Northeast Shensi, March 7 (Xinhua News Agency) — A spokesman for the General Headquarters of the People’s Liberation Army, commenting on the recent major victory won by the Northwest People’s Liberation Army, stated: This victory has changed the situation in the Northwest and will affect the situation in the Central Plains. This victory proves that the People’s Liberation Army, through the new-type ideological education movement in the army conducted by the methods of “pouring out grievances” and of the “three check-ups,” will make itself invincible throughout the world.

The spokesman said: Recently the Northwest People’s Liberation Army suddenly encircled a brigade of the enemy forces at Ichuan. Hu Tsung-nan ordered Liu Kan, Commander of the enemy’s 29th Army, to lead four brigades of two reorganized divisions—namely, the 31st and 47th Brigades of the Reorganized 27th Division and the 53rd and 61st Brigades of the Reorganized 90th Division—totaling over 24,000 men, to rush from the Lochuan-Ichun line to the rescue of Ichuan. On February 28 they arrived in the area southwest of Ichuan. The Northwest People’s Liberation Army launched an annihilation campaign, and after thirty hours of fighting from February 29 to March 1, completely wiped out these reinforcements, letting none escape. In all, more than 18,000 were captured alive and over 5,000 killed or wounded. Liu Kan himself and Yen Ming, Commander of the Reorganized 90th Division, were also killed. Then on March 3, Ichuan was captured and another 5,000 men of the defending enemy’s 24th Brigade of the Reorganized 76th Division were wiped out. In this campaign, a total of one army headquarters, two division headquarters and five brigades were annihilated. This is the first great victory.

Analyzing the situation on the Northwest battlefield, the spokesman said: Of the 28 brigades of the so-called “Central Army” directly commanded by Hu Tsung-nan, 8 brigades belong to three crack divisions, namely, the Reorganized 1st Division, the Reorganized 36th Division and the Reorganized 90th Division. The 1st Brigade of the Reorganized 1st Division was once wiped out by us in September 1946 at Fushan in southern Shansi; the main force of its 167th Brigade was once wiped out by us in May 1947 at Panlungchen in northern Shensi; the 123rd and 165th Brigades of the Reorganized 36th Division were once wiped out by us in August 1947 at Shachiatsun in Mihil County, northern Shensi; and this time the Reorganized 90th Division has been completely wiped out. The only remaining main forces of Hu Tsung-nan’s army are the 78th Brigade of the Reorganized 1st Division and the 28th Brigade of the Reorganized 36th Division, which have not yet been annihilated. It can be said that Hu Tsung-nan’s army has practically no more crack units to speak of. After this annihilation campaign at Ichuan, of the 28 brigades of regular troops which Hu Tsung-nan formerly commanded directly, only 23 brigades are left. These 23 brigades are distributed in the following areas: one brigade at Linfen in southern Shansi, already a dead chess piece; nine brigades along the Honan-Shensi border, on the line from Loyang to Tungkuan, namely, three brigades of the Reorganized 1st Division, three brigades of the Reorganized 36th Division, and three brigades of the Reorganized 65th Division—these are used to cope with our field army; one brigade in southern Shensi, garrisoning the Hanchung area; and twelve brigades distributed along the “T”-shaped communication lines from Tungkuan to Paoki and from Hsienyang to Yenan. Of these twelve brigades, three are “rear-service brigades”—the 84th Brigade of the Reorganized 17th Division and the 17th Brigade of the Reorganized 38th Division—all composed of new recruits; two brigades have been newly replenished after being completely wiped out by our army, namely, the New 1st Brigade of the Reorganized 76th Division and the 135th Brigade of the Reorganized 15th Division; two brigades have been dealt crushing blows by our army; and five brigades have suffered relatively little from our attacks, namely, the Provisional 2nd Brigade, the 83rd Brigade, the 12th and 48th Brigades of the Reorganized 17th Division, and the 27th Brigade of the Reorganized 30th Division. It can be imagined that these units are not only very weak but are also for the most part assigned to garrison duties. Besides Hu Tsung-nan’s troops, there are two brigades under Teng Pao-shan defending Yulin, and nine brigades under Ma Hung-kuei of Ningsia and Ma Pu-fang of Chinghai distributed in the Santien and Lungtung areas. The total number of regular troops under Hu, Teng and the two Mas, including those units which have been wiped out once or twice and then replenished, is at present 34 brigades.

