Is It Possible to Finish off the Enemy’s
144th Brigade?
(May 5, 1947)
To [Peng Dehuai] and Xi [Zhongxun]:1
How strong are the fortifications of the 144th Brigade, whose forces are distributed among Yanchuan, Jiaokou, Yanchang, and other places? Is it possible
to capture them? Please investigate this matter further. If Dong [Zhao] and Liu
[Kan]2 linger in Suide for a time, it seems that after taking care of Qinghuabian
(and resting and reorganizing for a few days), you might consider moving your
forces to finish off the 144th Brigade. After that, you could head for Guanzhong
and Longdong.3
Mao [Zedong]
Our source for this telegram is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 4, p. 54, 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.  Dong Zhao and Liu Kan were commanders of the Guomindang’s Reorganized First
and Twenty-ninth armies, respectively.
3.  These are locations in central Shaanxi and eastern Gansu, respectively.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719511-302