Dispatch a Strong Corps East Across the Liao River
to Annihilate the Enemy in the Yingkou Area[1]

(October 27, 1948)

Lin, Luo, Liu:

Your telegram of the 27th at 17:00 hours[2] has been received. (1) The encirclement and annihilation of five armies and the capture of tens of thousands of enemy troops are a source of immense satisfaction.

(2) After the enemy forces currently confronting you are dealt with, it is hoped that you will dispatch a strong corps (no fewer than three columns) to advance eastward day and night without stopping, cross the Liao River, and annihilate the enemy in the area of Yingkou, Niuzhuang,[3] and Haicheng, thereby blocking the enemy’s escape route to the sea. (3) After the Liao Corps[4] is wiped out, Chiang Kai-shek will ship a portion of his forces from Huludao to reinforce Yingkou and will order the enemy troops in the Shenyang area to retreat rapidly toward Yingkou. You must fully take this point into account. (4) If, in the next few days, the enemy forces in the Shenyang area have already begun or are in the process of fleeing toward Yingkou, your entire army must swiftly strike in the direction of Yingkou and Haicheng.

The Military Commission
23:30 hours, October 27

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[1] This telegram was drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China and addressed to Lin Biao, commander of the Northeast Field Army; Luo Ronghuan, its political commissar; and Liu Yalou, its chief of staff.
[2] Refers to the telegram sent by Lin Biao, Luo Ronghuan, and Liu Yalou to the Central Military Commission at 17:00 hours on October 27, 1948. The telegram stated: “1. The five armies of the Liao Corps have been completely encircled and routed. Tens of thousands of enemy troops have been captured, including one deputy army commander and one division commander identified among the prisoners. Currently, we are vigorously expanding the results of the battle. 2. The enemy forces advancing north from Jinxi assaulted our positions at Tashan today. We are putting up a stubborn resistance.”
[3] Niuzhuang, a town located northwest of Haicheng City, Liaoning Province.
[4] The Liao Corps refers to the Kuomintang’s Ninth Army Corps, commanded by Corps Commander Liao Yaoxiang.