In May 1935, after crossing the Jinsha River, the Central Red Army reached the Huili area in southern Sichuan. At this stage, the troops were exhausted from months of fighting and marching, and some commanders had even begun to doubt the strategy of mobile warfare adopted at the Zunyi Conference.

To restore unity, the Party's top decision-making body held an emergency meeting on May 12, 1935, in the village of Tiechang near Huili. The meeting decided to move north, force a crossing of the mighty Dadu River, and join the Fourth Front Army. The Huili meeting confirmed the decisions made at Zunyi, unified the army's strategic direction, and laid the groundwork for the eventual joining of the two main Red Army forces later in the Long March.