Agree to the Fourth Field Army’s Deployment of Five Armies for Close Coordination Operations
(October 7, 1949)

Lin, Deng, Tan, Xiao, Zhao:

（一）Agree to the deployment of five armies operating in close coordination as outlined in your telegram of the 5th at 1200 hours.
（二）Bai Chongxi[3] commands with great mobility, and his troops are quite combat-effective. Our cadres at all levels must on no account take the enemy lightly. The appropriate method of operation is to wipe them out one by one.

Central Military Commission
7th, two o’clock

[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, addressed to Lin Biao, Commander of the Fourth Field Army and concurrently Commander of the Central China Military Region; Deng Zihui, Second Political Commissar; Tan Zheng, Deputy Political Commissar and concurrently Director of the Political Department; Xiao Ke, First Chief of Staff; and Zhao Erlu, Second Chief of Staff.
[2] Refers to the telegram sent by Lin Biao, Deng Zihui, Tan Zheng, Xiao Ke, and Zhao Erlu to the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China at 12:00 on October 5, 1949. The telegram stated: In the future advance into Guangxi, we still intend to use five armies advancing in relatively close coordination. If the enemy decides to fight a decisive battle with us, we will be able to engage; if the enemy retreats, we can still push forward. If our forces are too dispersed, we will encounter opportunities for battle but be unable to fight, and when the enemy retreats, due to insufficient strength on each route, we will be unable to intercept them.
[3] Bai Chongxi was then serving as Director of the Huazhong Military and Political Affairs Office of the Kuomintang Army.