Actively Prepare for Battle and Strengthen
Work among the Diehard Army
 (May 26, 1946)
To Nie [Rongzhen] and Tang [Yanjie], and for the information of He [Long] and
Li [Jingquan]:1
The Guomindang is actively preparing to attack, so you must actively prepare
for battle. To this end, apart from intensifying the training of soldiers, stepping
up the suppression of bandits, and speeding up resolution of the land issue, you
should attend to the expansion, consolidation, and training of the militia so you
can mobilize some of it to replace the soldiers killed at the front in future battles.
In addition, you should pay close attention to the work of agents planted in the
diehard puppet army. Assign competent cadres to supervise this work.
The Military Commission
Our source for this text is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 3, p. 233, where it is reproduced from Mao’s handwritten manuscript preserved in the Central Archives.
1.  Mao Zedong drafted this telegram on behalf of the Central Military Commission.
Nie Rongzhen was commander and political commissar and Tang Yanjie (1909–1988,
native of Hunan) was chief-of-staff, respectively, of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military
Region. He Long was commander and Li Jingquan was political commissar, respectively,
of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Military Region.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719511-155