On March 18, 1947, as the troops were evacuating Yan’an, the enemy was drawing ever closer; within a dozen li, one could already hear the sounds of gunfire and artillery. The organs and the masses had already begun to withdraw in succession. Everyone urged the Chairman to leave without delay. But he said, “It’s all right; we’ve still got time. There’s plenty of room on the open road—each side can take half. They’ll go their way, and I’ll go to that hilltop over there. What’s there to fear? There’s nothing to be afraid of.”