Concentrating Forces to Capture Yanzhou and Jining Is the Best Policy for the Xu-Tan Corps[1]

(July 4, 1948)

To Su, Chen, Tang, and Zhang, with copies to Liu, Chen, and Deng[2]:

You should have received Tan’s telegram of Jiang-chen[3] and Xu, Tan, and Liu’s telegram of Jiang-wu[4]. We believe that since you are confident of continuing to encircle and annihilate the 25th and 72nd Divisions, and after this battle concludes your entire army must rest for several days, reorganize its formations, and handle various post-battle issues, you should then either immediately enter a major rest and consolidation period (approximately one and a half to two months) or conduct another campaign of modest scale to capture the Minquan-Dangshan line and control it to facilitate rest and consolidation. In short, for the time being, do not engage Qiu’s Corps[1] in serious combat. At present, the Xuzhou side poses no threat to you. Under these circumstances, Xu and Tan’s southward movement to threaten Xuzhou can only serve one purpose: forcing Liu Zhi[2] to airlift the 47th Army from Zhengzhou to reinforce Xuzhou, while transferring the 40th Division from northern Henan to fill the defense of Zhengzhou, or perhaps drawing a part of Zhang Zhen’s[3] Corps to fill the defense of Zhengzhou; alternatively, leaving the 47th Army in place and directly airlifting a part of Zhang’s Corps to Xuzhou. Beyond this, it would have no other effect. It seems better to agree with the Jiang-wu opinion of Xu, Tan, and Liu: concentrate forces to capture Yanzhou and Jining, open up communications between Shandong and your forces, and free the Xu-Tan Corps from worries about its rear, enabling it to commit full strength to operations southward. This could play a major and direct supporting role for your operations after the rainy season. This is the best policy, not the worst. What is your opinion? Awaiting your reply.

Military Commission

Zhi-chou

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[1] Qiu’s Corps refers to the Reorganized 5th Army of the Kuomintang army, commanded by Qiu Qingquan.
[2] Liu Zhi was then Commander-in-Chief of the Kuomintang’s Xuzhou “Bandit Suppression” General Headquarters.
[3] Zhang Zhen was then Commander of the Kuomintang’s 5th Pacification Zone.