Deployment for Dealing with Feng Zhi’an’s Troops and Attacking the Enemy Reinforcements from Xuzhou by a Flank Movement[1]

(October 15, 1948)

Rao, Su, and Tan:

Your telegram of the 14th has been received. (1) We fully agree with your policy regarding Feng Zhi’an’s[2] troops. We hope you will make concrete arrangements and act quickly. (2) As for the forces to be used against Feng’s troops and for attacking the enemy reinforcements from Xuzhou by a flank movement, we think that, in addition to sending one strong column to raid and occupy Yunhe[3] Station and to hold that section of the Grand Canal in order to block the enemy reinforcements from the front, it is necessary to use five columns to attack and occupy Lincheng, Zaozhuang, Yixian, Taierzhuang[4] and the area south of them, to control the Grand Canal and the Wei River, and to build many pontoon bridges so that our powerful forces can reach the vicinity of the railway and construct blocking fortifications from the north side of the railway to the Grand Canal, thus drawing the enemy reinforcements to attack in that direction and gaining time for us. To this end, the forces used to besiege and attack Feng’s troops and to compel them to revolt should be separated from those which are to bypass Feng’s troops, go south and reach the north side of the railway, and their respective tasks should be clearly defined. They should not be mixed up. All five columns should not be used to besiege and attack Feng’s troops; at least two columns should be assigned the task of bypassing Feng’s troops, going south and blocking the enemy. Otherwise, it will be impossible to hold up the enemy reinforcements effectively and gain time. (3) If there are enemy troops in Pixian and other places, our forces for attacking and annihilating Huang’s army[5] should also bypass Pixian and other places by different routes and quickly reach the places where the various divisions of Huang’s army are located so as to isolate and wipe them out. (4) In our telegram of yesterday[1] we asked you seven questions. Please reply at once.

The Military Commission

15–17 hours

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[1] This telegram, drafted by Mao Zedong for the Military Commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, was addressed to Rao Shushi, Political Commissar of the East China Military Area, Su Yu, Acting Commander and Acting Political Commissar of the East China Field Army, and Tan Zhenlin, its Deputy Political Commissar.

[2] Feng Zhi’an was then Commander of the 3rd Pacification Zone of the Kuomintang army.

[3] Yunhe, a town, is now the county seat of Pixian County, Jiangsu Province.

[4] Lincheng is now Xuecheng, Zaozhuang Municipality, Shandong Province. Zaozhuang is now Zaozhuang Municipality. Yixian, an old county name, is now Yicheng, Zaozhuang Municipality. Taierzhuang is in the southern part of Zaozhuang Municipality.

[5] Huang’s army refers to the Kuomintang 7th Army, whose Commander was Huang Botao.

[1] This refers to the telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Military Commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and sent to Su Yu between 15 and 17 hours on October 14, 1948. The telegram asked for information on the specific positions of the various columns of the East China Field Army.