Regarding Deployment to Obstruct and
Annihilate the Enemy on the Southern Front
 (November 18, 1948, midnight)
To Liu [Bocheng], Chen [Yi], and Deng [Xiaoping], and to Su [Yu] and Tan
[Zhenlin]:1
	 1.	 We have received all your telegrams.
	 2.	 Although the enemy still has a certain amount of strength while on the defensive, its spirit for attacking is weak to an extreme degree. If our army seizes
upon this weakness, we will be able to separate the enemy forces into individual units and annihilate them one by one.
	 3.	 He and Zhang’s rebellion on the northern front2 was the first great victory.
The annihilation of Huang [Baitao]’s corps3 within a few days will be the
second great victory. If we carefully organize our battles and annihilate four
or five more of Qiu [Qingquan] and Li [Mi]’s divisions,4 thus destroying
their fighting capacity, this will be the third great victory.
	 4.	 We have annihilated the 181st Division of Liu Ruming’s forces5 and taken
Su county, thereby dealing a major blow to the enemy on the southern front.
Liu Zhi6 recently commanded Huang Wei7 to advance from Mengcheng to
Su county and ordered Li Yannian8 to lead the Thirty-ninth and Ninety-ninth
armies to advance from Bengbu through Guzhen and Dadianji to Zhulan.9
These are both attacking forces. Liu Zhi also ordered Liu Ruming to advance
from Bengbu to Su county to serve as the garrison force in the Su county–
Bengbu region. As for how to deal with these enemy forces, our opinions are
as follows: First, we completely agree with the plan of Liu [Bocheng], Chen
[Yi], and Deng [Xiaoping] to use the First Column as the frontal defense
between Mengcheng and Su county and the Second and Sixth columns as
shock forces to attack the tail of Huang Wei’s army. If we annihilate two
or three divisions, we can halt its advance. This is the most important step.
Second, we will use the Ninth Column to confront Liu Ruming, halting his
progress division by division. Do not fight destructive battles with him;
rather, stress writing letters and sending people to advise Liu Ruming, Liu
Ruzhen, and Cao Fulin10 to rebel against Chiang Kaishek. At the same time,
we should start a public political offensive. Third, use the Third and Fourth
columns and the First Column of Ye Fei’s forces11 to confront Li Yannian.
Do not fight him too soon. Begin by using a small force to contact the enemy.
Retreat little by little, leading the enemy into the area around Dadianji so
that we will achieve our goal of totally annihilating him. This victory, and
coordinating with the Ninth Column to annihilate Liu Ruming, will open up
new prospects on the southern front.
	 5.	 After annihilating the rest of Huang’s corps, the Fourth, Sixth, Eighth,
Ninth, and Thirteenth columns led by Tan [Zhenlin] and Wang [Jian’an]12
will swiftly proceed to the area between Xuzhou and Su county to serve as
the preparatory force on the southern front. They will prepare to coordinate
with other columns to annihilate Huang Wei. If we annihilate about half of
every enemy force on the southern front and prevent them from advancing
northward, the enemy forces to the north will be like a turtle in a jar. We will
then be able to annihilate them step by step.

	 6.	 Do everything in your power to get the Xu[zhou]-Beng[bu] railway under
our control, thereby separating the enemy forces in the north from those in
the south and ensuring that they cannot join forces.
	 7.	 We await a report on your opinions.
The Military Commission

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Notes

Our source for this text is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 5, pp. 241–43, where it is
reproduced from Mao Zedong’s handwritten manuscript preserved in the Central Archives.

--- Notes

1.  Mao Zedong drafted this telegram on behalf of the Central Military Commission.
Liu Bocheng was commander, Chen Yi was first deputy commander, and Deng Xiaoping
was political commissar of the Central Plains Field Army. Su Yu was acting commander
and acting political commissar of the East China Field Army. Tan Zhenlin was deputy
political commissar of the East China Field Army and political commissar of its Shandong
Corps.

2.  The deputy commanders of the Guomindang’s Third Pacification Zone, He Jifeng
(1898–1980, born in Gaocheng, Hebei) and Zhang Kexia (1890–1984, born in Xian county,
Hebei) (who were both underground members of the Chinese Communist Party), went over
to the Communist side during the first stage of the Huai-Hai Campaign, bringing with them
more than 20,000 troops.

3.  Huang Baitao was commander of the Guomindang’s Seventh Army Group.

4.  Qiu Qingquan and Li Mi were the commanders of the Guomindang’s Second and
Thirteenth army groups, respectively.

5.  Liu Ruming was commander of the Guomindang army’s Eighth Army Group.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719436-186

6.  Liu Zhi was commander-in-chief of the Guomindang army’s Xuzhou “Bandit Suppression” Headquarters.

7.  Huang Wei was commander of the Guomindang army’s Twelfth Army Group

8.  Li Yannian was commander of the Guomindang army’s Sixth Army Group.

9.  Dadianji is a town in southeastern Su county, Anhui. Zhulan is a town in northern
Su county.

10.  Liu Ruzhen (1904–1999, native of Hebei) and Cao Fulin were deputy commanders
of the Guomindang army’s Eighth Army Group.

11.  Ye Fei was commander of the First Column of the East China Field Army.

12.  Tan Zhenlin and Wang Jian’an were political commissar and deputy commander,
respectively, of the East China Field Army’s Shandong Corps.