Telegram to Zheng Weisan, Li Xiannian, and
Wang Zhen 1
(June 19, 1946)
	 1.	 Zhou Enlai’s telegram from Nanjing stated that Chiang [Kaishek] has
decided to fight in a big way; for your part, you must be ever on the alert as
to the enemy’s situation and prepare to break out of the encirclement.
	 2.	 After breaking out of the encirclement, there are two possible outcomes: The
first is being able to achieve the objective of going northward, and the second
is being blocked by the enemy and being unable to achieve the objective of
going northward.
	 3.	 You therefore need to prepare for two eventualities: The first is to try by all
available means to go north, and the second, if it is not possible to go north,
is to prepare to create base areas in the Guomindang regions and wait for a
change in the overall situation.
Our source for this text is Mao Zedong junshi wenxuan. Neibuben, p. 281.
1.  Zheng Weisan was political commissar, Li Xiannian was commander, and Wang
Zhen was deputy commander and chief-of-staff, respectively, of the Central Plains Military
Region.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719511-174