To He Long[1]

(August 22, 1943)

(1) Lü Zhengcao’s troops will cross the Tongpu Railway around the 25th in two columns, one to the north and one to the south. Lü Zhengcao and Nie Rongzhen are coming together; please make all preparations. (2) The southern front is quiet, and for the time being there will be no fighting. (3) In order to prepare for next year’s military operations and a possible drought (the Taihang area has suffered a very severe drought this year), grain supplies and finances in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia and Shanxi-Suiyuan border regions must be properly planned and prepared.

[1] This is the main content of Mao Zedong’s telegram to He Long.