On the 23rd, Qu Shounian1 said in a communication to Mo Dehong: "For the
purpose of giving a send-off to the New Fourth Army from south of the River in its
move north of the Yellow River to fight in the War of Resistance and recover [lost]
territories, their route is hereby designated as the southern section of the [Bei]
Ping-Han [Kou] line, along a certain route on the northern bank of the Yangzi
River. In addition to reporting this to the Central Committee and the senior officers, please inform all the other commands as well. At the same time, it is essential
that all officers and soldiers deployed in southern Henan and eastern Hubei as well
as the popular masses in the various localities be notified also. These instructions
are to be followed in all cases." But while crossing the river the New Fourth Army
needs to remain on alert against the Guangxi Army to avoid being attacked. At the
same time it is crucial that Zhou and Ye be asked to make representations to Chiang
[Kaishek], and persuade him to order Li Pinxian not to make trouble in the areas of
Chao[xian], Wu[wei], He[xian], and Han[shan] for the New Fourth Army while it
moves northward.

Our source for this text is *Mao Zedong ji. Bujuan*, Vol 6, p. 237, where it is reproduced from
*Wannan shibian.*

1. Qu Shounian (1902-1957), a native of Guangdong, had participated in the Northern
Expedition and in the Nanchang Uprising. In 1931, he became a division commander in the
Nineteenth Route Army, to which he returned in 1936 after a period studying military
tactics in Germany. At this time, he was commander of the Forty-eighth Army of the Twenty-Fourth Army Group.