Prevent the Enemy Troops in Beiping, Tianjin, Zhangjiakou, and Tangshan from Escaping[1]

(November 18, 1948)

Yang, Luo, Geng, and inform Yang, Li, Li, Cheng, Huang:[2]

(1) Under the impact of the victorious advances of our operations in Xuzhou, the armies of the Chiang and Fu[4] factions in Ping, Jin, Zhang, and Tang[3] may possibly withdraw separately toward the west and south or concentrate and withdraw toward the south (via the sea route, with some possibility also via the land route).

(2) In order to prevent the armies of the Chiang and Fu factions from escaping from Ping, Jin, Zhang, and Tang, in addition to already ordering Yang, Li, Li to cease attacking Guisui[5] and to position their three columns in the eastern Sui[6] area to resolutely block the Fu army from fleeing toward Suiyuan, we have also already ordered Xu, Zhou[7] to cease attacking Taiyuan,

[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee to Yang Dezhi, commander of the Second Corps of the North China Military Region, Luo Ruiqing, political commissar, and Geng Biao, chief of staff.
[2] Yang, Li, Li refers to Yang Chengwu, Li Jingquan, and Li Tianhuan, who were respectively commander, political commissar, and deputy political commissar and director of the political department of the Third Corps of the North China Military Region at the time. Cheng, Huang refers to Cheng Zihua and Huang Zhiyong, who were respectively commander and chief of staff of the Second Corps of the Northeast Field Army at the time.
[3] Ping, Jin, Zhang, Tang refers to Beiping, Tianjin, Zhangjiakou, and Tangshan in Hebei.
[4] Chiang refers to Chiang Kai-shek. Fu refers to Fu Zuoyi, who was then commander-in-chief of the Kuomintang army’s “Bandit Suppression” General Headquarters in North China.
[5] Guisui, old city name, now Hohhot, Inner Mongolia.
[6] Sui refers to Suiyuan, old province name, covering the central part of today’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, abolished in 1954.
[7] Xu, Zhou refers to Xu Xiangqian and Zhou Shidi, who were respectively first deputy commander of the North China Military Region, commander and political commissar of the First Corps, and deputy commander and deputy political commissar of the First Corps at the time.

so as not to stimulate Fu Zuoyi into fleeing prematurely. (3) The units under Yang, Luo, Geng shall stand by at Fuping and be prepared at any time to move toward the vicinity of Zhangjiakou to coordinate with Yang, Li, Li in preventing the enemy from escaping.

The Military Commission

Eighteen hours, 18th day