Agree to Chen Su’s Proposal to Concentrate Main Forces Earlier for a Large-Scale Destruction of the Longhai Railway[1]

(October 24, 1947)

Chen, Su, and inform Liu, Deng, Chen, Xie[2]:

Your Yu Wu telegram[3] received. (1) Chen Su’s decision to concentrate main forces earlier for a large-scale destruction of the Longhai Railway and to isolate Xuzhou is very good. However, when concentrating forces, appropriate troops should be left in each newly occupied area to continue dispersed work; the time for railway destruction is best set for the first ten days of November. (2) Chen Xie will begin advancing eastward within the next few days to attack and capture counties west of the Pinghan Railway,[4] and in early December will coordinate with Liu Deng in a large-scale destruction of the Pinghan Railway. By that time, Chen Su’s Longhai campaign should already be completed, and after a short period of rest, they can also coordinate in destroying the Pinghan Railway. (3) Meticulously study railway destruction techniques (the method used in the Northeast of overturning the railway in large sections is both fast and thorough, and you should adopt it), organize the railway destruction campaign well, and strive to achieve the two objectives of thoroughly destroying the railway and annihilating large numbers of the enemy, but do not fight

[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee to Chen Yi, commander and political commissar of the East China Field Army, and Su Yu, deputy commander.
[2] Liu and Deng refer to Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping, then commander and political commissar of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army, respectively. Chen and Xie refer to Chen Geng and Xie Fuzhi, then secretary and deputy secretary of the Front Committee of the Chen-Xie Group of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army, respectively.
[3] Refers to the telegram sent by Chen Yi and Su Yu to the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee at 11:00 on October 17, 1947. The telegram stated: In order to divide the enemy, open up our north-south and east-west communications, subsequently facilitate the main forces’ free maneuver in the vast areas of Henan-Anhui-Jiangsu, and effectively coordinate with the actions of the Chen Xie forces on the Pinghan Line, it has been decided to deploy the 1st, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, and 11th Columns along with local armed forces around the end of October to launch sabotage attacks on the Xuzhou-Zhengzhou section of the Longhai Railway, thereby completely isolating Xuzhou.
[4] Pinghan refers to the Pinghan Railway, i.e., the railway from Beiping (present-day Beijing) to Hankou, a section of today’s Beijing-Guangzhou Line.

Agree to Chen Su’s Proposal to Concentrate Main Forces Earlier for a Large-Scale Destruction of the Longhai Railway

battles without assurance of victory. (4) The radio stations of Chen Su and Chen Xie should promptly establish communication and exchange intelligence with each other.

The Military Commission

14:00, the 24th

October 1947, Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai at Shenquanbao, Jia County, northern Shaanxi.