The 19th and 20th Corps Should Move Toward Taiyuan on Schedule
(February 15, 1949)

Yang, Luo, and Geng, and for the information of Yang and Li, Lin and Luo, Nie and Bo:
Your telegram of 9:00 on the 14th has been received. If the two corps wait to incorporate the Kuomintang troops, it will take a very long time, and after capturing Taiyuan, they will still need to rest and regroup. Therefore, they should not wait for the incorporation; instead, they should send cadres from the units tasked with incorporation to lead those incorporated troops and follow behind. The two corps should move out on schedule on the 19th, arrive near Taiyuan in the first ten days of March, strive to resolve the Taiyuan issue by mid-March, and then rest and regroup for one to one and a half months before moving toward Xi’an.

Central Military Commission
Chou Shan

[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee, addressed to Yang Dezhi, commander of the 19th Corps of the North China Military Region; Luo Ruiqing, political commissar; and Geng Biao, chief of staff.
[2] Yang and Li refer to Yang Chengwu and Li Tianhuan, who were then respectively commander and deputy political commissar and director of the Political Department of the 20th Corps of the North China Military Region. Lin and Luo refer to Lin Biao and Luo Ronghuan, who were then respectively commander and political commissar of the Northeast Field Army. Nie and Bo refer to Nie Rongzhen and Bo Yibo, who were then respectively commander and political commissar of the North China Military Region.
[3] Refers to the telegram sent by Yang Dezhi, Luo Ruiqing, and Geng Biao to the Central Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee at 9:00 on February 14, 1949. The telegram noted that both corps were originally due to depart on the 19th or 20th but each was to incorporate one Kuomintang unit from Beiping, which had not yet been received. Therefore, the timing seemed somewhat rushed, and they inquired whether a slight delay might be possible.