4. The Red Army sent an open telegram on May 5,
1936 demanding that the Nanking government end the civil war, conduct peace
negotiations with the Communists for unity against Japan. The text reads as
follows:
To the Military Council
of the Nanking National Government; to all land, sea and air forces, to all
parties, all political groups; all public bodies, all newspapers; and to all
fellow-countrymen refusing to be slaves to a foreign nation.
After crossing the
Yellow River on its eastward expedition, the Anti-Japanese Vanguard of the
Chinese People's Red Army, organized by the Revolutionary Military Commission
of the Chinese Red Army, was everywhere victorious and won support from all
over the country. But when it occupied the Tatung-Puchow Railway and was
energetically preparing to drive eastward into Hopei to engage the Japanese
imperialists directly, Chiang Kai-shek sent more than ten divisions into Shansi
and co-operated with Yen Hsi-shan in barring its advance against the Japanese.
He also ordered the troops under Chang Hsueh-liang and Yang Hu-cheng, as well
as the troops in northern Shensi, to march on the Shensi-Kansu Red area to
harass our anti-Japanese rear In order to be able to reach and fight the
Japanese, the people's Anti-Japanese Vanguard should have concentrated its
entire strength and wiped out Chiang's troops blocking the way. But after much
deliberation, the Revolutionary Military Commission of the Red Army decided
that a battle to the finish between the two sides in the present national
crisis would only damage China's strength for national defence and delight the
Japanese imperialists, whichever side emerged victorious Furthermore, there are
quite a number of patriotic officers and men in Chiang Kai-shek's and Yen
Hsi-shan's armies who are willing to end the civil war and unite to resist
Japan, and it is really against their consciences to obey Chiang's and Yen's
orders and block the Red Army on its way to fight the Japanese. Therefore, in
spite of its numerous victories in Shansi, the Revolutionary Military
Commission of the Red Army has withdrawn the people's Anti-Japanese Vanguard to
the west of the Yellow River in order to preserve China's strength for national
defence and thereby help to bring nearer the war of resistance against Japan,
resolutely carry out our repeated declarations to the nation on ending the
civil war and uniting to resist Japan, and hasten the final awakening of Chiang
Kai-shek and the patriotic officers and men in his army. With this
demonstration of our good faith to the Nanking government, to all the country's
land, sea and air forces and to the whole nation, we are ready to arrange a
cease-fire with all the armed units attacking the and-Japanese Red Army within
one month and to enter into peace negotiations with them in order to end the
civil war and resist Japan. The Revolutionary Military Commission of the Red
Army hereby solemnly advises the gentlemen of the Nanking government at this
critical juncture, when our country and people are threatened with imminent
destruction, to make a determined effort to atone for past misdeeds and end the
civil war in the whole country, to join forces against attacks from-without in
the spirit of brothers quarreling at home, and first of all end the civil war
in Shensi, Kansu and Shansi, whereupon both sides should appoint delegates to
discuss specific measures for resisting Japan and saving the nation. This will
be a blessing to the nation and the country as well as for your own good.
However, if you obstinately refuse to listen to reason and prefer to be
traitors and collaborators, your rule will surely collapse in the end and you
will be spurned and overthrown by the whole nation. The old saying runs,
"A thousand pointing fingers accuse, and a man dies even without a
sickness." Or as another saying goes, "The butcher who lays down his
knife at once becomes a Buddha." These are words for you gentlemen to
digest and ponder. And the Revolutionary Military Commission of the Red Army
calls upon all organizations all parties and all people in the country, who
refuse to be slaves to a foreign nation, to support our proposal for a
cease-fire and peace negotiations, and for unity against Japan, to organize
committees for hastening the cessation of the civil war and to send
representatives to the front to stop the firing on both sides and to supervise
the full implementation of this proposal
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