To Comrades of the Central Plains Bureau, the Party Committee of the Northwestern Hubei Region, and the Prefectural Party Committee of the Hubei-Anhui Border Region[1]

(September 10, 1946)

In southern Shaanxi, western Hubei, central Hubei, and eastern Hubei, a total of fourteen brigades are deployed against our Central Plains Army, under the respective commands of Hu Zongnan, Cheng Qian, and Liu Zhi. The task of our Central Plains Army is to grit its teeth, overcome difficulties, gain a firm foothold locally, establish base areas, pin down these fourteen brigades, and assist the old liberated areas in smashing the Kuomintang offensive. Your heroic struggle over the past two months and more has already played an enormous strategic role. The Central Committee hopes and charges you to continue playing the same role henceforth. The entire Party and the whole army are concerned about you. You are not isolated.

[1] This is the main content of a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, addressed to the Central Plains Bureau, the Party Committee of the Northwestern Hubei Region, and the Prefectural Party Committee of the Hubei-Anhui Border Region, reporting on the war situation in various areas.