To the Central-South Bureau and the Party Committee of the Central-South Military Region, with notification to the South China Sub-Bureau: (1) We have received the Party Committee’s report of November 13. All plans and arrangements therein are sound; please implement them resolutely, item by item. (2) The Central-South Bureau’s resolution regarding work in Guangxi is also commendable. Your decision to send Tao Zhu [1] to assist in Guangxi is highly necessary. Has he already departed? If not, he should do so without delay. I have already instructed Comrade Ye Jianying to go to Guangxi to provide assistance for a period of time. He is scheduled to leave on November 21. However, Ye should not remain away from Guangzhou for too long—approximately one month in Guangxi should suffice before he returns eastward. Therefore, Tao Zhu ought to stay in Guangxi for a longer duration, until the bandit problem is basically resolved, before returning. (3) In order to counter a possible enemy landing and invasion in Guangdong, we must prepare to deploy five to seven armies. In addition to the three existing divisions in Guangdong, we plan to detach one division from Guangxi in five months (stationed in Wuzhou on standby), using Chen Mingren’s unit as a single army. These five units are designated specifically for deployment in Guangdong. Furthermore, two additional divisions—the 46th and 48th—are to be concentrated in Hengyang in a mobile position next March. Depending on the situation, they may be used either in the north or in Guangdong. (4) To achieve this, we must devote all our efforts to eradicating banditry. Chen Mingren’s unit should intensify training for one month and move into Guangxi around December 20 to participate in the anti-bandit campaign. Upon completion of the mission, Guangdong will be opened. It is essential that Chen Mingren’s unit undergo this test of combating bandits in Guangxi. (5) It is imperative that several major highways in Guangdong be repaired and opened to traffic without delay, with the costs borne by the government. Mao Zedong November 17 Printed from the manuscript. Notes [1] Tao Zhu was then Director of the Political Department of the Central-South Military Region of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. [2] Ye Jianying was then First Secretary of the CPC South China Sub-Bureau and Commander and Political Commissar of the Guangdong Military Region. [3] Chen Mingren was then Commander of the 21st Corps of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. £¶ 8

Telegram Regarding Strengthening Leadership in the East China Military Region and Improving Bandit Suppression Efforts (November 17, 1950)