Peng [Dehuai] and Zuo [Quan]:

As regards the problem of artillery troops, in order to save and train our artillery
troops, the artillery regiment of General Headquarters (leaving one unit at the
front), the mountain gun troops in Nie [Rongzhen]'s military region,¹ and He
[Long]'s division² should concentrate near Yan'an for training and set up an artillery headquarters under the direct command of the Military Commission. Otherwise, if the Japanese bandits' blockade lines become denser in the future, our
artillery regiments at the front may be unable to pass through. On the other hand,
until there is a complete split between the Guomindang and the Communists we
will be unable to fight our way out, and we probably cannot break through this
year.³ And when the artillery troops move westward, there will be no artillery
available for use in North China.