Consider Moving the Main Force North After Annihilating the Enemy[1]

(July 14, 1948)

Xu and Tan, and inform Su:

Much comforted by the capture of Yanzhou.

(1) It is extremely correct for you to insert the 9th Column north of Dawenkou, cut off the retreat route of the 84th Division, and prepare to annihilate the 84th Division. We hereby cancel the proposal that you use the 9th Column to attack Jining. (2) After the 84th Division is annihilated, please consider immediately moving the main force north to occupy the Jinan airfield, construct fortifications and hold them firmly, so that the enemy cannot send reinforcements to Jinan, thereby facilitating the subsequent capture of Jinan, while using a portion of the force to attack and annihilate the enemy at Jining and Wenshang.

The Military Commission

14th day, 3–5 a.m.

[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, addressed to Xu Shiyou, commander of the Shandong Corps of the East China Field Army, and Tan Zhenlin, its political commissar.