Xiangyang, Taiyuan, Jinan, and Other Battlefront Situations and the Future Problem of Troop Sources[1]

(July 17, 1948)

Liu, Chen, Deng, Deng, and inform Su, Chen, Tang[2], the East China Bureau, the Northeast Bureau, the North China Bureau, the Northwest Bureau, Peng, Zhang, Zhao, Xu, Zhou, Xu, Tan, Yang, Luo[3]:

Your two telegrams of 16th you and 17th chen[4] noted. Xiangyang has been captured, Kang and Guo taken prisoner, a tremendous victory, very good and most gratifying. On the shan day Xu and Zhou finally finished off the 33rd and 34th Armies, capturing Zhao Chengshou and Shen Rui[5]. The enemy at Yuci

[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, addressed to Commander Liu Bocheng, First Deputy Commander Chen Yi, Political Commissar Deng Xiaoping, and Deputy Political Commissar Deng Zihui of the Central Plains Field Army.

[2] Su, Chen, Tang: refers to Su Yu, Chen Shiju, and Tang Liang, who at the time were respectively Acting Commander and Acting Political Commissar, Chief of Staff, and Director of the Political Department of the East China Field Army.

[3] Peng: refers to Peng Dehuai, then Commander and Political Commissar of the Northwest Field Army. Zhang, Zhao: refers to Zhang Zongxun and Zhao Shoushan, both then Deputy Commanders of the Northwest Field Army. Xu: refers to Xu Xiangqian, then First Deputy Commander of the North China Military Region and Commander and Political Commissar of the First Corps. Zhou: refers to Zhou Shidi, then Deputy Commander and Deputy Political Commissar of the First Corps of the North China Military Region. Xu, Tan: refers to Xu Shiyou and Tan Zhenlin, then respectively Commander and Political Commissar of the Shandong Corps of the East China Field Army. Yang, Luo: refers to Yang Dezhi and Luo Ruiqing, then respectively Commander and Political Commissar of the Second Corps of the North China Military Region.

[4] Refers to the telegrams sent by Liu Bocheng, Chen Yi, Deng Xiaoping, and others to the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee at you hour on July 16 and chen hour on July 17, 1948. The telegrams reported on the Xiangfan Campaign, stating that the remnant enemy in Xiangyang had been completely wiped out on the 16th, and Kuomintang 15th Pacification Zone Commander Kang Ze and Deputy Commander Guo Xunqi were captured alive.

[5] Zhao Chengshou: then Deputy Director of the Kuomintang Taiyuan Pacification Office, Deputy Commander of the Shanxi Security Forces, and Commander-in-Chief of the Field Army. Shen Rui: then Commander of the Kuomintang 33rd Army.

fled into Taiyuan City. The enemy at Xinzhou fled south and is being annihilated by our local forces. The enemy at Jinyuan County (i.e., Taiyuan County) either fled or were dealt with, details will be clear within days. Thus, Yan Xishan is left with only the solitary city of Taiyuan; our army can encircle it in a few days and may liberate the city ahead of schedule. This will make it possible for us to fundamentally resolve the two major problems of ordnance and industry. Xu and Tan also finally annihilated the 12th Division and 84th Division on the shan day; thus, Wang Yaowu is left with only the solitary city of Jinan, and our army also has the possibility of liberating that city ahead of schedule, connecting the Zheng-Tai and De-Shi railways, linking the Jiao-Ji line, and extending the Jin-Pu Railway from Dezhou to Hanzhuang, allowing Xu and Tan's four columns to join the southern operations. An important reason for all these great victories is that our main forces on various fronts pinned down the enemy's main forces and annihilated them in large numbers, thus enabling smooth successes on the flanking battlefields. The problem of replenishing your troops and guns should be comprehensively resolved after the capture of Taiyuan, primarily relying on captured soldiers, and secondarily on certain local units from the Jinzhong Military District (local units from the Yu-Bei and Ji-Lu-Yu areas have combat tasks and cannot be transferred). It is planned to replenish you with a total of around 20,000 men and around 10,000 guns, depending on the outcome of the Taiyuan victory. After the capture of Taiyuan, Xu and Zhou's Corps is planned to be used for capturing Suiyuan and Ningxia, opening up connections between Inner Mongolia, the Northeast, North China, and the Northwest. The Jin-Sui local brigades led by Peng Shaohui are to be transferred to Peng, Zhang, and Zhao. The majority of the Jinzhong local units are to be transferred to you. After the liberation of Jinan, apart from appropriately supplementing the East China Field Army, it is proposed to transfer 10,000 men and 10,000 guns from the Shandong local units to supplement Liu and Deng (because Liu and Deng's combat units in the Dabie Mountains were greatly weakened, with four

[1] Jinyuan County: formerly named Taiyuan County, renamed Jinyuan County in June 1947, merged into Taiyuan City, Shanxi in 1951.

[2] Yan Xishan: then Director of the Kuomintang Taiyuan Pacification Office.

[3] Wang Yaowu: then Commander of the Kuomintang 2nd Pacification Zone.

[4] Zheng-Tai and De-Shi railways: refers to the railway from Zhengding to Taiyuan (now the Shijiazhuang-Taiyuan line) and the railway from Dezhou to Shijiazhuang (the Shijiazhuang-Dezhou line).

[5] Jin-Pu Railway: refers to the railway from Tianjin to Pukou, now a section of the Beijing-Shanghai line.

[6] Suiyuan: old province name, covering the central region of today's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, abolished in 1954.

[7] Peng Shaohui: formerly Commander of the Lüliang Military District, reassigned as Commander of the 7th Column of the Northwest Field Army in July 1948.

columns totaling less than 60,000 men). Request the East China Bureau to plan and reply by telegram. This year, except for the completion of originally planned troop expansion in certain individual areas of North China, East China, the Northeast, and the Northwest, no other areas should expand troops. The rural population has greatly decreased. Secret societies are active in Ji'nan and Taiyue. Landlord-led uprisings occurred in Feixiang (Ji'nan) and Zunhua (Ji'dong). Troop expansion in all areas (including the Northeast) has reached the saturation point. A tremendous contradiction has arisen between frontline support and supply and rear-area possibilities; if this contradiction is not resolved, we cannot sustain a long-term war. Therefore, in principle, the rear areas should not expand troops this year; whether to expand a few troops next year will depend on the situation then. Henceforth, frontline troop sources must rely entirely on captured soldiers and the upgrading of certain local units; you and all armies should be mentally prepared for this. Henceforth, matters such as troop expansion, tax collection, organizing new units and new regiments, supply standards, and the ratio of personnel detached from production to the local population in all areas must all receive Central Committee approval before implementation; acting independently is strictly prohibited, in order to facilitate protracted warfare. Henceforth, the number of prisoners captured in sieges and field battles may greatly increase; all areas and armies should vigorously organize prisoner training work. The principle is not to release a single one; the majority should supplement our army, a portion should participate in rear-area production, ensuring not a single person is left unused. Our army's human resources for defeating Chiang Kai-shek rely mainly on captured soldiers; this point should be brought to the attention of the entire Party.

Central Committee
Wu jia