Defend Rehe and Organize a Railway Destruction Headquarters[1]

(November 10, 1945)

Xiao and Luo:

The defense of Rehe depends primarily on you. Zhao Erlu[2] is to be returned to your command structure; urge him to travel day and night to reach Gubeikou for combat. To secure Gubeikou, you must order the forces currently concentrated in the Hebei-Chahar region to immediately dispatch a number of troops to rush to Gubeikou and coordinate operations with Liu Qiren[3] (4,000 men). Can Miyun be captured? Has the railway between Miyun and Beiping been destroyed? Mobilize all available forces to destroy that railway day and night; the more thorough, the better. Balancing public and private interests (ensuring the people benefit), digging up and wrecking the roadbed is the fundamental policy for railway destruction. Organize a Railway Destruction Headquarters to direct this effort. The faster and more extensive the destruction, the less likely the diehard troops will dare to launch a major offensive. In addition, order large-scale destruction of the Beiping–Liaoning Railway (top priority and most urgent) and the Tianjin–Pukou Railway in eastern Hebei and central Hebei, setting up Railway Destruction Headquarters in sections to specialize in railway destruction, thereby supporting our operations at Shanhaiguan (which have already lasted seven days). The Beiping–Hankou Railway should also be extensively destroyed in the same manner. Three divisions of the 16th Army are currently moving toward Beiping; pay close attention and make no mistake. Report promptly on how the above is to be carried out.

Military Commission

Xu-hai

[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, addressed to Xiao Ke, Commander of the Second Field Army of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, and Luo Ruiqing, its Political Commissar.

[2] Zhao Erlu was then serving as Commander of the Hebei-Shanxi Military Region.

[3] Liu Qiren was then serving as Deputy Political Commissar of the Bohai Military Region and was leading his troops toward the Northeast.