Action to Be Taken by the Central Plains
Military Region after Breaking Out of the
Encirclement
 (July 3, 1946, 9:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M.)
To Zheng [Weisan] and Li [Xiannian], and for the information of Wang [Shusheng]
and Dai [Jiying], Wang and Zhang [Tixue]:1
	 1.	 In the course of a few days’ march, you should advance into the area west of
Tianhekou2 and north of Zaoyang and try to rest for several days.
	 2.	 The area north of the Xinyang-Tianhekou-Zaoyang line belongs to the Fifth
Pacification Zone of Sun Zhen,3 who only commands four complete divisions: the Fifteenth, Forty-first, Forty-seventh, and Third Divisions. Of
these, the Forty-seventh Division of Chen Dingxun [1893–1973, native of
Sichuan] has been ordered to attack Xuanhuadian.4 In the Fifteenth Division,
Wu Tinglin [1892–1952, native of Henan] has only two brigades, which
have now arrived at Liulin5 in preparation for moving west. Zeng Suyuan’s6
Forty-first Division is marching from Queshan to Xinyang, and he is preparing to deploy one unit at Tongbo. His main force is working in coordination with the Fifteenth Division to strike westward, where Tianhekou is the common target of all units. In addition, it is likely that one unit from Song
Ruike’s7 Sixty-sixth Division will be joining them in the advance to the west.
We estimate that in all there will be no more than six brigades pursuing
and attacking us. The unit of Zhao Xitian [1907–?, native of Jiangsu] in the
Third Division is also under the command of Sun Zhen. Sun has ordered
Zhou Qingxiang’s8 Third Brigade of the Third Division to advance eastward
from its position west of Zaoyang to defend Zaoyang, resisting and attacking
steadily while it awaits the pursuing troops.
	 3.	 Therefore, as soon as you arrive in the area west of Tianhekou and north of
Zaoyang, you will have outdistanced and outflanked the enemy and you can
spend several days resting, which is absolutely necessary.
	 4.	 While resting, you can deploy columns and brigades in the east-west rectangle. We will wait until the enemy advances toward us and then we will
gradually draw the units back from east to west, leaving a few troops behind
as rear guards to maintain contact with the enemy. In this way, we can secure
several days or a week of rest.
	 5.	 There are still two brigades of the Third Division garrisoned in Xiangfan and
Nanyang that will be difficult to deploy in field operations.
	 6.	 After waiting until you have rested and obtained intelligence reports, consider when it will be the best moment to ambush and annihilate part of the
enemy army (a brigade, for example) to thwart the enemy’s plan to pursue
and attack.
The Military Commission
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Notes

Our source for this text is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 3, pp. 317–19, 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 Military Commission.
Zheng Weisan was political commissar and Li Xiannian was commander, respectively, of
the Central Plains Military Region. Wang Shusheng was deputy commander of the Central
Plains Military Region and commander of its First Column. Dai Jiying was political commissar of the First Column. Wang is unknown. Zhang Tixue (1915–1973, native of Hunan)
was commander of the Eastern Hubei Military Region. The editors of the Chinese text were
unable to identify the individual surnamed Wang.

2.  Tianhekou is a village located in the northern part of Hubei’s Sui county.

3.  Sun Zhen (1892–1985, native of Zhejiang) was commander of the Fifth Pacification
Zone.

4.  Xuanhuadian is a township located in northeastern Dawu county of Hubei Province.

5.  Liulin is a township located in the southern part of Xinyang city of Henan Province.

6.  Zeng Suyuan (1896–1960, native of Sichuan) was commander of the Reorganized
Forty-first Division of the Guomindang army. At the time, Chen Zongjin (1894–1951,
native of Sichuan) was acting commander.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719511-191

7.  Song Ruike (1908–1995, native of Shandong) was commander of the Reorganized
Sixty-sixth Division of the Guomindang army.

8.  Zhou Qingxiang (1904–1948, native of Shandong) was deputy commander of the
Reorganized Third Division of the Guomindang army.