Step Up Preparations To Smash Chiang Kai-shek’s Grave Offensive[1]

(November 1, 1940)

(A) Chiang Kai-shek has notified us that we should move all the New Fourth Army and Eighth Route Army units in central China and Shandong to northern China before November 20. Recently Chiang has again ordered Tang Enbo and Li Pinxian each to lead their troops to move immediately to Henan and Anhui, preparing to launch an offensive in central China upon the expiration of the deadline; offensive dispositions will inevitably also be made in southern Anhui and central Hubei. (B) You should immediately begin to step up military and political preparations in all respects, replenish troop strength, strictly carry out training and consolidation, collect supplies and materials, intensify the building and consolidation of base areas, strengthen united front work within friendly armies, conduct propaganda among the internal ranks and the populace in advance, and plan how to smash this grave offensive by Chiang Kai-shek. It is of the utmost importance to propagate among the internal ranks and the populace in advance how counter-communism is a crime.

--- Notes

[1] Mao Zedong, Zhu De, and Wang Jiaxiang sent a telegram to Liu Shaoqi, Ye Ting, Xiang Ying, Zhang Yunyi, Chen Yi, Huang Kecheng, Peng Xuefeng, and Li Xiannian, issuing instructions to step up preparations to smash Chiang Kai-shek’s grave offensive. This is the main content of that directive telegram.