April 1, 1951

Ye, Cheng, Liu, Chen, and inform Chen, Rao, Deng, Tan, as well as Dingcui and Jianying:

Your report of March 25 has been received. In January and February you wiped out over ten thousand bandit remnants—a very great achievement, which gives us the utmost satisfaction. We hope you will continue your efforts and eliminate all remaining bandits. So long as the bandits are wiped out, counterrevolutionaries are suppressed, land reform is completed in the greater part of the region, and the defensive fortifications at Xiamen and Pingtan are properly constructed, the situation in Fujian will be transformed. Should the Taiwan bandits dare to attack, you will then have complete certainty of victory. Guangdong has now concentrated six armies, and the whole province is also carrying out these tasks. With your two provinces coordinating with each other, your strength is very formidable.

Mao Zedong
April 1

[1] This is a telegram from Mao Zedong to Ye Fei, Commander of the Fujian Military Region of the People’s Liberation Army; Cheng Jun, Deputy Commander; Liu Peishan, Deputy Political Commissar; and Chen Tiejun, Deputy Chief of Staff.
[2] 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. 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 Central-South Military Region of the People’s Liberation Army.
[3] Dingcui refers to Zhang Dingcheng, then Secretary of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and Political Commissar of the Fujian Military Region of the People’s Liberation Army. Jianying refers to Ye Jianying, then First Secretary of the South China Sub-Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Commander and concurrently Political Commissar of the Guangdong Military Region of the People’s Liberation Army.