Chapter 6 Interpretation of Independent Mountain Guerrilla Warfare

(September 12, 1937) Comrade Dehuai[1]: Zhendian [2] is known. A. It is agreed that you will come and go to Nanjing with your kindness. [3] B. In Shanxi, Hebei, and Beijing, they all focused on explaining the basic principle of our army's "independent mountain guerrilla warfare" and obtained their thorough understanding and consent. C. This principle includes: (1) Freedom to use force according to the circumstances.Now Jiang Dingwen[4] is still saying that Master Liu[5] should go to the front line as soon as possible.Their intentions may be that they do not understand that it is not convenient to conduct guerrilla warfare in a small area. If so, it can be seen that we have not thoroughly explained this principle to them; or they have malicious intentions, that is, they are trying to force the Red Army fight hard. (2) The Red Army has the freedom to mobilize the masses, create base areas, and organize volunteer troops, and local governments and neighboring friendly forces must not interfere.If this point is not clarified, endless entanglements will inevitably arise, and the great role of the Red Army will never be brought into play. (3) Nanjing only makes strategic regulations, and the Red Army has all the freedom to implement this strategy. (4) Adhere to the principles of relying on mountains and not fighting tough battles.Ding, before you returned to the army, I was in direct command and informed Zhu, Ren, Lin, and He[6].

Mao Zedong September 12 Printed from transcripts kept at the Central Archives. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] Dehuai, that is, Peng Dehuai, was the deputy commander-in-chief of the Eighth Route Army at that time. [2] Refers to the telegram from Peng Dehuai to Mao Zedong and Zhu De on September 11, 1937.In the telegram, he was asked whether he would still go to Nanjing with Zhou Enlai, so as to report the real situation ahead and strive for supplements, and he could also give some advice on the entire combat policy and the issue of mobilizing the people.

[3] Zhu De and Ren Bishi called Mao Zedong on September 12, 1937 and told Zhou Enlai and Peng Dehuai that they believed that the front line was currently tense and that Peng Dehuai could not go to Nanjing, and that it would be better to go again at an appropriate time in the future.Therefore, Peng Dehuai did not go to Nanjing this time.Zhou Enlai was also nervous due to the front-line war, so he was unable to make the trip this time. [4] Jiang Dingwen (1895-1974, native of Zhuji, Zhejiang Province. At that time, he was the director of the Xi'an Camp of the Kuomintang Government Military Committee

[5] Division Liu refers to the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army under the command of Liu Bocheng. [6] Zhu, refers to Zhu De.Ren refers to Ren Bishi, who was then the director of the Political Department of the Eighth Route Army.Lin refers to Lin Biao (1907-1971), a native of Huangzhou (now Huangzhou), Hubei, who was then the commander of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army.He, refers to He Long, who was then the commander of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army.