Attack Taiyuan Whenever It Is Advantageous[1]

(April 17, 1949)

Xu, Zhou, and Luo:

Your telegram of April 14[2] has been received. You may launch the attack on Taiyuan whenever you deem it advantageous, without any restrictions whatsoever.

The Military Commission

0200 hours, 17 April

Reference material picture

Mao Zedong in Beiping, 1949.

Ensure Success in Crossing the Yangtze in One Stroke[1]

(April 17, 1949)

The General Front Committee, with copies to Su and Zhang, and Liu, Zhang, and Li[2]:

Your telegram of 1500-1700 hours on the 15th[3] has been received. The negotiations up to the 15th (maoshan) have come to a temporary halt. The period from the 16th to the 20th (maoxia) is to be allowed for Nanjing to consider and make its decision. During this time, our army should capture all the enemy strongholds on the north bank and on the river islets that must be taken. After the 20th, the date for our army to cross the river is entirely for us to choose, without any restrictions whatsoever. In our telegram of 0700-0900 hours on the 16th,[4] we asked whether you could change the date for crossing the river from the 22nd to the 25th. This was said on the assumption that Nanjing would agree to sign the agreement and that it would actually be signed on the 20th, and that they would ask us to allow them a few days for deployment. It does not mean that the date must be changed to the 25th. Whether Nanjing will agree to sign on the 20th depends on the attitude of the United States and Chiang Kai-shek, and therefore we cannot be very sure. The Nanjing side thinks that our army will have great difficulty in crossing the river,

--- Notes

[1] This telegram was drafted by Mao Zedong for the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee and addressed to Xu Xiangqian, Deputy Commander of the North China Military Region and Commander and concurrently Political Commissar of the Eighteenth Army; Zhou Shidi, Deputy Commander and concurrently Deputy Political Commissar of the Eighteenth Army; and Luo Ruiqing, Political Commissar of the Nineteenth Army.


[1] This telegram was drafted by Mao Zedong for the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee and addressed to the General Front Committee.


[2] On April 14, 1949, Xu Xiangqian, Zhou Shidi, and Luo Ruiqing sent a telegram to the Military Commission, which read as follows: "1. Since Zhao Chengshou and Cao Jinhe met with a certain Du sent by Zhao Gong, the enemy has not responded and has tightened the blockade. We tried to send another letter into the city but could not get it through. According to information from our inside connections, the enemy is spreading the word that the peace talks between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in Beiping have resulted in an agreement, that Hankou, Nanjing, and Shanghai are to be jointly administered by the two sides, that the enemy forces in Taiyuan are to be led by Sun Chu to Xi'an (with our side providing a passage), and that the Northwest Industrial Corporation is preparing to hand over its operations. Also, today the enemy's Taiyuan radio station broadcast an editorial that still proclaimed their firm resolve and their policy of fighting to the end. In recent days they have been readjusting their forces and stepping up combat preparations. 2. Our additional artillery units have all moved into position, reconnaissance and other preparatory work have been completed, and the enemy is still holding its positions in the warehouse district (east of the city). Our forces have dug six tunnels, one of which has been discovered and destroyed by the enemy. We estimate that the enemy may have detected our preparations, and we are now trying to take countermeasures. Under present conditions, we have a fairly good chance of encircling and wiping out several enemy divisions on the outskirts and then following up with an assault on the city. 3. The enemy in Taiyuan may be more easily brought to terms after we have encircled and wiped out several of their divisions on the outskirts. If the Nanjing negotiations on the 16th produce no significant results, can we attack Taiyuan ahead of schedule? What is the timing? Please advise."


[2] Su and Zhang: Su Yu and Zhang Zhen, who were then Deputy Commander and concurrently Second Deputy Political Commissar and Chief of Staff, respectively, of the Third Field Army. Liu, Zhang, and Li: Liu Bocheng, Zhang Jichun, and Li Da, who were then Commander, Deputy Political Commissar and concurrently Director of the Political Department, and Chief of Staff, respectively, of the Second Field Army.


[3] This refers to the telegram sent by the General Front Committee to the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee at 1900-2100 hours on April 15, 1949. The telegram stated that all points along the section from Nanjing to Anqing, except for Jinhekou, Xiaohuangzhou, and Jiangxinzhou, where the enemy garrison was concentrated and would require more than three days to capture, could be taken in one night or two days by April 20. The enemy's river defense was weaker in the western section, making a breakthrough easier. In the eastern section, the enemy was more concentrated, and several days of continuous fierce fighting would be necessary to break through and gain a foothold. The telegram asked for further instructions by the 18th as to whether the operation on April 20 would mark the beginning of the formal crossing operation or would be limited to capturing the bridgeheads on the north bank, after which a pause might be necessary.


[4] This refers to the telegram "Base Policy on the Assumption That Negotiations Will Break Down and the Yangtze Will Be Crossed by Force."