ABSTRACT
For the purpose of choosing favorable conditions and seeking greater prospects for expansion, it has been decided that our field army should enter the western part of Sichuan. The plan is to cross the [Yangzi] River upstream from Luzhou. If there is no obstruction, we can cross the River in the middle of February and advance toward the north. It is expected that many fierce battles will be fought along the way. The execution of this strategic measure is closely connected with your action. In order that the Fourth Front Army and the field army may fight in close coordination and first defeat the enemy forces in Sichuan before Chiang's forces have completely entered Sichuan to carry out their "Encirclement and Suppression," we recommend that you use armed mass groups and independent divisions and regiments to operate aggressively toward the eastern front and pin down Liu's 2 enemy forces while concentrating the main force of the Red Army to attack toward the western front. Because of our forces' entry into Sichuan, there is no longer any possibility for Liu Xiang to attack you. You do not have great chances of victory should you attack Liu's forces, either, since there is too great a distance to coordinate battle with our army and the direction of expanding the soviet 7areas is also less favorable. On the western front, Tian's 3 forces were torn by internal strife; Deng's 4 forces will be transferred to the south; Yang, 5 Li, and Luo 6 have small and weak forces; so there is greater likelihood for victory; [the western front] is closer to our army, and it is also more favorable to the development of soviet areas there. Therefore, you should immediately concentrate your units to complete the preparations for attack and, in the very near future, launch an offensive toward the western reaches of the Jialing River. As regards the deployment of forces and targets of attack, you should dispatch one unit to the Yingshan line to serve as a secondary thrust, but the main thrust should be along the Changxi-Langzhong-Nanbu line. The main forces should be concentrated for the main thrust and enter the rear of the enemy through the cracks between enemy strongholds and weak points—to seek out, encircle, and destroy the enemy in mobile warfare in the vast stretches of land without enemy fortifications. If you can, depending on how the fighting develops, enter the areas around Xichong, Nanchong, and Fengxi, this will be most advantageous for coordinating with our army. At the same time, we must expect that the enemy may employ relatively small forces to utilize their fortifications to pin down the Fourth Front Army and, before the field army can establish its foothold, shift their main forces to launch surprise attacks in order to achieve the result of defeating us separately. Therefore, your battle plans should be reported to us via telegram as soon as they are drawn up.
