To Ye Fei[1] and Others
(February 26, 1951)

Ye, Cheng, Liu, Chen[2], and inform Chen, Rao[3]:

The January Fujian bandit suppression briefing of February 20 has been received and read. The results of bandit suppression are very great, extremely gratifying. Hope to continue unremittingly, persist to the end, and completely wipe out all bandit gangs in Fujian before the end of March. If by that time there are still remnant bandits not cleared out, it is still necessary to continue to persist in clearing and capturing them with local armed forces and militia, until the bandit masses are completely eliminated. In the struggle to clear out bandits, all bandit chieftains, habitual bandits, and local tyrants hated by the masses must, with the consent of the people, be resolutely and swiftly sentenced to death. This is of the utmost importance.

Mao Zedong
February 26

[1] Ye Fei, then Commander of the Fujian Military Region of the People's Liberation Army.
[2] Cheng refers to Cheng Jun, then Deputy Commander of the Fujian Military Region of the People's Liberation Army. Liu refers to Liu Peishan, then Deputy Political Commissar of the Fujian Military Region of the People's Liberation Army. Chen refers to Chen Tiejun, then Deputy Chief of Staff of the Fujian Military Region of the People's Liberation Army.
[3] Chen refers to Chen Yi, then Commander of the East China Military Region of the People's Liberation Army. Rao refers to Rao Shushi, then Political Commissar of the East China Military Region of the People's Liberation Army.