Although Chiang intended to ignore Mao's message and continue the civil war, he was arrested by one of his own generals, Zhang Xueliang, in Xi'an, leading to the Xi'an Incident; Zhang forced Chiang to discuss the issue with the Communists, resulting in the formation of a United Front with concessions on both sides on December 25, 1937.
Selvom Chiang havde til hensigt at ignorere Maos besked og fortsætte borgerkrigen, så blev han arresteret af en af sine egne generaler, Zhang Xueliang, i Xi'an, hvilket ledte til Xi'an-episoden; Zhang tvang Chiang til at diskutere problemet med kommunisterne, hvilket resulterede i dannelsen af en Forenet Front med indrømmelser fra begge side den 25. december 1937.