Mobilize All Forces to Carry Out the Work of
Gaining the Support of Friendly Armies

(November 4, 1940)

Ye [Ting], Xiang [Ying], Hu Fu, [Zhang] Yunyi, Chen Yi, [Huang] Kecheng,
[Peng] Xuefeng, and [Li] Xiannian:

1. Based on the experiences of the campaign against friction in North China
(while the three divisions under Zhu Huaibing were fighting the Eighth Route
Army, thanks to our united front work at the front, one of the divisions remained
neutral), in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region (while the security forces
were at war with us, because of our communication work, the Third Preliminary
Division looked on and did not make any movements at all), and in Huangqiao in
northern Jiangsu (as a result of Chen Yi's united front work, the two Lis¹ and
Chen Taiyun² remained absolutely neutral), in the armed struggle against friction
it is not only of great significance but also very possible to intensify the work of
trying to win the sympathy of the friendly armies toward us or trying to make them
remain absolutely neutral.
2. Under the present situation in Central China, on the one hand, the troops of
the Guomindang have an advantage in numbers over us and, on the other hand,
there are many local and miscellaneous troops from all kinds of factions gathered
there. If, as a result of our efforts to win over friendly armies, not only many
miscellaneous troops remain neutral or take actual sympathetic actions toward us,
but within Tang Enbo's and Li Pinxian's troops an anti-civil war movement show-

Our source for this document is Mao Zedong wenji, Vol. 2, pp. 306-9, where it is reproduced from a copy in the Central Archives. The same text appears in Mao Zedong junshi
wenji, Vol. 2, pp. 572-75.
1. The reference is to Li Mingyang and Li Changjiang, who were, respectively, commander and deputy commander of the Guomindang guerrilla forces in the area in question.
Nominally subordinate to Han Deqin, they were very much out for themselves. Regarding
Li Mingyang, see the relevant note to the text of January 28, 1940. Li Changjiang (18901956) was a native of Jiangsu, who had been engaged in fighting the Japanese together with
Li Mingyang since 1937.
2. Chen Taiyun (1898-1951), a native of Guizhou Province, graduated in the first class
from the Huangpu Academy. At this time, he was commander of the Guomindang's Tax and
Garrison Regiment in Jiangsu.

ing sympathy for us occurs while Tang's and Li's troops attack us, this will not
only be of great importance and contribute to our counterfriction armed struggle
in Central China, but will at the same time impose a heavy blow upon the anti-Communist conspiracy in the whole nation. Therefore, it is one of your most central tasks today to start mobilizing immediately every possible force in the Party,
the administration, the military, and the people to conduct the work of winning
over friendly armies.
3. Select and send at once capable representatives with Mao's and Zhu's (Zhou
[Enlai]'s and Peng [Dehuai]'s names can be used in some cases as well) sincere
letters, together with your own letters making contact, to the various friendly
armies around you to make friends. In places where it is inconvenient for us to
send representatives directly, local gentry, celebrities, scholars, and all those
who have relations with the friendly armies as relatives, fellow villagers, classmates, or fellow clansmen may be asked to facilitate communications on our
behalf, explaining to the friendly armies in detail what exactly happened in the
Northern Jiangsu Incident, the difficulties and reasons why the New Fourth Army
and the Eighth Route Army are unable to march to the north of the old Yellow
River, explaining to them sincerely the necessity of uniting to resist the foreign
invaders when the big enemy is in front of us, as well as the danger of our nation's
extinction as a result of disintegration and civil war, and asking them not to
participate in the anti-Communist war, or to fire shots into the air if they have to
follow orders. At the same time, with regard to the various friendly armies, apart
from publicizing the great truth of resistance and unity, it is necessary to emphasize issues of direct relevance to their own interests. For instance, with regard to
the Sichuan army, the friendship between the Eighth Route Army, the New Fourth
Army, and the Sichuan army must be emphasized, along with Chiang Kaishek's
conspiracy to invade and occupy Sichuan and destroy the Sichuan army. With
regard to the Northeast Army, what is to be emphasized is the traditional friendly
relations between the Eighth Route Army and the Northeast Army, our sympathy
for the present plight of Zhang Hanqing³ and the Northeast Army, and our indignation toward a certain party which used recognition of the puppet régime in
Manchuria as the first condition of surrender. With regard to Feng Zhi'an, Sun
Lianzhong, and others, to be stressed is the necessity of a united resistance war,
the necessity of sharing with us both the difficulties and the benefits, and so on.
In sum, making the local and miscellaneous troops calculate their own interests,
learn how to avoid being taken in by Chiang, and avoid engaging in a confrontation with us. With regard to Li Pinxian and his forces, it is also necessary

3. Hanqing was the zi of Zhang Xueliang.
4. Feng Zhi'an (1896-1954) was the commander of the Guomindang Thirty-third Group
Army. Sun Lianzhong (1893-1990) was the deputy commander of the Fifth War Zone, and
commander of the Second Group Army.