Reply to the South China Sub-bureau and Others[1]

(June 24, 1949)

Congratulations on your great victory. Please race against time to quickly consolidate these victories, expand the army and the areas under your control, in order to welcome the arrival of the Fourth Field Army, and prepare to occupy Guangzhou in November, December, or January next year. You should boldly recruit large numbers of young students in the three areas of Dongjiang, Hanjiang, and western Fujian, and open schools to train thousands of cadres. At the same time, according to what is feasible, transfer one to two thousand veteran and relatively experienced work cadres for training, in preparation for taking over Guangzhou and other large cities. Also, order the training of cadres in Hong Kong, and you may also recruit a group of Guangzhou students to come to Dongjiang for training. In short, the work cadres for taking over the entire province should mainly be prepared under your responsibility. Strengthen the leadership of the underground municipal committee in Guangzhou, actively develop Party members, and prepare conditions for coordinated action from within and without. The underground Party organizations in the two cities of Guilin and Kunming should also be instructed to heighten their attention locally.

[1] This is the main content of a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in reply to the South China Sub-bureau and for the information of the Central China Bureau and the Hong Kong Work Committee, after receiving a report from the South China Sub-bureau on June 12 concerning the military achievements in the two border areas of Dongjiang and Hanjiang in Guangdong.