Keeping a Hold on Benxi Will Demoralize the
Enemy
(May 3, 1946)
To Comrade Xiao Hua and the commanders of all brigades, and for the information of Lin [Biao] and Peng [Zhen]:1
We received your telegram of May 1st. The Central Committee is pleased with
your determination to defend Benxi. We expect that you will boost the morale of
the troops and strive for victory. When the various units attack, they should concentrate their main force on one of the enemy’s points in the hope of sure victory.
Never attack multiple points, which will disperse troop strength. When engaging
in defense, you should learn from the Siping model and use a small number of
soldiers to fight against larger numbers and defend to the last without retreating. If
you can hold the area of Benxi for ten days to two weeks, the enemy will become
demoralized and we will have hope for victory. Our Zhan Caifang2 will assist you
by leading two brigades to break up the railway line between the Shanhai Pass
and Jinzhou.
The Central Committee
The source of our text is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 3, pp. 200–201, where it is
1.  Mao Zedong drafted this telegram on behalf of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. Xiao Hua was political commissar of the Southern Manchuria
Military Region of the Northeast Democratic Allied Army. Lin Biao and Peng Zhen were
commander-in-chief and first political commissar, respectively, of the Northeast Democratic Allied Army.
2.  Zhan Caifang was commander of the Eastern Hebei Military Region.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719511-133

reproduced from Mao’s handwritten manuscript preserved in the Central Archives.