During the Enemy's Southward Advance, We Must Concentrate Our Forces to Fight Two or Three Victorious Battles[1]

(December 29, 1937)

Zhu, Peng, Ren, and inform Lin, Nie, He and Xiao, Liu and Xu, Hu and Yang[2]:

A. The enemy's southward advance will be divided into three routes. The right route will occupy the areas of Xiaoyi and Duijiu, threatening Pucheng. The left route will attack Qinxian. The central route will attack Linghuo. At the very least, the right and central routes will advance together; they will not take only the central route, which would place them under our pincer attack.

B. Deploy operations based on this assessment, and inform Yan and Wei[3] to make timely preparations. Local guerrilla units must also deploy accordingly.

C. During this enemy southward advance, our army must concentrate the necessary forces to fight two or three good, victorious battles under favorable conditions. Therefore, necessary operational preparations should be completed in a timely manner to avoid being caught unprepared when the moment comes. Awaiting your reply.

Mao

The 29th

[1] This is a telegram from Mao Zedong to Zhu De, Peng Dehuai, and Ren Bishi, Director of the Political Department of the Eighth Route Army.
[2] Lin refers to Lin Biao, then Commander of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army. Nie refers to Nie Rongzhen, then Commander and Political Commissar of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region of the Eighth Route Army. He and Xiao refer to He Long and Xiao Ke, then respectively Commander and Deputy Commander of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army. Liu and Xu refer to Liu Bocheng and Xu Xiangqian, then respectively Commander and Deputy Commander of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army. Hu and Yang refer to Hu Fu (Liu Shaoqi) and Yang Shangkun, then respectively Secretary and Deputy Secretary of the Northern Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.
[3] Yan and Wei refer to Yan Xishan and Wei Lihuang, then respectively Commander and Deputy Commander of the Second War Zone of the Nationalist Party.