Several Methods for Annihilating Qiu Qingquan’s Army[1]

(January 12, 1947)

Liu, Deng:

(1) With your victory at Yutai and Chen and Su’s capture of Yi County[2] plus the imminent taking of Zaozhuang, the situation is extremely favorable. (2) Qiu’s army,[3] disregarding your operations northwest of Xuzhou, has occupied both Guancheng and Fan County. Is its intention to threaten our rear area, draw our main force back for relief, and remove the threat to Xuzhou and the Longhai Railway? There are several methods for dealing with this army: A. Allow Qiu’s army to advance into the Jiaxiang-Juye[4] area and then annihilate it; B. If Qiu’s army is compelled to fall back to Heze (this is a possibility), wait for it to advance eastward from Heze and then annihilate it; C. Our army moves to the Fan County area and annihilates it there. Which of the above is most advisable? (3) Is it possible to capture one or two of the counties such as Jinxiang, Chengwu, Yutai, and Jining[5]? (4) When can the 1st and 7th Columns concentrate toward Jiaxiang-Juye?

Military Commission

Ziwen

[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee, addressed to Commander Liu Bocheng and Political Commissar Deng Xiaoping of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army.
[2] Yi County is present-day Yicheng, Zaozhuang City, Shandong.
[3] Qiu’s army refers to the Kuomintang 5th Army, whose commander was Qiu Qingquan.
[4] Jiaju refers to Jiaxiang and Juye in Shandong.
[5] Jin, Cheng, Yu, Ji refer to Jinxiang, Chengwu, Yutai, and Jining in Shandong.