Agreement on the Plan to Annihilate Li Yannian’s Forces[1]

(November 23, 1948)

Liu, Chen, Deng; Su, Chen, Zhang; and inform the East China Bureau, Tan, Wang; Wei, Ji[2]:

(1) Su, Chen, and Zhang’s telegram of the 21st at 18:00 hours on the plan to annihilate Li Yannian’s forces[3] and their telegram of the 23rd at 10:00 hours, as well as Liu, Chen, and Deng’s telegram of the 23rd morning in reply to Su, Chen, and Zhang, have all been noted. (2) We, like Liu, Chen, and Deng, agree with the plan set forth in Su, Chen, and Zhang’s telegram of the 21st at 18:00 hours. Regardless of whether Huang Wei, Liu Ruming, and Li Yannian[1] advance or halt, this plan is sound. If the enemy advances, we can annihilate the greater part of Li’s and Liu’s forces and a part of Huang Wei’s forces; if the enemy halts, we can gain a short period for rest and consolidation. (3) For the present, do not yet contemplate seeking other opportunities for battle. At present, we should seize upon the enemy’s weakness at Xuzhou[2]—its isolation and grain shortages—to cut off the two enemy forces at Xuzhou and Bengbu[3] and await the opportune moment to annihilate them. (4) If our large forces are stationed for a long time between Xuzhou and Bengbu, they too will inevitably face grain shortages, but you must overcome this difficulty by every possible means. (5) If after ten days no opportunity for battle can yet be found in the Xuzhou-Bengbu area, and provided it does not impede the general policy of cutting off Xuzhou from Bengbu and annihilating Liu Zhi’s[4] main force, the suggestion of dispatching a portion of our troops to attack and occupy the Two Huai[5] region may be considered. (6) Resolving the grain problem is a crucial link in carrying out this general policy. Report on how the grain situation stands. (7) In order to achieve the long-term severance of Xuzhou from Bengbu and the besiegement of the enemy at Xuzhou, the East China Field Army should construct strong interdiction positions between Xuzhou and Bengbu, with Su County as the pivot. (8) Report on the implementation.

Military Commission

23:00–01:00 hours, 23rd

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[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, addressed to Liu Bocheng, Commander of the Central Plains Field Army; Chen Yi, First Deputy Commander; Deng Xiaoping, Political Commissar; and Su Yu, Acting Commander and Acting Political Commissar of the East China Field Army; Chen Shiju, Chief of Staff; and Zhang Zhen, Deputy Chief of Staff.


[1] Huang Wei, Liu Ruming, and Li Yannian were then respectively Commanders of the 12th, 8th, and 6th Corps of the Kuomintang Army.


[2] Tan and Wang refer to Tan Zhenlin and Wang Jian’an, then respectively Political Commissar and Deputy Commander of the Shandong Corps of the East China Field Army. Wei and Ji refer to Wei Guoqing and Ji Luo (Ji Pengfei), then respectively Commander and Deputy Political Commissar of the North Jiangsu Corps of the East China Field Army.


[2] The enemy at Xuzhou refers to the Kuomintang Army’s Xuzhou “Bandit Suppression” General Headquarters and the 2nd and 13th Corps, which were then concentrated in Xuzhou.


[3] Refers to the telegram sent by Su Yu, Chen Shiju, and Zhang Zhen at 18:00 hours on November 21, 1948, to Liu Bocheng, Chen Yi, Deng Xiaoping, the Central Military Commission of the CPC, the East China Military Region, and others. The telegram stated: To ensure that Liu, Chen, and Deng’s Central Plains Field Army annihilates Huang Wei’s Corps and our forces on the southern front annihilate Li Yannian’s Corps, we have decided to use seven columns to monitor the Qiu, Li, and Sun Corps in the outskirts of Xuzhou, employing the method of gradual attrition to resolutely block their southward flight. The deployment is as follows: 1. The 1st, 3rd, 10th, and 12th Columns, the Shandong Column, the Guangxi Column, and the 1st and 3rd Independent Brigades of the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region shall monitor and block the enemy at Xuzhou, sever the links between the Xuzhou enemy and Li and Huang, and safeguard the flanks and rear of Liu, Chen, and Deng’s Central Plains Field Army and our forces on the southern front. 2. The 2nd, 6th, 7th, and 10th Columns, the 11th Column under Wang and Zhang, the 11th Column under Hu and Zhang, and the 13th Column shall annihilate Li Yannian’s Corps. 3. The 6th and 13th Columns shall attack along both banks of the Tuo River from southeast to northwest, coordinating with the frontal assault to encircle and annihilate the enemy north of Renqiao. 4. The 7th Column and the 11th Column under Hu and Zhang shall join the battle as circumstances dictate after the 2nd, 6th, Wang-Zhang, and 13th Columns have divided the enemy. 5. The 10th Column shall serve as the general reserve. 6. After capturing Lingbi, the two brigades from the Jianghuai Military Region shall await orders to advance via Yuanzhaiji and attack the Guzhen-Bengbu section. To facilitate coordination, it is suggested that the Central Plains Field Army annihilate Huang Wei’s Corps south of the Nanpingji-Sunzhuangji line. In the first phase of the campaign, we should concentrate our forces to annihilate Li Yannian’s Corps.


[3] Xuzhou and Bengbu refer to Xuzhou in Jiangsu Province and Bengbu in Anhui Province.


[4] Liu Zhi was then Commander-in-Chief of the Kuomintang Army’s Xuzhou “Bandit Suppression” General Headquarters.


[5] The Two Huai refers to Huaiyin and Huai’an in Jiangsu Province.