To Comrade Tan Zheng, with copy to Jianying [2]: We have received your telegraph dated February 13 [3]. According to the latest communication from the Central-South Bureau, your region’s anti-tiger budget has been increased to include the capture of eight hundred big tigers, representing a significant rise compared to your previous figures. Nevertheless, this remains only half of the one thousand six hundred set by the East China Military Region, which may even increase to between two thousand five hundred and three thousand in the future. In essence, you should align yourselves with them, though you may delay doing so slightly and encourage lower-level cadres to propose increases voluntarily, so that the adjustment does not feel overly forced. Particularly in the South China Military Region, where the potential targets include over a thousand big tigers and tens of thousands of small ones, the current targets are set too low, reflecting a lack of boldness. Recently, the 48th Army has made notable progress in its anti-tiger efforts, and this should be used to educate the entire army. Mao Zedong February 18 Printed from the manuscript. Notes [1] Tan Zheng was then the Third Political Commissar of the Central-South Military Region of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. [2] Jianying refers to Ye Jianying, who was then Commander of the South China Military Region of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

[3] Refers to Tan Zheng’s report dated February 13, 1952, addressed to Mao Zedong, concerning the current anti-tiger budget of the South China Military Region. The report stated that, based on the second budget for the South China Military Region combined with data from units stationed in Guangdong and Guangxi, the plan calls for capturing a total of 183 big tigers and 2,164 small tigers.