Wang Shitai’s Unit Should Ensure That the
Enemy’s Food Supply Lines Are Cut
(April 26, 1947)
To Peng [Dehuai] and Xi [Zhongxun]:1
Except for Yan Kuiyao,2 who will lead one regiment and two battalions to the
south, the main forces should stay in their present locations and rest for a few
more days. Gain a thorough grasp of the enemy’s situation and then consider
what action to take. Also, Wang Shitai’s3 raids on the area between Ganquan,
Luochuan, and Yao county should continue on a protracted basis to ensure that the
enemy’s food supply lines are severed. Please take the above into consideration.
Mao [Zedong]
Our source for this telegram is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 4, p. 43, where it is reproduced from Mao’s handwritten manuscript preserved in the Central Archives.
1.  Peng Dehuai was commander and political commissar of the Northwest Field Army,
and Xi Zhongxun was its deputy political commissar.
2.  Yan Kuiyao (1904–1994, native of Shaanxi) was deputy commander of the ShaanxiGansu-Ningxia-Shanxi-Suiyuan Joint Defense Force.
3.  Wang Shitai (1910–2008, native of Shaanxi) was acting commander of the ShaanxiGansu-Ningxia-Shanxi-Suiyuan Joint Defense Force.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719511-297