We Agree That the Forces from the Central
Plains Military Region Should Break Out
Immediately1
(June 23, 1946)
To the Central Plains Bureau:
	 1.	 We received your telegram of June 21.2 You are quite right, and we agree
that you should start the breakout immediately, the sooner the better. Do not
have any misgivings whatsoever; survival first, victory first.
	 2.	 From now on you are to make your own decisions regarding every operation.
Do not ask for permission, avoid delay that may lead to missed opportunities,
and keep everything secret.
	 3.	 We hope you will unite in struggle and we wish you success.
The Central Committee
Our source for this document is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 3, pp. 288–89, where it
is reproduced from Mao’s handwritten manuscript preserved in the Central Archives.

--- Notes

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

2.  The telegram stated that the Guomindang had encircled the region and the blockade
was increasingly strong, creating a situation that required breaking through the encirclement. A number of strategies were presented, but in any case, “We believe that even though
it will be very difficult to break through the encirclement and we will likely suffer losses
in the process, it will be much more difficult if we do not take the initiative to break the
encirclement now.”
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719511-182