On this day, 89 years ago, on February 17, 1936 (January 25, 1936 in the lunar calendar), the Communist Party of China issued the "Declaration on the Eastern Expedition." On February 17, 1936, the Central Workers 'and Peasants' Democratic Government and the Military Commission of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army organized the Red Army vanguard to jointly issue the "Declaration on the Eastern Expedition", solemnly declaring that the Red Army "crossed the river and made the Eastern Expedition to achieve anti-Japanese resistance." Led by Commander-in-Chief Peng Dehuai, General Political Commissar Mao Zedong, and Chief of Staff Ye Jianying, more than 20,000 people from the First Red Army, Red 15th Army, and Red 28th Army, they crossed the Yellow River eastward on the 20th and entered the Shanxi Anti-Japanese Front. In late March, Chiang Kai-shek and Yan Xishan heavily intercepted the Red Army on the Eastern Expedition. On April 5, Mao Zedong and Zhu De, in their names as Chairman of the Workers 'and Peasants Democratic Government and Chairman of the Military Commission, issued the "Declaration to Oppose the traitors Chiang Kai-shek and Yan Xishan to Block the Anti-Japanese Vanguard Army of the People's Red Army of China from Crossing the Anti-Japanese Front East to Trouble the Anti-Japanese Rear," condemning Chiang and Yan for their crimes of undermining the Anti-Japanese War and calling for the formation of a broad Anti-Japanese National United Front. In order to preserve the anti-Japanese forces and promote the realization of the united front, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China decided that the Red Army would return to northern Shaanxi, from May 1 to 5. The Red Army successfully returned to the northern Shaanxi Revolutionary Base Area.