Please Consider the Problem of Troop
Deployment for the Battles During the Third
Stage of the Huai-Hai Campaign
 (November 28, 1948, 4:00 A.M.)
To Liu [Bocheng], Chen [Yi], and Deng [Xiaoping], and for the information of
Su [Yu], Chen [Shiju], and Zhang [Zhen], Tan [Zhenlin] and Wang [Jian’an], Wei
[Guoqing] and Ji [Luo]:1
	 1.	 We received the telegrams of the 27th at 5:00 P.M. from Liu, Chen, and
Deng, and of the 27th at 2:00 P.M. from Su, Chen, and Zhang.2
	 2.	 If today (the 28th) Liu, Chen, and Deng can completely destroy Huang Wei’s
units,3 and Su, Chen, and Zheng can surround Li Yannian and Liu Ruming’s4
units north of Bengbu and destroy them within the next several days, the entire Huai-Hai Campaign will undergo a decisive change, and the second
stage of the Huai-Hai Campaign will soon be completed.
	 3.	 The third stage of the Huai-Hai Campaign is to wipe out the enemy in two
areas, Xu[zhou] and Beng[bu], and to take Xu[zhou] and Beng[bu].
	 4.	 After completely destroying the forces of Huang Wei and of Li and Liu
north of Bengbu, the entire army will have to rest and reorganize for a short
period, probably about two weeks, depending on the situation. Thereafter,
use the main forces to occupy Xuzhou and use a fairly large contingent to
take Bengbu, Pukou, Hefei, and the cities around Huainan, Jiangbei, Yunxi,
and Chaodong, approaching the Yangzi River.
	 5.	 The East China Field Army now has a total of sixteen columns of various
sizes, namely the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth,
Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Bo, Lu, Guang, and Special columns.
The Central Plains Field Army has a total of seven columns: the First,
Second, Third, Fourth, Sixth, Ninth, Wang [Bingzhang], and Zhang [Linzhi]
columns5 (the Wang and Zhang columns should return to the establishment
of the Central Plains Field Army). We feel that after you complete the second
stage and before the short rest, you should think about the immediate deployment of troops for the next stage of battle and give us your opinions about
how many men should attack Xuzhou and how many should go toward the
Beng[bu]-Pu[kou] line.
	 6.	 If the main forces of Li and Liu can be wiped out north of Bengbu, it seems
possible, given the inadequacy of the enemy forces at Bengbu and along the
Beng[bu]-Pu[kou] line, to exploit the victory to seize Bengbu and occupy
part of or even the entire Beng[bu]-Pu[kou] line. If there is this possibility,
we should immediately send at least two to three columns across the Huai
River to carry out this task. Even if we cannot immediately take Bengbu, we
should cut off the connection between Bengbu and Pukou as soon as possible
and block any possible enemy reinforcements from other places to Bengbu.
The columns that fulfill this task may rest and reorganize on the Beng[bu]-
Pu[kou] line after they sever the connection between Bengbu and Pukou, and
then attack Bengbu after the break.
The Military Commission
---

Notes

Our source for this text is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 5, pp. 284–86, where it is
reproduced from Mao’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 of the Central Plains Field Army. Chen Yi was first deputy
commander of the Central Plains Field Army, 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, Chen Shiju was chief-of-staff of the East China Field
Army, and Zhang Zhen (张震) was deputy chief-of-staff of the East China Field Army. Tan
Zhenlin and Wang Jian’an were political commissar and deputy commander, respectively,
of the East China Field Army’s Shandong Corps. Wei Guoqing and Ji Luo (Ji Pengfei) were
commander and deputy political commissar, respectively, of the East China Field Army’s
Northern Jiangsu Corps.

2.  The first telegram, from Liu Bocheng et al., stated that their troops had confined
Huang Wei’s troops to ten or so towns in the vicinity of Huaiyin and Huai’an, and that the
troops led by Liao Yunzhou (1903–1996, born in Fengtai, Anhui [present-day Tianjia’an
District, Huainan City]) had revolted that morning on the battlefield. They expected all
fighting to be completed by the next day, and they had instructed Su Yu et al. to attack Li
Yannian and Liu Ruming without delay. The second telegram, from Su Yu et al., stated that
they were amassing troops to annihilate Huang Wei’s forces, and it provided details of their
deployment.

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

4.  Li Yannian was commander of the Guomindang army’s Sixth Army Group. Liu
Ruming was commander of the Eighth Army Group.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719436-196

5.  Wang Bingzhang and Zhang Linzhi were commander and political commissar,
respectively, of the Central Plains Field Army’s Eleventh Column.