After the Third Division Is Eliminated, Find
an Opportunity to Dispose of the Enemy
Troops near Dongming
(September 5, 1946)
To Liu [Bocheng] and Deng [Xiaoping]:1
The two brigades (the 122nd and the 127th) of the Sichuan army that are now
attacking Qianwanglou, Houwanglou, and Zhuanmiaoji are not very tired and,
moreover, they are a cohesive force, so they seem rather difficult to attack. The
two regiments of the Sichuan army that are now attacking Dongming belong to
two different divisions (the 311th Regiment of the Forty-first Division, and the
374th Regiment of the Forty-seventh Division), and after the long trek through
northern Hubei and southern Shaanxi, they are fairly tired. Moreover, they are
far away from their real position, isolated deep in enemy territory and pressing
toward Dongming, so they seem to be a relatively easy target. We hope you will
use one unit to tenaciously defend Dongming. Wait until the Third Division is
totally finished off and then find the right opportunity to wipe out the enemy near
Dongming. Please decide according to the actual situation.
The Military Commission
Our source for this text is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 3, pp. 463–64, where it is
reproduced from Mao’s handwritten manuscript preserved in the Central Archives.
1.  Mao Zedong drafted this telegram on behalf of the Central Military Commission.
Liu Bocheng was commander and Deng Xiaoping was political commander, respectively,
of the Jin-Ji-Lu-Yu (Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan) Field Army.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719511-223