Do Not Prematurely Provoke Fu Zuoyi into Reinforcing the West

(August 16, 1948)

Yang, Luo, Geng:

Your telegram of the 16th [2] received. Due to rain, the main force of the Northeast can only move out by the end of this month or early next month. If Yang Chengwu’s force [3] moves out too early and Fu [4] sends a large force to reinforce the west, Yang’s force may fail to achieve its objective. Your current operation against Pinggu [5] is a temporary action to draw back the enemy at Zunhua. If it is meant to coordinate with Yang’s force, then drawing the enemy prematurely to the Ping-Sui Line would actually be disadvantageous. In our opinion, after annihilating the enemy at Shixia, Xiaoying [6], and Gubeikou, you should rest and regroup along that line. If the enemy advances and presses, withdraw slightly to the east. Wait until a few days before Yang’s force engages at Guisui and Jining, then move westward again. The Military Commission will issue a separate order at that time.

Military Commission
16th, 21:00 hours

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[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee, addressed to Yang Dezhi (Commander), Luo Ruiqing (Political Commissar), and Geng Biao (Chief of Staff) of the Second Corps of the North China Military Region.

[2] Refers to the telegram sent by Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao to the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee on August 16, 1948. The telegram stated: “Our main force has entered the area west of Pinggu. In our opinion, the Third Corps’ operation should be advanced, but they instead want to delay it, which will make things more difficult for us. The main problem is lack of food. Western Rehe is completely without grain. The total grain supply of Ji-Re-Cha can only last ten days, and withdrawing back to eastern Hebei is also not good. Moreover, once we enter northern Ping, Fu Zuoyi will surely concentrate his main force on the southern section of Pinggu or the eastern section of Ping-Sui, thereby speeding up reinforcement to the west, which would also be disadvantageous for their operation.”

[3] Yang Chengwu’s force refers to the Third Corps of the North China Military Region, with Yang Chengwu as Corps Commander.

[4] Fu refers to Fu Zuoyi, then Commander-in-Chief of the Kuomintang’s “Bandit Suppression” General Headquarters in North China.

[5] Pinggu refers to the Pinggu Railway, the railway line from Beiping (present-day Beijing) to Gubeikou, a section of the present-day Jingtong (Tongliao) line.

[6] Shixia, an old town name, was located in the northern part of Miyun County, Beijing, and disappeared when the Miyun Reservoir was built after liberation. Xiaoying is located in the northeastern part of Luanping County, Hebei.