Comrades, this assembly meets as we enter upon the second state in our War of Resistance. It is, therefore, an especially significant session which lays heavy responsibilities upon us. As I have repeatedly pointed out, our war may be divided into two periods. During the first period, which ended with the fall of Canton and Wuhan, we tried to wear down the enemy’s strength and at the same time protect our rear so that solid foundations might be laid for the second period of protracted resistance. . . . We are fighting this war for our own national existence and for freedom to follow the course of national revolution laid down for us in the Three Principles of the People.