Under the present circumstances, both annihilation of the enemy and infliction of a decisive, annihilation-type blow must be given equal attention. By “annihilation,” we mean the complete and thorough destruction of an entire enemy brigade or division, leaving no survivors to escape. To implement this policy, we must concentrate three to four times the enemy’s strength; one part strikes the enemy’s front, another envelops its flanks, while the main force—or a key component thereof—outflanks the enemy on all sides, thus encircling it completely. Only in this way can success be achieved. This is the fundamental principle guiding our army’s operations, and it is the correct course to follow when the enemy is dispersed and isolated, with reinforcements unable to arrive promptly.  However, if the enemy advances toward us along several converging routes that are relatively close together, or if it establishes blocking positions along multiple axes in our direction of advance, likewise spaced closely, our forces should adopt the policy of delivering a decisive, annihilation-type blow. That is to say, rather than encircling the enemy on all four sides, we should confine ourselves to two- or three-sided encirclement, concentrating our full strength against the enemy’s front and one or both flanks. Our objective would not be to annihilate the entire enemy force, but to destroy a portion of it and rout another. By doing so, we can minimize our own casualties: the destroyed elements can be absorbed as reinforcements, while those routed will scatter en masse, leaving only a small fraction able to regroup, which will struggle to regain combat effectiveness in the short term. …