Chen-Xie Main Force Quickly Seize Shan County, Lingbao, and Other Counties[1]

(August 30, 1947)

Chen and Xie:

Your telegram of the 29th at 15:00 hours received. (1) The western sector is weakly defended and easier to attack. The area around Luoyang is one the enemy must contest; the main force should not be used there. (2) Quickly use the full strength of the 4th Column, the 38th Army, and the 22nd Brigade to seize Shan County, Lingbao, Wenxiang[2], Luoning, and Lushi, and, as opportunity permits, seize Luonan, Shang County, and Shangnan. The Qin Column[3] shall be positioned in the Xin-Meng-Luo[4] area to pin down the enemy at Luoyang, using one part to attack and occupy Yiyang and Song County. (3) Bypass strongly fortified strongpoints and concentrate on attacking weakly garrisoned strongpoints, and strive to achieve mobile warfare, seeking to attain the objectives of swift and flexible movement, extensive occupation of enemy areas, and the destruction of large numbers of the enemy. (4) The conditions under which you now operate are vastly different from those in southern Shanxi. Every major operational plan must be reported to the Military Commission in advance, and you must constantly and promptly report enemy situation, our situation, and the civilian situation, so that we can assist you in a timely manner. In this river-crossing operation, the emphasis was originally placed on the eastern sector; now changing it has resulted in the loss of several days of precious time and has given Hu Zongnan[5] the opportunity to complete his dispositions in the western sector, which is extremely regrettable. However, Hu’s main force is still in the Sui-Mi[6] area, detained by our army, and south of Luochuan there are only a few brigades and some special forces (artillery, etc.). This is extremely advantageous for you.

Military Commission
30th, 13:00 hours

---
[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee, addressed to Chen Geng, Secretary of the Front Committee of the Chen-Xie Group of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army, and Xie Fuzhi, Deputy Secretary.
[2] Wenxiang, former county name, merged into Lingbao County, Henan Province in 1954.
[3] Qin Column refers to the 9th Column of the Chen-Xie Group of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army, with Column Commander Qin Jiwei.
[4] Xin-Meng-Luo refers to Xin’an, Mengjin, and Luoyang in Henan Province.
[5] Hu Zongnan, then Director of the Xi’an Pacification Office of the Nationalist Army.
[6] Sui-Mi refers to Suide and Mizhi in Shaanxi Province.