The Timing and Steps for the Attack on
Shanghai
(May 20, 1949)
To Su [Yu] and Zhang [Zhen], and to the General Front Committee and the command post of the Central Plains Field Army:1
	 1.	 According to the telegram sent by Deng [Xiaoping], Rao [Shushi], and Chen
[Yi],2 the preparatory work for taking over Shanghai is by and large completed. It therefore seems that you can launch the attack on Shanghai as soon
as the military situation permits.
	 2.	 In order to ensure the flawless deployment of scouting and military forces, it
seems best to time the attack between May 25 and May 31, but it could also
be delayed to around June 1. You can decide what is most suitable.
	 3.	 As for the steps of attack, it is best to first deal with Shanghai and then with
Wusong. If the position of Wusong does not open itself easily to attack, you
could also focus on the part that can be annihilated and refrain from attacking
the other part and allow (the enemy forces) to flee by sea.
	 4.	 The attacking forces must be sufficient. If you feel that the forces are inadequate, you need to bring in more forces and then attack.
	 5.	 Before you attack, you should make sufficient preparations for battle, including military tactics.
The Military Commission
Our source for this text is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 5, pp. 587–88, where it is
reproduced from Mao Zedong’s handwritten manuscript preserved in the Central Archives.

--- Notes

1.  Mao Zedong drafted this telegram on behalf of the Central Military Commission. Su
Yu was deputy commander and second deputy political commissar of the Third Field Army,
and Zhang Zhen (张震) was chief-of-staff of the Third Field Army. The Central Plains Field
Army was also known as the Second Field Army.

2.  Deng Xiaoping was political commissar of the Second Field Army. Rao Shushi was
political commissar of the East China Military Region. Chen Yi was commander and political commissar of the Third Field Army.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719436-271