Agree to Encircle the Enemy at Nankou and Changping with the Two Columns under Cheng and Huang and the Fifth Column[1]

(December 11, 1948)

Lin, Luo, Liu:

Your telegram of the 11th at 18:00 hours[2] received. (1) We agree to encircle the enemy at Nankou[4] and Changping with the two columns under Cheng and Huang[3] and the Fifth Column. (2) There is no problem whatsoever in Yang and Luo[5] encircling the 35th Army. Although the enemy at Zhangjiakou has five infantry divisions and two cavalry brigades, and Yang and Li[6] with eight brigades encircling this enemy force may seem insufficient, Yang and Li have

[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee, addressed to Lin Biao, Commander of the Northeast Field Army, Luo Ronghuan, Political Commissar, and Liu Yalou, Chief of Staff.

[2] Refers to the telegram sent by Lin Biao, Luo Ronghuan, and Liu Yalou to the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee at 18:00 hours on December 11, 1948. The telegram stated that after the battle with the Provisional 3rd Army concluded, it would be better not to destroy the 35th Army for the time being but to encircle it, which would make it difficult for Fu Zuoyi to resolve to retreat eastward with full force, and such an eastward retreat would be impossible anyway. Therefore, the two Yangs should deal with the 35th Army and the enemy at Zhangjiakou, while the two columns led by Cheng and Huang and the Fifth Column should still encircle Nankou and Changping. This would further ensure that the enemy could not only not retreat but also could not concentrate forces to defend Beiping.

[3] Cheng and Huang refer to Cheng Zihua and Huang Zhiyong, who were then respectively Commander and Chief of Staff of the Second Corps of the Northeast Field Army.

[4] Nankou, a town located in the western part of Changping County, Beijing.

[5] Yang and Luo refer to Yang Dezhi and Luo Ruiqing, who were then respectively Commander and Political Commissar of the Second Corps of the North China Military Region.

[6] Yang and Li refer to Yang Chengwu and Li Tianhuan, who were then respectively Commander and Deputy Political Commissar concurrently Director of the Political Department of the Third Corps of the North China Military Region.

already repelled several enemy sorties in recent days. In Suiyuan[1], the column led by Li Jingquan and Yao Zhe[2] has already taken up defensive positions at Jining and Zhuozishan[3]; Wang Ping[4] has led the Beiyue local corps to Nanhaoqian, west of Zhangjiakou; and a portion of the Mongolian cavalry is near Zhangbei. Yang and Li are planning to have the forces under Yao Zhe, Wang Ping, and the Mongolian cavalry attack and annihilate one cavalry brigade of Fu[5]’s army and local bandit units at Zhangbei and Shangyi, clearing out all bandit elements in northern Cha[6] and eastern Suiyuan, thereby further isolating Zhangjiakou. It is estimated that there will be no major problems there either. (3) We originally estimated that it would be difficult for the Fourth, Eleventh, and Fifth Columns to achieve the objective of encircling the enemy at Nankou and Changping. If the encirclement is achieved, that would of course be excellent. However, if the enemy does not reinforce that area, there will only be two divisions of the 94th Army and one division of the 16th Army, while we would have twelve divisions, which might be an excessive use of troops. After the encirclement is completed and blocking positions are established on both flanks, one column may be transferred south of Tong County to join the Third Column in encircling Beiping from the east.

Military Commission

24:00 hours, the 11th

[1] Suiyuan, a former province encompassing the central part of today’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, abolished in 1954.

[2] Li Jingquan, then Political Commissar of the Third Corps of the North China Military Region. Yao Zhe, then Commander of the Sui-Meng Military Sub-district and concurrently Commander of the Eighth Column.

[3] Zhuozishan, a town, now the county seat of Zhuozhi County, Inner Mongolia.

[4] Wang Ping, then Commander of the Beiyue Military Sub-district.

[5] Fu refers to Fu Zuoyi, then Commander-in-Chief of the Kuomintang’s General Headquarters for “Bandit Suppression” in North China.

[6] Cha refers to Chahar, a former province encompassing the northwestern part of today’s Hebei Province and the Xilingol League of Inner Mongolia. In 1949, its jurisdiction was changed to cover the northwestern part of today’s Hebei Province and the northern part of Shanxi Province, and it was abolished in 1952.