The Battle Deployment for Annihilating the
Main Force of the Guangxi Armies
(May 25, 1949)
To Lin [Biao], Xiao [Ke], Zhao [Erlu], and Nie [Heting]; to Liu [Bocheng], Zhang
[Jichen], and Li [Da]; and to the General Front Committee:1
	 1.	 The telegram sent by Lin [Biao], Xiao [Ke], Zhao [Erlu], and Nie [Heting]
on May 24 should be forwarded immediately to Liu [Bocheng], Zhang
[Jichen], and Li [Da]. We would like Liu [Bocheng], Zhang [Jichen], and Li
[Da] to quickly send a telegram to Chen Geng’s corps telling them to refrain
from crossing the Gan River for now. They should gather boats along the
line between Fengcheng, Linjiang,4 Xin’gan, and Xiajiang, finish preparations for crossing the river and wait for the Seventh Division of the Guangxi
system to penetrate far into the Yichun region. They should then launch a
surprise attack from the rear of these enemy forces, cut off their path of
retreat, and work with the Fourth Field Army to annihilate or to capture the
enemy troops.

	 2.	 The two radio transceivers of [Liu] Bocheng and Chen Geng should be connected with those of Lin Biao.
	 3.	 The Second Field Army should prepare to transfer three or four units to be
led by Chen Geng and commanded by Lin [Biao] and Luo [Ronghuan].5
They should first join with the Fourth Field Army in annihilating the main
force of the Guangxi system in the Yichun region. Second, they should await
orders to advance into Hunan to attack Bai Chongxi’s escape route, and then
await orders to enter Sichuan.
The Military Commission


--- Notes

1.  Mao Zedong drafted this telegram on behalf of the Central Military Commission.
Lin Biao was commander of the Fourth Field Army and the Central China Military Region,
Xiao Ke was first chief-of-staff, Zhao Erlu was second chief-of-staff, and Nie Heting
(1905–1971, native of Anhui) was deputy chief-of-staff of the Fourth Field Army. Liu
Bocheng was commander of the Second Field Army, Zhang Jichun was deputy political
commissar and head of the Political Department of the Second Field Army, and Li Da was
chief-of-staff of the Second Field Army.

2.  The telegram from Lin Biao et al. stated that the enemy forces were aware that the
Fourth Field Army had only two armies and they were planning to take action. Lin et al.
proposed drawing the enemy troops northeast of Changsha in the area between Yuezhou
and Nanchang and then cutting off their route of retreat and annihilating the portion of
their troops in the region east of Changsha and west of Nanchang. Therefore, Lin et al.
recommended that Chen Geng’s troops refrain from crossing the Gan River and wait for the
enemy to penetrate deeply, after which they could advance on the enemy from behind and
join with the Fourth Field Army in annihilating and capturing the enemy.

3.  Chen Geng was commander and political commissar of the Fourth Corps of the
Second Field Army.

4.  Linjiang is a town in western Qingjiang county, Jiangxi.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719436-276

5.  Luo Ronghuan was first political commissar of the Fourth Field Army and of the
Central China Military Region.

6.  Bai Chongxi was director of the Guomindang army’s Central China Military and
Political Affairs Office.