How does CCP Central Revolutionary Military Commission order and spokesman's statement (January 1941, in Selected Works of Mao Zedong, vol. 2); People's Daily Online characterize The South Anhui Incident (New Fourth Army Incident)?

The CCP characterised the event as an "anti-Communist incident in southern Anhui" engineered by "pro-Japanese elements", "long in the brewing" and "only the beginning of a sudden nationwide crisis"; the New Fourth Army, "moving north under orders, was suddenly attacked in a pro-Japanese plot". The Military Commission's spokesman demanded that the "reactionary order of January 17" be rescinded, that "He Yingqin, Gu Zhutong and Shangguan Yunxiang, the chief culprits", be punished and that Ye Ting be freed. Today's official accounts keep this characterisation, describing the incident as the point at which "the second anti-Communist upsurge launched by the Kuomintang reached its peak".

How does Chiang Kai-shek, speech of 27 January 1941 (Collected Thoughts and Speeches of President Chiang) characterize The South Anhui Incident (New Fourth Army Incident)?

The Nationalist government called it the "New Fourth Army Incident" and treated it as a matter of military discipline. Chiang said it was "entirely a matter of tightening military discipline; its nature is clear, the issue simple, the event quite ordinary". Repeatedly ordered north, the New Fourth Army "stayed where it was", and after the deadline "chose to move south on its own", "attacking the 40th Division and Shangguan Yunxiang's headquarters — an act of mutiny", so it was disbanded. China at war, he insisted, had "only questions of enforcing discipline and obeying military orders — there is absolutely no split, still less any civil strife".

How does Gregor Benton, Journal of Asian Studies (1986) characterize The South Anhui Incident (New Fourth Army Incident)?

Benton argues that the Guomindang and the Communist centre in Yan'an both wanted Xiang Ying in the north, each for its own reasons. Loath to give up his independent base in south Anhui, Xiang put off leaving until the last moment; he also favoured closer cooperation with the Guomindang than Communists elsewhere, which ironically brought him into conflict with Chiang. Loyalist New Fourth Army units that had gone north routed Guomindang armies there, and partly in retaliation Chiang suppressed Xiang as a "mutineer". Yan'an later blamed Xiang for hesitating to expand northward and for walking into a trap, but, Benton writes, "Yan'an bore some responsibility, never acknowledged, for choosing Xiang's route to disaster".

How does Ye Ting's writings in captivity (as quoted by People's Daily Online) characterize The South Anhui Incident (New Fourth Army Incident)?

Detained, the New Fourth Army commander Ye Ting cabled Chiang Kai-shek that he was "willing to give my life to redeem those of my men", and that "I will not cling to life in dishonour and stain my past; I would rather keep my integrity and go to hell". His "Prison Song", written in captivity, begins: "The door for people to pass through is locked tight; the hole for dogs to crawl out of stands open; a voice cries out: 'Crawl out, and you shall have your freedom!'"

1941-01-06

The South Anhui Incident (New Fourth Army Incident)

The South Anhui Incident (called the "New Fourth Army Incident" by the Nationalist government) was an armed clash between the Nationalists and Communists during the war against Japan. In January 1941 more than 9,000 men of the New Fourth Army headquarters and its units, moving north under orders, were surrounded and attacked around Maolin in Jing County, Anhui, by seven Nationalist divisions of about 80,000 men. By 14 January most had been killed, captured or scattered, apart from more than 2,000 who broke out; commander Ye Ting was detained and deputy commander Xiang Ying was later murdered by a member of his entourage. On 17 January the Nationalist Military Affairs Commission declared the army "mutinous" and abolished its designation, and Chiang Kai-shek called the affair purely a matter of "military discipline"; the CCP called it an anti-Communist incident engineered by "pro-Japanese elements", named Chen Yi acting commander on 20 January and rebuilt the headquarters in Yancheng. Ye Ting was released in 1946 and died in a plane crash soon after.

