Reorganize Zhang Zhen’s (张轸) Troops
in Accordance with the Handling of the
Revolting Forces
(May 25, 1949)
To the Central China Bureau, and to Xiao [Jinguang] and Chen [Bojun]:1
	 1.	 We received both of the telegrams sent by Xiao [Jinguang] and Chen [Bojun],
as well as those sent by Lin [Biao] and Xiao [Ke].2
	 2.	 Zhang Zhen’s army3 should be handled as revolting forces, in the same way
as those of Zeng Zesheng and Wu Huawen.4
	 3.	 At present, if the region around Jinkou and Jiayu is suitable, the army should
be drilled on the spot while awaiting reorganization. If there are no provisions in the Jinkou5 and Jiayu region, please consider advancing to the JiangHan Military Region to procure provisions so you will be able to further fight
and reorganize.
	 4.	 We have been in contact with Zhang Zhen with regard to this matter for some
time. His army was reorganized from the security forces of Henan; whether it also includes part of the local Hubei forces is unclear. It is to our advantage
to incorporate such an army into our forces, so you should welcome Zhang
Zhen and his subordinates. Please notify the local Hubei government of this
issue.
	 5.	 Zhang Zhen’s army should use its original name for the time being. You
should assemble comrades such as Li Xiannian, Wang Hongkun, and Wang
Shusheng6 for a discussion. You should transfer one to two divisions from
the Tenth and Twelfth columns and reorganize them into one unit with Zhang
Zhen’s army. Zhang Zhen should be the commander, and one of our people
should be the deputy commander. You should reorganize it according to the
method that the armies of Zeng Zesheng and Wu Huawen were reorganized.
	 6.	 The feeding and funding of Zhang Zhen’s army should be treated the same
as our armies.
	 7.	 The Central China Bureau should consider the above points, make decisions,
and carry them out.
	 8.	 Xiao [Jinguang] and Chen [Bojun], please tell Zhang Zhen that his telegram
to the Central Committee was received, that we are very satisfied with his
actions, and we hope he will admonish his subordinates to stand firmly on the
side of the people and reorganize his troops as part of the People’s Liberation
Army. You should also ask Zhang Zhen whether he is in radio contact with
Cheng Qian,7 or whether there are other channels of communication through
which he could ask Cheng Qian to lead his army in revolt and cooperate with
the movements of our armies.
The Military Commission

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Notes



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1.  Mao Zedong drafted this telegram on behalf of the Central Military Commission.
Xiao Jinguang was commander and political commissar of the Twelfth Corps of the Fourth
Field Army, and Chen Bojun was first deputy commander of the Twelfth Corps of the
Fourth Field Army.

2.  Lin Biao was commander of the Fourth Field Army and of the Central China Military Region, and Xiao Ke was first chief-of-staff of the Fourth Field Army and of the
Central China Military Region.

3.  Zhang Zhen (张轸) and the Guomindang army’s Nineteenth Army Group, of which
Zhang was commander, rose in revolt on May 15, 1949, in the area of Jinkou and Heshengqiao south of Wuchang, in Hebei.

4.  Zeng Zesheng was formerly deputy commander of the Guomindang army’s First
Army Group and commander of its Sixteenth Army. In October 1948 he led his troops in
revolt in Changchun. In January 1949, his troops were converted into the Fiftieth Army of
the People’s Liberation Army, with Zeng Zesheng as their commander. Wu Huawen was
commander of the Guomindang’s Reorganized Ninety-sixth Army. In September 1948, he
led his troops to revolt in Ji’nan, and in October of that year, his troops were converted into
the Thirty-fifth Army of the People’s Liberation Army, with Wu Huawen as commander.

5.  Jinkou is a town in western Wuchang county, Hubei.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719436-275

6.  Li Xiannian was commander and political commissar of the Hubei Military Region.
Wang Hongkun was first deputy commander of the Hubei Military Region, and Wang
Shusheng was second deputy commander of the Hubei Military Region.

7.  Cheng Qian was chairman of the Guomindang’s provincial government in Hunan
and director of the Guomindang’s Changsha Pacification Office.