Agree to the Three Armies Launching a Large-Scale Campaign to Disrupt the Pinghan Railway[1]

(October 21, 1947)

Liu, Deng, Chen, Su, Chen, Xie:

(1) Liu-Deng’s Qiao telegram proposes that around November 20 the three armies launch a campaign to disrupt the Pinghan Railway[2] on a large scale, so as to link up the three areas, dismember and break apart the enemy, and facilitate separate annihilation strikes. We consider this extremely necessary and believe there is a sure grasp of victory. However, we do not know whether the Chen-Su side can make it in time and whether they can concentrate nine brigades to fight a relatively large battle of annihilation. (2) Please consider the following plans: A. In accordance with Liu-Deng’s Qiao telegram, the three armies simultaneously disrupt the Pinghan line. B. With the Liu-Deng and Chen-Xie armies as the main force and a portion of the Chen-Su force (those south of the Sha River) as the auxiliary, undertake the disruption of the Pinghan line, with the time postponed to the first ten days of December; the main force of Chen-Su shall launch a large-scale campaign to disrupt the Longhai Railway in the last ten days of November, sever the Xuzhou-Zhengzhou[3] communications, and draw the Fifth Army eastward for reinforcement, so as to facilitate success on the Pinghan line. Which of the above two plans is preferable? (3) Chen-Xie will complete rest and reorganization at the end of this month and begin attacking the Songshan mountain area and the counties to its south at the start of November, preparing to coordinate with Liu-Deng to disrupt the Pinghan line in the first ten days of December. (4) Please reply on the above.

Military Commission

Youma

[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee, addressed to Commander Liu Bocheng and Political Commissar Deng Xiaoping of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army, and others.

[2] The Pinghan Railway refers to the railway from Beiping (present-day Beijing) to Hankou, i.e., a section of today’s Beijing-Guangzhou line.

[3] Xuzhou-Zhengzhou refers to Xuzhou in Jiangsu and Zhengzhou in Henan.