The above describes the disposition of the enemy forces in the Northwest. Now, as for the five brigades along the so-called “T”-shaped communication lines which have suffered relatively little from our attacks, the 12th and 48th Brigades of the Reorganized 17th Division are trapped in Yenan, while the four brigades in the greater Kuanchung area are the Provisional 2nd Brigade, the 83rd Brigade and the 27th Brigade. The rest are mostly newly replenished units, and a few are units which have been dealt crushing blows. This means that the enemy forces in the greater Kuanchung area, and especially in Kansu Province, are extremely weak and cannot stem the offensive of the People’s Liberation Army. This situation is bound to affect part of the dispositions of the Chiang bandit gang on the southern front, and first of all its dispositions along the Honan-Shensi border for coping with our field army. In this southward offensive, the Northwest People’s Liberation Army has won victory at the first stroke, gained great prestige and changed the relative strength of the enemy and ourselves in the Northwest. Henceforth it will be able to co-ordinate its operations with the People’s Liberation Armies on the southern fronts still more effectively than in the past.

The spokesman said: Beginning last autumn, our three field armies under Liu Po-cheng and Teng Hsiao-ping, under Chen Yi and Su Yu, and under Chen Keng and Hsieh Fu-chih crossed the Yellow River and drove southward, sweeping through the vast region between the Yangtse, Huai, Yellow and Han Rivers, wiping out large numbers of enemy troops, maneuvering and drawing towards themselves about 90 of the 160 odd brigades of Chiang Kai-shek’s total forces on the southern front, forcing Chiang Kai-shek into a passive position, playing a decisive strategic role and winning the acclaim of the whole nation. Our field armies in the Northeast, Northwest, Shansi-Chahar-Hopei, Shansi-Hopei-Shantung-Honan and other areas all fought courageously last year, wiped out large numbers of enemy troops and, having completed their winter training and consolidation, will soon launch their spring offensives. Viewing the situation as a whole, one truth is brought home to us: So long as we resolutely oppose conservatism, oppose fear of the enemy and oppose fear of difficulties, and follow the general strategic policy of Chairman Mao Tse-tung and the instructions of his ten major principles of operation, we can unfold an offensive, wipe out large numbers of enemy troops and batter the Chiang Kai-shek bandit gang to such an extent that it can only parry our blows for a time without being able to hit back, or cannot even parry them and can only be wiped out by us one by one.

The spokesman emphatically pointed out: The combat effectiveness of the Northwest Field Army has risen to an unprecedented degree as compared with last year. In last year’s operations, the Northwest Field Army could wipe out at most two enemy brigades at a time, but in the present Ichuan campaign it has been able to wipe out five enemy brigades at a time. There are many reasons for this outstanding victory. Worthy of mention are the resolute and flexible command of the leading comrades at the front, the diligent assistance of the leading comrades in the rear and the broad masses of the people, the relative isolation of the enemy troops, the favorable terrain, etc. But most noteworthy is the fact that during the past two and a half months of winter, a new-type ideological education movement in the army was carried out by the methods of “pouring out grievances” and of the “three check-ups.” The correct unfolding of the movement for pouring out grievances (the grievances of the working people against the old society and the reactionaries) and for the three check-ups (on class origin, performance of duty and will to fight) greatly heightened the consciousness of all commanders and fighters in the army in fighting for the emancipation of the exploited working masses, for land reform throughout the country and for the destruction of the common enemy of the people, the Chiang Kai-shek bandit gang. It also greatly strengthened the firm unity of all commanders and fighters under the leadership of the Communist Party. On this basis, the army achieved greater purity, and democracy was developed in the three fields of political, economic and military affairs. Thus the army has become united as one man, with everybody contributing his ideas and his strength, fearless of sacrifice and material difficulties, displaying mass heroism and daring, and fighting courageously against the enemy. Such an army will be invincible throughout the world.

The spokesman said: This new-type ideological education movement in the army has been carried out not only in the Northwest but also throughout the People’s Liberation Army in the whole country, or is now being carried out. This movement is conducted in the intervals between battles and does not hinder fighting. This movement is co-ordinated with the Party consolidation movement and the land reform movement which our Party is correctly carrying out, with our Party’s correct policy of narrowing the target of attack to oppose only imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat-capitalism, of strictly forbidding beating and killing without discrimination (the fewer killings, the better), and of firmly uniting the masses of the people constituting over 90 per cent of the country’s population, and with our Party’s correct urban policy of firmly protecting and developing the national industry and commerce. Thus it will inevitably make the might of the People’s Liberation Army invincible throughout the world. No matter how desperately the Chiang Kai-shek bandit gang and its master, U.S. imperialism, may struggle in the face of the great struggle of the Chinese people’s democratic revolution, victory will certainly be ours.