Annihilating the Enemy Attacking Shuyang Is Extremely Important[1]

(December 13, 1946)

Su and Tan, and inform Chen, Zhang, and Deng[2]:

After the Reorganized 11th Division arrives at Suqian, it will certainly coordinate with the 69th Division and the Provisional 3rd Brigade to attack Shuyang. Only by annihilating this enemy force can Shuyang be kept in our hands. If Shuyang is lost, the main force of the East China Field Army will find it difficult to continue operations in northern Jiangsu and may be forced to shift to southern Shandong. This point must be seriously taken into account. What are your views and dispositions on this? Awaiting your report.

Military Commission

Xuan Yuan

[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, addressed to Su Yu, commander of the Central China Field Army, and Tan Zhenlin, its political commissar. In mid-December 1946, Xue Yue, director of the Xuzhou Pacification Headquarters of the Kuomintang army, commanded 25½ brigades in a four-pronged offensive from Dongtai, Huaiyang, and Suqian in Jiangsu, and Yixian (present-day Yicheng) in Shandong, toward the liberated areas of northern Jiangsu and southern Shandong, attempting to annihilate the Central China Field Army or force it to retreat northward into Shandong. Among these forces, the Reorganized 69th Division and the Reorganized 11th Division advanced from Suqian toward Xin’anzhen (present-day Xinyi County) and Shuyang, respectively. The Shandong and Central China Field Armies used 20 regiments to pin down three of the enemy columns and concentrated the 1st, 2nd, and 9th Columns, the 8th Division, and the main force of the 7th Division—totaling 24 regiments—to seek the annihilation of the enemy advancing from Suqian. After fierce fighting, the enemy’s Reorganized 69th Division and part of the 11th Division, totaling over 21,000 men, were completely annihilated north of Suqian. This engagement is known as the Subei Campaign.

[2] Chen refers to Chen Yi, then commander and political commissar of the Shandong Field Army. Zhang and Deng refer to Zhang Dingcheng and Deng Zihui, then respectively commander and political commissar of the Central China Military Region.