Background: The Dispute over Moving North

In the second half of 1940, military friction between the Nationalists and Communists intensified in central and northern China. On 19 October, He Yingqin and Bai Chongxi, Chief and Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Nationalist government's Military Affairs Commission, cabled Zhu De and Peng Dehuai of the 18th Group Army and Ye Ting and Xiang Ying of the New Fourth Army (the "Hao telegram"), demanding that all Eighth Route Army and New Fourth Army units south of the Yellow River move north of it within a month. On 9 November the CCP Central Committee replied in the names of Zhu, Peng, Ye and Xiang (the "Jia telegram"), rebutting the accusations but agreeing to move the New Fourth Army units south of the Yangtze to its northern bank. Chiang Kai-shek then issued a handwritten order setting deadlines: the New Fourth Army south of the Yangtze was to cross to the north bank by 31 December 1940, and Eighth Route Army and New Fourth Army units south of the Yellow River were to move north of it by 30 January 1941. According to Jiang Jie, Mao Zedong cabled Peng Dehuai around this time, proposing to use the momentum of the Hundred Regiments Offensive against the Nationalists' anti-Communist moves.

The Fighting at Maolin

On 4 January 1941, Ye Ting and Xiang Ying led the New Fourth Army headquarters and its units, more than 9,000 people, out of Yunling in Jing County, Anhui, where the headquarters was based. Around Maolin the column was surrounded and attacked by seven divisions, about 80,000 men, under Gu Zhutong, commander of the Nationalist Third War Zone, and Shangguan Yunxiang, commander of the 32nd Group Army. The fighting lasted from 6 to 14 January. During it Xiang Ying and others left the column for a time, and the CCP Central Committee cabled that the force was to be under Ye Ting's unified command. Ye Ting was detained when he went down to negotiate with the Nationalist forces.

Apart from more than 2,000 who broke out in separate groups, most of the rest were killed, captured or scattered; accounts of the number who escaped vary, and People's Daily Online gives "more than 3,000" breaking out under Fu Qiutao and others. Yuan Guoping, director of the political department, died in the incident; Xiang Ying and Deputy Chief of Staff Zhou Zikun, who had escaped and were hiding in the mountains, were murdered by a member of their own entourage in March.

Two Versions of Events

On 17 January the Nationalist Military Affairs Commission issued an order declaring that the New Fourth Army had "mutinied", abolishing its designation, and dismissing Ye Ting and handing him over "for court-martial". On 27 January Chiang Kai-shek told the Sun Yat-sen memorial meeting of the Nationalist government that the affair was "entirely a matter of tightening military discipline", with "not the slightest political or partisan character mixed into it". Since November 1940, he said, the New Fourth Army had repeatedly been ordered north but "stayed where it was", then after the deadline "chose to move south on its own" and attacked the 40th Division and Shangguan Yunxiang's headquarters.

The Communists described it as an anti-Communist incident engineered by "pro-Japanese elements". On 18 January the Chongqing Xinhua Daily, having set a separate layout for the censors, printed overnight an edition carrying Zhou Enlai's inscription: "A wrong unheard of through the ages — a single leaf south of the river. Brothers taking up arms against each other — why such haste to destroy one another?!" On 20 January the CCP Central Revolutionary Military Commission issued an order appointing Chen Yi acting commander of the New Fourth Army and Liu Shaoqi its political commissar. A statement by the commission's spokesman then set out twelve demands, including rescinding the order of 17 January, punishing He Yingqin, Gu Zhutong and Shangguan Yunxiang, freeing Ye Ting, and returning all the men and weapons of the New Fourth Army in southern Anhui.

Rebuilding the Headquarters

On 25 January a new New Fourth Army headquarters was established in Yancheng, Jiangsu. After about two months of reorganisation, the army was formed into seven divisions and an independent brigade, more than 90,000 men in all, and continued to fight on both sides of the Yangtze.

Ye Ting's Fate

After his detention Ye Ting was held successively in Shangrao (Jiangxi), Chongqing, Enshi (Hubei) and Guilin (Guangxi). According to People's Daily Online, the Nationalist authorities offered him senior posts if he would issue a statement blaming the Communists for the incident, which he refused. In March 1946, after Communist negotiations, he was released and immediately cabled the CCP Central Committee asking to be readmitted to the Party, which was approved. On 8 April he was flying from Chongqing to Yan'an with Wang Ruofei, Qin Bangxian, Deng Fa and others when the plane crashed at Heichashan in Xing County, Shanxi, killing him and his fellow passengers.

