During August and September the Northeast should still remain calm

While simultaneously making good combat preparations[1]

(July 21, 1946)

Northeast Bureau:

(1) Your telegram of the 19th [2] received. It is very good to issue orders to all units to prepare for attacking cities and to actively carry out mass work.

(2) However, when the enemy attacks Rehe, there is no need for you to coordinate. Nie, Xiao, and Cheng [3] have already been ordered to strive to annihilate the attacking enemy in the Gubeikou area; Chengde is to be defended if defensible, and if not defensible, it is to be temporarily abandoned, while preparations are made to shift the two columns of Yang Dezhi and Guo Tianmin [4] to seize the northern section of the Beiping–Hankou Railway and the Zhengding–Taiyuan Railway [5]. (3) In order to replenish the troops well,

[1] This is 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] Refers to the telegram sent on July 19, 1946, by the Northeast Bureau of the CPC Central Committee to all sub-bureaus, to be relayed to all units, and reported to the CPC Central Committee. The telegram stated: All units in the Northeast must complete all attack preparations within one month, awaiting orders to recover the counties on both sides of the Changchun Railway. Apart from units tasked with bandit suppression and mass work, other units must rapidly intensify training for attacking cities, while also paying attention to reconnaissance of enemy conditions, selecting attack targets, awaiting orders to attack, and preparing to seize opportunities to recover some cities, so as to expand the area, annihilate the enemy, and cause the enemy’s attempt to attack Rehe to fail. Mass work must still be carried out, using various forms to organize the masses. The question of creating base areas is the fundamental key to the success or failure of the long-term struggle in the Northeast.

[3] Nie and Xiao refer to Nie Rongzhen and Xiao Ke, who at the time were respectively Commander and Political Commissar, and Deputy Commander, of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region. Cheng refers to Cheng Zihua, who at the time was Commander and Political Commissar of the Hebei-Rehe-Liaoning Military Region.

[4] Yang Dezhi and Guo Tianmin, who at the time were respectively Commander of the 1st Column and Commander and Political Commissar of the 2nd Column of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Field Army.

[5] Zhengding–Taiyuan Railway refers to the railway from Zhengding to Taiyuan, i.e., the present-day Shijiazhuang–Taiyuan line.

train them well, and achieve results in mass work, the Northeast side should still remain calm during August and September: we will not attack unless attacked. But at the same time, preparations must be made to be able to fight after one month.

Central Committee
Wu Ma