Adopt the Policy of Attacking the Enemy’s Far Rear by Dividing Our Forces into Separate Routes[1]

(June 29, 1947)

Chen, Su, and Tan, with a copy to Liu and Deng[2]:

Your telegram of the 28th[3] has been received. Chiang Kai-shek’s army, having no way out, is compelled to adopt the tactics used by Hu Zongnan[4] in northern Shaanxi, concentrating six divisions on a front of less than a hundred li to advance toward us. Apart from avoiding annihilation and harassing the inhabitants, such tactics are utterly useless; their weakness lies in the fact that both flanks and the rear are exceptionally exposed, giving us an opportunity to strike freely. You should dispatch two or three columns to southern Shandong, first attacking Feixian, then attacking Zouxian, Tengxian, Lincheng, and Zaozhuang[5], striking vertically and horizontally, operating with complete mobility, and aiming each time to wipe out one enemy

[1] This was a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee and addressed to Chen Yi, Commander and concurrently Political Commissar of the East China Field Army, Su Yu, Deputy Commander, and Tan Zhenlin, Deputy Political Commissar.

[2] Liu and Deng refer to Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping, who were then respectively Commander and Political Commissar of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army.

[3] This refers to the telegram sent on June 28, 1947, by Chen Yi, Su Yu, Tan Zhenlin, Chen Shiju, and Liu Xiansheng to the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee and to Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping, Zhang Yunyi, Rao Shushi, and Li Yu. The telegram stated: In view of the situation in which the enemy’s six reorganized divisions are advancing in close formation on a front of less than a hundred li to invade our Yimeng mountain area, we plan to use one column to capture Feixian and then threaten the enemy’s main supply base at Sishui to the west, and use four divisions to clear out the small number of enemy troops at Linyi and Mengyin and then hold that line. The rest of our main force will remain concentrated on the line southwest of Yishui and Donglidian and in the areas to the north and south. It is estimated that before Liu and Deng move south, the westward advance of part of our forces may bring about changes and create opportunities for attack.

[4] Hu Zongnan was then Director of the Xi’an Pacification Headquarters of the Kuomintang army.

[5] Zouxian and Tengxian refer to Zouxian and Tengxian in Shandong Province. Lincheng and Zaozhuang refer to Lincheng (now Xuecheng) and Zaozhuang in Shandong.

brigade. The main objective is to annihilate the enemy, not to cut off his supplies; there is no need to hold the Linyi-Mengyin[1] sector, which would be a waste of troops. In addition, you should also prepare, at an opportune moment, to send two columns through Tusicou to capture Tai’an and sweep through the areas west and south of Tai’an, likewise with the aim of mobile operations to annihilate the enemy’s effective strength, while leaving four columns on the front to keep the enemy under surveillance, so as to facilitate the success of the two outward routes. The above policy is based on the fact that since the enemy is absolutely concentrating his forces on the front, our army should no longer continue to adopt the policy of concentrating forces, but should instead adopt the policy of attacking his far rear by dividing our forces into separate routes. As for the strength of the two outward routes, you may either send two columns to southern Shandong and three columns to western Shandong. Let us know your views.

Military Commission

1200 hours, June 29

[1] Linyi-Mengyin refers to Linyi and Mengyin in Shandong.