The Yang-Luo-Geng Corps Should Advance to the Area West of Mancheng and Await Orders[1]

(November 1, 1948)

Nie, Bo, Teng, and Yang, Luo, Geng; and inform Lin, Luo, Liu[2]:

(1) The enemy’s 94th Army and other units have already withdrawn from the Tang River to Fangshunqiao, the 35th Army to Baoding, and the 16th Army to the area between Zhuozhou and Baoding. (2) The four brigades led by Yang, Luo, and Geng, along with the follow-up units, should advance to the area west of Mancheng tomorrow (the 2nd) to rest and await orders, observe the direction of movement of Fu’s various armies, and then decide on their own actions. They should promptly establish contact with the 3rd and 7th Columns and all local corps, and exercise unified command over them. (3) For the present period, the Yang-Luo-Geng Corps will operate along the Beiping–Hankou Railway.[3] (4) Lin, Luo, and Liu have already dispatched two columns, four independent divisions, and one cavalry division, under the command of Cheng and Huang, to advance from the Jinxi area toward the vicinity of Beiping, with an estimated arrival time of about ten days. (5) The enemy in Shenyang and Yingkou has already been encircled and will be dealt with in a matter of days.

The Military Commission

19:00, the 1st

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

[2] Lin, Luo, and Liu refer to Lin Biao, Luo Ronghuan, and Liu Yalou, who at the time served respectively as Commander, Political Commissar, and Chief of Staff of the Northeast Field Army.

[3] The Beiping–Hankou Railway refers to the railway from Beiping (present-day Beijing) to Hankou, i.e., a section of today’s Beijing–Guangzhou Railway.