Chapter 74 Letter to Chiang Kai-shek and the Northwest Generals of the National Revolutionary Army

(October 26, 1936) Commander Jiang, Deputy Commander Zhang, Director Yan, Chairman Fu, Director Yang, Director Zhu, Chairman Yu, Chairman Ma Ningxia, Chairman Ma Qinghai, Commander Chen, Commander Wang Zhiping, Commander Hu, Commander Mao, Commander Wang Dingfang, Commander Dong , Commander He, Commander Sun, Commander Feng, Commander Tang, Commander Xiao, Commander Gao Pei, Commander Gao Shuangcheng, Commander Deng[1], and Commander Gongjian of the Northwest Divisions and Brigades of the National Revolutionary Army: It has been more than a year since our Soviet Red Army issued a manifesto in August last year, proposing the establishment of an anti-Japanese united front.Over the past year, the Japanese invaders have intensified their aggression, and the country's territory has been shrinking day by day, and its power has been declining day by day.Now the fierce flames of the Japanese invaders are intensifying.The separation of North China and the fall of Suining[2] are imminent.Even the coast of the Yangtze River is full of ships, ready to move.The conditions for the subjugation of the country and the extinction of the species were raised one after another.The fate of subjugated slaves threatens the entire Chinese people.Peace has long been hopeless, and sacrifice is inevitable.At this point in the situation, the non-war of resistance is not enough to survive, which has been shared by the entire Chinese people.What the entire Chinese people look up to your party and government today is to lead the war of resistance and drive out the Japanese aggressors.But until today, we have not heard that your party government has made the final decision. Instead, we have seen Commander-in-Chief Jiang visit the Northwest to supervise the "suppression" of the Red Army.This cannot but disappoint the people of the whole country, and cannot but please the Japanese invaders.

To this day, does your government still want to blame the Soviets and the Red Army for disrupting the Anti-Japanese War? Mr. Zhu is in the Northwest, so he should know the truth.Since the Red Army marched north last year, it immediately proposed an armistice to the surrounding armies to resist Japan.This spring, I took advantage of the road to pass through Jin, and repeatedly declared that I was going east to resist Japan, but I was not forgiven by Mr. Jiang and Yan, so I had to turn back halfway and find another way.Now the three front armies, the main force of the national Red Army, have gathered in the northwest, and they are planning to go to the front line of national defense with Mr. Zhu's troops to join forces in the war of resistance.It was Mr. Jiang who suddenly sent Suiyuan to Gansu to attack the Red Army instead of deploying more troops to reinforce Suiyuan when Suidong was in an emergency and disaster was imminent.Who is here to disrupt the anti-Japanese rear area? Could it be that China can perish, and the Japanese invaders can let them drive straight in, but the Red Army who is willing to resist Japan must be wiped out? I am afraid that the Red Army is not destroyed, but the Japanese invaders have arrived. The gentlemen will continue the civil war, and the whole of China will be destroyed. The people, Mr. Zhu's subordinates, will never let Mr. Zhu kill each other again!

Although Mr. Jiang was aggressive and threatened to gather and annihilate the Red Army, we believe that the country is in danger and there should be no more disputes over Osmanthus beans.Therefore, the Soviet Egyptian People's Red Army Military Committee issued an order, saying: "(1) All Red Army units stop any attack actions against the National Revolutionary Army; (2) Only when attacked, they are allowed to take necessary self-defense measures; (3) The personnel and weapons captured by the National Revolutionary Army because of its attack on us shall be returned when the army is resisting Japan, and they are willing to be the Red Army; (4) When the National Revolutionary Army moves to the anti-Japanese position, stop any obstructive actions , and all possible help must be given.” According to this order, the various frontline units of the Red Army have not fought fiercely against Mr. Zhu’s troops, and have gradually retreated in order to hope that Mr. Zhu will realize himself.But if Mr. Zhu thinks this is a show of cowardice by the Red Army, then it is a big mistake.During the ten years of confrontation, the morale and combat effectiveness of the Red Army who fought for the nation, for freedom, and for justice, many of you have learned from them.Now the elites from all over the country are gathered in one place to fight against Mr. Zhu's troops who came from unknown divisions and are full of truce anti-Japanese sentiments inside. Mr. Zhu also knows the number of victories and losses.

