Telegram to Peng Dehuai [1] Concerning Operational Deployments in Southwest and Northwest China (October 13, 1949)

Comrade Dehuai:  (1) With regard to the forces to be deployed from Shaanxi into Sichuan, it has been decided, together with He Long, Bo Cheng, and Xiaoping, that the 18th Corps will undertake this mission, without involving any other units.  (2) The unit under Liu Jinxuan [2] and the 7th Army are to cooperate in operations. After the campaign, the 7th Army is to be stationed in southern Gansu for local work. As for Liu Jinxuan’s unit, aside from guarding southern Shaanxi, whether a portion should be sent into Sichuan will be determined at a later date.  (3) The timing of the operation to annihilate Hu [3] should not be too early. It should await the advance of the Second Field Army to the line running through Suining, Shanghai, and Chongqing, before launching the attack. The approximate time would be in early or mid-December, to be finalized by the Military Commission.  (4) The main body of the Second Field Army, consisting of two corps, is currently positioned along the Changde–Xiangtan line and is expected to reach southern Sichuan around December. Chen Geng’s [4] corps of the Second Field Army can, this month, coordinate with Deng Hua’s [ ] corps to capture Guangzhou; next month it will enter Guangxi to join forces with the main body of the Fourth Field Army in destroying Bai [ ]; and by January or February of next year it should be able to enter Yunnan.  (5) Of the three corps assigned to tasks in the Northwest, two (namely the First and Second Corps) are to carry out local administrative duties, while the third (the 19th Corps), once its work in Ningxia is completed, will not engage in such duties. Instead, it will be moved to the Tianshui–Baoji–Tongguan line for specialized training, serving as a mobile strategic reserve to be ready for any contingencies. (This point was already communicated several months ago.) Please prepare the appropriate forces so that, in a few months, you may assume responsibility for local work in Ningxia.  (6) The total force tasked with administering Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Kangding, and Tibet comprises the entire Second Field Army and the 18th Corps, totaling approximately six hundred thousand men. The division of responsibilities within the Southwest Bureau is as follows: Deng, Liu, and He [7] will serve as the first, second, and third secretaries, respectively; He will be commander of the Military Region, Deng will be political commissar, and Liu will be chairman of the Southwest Military–Administrative Committee.

Mao Zedong October 13 Based on the manuscript draft

Notes  [1] Peng Dehuai, who at the time served as commander and political commissar of the First Field Army of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

[2] Liu Jinxuan, who at the time was commander of the Shaanxi–South Military Region of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

[3] “Hu” refers to the remnants of Hu Zongnan’s forces. Hu Zongnan was appointed director of the Xi’an Pacification Office of the Nationalist Government in 1947 and, in September 1949, concurrently assumed the post of director of the Sichuan–Shaanxi–Gansu Border Area Pacification Office.

[4] Chen Geng, who at the time was commander and political commissar of the Fourth Corps of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

[ ] Deng Hua, who at the time was commander of the 15th Corps of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

[ ] “Bai” refers to the forces under Bai Chongxi. Bai Chongxi was appointed chief of the Central China Military–Administrative Headquarters of the Nationalist Government in April 1949.

[7] “Deng” refers to Deng Xiaoping. “Liu” refers to Liu Bocheng. “He” refers to He Long.