After the Great Victory at Suqian and Shuyang, Concentrate the Main Force to Annihilate the Enemy in Southern Shandong[1]

(December 18, 1946)

To Chen and Su, with information to Zhang and Deng, and Zhang and Li[2]:

(1) Celebrate the great victory on the Suqian-Shuyang front. All meritorious officers and soldiers are to be commended by order.

(2) This victory has improved the overall war situation in Jiangsu and Shandong. Lianshui has been temporarily lost but can be recovered in the future, and it must be recovered. However, for the next phase of operations, it seems advisable to concentrate the main force to annihilate the enemy in southern Shandong and, as opportunities arise, recover Zaozhuang and Tai’erzhuang[3], so as to consolidate southern Shandong. Then, without worries, we can develop southward and gradually recover all lost territories in northern and central Jiangsu. How exactly this should be done, please handle according to the actual situation.

The Military Commission
Xuanqiao

---

[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, addressed to Chen Yi, Commander and Political Commissar of the Shandong Field Army, and Su Yu, Commander of the Central China Field Army.
[2] Zhang and Deng refer to Zhang Dingcheng and Deng Zihui, who were then Commander and Political Commissar of the Central China Military Region, respectively. Zhang and Li refer to Zhang Yunyi and Li Yu, who were then First Deputy Commander and Deputy Political Commissar of the Shandong Military Region, respectively.
[3] Zaozhuang and Tai’erzhuang refer to Zaozhuang, Yi County (now Yicheng), and Tai’erzhuang in Shandong, all of which are now part of Zaozhuang Municipality.