You Must Resolutely and Methodically Achieve
the Goal of Moving Northward

(December 26, 1940)

Xiang [Ying], Zhou [Zikun], and Yuan [Guoping]:

Your various telegrams have been received. In the face of difficulties you have sent
telegrams several times asking for directives, but a year ago the Central Committee already gave you the directive, which was to develop northward and behind
enemy lines, and you have been making excuses all along not to carry this out.
Recently it has been decided to move north altogether, and, as for how to make the
move northward and how to overcome the difficulties in the course of moving,
you must find a way yourselves, and you must be determined. Although now, on
the one hand, we have lodged a protest with the Guomindang and are requesting
that they extend the deadline and issue provisions and ammunition, you must not
harbor any illusions whatsoever toward the Guomindang and must not rely upon
the Guomindang to help you with anything at all. Anything in the way of help that
might be obtained should be regarded as unexpected. You must be determined and
resourceful in breaking through the darkest and most disadvantageous circumstances to reach the goal of moving northward. If you are so determined and resourceful, then despite suffering some losses the basic core may still be preserved
and the future for development remains bright. If, on the other hand, you waver
and hesitate, lacking both your own solutions and determination, then you will be
in great danger in the face of attacks from both the enemy and the diehards. Nowhere in the country is anyone as hesitant, wavering, unresourceful, and undetermined as you. If the Guomindang attacks you during your move, you have to be
prepared and determined to defend yourselves, which is a directive we gave you
long ago. We are unclear as to what sort of directives you want from us. Do you,
after all, have any directives of your own? Now you have raised the question whether
to delay or to leave. What is it that you yourselves think of this? Do you advocate
delay or leaving? You are doomed to suffer tremendous losses in the future if you
are so utterly lacking in definite opinions and in direction.

Our source for this telegram is *Mao Zedong junshi wenji*, Vol. 2, pp. 600-601, where it is
reproduced from Mao's handwritten manuscript, preserved in the Central Archives.