Dehuai^([1]) and Comrade Gao Gang^([2]), with Comrades Song and Tao^([3]):

Your telegram of the 24th hour on the 19th has been received. The replies are as follows:

(1) Under the circumstances you have described, it is more appropriate for the Ninth Army Corps to rest and regroup right in the Hamhung area, sending only the seriously wounded and sick back to the Northeast, and drawing out cadres to return to the Northeast to train new recruits.

(2) Yang Dezhi’s unit^([4]) has now been concentrated in the area between Xuzhou and Jinan. A meeting of cadres was held, and Commander-in-Chief Zhu^([5]) went to deliver a speech. If necessary, there will be no problem for it to enter the war in mid-March. At present, it is still advisable for it to undergo a period of training and consolidation between Xuzhou and Jinan. One month before it is to be deployed, it can move to the area between Shenyang and Andong^([6]) to take in a batch of new recruits. (This army corps has nine divisions, averaging only a little over 6,000 men per division, and is extremely understrength.) If the equipment from the friendly side^([7]) has arrived by then, the equipment can be changed over and the unit can immediately move into Korea to enter the war.

(3) Your estimate of the enemy situation is correct. It is necessary to make long-term plans.

(4) The United States and Britain are exploiting the old impression of the 38th Parallel^([8]) that persists among the people to carry out their political propaganda and are attempting to lure us into a ceasefire. Therefore, it is necessary for our army at this moment to cross the 38th Parallel and fight another battle, and then proceed with rest and consolidation.

(5) I fully agree with your opinion on the method of fighting. That is, at present, the US and British forces are concentrated in the Seoul area, which is unfavorable for attack; we should specifically seek out the puppet troops to fight. On the whole, as long as we can annihilate all or the greater part of the puppet troops, the US forces will become isolated and cannot possibly remain in Korea for long. If we can further annihilate a few divisions of the US forces, the Korean question will be easier to resolve. As for this particular campaign, if it develops smoothly and grain can be found, it may be possible to seek out and annihilate a relatively large number of puppet troops in the Chuncheon, Gapyeong, and Hongcheon area.

(6) Before the campaign is launched, whenever possible, rest for a few days should be taken to recover from fatigue, and then the troops should be thrown into battle. This should be done before attacking the Puppet 1st Division and the Puppet 6th Division, and likewise before attacking Chuncheon. In short, the initiative is in our hands; we can fight in a calm and unhurried manner, without making the troops overly fatigued.

(7) If things do not go smoothly, then withdraw the troops at the appropriate time, move to a suitable location to rest and consolidate, and fight again. This opinion is also correct.

(8) Increasing the number of trucks and rapidly transporting cotton-padded shoes, overcoats, cotton-padded clothes, and quilts and blankets is extremely necessary. Please ask Comrade Gao Gang to devise a solution.

Mao Zedong
December 21
Based on the manuscript.

Notes
^([1]) Dehuai, i.e., Peng Dehuai, then serving as Commander and Political Commissar of the Chinese People’s Volunteers.
^([2]) Gao Gang, then serving as Commander and Political Commissar of the Northeast Military Region of the People’s Liberation Army.
^([3]) Song refers to Song Shilun, then serving as Commander and Political Commissar of the Ninth Army Corps of the Chinese People’s Volunteers. Tao refers to Tao Yong (1912–1967), a native of Huoqiu, Anhui, then serving as Deputy Commander of the Ninth Army Corps of the Chinese People’s Volunteers.
^([4]) Refers to the Nineteenth Army Corps of the People’s Liberation Army, with Yang Dezhi as Commander.
^([5]) Refers to Zhu De.
^([6]) Andong, present-day Dandong City.
^([7]) Refers to the Soviet Union.
^([8]) The 38th Parallel, see note [5] on p. 99 of this volume.