The Changchun Forces Should Rapidly
Divide into City Garrison and Field
Army Units1
 (April 21, 1946)
To the Northeast Bureau and Lin [Biao], and for the information of Li [Fuchun]
and Huang [Kecheng]:2
	 1.	 All of our troops in Changchun other than those already heading south with
Yang [Guofu]’s division3 should rapidly divide into city garrison and field
army units, to clarify their respective responsibilities. Those responsible for
city garrison duty must prepare to defend Changchun to the death, and those
responsible for field army duty must prepare to be transferred at any time to
fight on the front line.
	 2.	 With [Zhou] Baozhong4 in charge and with the assistance of Party and
government organs, take advantage of the fervor of the popular masses in
Changchun by recruiting ten thousand or tens of thousands of volunteer soldiers. Cadres are to be sent from the forces in Changchun, the various brigades on the front line, and the general headquarters. A large number of new
army units are to be formed, each with 1,500 to 2,000 men, and after a bit of
training they are to be sent in a steady stream to the Siping front to reinforce
the various brigades there. The quicker this is done the better; can this be
accomplished within ten days or so? In addition, volunteer soldiers should
be recruited in both Yongji and Harbin to establish several new army units.

	 3.	 Regarding the captives from Jiang Pengfei’s puppet army,5 the reactionary,
backward elements should be weeded out quickly and [the rest] should be
given the necessary political training so they can be used to reinforce the
front line at the appropriate time.
The Central Committee
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Notes

Our source for this text is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 3, pp. 178–79, where it is
reproduced from Mao’s handwritten manuscript.

--- Notes

1.  Mao Zedong drafted this telegram on behalf of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

2.  Lin Biao was commander-in-chief of the Northeast Democratic Allied Army. Li
Fuchun and Huang Kecheng were political commissar and commander, respectively, of the
Western Manchuria Military Region of the Northeast Democratic Allied Army.

3.  Yang Guofu was commander of the Seventh Division of the Northeast Democratic
Allied Army.

4.  Zhou Baozhong was deputy commander of the Northeast Democratic Allied Army
and commander of the Jilin-Liaoning Military District.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719511-119

5.  Jiang Pengfei was commander of the Guomindang’s New Twenty-seventh Army.