To Zhou Enlai[1]

(April 29, 1946)

(1) In order to oppose the Kuomintang's plot to encircle and attack the Fifth Division[2], an open statement has been issued today; (2) Promptly negotiate with Marshall to ensure that the Fifth Division is not besieged and to arrange for its swift transfer; (3) Consider whether it is possible to borrow one million U.S. dollars from Marshall for the Fifth Division's provisions and transfer, to be repaid by the Jiangsu and Shandong provinces six months later; (4) Once the matter of the Fifth Division is properly settled, you may proceed to the Northeast.

[1] This is the main content of a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to Zhou Enlai, concerning the extremely difficult supply situation and grave danger faced by the troops of the Central Plains Military Region under the encirclement and blockade of the Kuomintang forces.

[2] Since most of the troops of the Central Plains Military Region were originally part of the Fifth Division of the New Fourth Army, it was customary at the time to still refer to the Central Plains Military Region forces as the Fifth Division.