At this time, he was governor of
Jiangsu and commander of the Third War Zone, south of the Yangzi, with headquarters in
Suzhou. His forces posed the greatest threat to Xiang Ying and those elements of the New
Fourth Army south of the river.
2. Huang Shaoxiong is an alternate name for Huang Shaohong (1895-1966), a native of
Guangxi, who participated in the 1911 Revolution and subsequently graduated from the
Baoding Military Academy. A veteran military leader associated with the Guangxi faction,
he was at this time governor of Zhejiang and deputy commander of the Third War Zone.