Narrative Comparison

Source	Narrative
CCP Central Revolutionary Military Commission order and spokesman's statement (January 1941, in Selected Works of Mao Zedong, vol. 2); People's Daily Online	The CCP characterised the event as an "anti-Communist incident in southern Anhui" engineered by "pro-Japanese elements", "long in the brewing" and "only the beginning of a sudden nationwide crisis"; the New Fourth Army, "moving north under orders, was suddenly attacked in a pro-Japanese plot". The Military Commission's spokesman demanded that the "reactionary order of January 17" be rescinded, that "He Yingqin, Gu Zhutong and Shangguan Yunxiang, the chief culprits", be punished and that Ye Ting be freed. Today's official accounts keep this characterisation, describing the incident as the point at which "the second anti-Communist upsurge launched by the Kuomintang reached its peak".
Chiang Kai-shek, speech of 27 January 1941 (Collected Thoughts and Speeches of President Chiang)	The Nationalist government called it the "New Fourth Army Incident" and treated it as a matter of military discipline. Chiang said it was "entirely a matter of tightening military discipline; its nature is clear, the issue simple, the event quite ordinary". Repeatedly ordered north, the New Fourth Army "stayed where it was", and after the deadline "chose to move south on its own", "attacking the 40th Division and Shangguan Yunxiang's headquarters — an act of mutiny", so it was disbanded. China at war, he insisted, had "only questions of enforcing discipline and obeying military orders — there is absolutely no split, still less any civil strife".
Gregor Benton, Journal of Asian Studies (1986)	Benton argues that the Guomindang and the Communist centre in Yan'an both wanted Xiang Ying in the north, each for its own reasons. Loath to give up his independent base in south Anhui, Xiang put off leaving until the last moment; he also favoured closer cooperation with the Guomindang than Communists elsewhere, which ironically brought him into conflict with Chiang. Loyalist New Fourth Army units that had gone north routed Guomindang armies there, and partly in retaliation Chiang suppressed Xiang as a "mutineer". Yan'an later blamed Xiang for hesitating to expand northward and for walking into a trap, but, Benton writes, "Yan'an bore some responsibility, never acknowledged, for choosing Xiang's route to disaster".
Ye Ting's writings in captivity (as quoted by People's Daily Online)	Detained, the New Fourth Army commander Ye Ting cabled Chiang Kai-shek that he was "willing to give my life to redeem those of my men", and that "I will not cling to life in dishonour and stain my past; I would rather keep my integrity and go to hell". His "Prison Song", written in captivity, begins: "The door for people to pass through is locked tight; the hole for dogs to crawl out of stands open; a voice cries out: 'Crawl out, and you shall have your freedom!'"

Key Milestones

1940-10-19
He Yingqin and Bai Chongxi send the "Hao telegram"
It demands that Eighth Route Army and New Fourth Army units south of the Yellow River move north of it within a month.
1940-11-09
The CCP replies with the "Jia telegram"
The CCP Central Committee replies in the names of Zhu De, Peng Dehuai, Ye Ting and Xiang Ying, agreeing to move the New Fourth Army south of the Yangtze to its northern bank.
1941-01-04
New Fourth Army headquarters leaves Yunling
Ye Ting and Xiang Ying lead more than 9,000 men of the headquarters and its units out of Yunling, Jing County.
1941-01-06
Column surrounded and attacked around Maolin
The column is surrounded and attacked around Maolin by seven Nationalist divisions, about 80,000 men.
1941-01-14
Fighting ends; Ye Ting detained
Apart from more than 2,000 who break out, most of the encircled force is killed, captured or scattered; Ye Ting is detained when he goes to negotiate.
1941-01-17
Military Affairs Commission declares the army "mutinous"
The Nationalist Military Affairs Commission abolishes the New Fourth Army's designation and orders Ye Ting "court-martialled".
1941-01-18
Xinhua Daily prints Zhou Enlai's inscription
The Chongqing Xinhua Daily prints "A wrong unheard of through the ages — a single leaf south of the river…"
1941-01-20
CCP Military Commission appoints Chen Yi acting commander
The CCP Central Revolutionary Military Commission appoints Chen Yi acting commander and Liu Shaoqi political commissar of the New Fourth Army.
1941-01-25
New headquarters established in Yancheng
A new New Fourth Army headquarters is proclaimed in Yancheng, Jiangsu.
1941-01-27
Chiang calls it a matter of military discipline
Speaking at the Nationalist government's Sun Yat-sen memorial meeting, Chiang says handling the New Fourth Army is "entirely a matter of tightening military discipline".
1946-04-08
Ye Ting killed in plane crash
A month after his release, Ye Ting dies with Wang Ruofei, Qin Bangxian, Deng Fa and others when their plane from Chongqing to Yan'an crashes at Heichashan, Shanxi.

Last verified: 2026-10-19