CCP Central Military Commission Telegram Approving the Military Deployment in Guangdong and Guangxi
# Date: 1950-09-16
# Source: en:auto-trans
# Translated from: zh/1950/1950-09-16_jun_wei_guan_yu_tong_yi_dui_guang_dong_guang_xi_de_jun_shi_b.txt

CCP Central Military Commission Telegram Approving the Military Deployment in Guangdong and Guangxi (September 16, 1950) To Deng, Tan, Zhao, and Su [1], and to the Party Committees of All Military Regions: Your telegram of September 13 has been received and noted.

(1) We approve your deployment of five armies in Guangdong and Guangxi.   (a) Under the present circumstances, one division of the 43rd Army stationed on Hainan Island is sufficient; the main body of that army may remain on the mainland and, as per your plan, one division can be dispatched to Qinzhou–Fangcheng [2].   (b) It is indeed necessary for you to assemble one division in the southwest of Nanning to continue bandit suppression operations and to prepare, in coordination with the 43rd Army’s division already deployed at Qinzhou–Fangcheng, to annihilate any remnants of bandits infiltrating from Vietnam. However, please ensure that these two divisions are not positioned too close to the Vietnamese border but rather kept at a reasonable distance from it. Should enemy forces attempt to slip back across the border from Vietnam, they should be lured deep into our territory—say, one hundred or two hundred li—and then our forces, employing the requisite strength, should cut off their line of retreat and destroy them while advancing from west to east. It is crucial to avoid engaging them prematurely, as this could drive them straight back into Vietnam, creating significant complications. To accomplish this mission, the two divisions concerned, together with the local armed forces, must appoint a capable corps-level officer to assume unified command.   (c) It is essential to maintain a permanent garrison of four divisions in the Guangzhou–Foshan–Huaxian–Yingde area and all regions to its east. Similarly, two divisions should be continuously stationed in the Huizhou region and areas to its east, including Chaoshan and Hailufeng, so as to promptly defeat any enemy elements that might seize an opportunity to launch a surprise raid from Taiwan.

(2) Your disposition of the 48th Army is appropriate. If there is insufficient time to complete its local work before the scheduled date, the consolidation of its units may be postponed until the end of January or the end of February next year.

(3) With regard to the two armies in Hunan, we request that you consider whether it would be feasible to concentrate one army in a mobile position during next spring and the other in summer or autumn. Please investigate this matter thoroughly and report your findings without delay.

(4) The principal armies’ bandit-suppression efforts, military training, cultural education, and production tasks for next year must be adjusted as necessary to prevent conflicts among them. In other words, wherever bandits remain, every effort must be made to eradicate them completely by next year; vigorous steps should be taken to advance cultural education; and military training must be allocated adequate time to carry out specific comprehensive training programs, ensuring that weapons do not rust, equipment is fully accounted for, and combat readiness is maintained. To achieve these objectives, production tasks should not be excessive; the primary focus should be on improving the living conditions of the troops rather than on increasing national wealth. If production time is not reduced, both cultural and military training will inevitably fall short of completion. This issue is of common concern to the entire armed forces. In addition to your own deliberations, we also ask the responsible comrades of the Northwest, Southwest, East China, North China, and Northeast Military Regions to give it due consideration and to submit their views by telegram.  CMCC, September 16

Printed from Mao Zedong’s handwritten draft.

Notes

[1] Deng refers to Deng Zihui, then Second Political Commissar of the Central-South Military Region of the People’s Liberation Army. Tan refers to Tan Zheng, then Third Political Commissar of the same region. Zhao refers to Zhao Erlu, then Chief of Staff of the Central-South Military Region. Su refers to Su Jing, then Deputy Chief of Staff of the same region.

[ ] Qinzhou refers to Qinzhou County in Guangxi (now Qinzhou City); Fangcheng refers to Fangcheng County in Guangxi (now Fangcheng Various Nationalities Autonomous County).