(January 21, 1951)

(1) Approval is given to the immediate deployment of the 25th Army to Fujian, so that Fujian will have a total of four armies.
(2) The deployment of the 21st and 22nd Armies in Zhejiang, and the 23rd and 24th Armies near Shanghai, remains unchanged as you have arranged. In Zhejiang, intensify efforts to press forward with the suppression of bandits, and ensure that the task is completed within February and March.
(3) Yang Dezhi’s unit[2] is to prepare for entry into Korea to join the war, but three armies of the Second Field Army have already been concentrated in Hebei, and a second batch of three armies can also be concentrated in Hebei before June. Should any incidents arise in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, three armies can be made available for your use. However, you should make full use of your existing forces to strengthen training and reorganization, and prepare to independently annihilate any possible invasion by Taiwan bandits.

[1] This is the main content of a telegram from Mao Zedong to Chen Yi, Commander of the East China Military Region, with a copy to Rao Shushi, First Secretary of the East China Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Political Commissar of the East China Military Region.
[2] Yang Dezhi’s unit refers to the 19th Corps, with Corps Commander Yang Dezhi.