We dare to tell Mr. Zhu with the frankness and enthusiasm of the soldiers: the Chinese nation has reached the most critical time, "Under the nest, there will be eggs." We deeply hope that Mr. Zhu will rein in the precipice, stop attacking the Red Army immediately, and join hands with the Red Army to go to national defense On the front line, work hard to kill thieves, defend the country, expel the Japanese invaders, and regain lost ground.We are now responsible for the declaration on behalf of the entire Chinese Red Army: As long as your party government is determined to resist the war, the Red Army is willing to be a pioneer and vows to cooperate with you to the end.On the anti-Japanese front, the Red Army is willing to serve as a certain front to ensure the completion of certain tasks; in terms of combat command, the Red Army is willing to obey the unified military command of the whole country.Without the consent of the anti-Japanese allies, the Red Army will never enter the defense lines of the anti-Japanese allies.

The national crisis has reached its last moment.Whether it is a civil war or a war of resistance, the key to the decision is in the hands of Mr. Zhu.The whole Chinese people hope that Mr. Zhu is a national hero who rose up to fight the war, and he does not want Mr. Zhu to continue the civil war and become a national sinner.In particular, I hope that Mr. Jiang will resolutely stop the final civil war against the Red Army, lead the armed forces of the whole of China to carry out the war of resistance, revive the revolutionary spirit of Whampoa, and restore the courage of the anti-imperialist struggle when the KMT and the Communist Party cooperated.It is the great fortune of the Chinese nation that the Anti-Japanese War was launched early.That is, if you are not accepted by the gentlemen, we will go to it with thousands of twists and turns, and we will never give up until we reach the goal! We sincerely hope that the gentlemen will give us a satisfactory answer.Whether Mr. Zhu sends representatives in, or wants us to send representatives out, or negotiates on the front line, we are willing to accept.As long as the civil war ceases and cooperation is opened, all negotiations will be resolved under the highest principles of the War of Resistance.

We firmly believe that together with the Suidong Anti-Japanese War, hundreds of thousands of athletes in the Northwest will eventually unite hand in hand to fight to defend the Northwest, to defend North China, to defend the whole of China, and to regain the lost territory in the Northeast.Salute to the National Revolution! Mao Zedong Zhu De Zhang Guotao Zhou Enlai Peng Dehuai Lin Biao He Long Ren Bishi Xu Xiangqian Chen Changhao Wang Jiaqiang [3] Liu Bocheng Ye Jianying Xu Haidong Xiao Ke Luo Binghui Dong Zhentang Yang Shangkun Guan Xiangying Zuoquan Nie Rongzhen Cheng Zihua Zhang Yunyi Luo Ruiqing

Chen Bojun Wang Zhen Zhang Ziyi Chen Zaidao Wang Hongkun Huang Chao Sun Yuqing Chen Haisong Cheng Shicai Li Xiannian Zhou Chunquan Zhou Zikun Li Zhuoran He Wei Wang Weizhou Yan Hongyan Chen Xianrui Zhou Kun Yuan Guoping Song Shilun Song Renqiong Zhu Rui et al. October 26 Printed from mimeographs preserved in the Central Archives. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] Here in turn refers to Chiang Kai-shek, Zhang Xueliang, Yan Xishan, Fu Zuoyi, Yang Hucheng, Zhu Shaoliang, Yu Xuezhong, Ma Hongkui, Ma Bufang, Chen Cheng, Wang Jun, Hu Zongnan, Mao Bingwen, Wang Yizhe, Dong Yingbin, He Zhuguo, Sun Weiru, Feng Qinzai, Tang Enbo, Xiao Zhi Chu, Gao Guizi, Gao Shuangcheng, Deng Baoshan.

[2] Suining refers to Suiyuan and Ningxia.Suiyuan, see note [16] on page 371 of this volume. [3] Wang Jiaqiang, that is, Wang Jiaxiang.