To Wang Shusheng, Liu Changyi, Zhang Caiqian and Others[1]

(July 19, 1946)

You must resolve to establish base areas in the various counties of the mountainous region of western Hubei, using regiments and battalions as units to disperse and carry out guerrilla activities in the various counties of western Hubei. The key to success or failure lies in winning the support of the people. The current method of seizing food is extremely dangerous; you must change your policy, disperse for guerrilla warfare, and rely on the masses.

[1] This is the main content of a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to Wang Shusheng, Liu Changyi, and Zhang Caiqian, with copies to Zheng Weisan and Li Xiannian. Wang Shusheng, Liu Changyi, and Zhang Caiqian were then respectively serving as Commander, Deputy Commander, and Chief of Staff of the First Column of the Central Plains Military Region, which had entered northwestern Hubei.