Complete All Preparations for Attack and Await Orders to Recover the Counties on Both Sides of the Changchun Railway[1]

(July 15, 1946)

Northeast Bureau:

(1) Chiang Kai-shek plans to transfer two to three divisions from the Northeast into Rehe[2] in August, to seize Chengde, open up the Jinzhou-Gubeikou Railway[3], and destroy our forces one by one.

(2) You must, within one month (before the end of the month), complete all preparations for attack (replenishment of new recruits, troop training, especially in storming cities, and mass work in the counties on both sides of the Changchun Railway[4]), and await orders to recover the counties on both sides of the Changchun Railway.

(3) Regardless of whether the attack is carried out after one month, you must complete all preparations for attack within one month.

(4) How is the situation of the troops? What are your views? Awaiting your report.

Central Committee

Wushan

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[1] This was a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, addressed to the Northeast Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

[2] Rehe was the name of a former province, encompassing the northeastern part of present-day Hebei Province, the southwestern part of Liaoning Province, and the southeastern part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It was abolished in 1955.

[3] The Jinzhou-Gubeikou Railway refers to the railway line from Jinzhou via Chengde to Gubeikou.

[4] The Changchun Railway refers to the Chinese Changchun Railway. Starting from Harbin, it extends west to Manzhouli, east to Suifenhe, and south to Dalian. This railway was originally built and operated by Russia and was called the Chinese Eastern Railway. After the Russo-Japanese War of 1904, the section south of Changchun was occupied by Japan and called the South Manchuria Railway. After the Russian October Revolution, the section north of Changchun was jointly operated by China and the Soviet Union and was still called the Chinese Eastern Railway; after the September 18th Incident, it was also occupied by Japan. Following the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan, the South Manchuria Railway and the Chinese Eastern Railway were collectively referred to as the Chinese Changchun Railway, jointly owned and operated by China and the Soviet Union. In December 1952, the Soviet government transferred the entire Changchun Railway to China. It is now divided into separate sections renamed the Harbin-Manzhouli, Harbin-Suifenhe, and Harbin-Dalian railways.