Wen and Wang [1]: I am very pleased to learn that you have concentrated your main forces for action and have already won a victory.
With regard to methods of warfare, I urge you to pay close attention to fighting more annihilation battles and fewer rout-and-pursuit engagements.
There are two conditions for conducting an annihilation battle: (1) Concentrate superior forces to encircle a portion of the enemy; in each engagement, attack only one segment of the enemy force—under no circumstances should you simultaneously engage several segments. (2) Use the main body of your forces to execute a wide envelopment, while a smaller detachment holds the front; never reverse this arrangement by having the main force conduct the envelopment and the smaller detachment hold the front.
If you can adhere to these two principles and fight more annihilation battles, the overall situation will improve.
Printed from Mao Zedong’s handwritten draft under the direction of the Central Military Commission on the day of zi-yang.
Note [1]: “Wen” refers to Wen Jianwu, who at the time served as commander of the Eyu-Shaanxi Military Region. “Wang” refers to Wang Feng, born in 1910 in Lantian County, Shaanxi Province, who at the time was the political commissar of the Eyu-Shaanxi Military Region.