Pin Down the Enemy Forces Inside Shanhaiguan to Coordinate with Operations in the Northeast[1]

(May 8, 1947)

Nie, Xiao, and Luo, and inform Zhu and Liu:

Our forces in the Northeast have dispatched eight divisions of the main force (each division about ten thousand strong) from the North Manchuria[2] to the South Manchuria[3] to launch a counteroffensive against the enemy. The months of May, June, and July are crucial. You must pin down the enemy forces inside Shanhaiguan and prevent them from being transferred eastward, so as to enable the Northeast to achieve victory. Your main force should immediately begin rest and consolidation, to be completed by the day of Chenyou. As for your next operation, which place to strike and which enemy unit to hit that can best tie down the enemy and coordinate with the operations in the Northeast, you are requested to draw up a plan and report it by telegram.

Military Commission

Chenqi

[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee, addressed to Nie Rongzhen, Commander and Political Commissar of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region; Xiao Ke, Deputy Commander; and Luo Ruiqing, Deputy Political Commissar, and to be conveyed to Zhu De and Liu Shaoqi.

[2] North Manchuria refers to the areas including Harbin, Mudanjiang, Bei’an, Jiamusi, Qiqihar, and other localities.

[3] South Manchuria refers to the areas east of the Shenyang-Dalian section of the Chinese Changchun Railway, including Andong (now Dandong), Zhuanghe, Tonghua, Linjiang, Qingyuan, and the area southwest of Shenyang, including Liaozhong.