All-Out Effort to Block and Delay the Enemy’s Southward Flight[1]

(December 13, 1948)

Nie, Bo, Teng, Zhao:

Should the enemy in the Beiping-Tianjin area flee southward along the Beiping-Hankou and Tianjin-Pukou railways, you should deploy all available forces to block and delay them, so as to coordinate with the main pursuit forces in annihilating the enemy. Please give thought to this matter and telegraph your proposed measures in advance.

Central Military Commission

13th, 7:00 hours

[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, addressed to Nie Rongzhen, commander of the North China Military Region, Bo Yibo, member of its committee, Teng Daiyuan, its second deputy commander, and Zhao Erlu, its chief of staff.