Swiftly Encircle Tanggu in Order to Prevent
the Enemy Forces in Beiping, Tianjin, and So
Forth from Fleeing by Sea
(December 13, 1948, 2:00 A.M.)
To Lin [Biao], Luo [Ronghuan], and Liu [Yalou]:1
Apart from the Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Eleventh columns, which will be used
southeast of Beiping and Tong county to cut off the connections between Beiping
and Tianjin and between Tong county and Tianjin (another division will control
Nankou and Badaling2), as per the previous telegram, please order all units of
the three columns arriving later to encircle Tanggu and to cut off connections
between Tianjin and Tanggu, and between Lutai3 and Tanggu. They should also
construct firm blocking positions toward both Tianjin and Lutai. They should not
divide their forces to encircle Tangshan or divide their forces to encircle Lutai. If
the enemy forces in Tanggu are very numerous, then you should monitor them. If
there are few enemy forces in Tanggu, you should annihilate them at the appropriate opportunity. This undertaking must be carried out swiftly to prevent the
enemy forces in Beiping, Tong county, Tianjin, and Tangshan from amassing at
Tanggu and fleeing by sea.
The Military Commission
Our source for this telegram is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 5, pp. 389–90, where it is
reproduced from Mao’s handwritten manuscript preserved in the Central Archives.
1.  Mao Zedong drafted this telegram on behalf of the Central Military Commission.
Lin Biao, Luo Ronghuan, and Liu Yalou were commander, political commissar, and chief-of-staff, respectively, of the Northeast Field Army.
2.  Nankou is a town in western Changping county, Beijing. Badaling is a section of the
Great Wall in southern Yanqing county, Beijing.
3.  The town of Lutai is now Ninghe county, Tianjin.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719436-207