It Is in the Interest of the Nationalist Generals to Surrender

#PUBLICATION NOTE

This edition of It Is in the Interest of the Nationalist Generals to Surrender has been prepared and revised for digital publication by the Institute of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism under the Central Committee of the Communist Party in Switzerland on the basis of the following editions:

• Message Urging Tu Yu-ming and Others to Surrender, in the Selected Works of Mao Zedong, First English Edition, Vol. 4, Foreign Languages Press, Beijing, 1965.
• Our Central Plains and East China Headquarters Advise Du Yuming and Others to Surrender Quickly, in Mao's Road to Power, First English Edition, Vol. 10, Routledge, New York and London, 2023.

#INTRODUCTION NOTE

This is a radio message drafted by Comrade Mao Zedong for the Headquarters of the Central Plains and Eastern China Field Armies of the Chinese People's Liberation Army in Xibaipo, Pingshan, Hebei, China on the 17th of December, 1948. It was broadcast on that date.

After receiving this message, Du Yuming, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Nationalist Party's Xuzhou «Bandit Suppression» Headquarters, Qiu Qingquan, Commander of the Nationalist Party's Second Army, and Li Mi, Commander of the Nationalist Party's 13th Army, continued to resist desperately, with the result that all their troops were wiped out by the people's army's powerful offensive. Du Yuming was captured, Qiu Qingquan was killed, and only Li Mi managed to escape.

#Workers and oppressed people of the world, unite!

#IT IS IN THE INTEREST OF THE NATIONALIST GENERALS TO SURRENDER

#RADIO MESSAGE FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS AND EASTERN CHINA HEADQUARTERS OF THE CHINESE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY

#Mao Zedong

#17th of December, 1948

#★

#To General Du Yuming, General Qiu Qingquan, General Li Mi, and All Corps, Division, and Regiment Commanders of the Two Armies Under Generals Qiu Qingquan and Li Mi

You are now at the end of your rope. Huang Wei's army was completely wiped out on the night of the 15th, Li Yannian's army has taken to its heels and fled south, and it is hopeless for you to think of joining them. Are you hoping to break through? How can you break through when the People's Liberation Army is all around? During the last few days, you have tried to break through, but what came of it? Your planes and tanks, too, are useless. We have more planes and tanks than you, that is, artillery and explosives which people call our homemade planes and tanks. Aren't they ten times more formidable than your foreign-made planes and tanks? Your army under Sun Yuanliang is finished, and more than half the troops in your two remaining armies have been wounded or captured. You have brought many miscellaneous and idle personnel of various organizations and many young students from Xuzhou and forced them into your army, but how can these people fight? For more than ten days, you have been surrounded ring upon ring and received blow upon blow, and your position has shrunk greatly. You have such a tiny place, only a little more than ten square li [5 km²], and so many people are crowded together that a single shell from us can kill a lot of you. Your wounded soldiers and the families who have followed the army are complaining to high heaven. Your soldiers and many of your officers have no stomach for any more fighting. You, as deputy commander-in-chief, as commanders of armies, corps, divisions, and regiments, should understand and sympathize with the feelings of your subordinates and families, hold their lives dear, find a way out for them as early as possible, and stop sending them to a senseless death.

Now that Huang Wei's army has been completely wiped out in Shuangduiji and Li Yannian's army has fled towards Bengbu, we are able to concentrate an attacking force several times your strength. This time, we have fought for only 40 days, and you have already lost ten divisions under Huang Baotao, 11 under Huang Wei, four under Sun Yuanliang, four under Feng Zhi'an, two under Sun Liangcheng, one under Liu Ruming, one division in Suxian, and another in Lingbi - altogether, you have lost 34 whole divisions. Of these, 27 1/2 divisions were completely wiped out by our army; the only exceptions were the 3 1/2 divisions led by He Jifeng and Zhang Kexia and one division led by Liao Yunzhou, which revolted and came over to our side, and one division led by Sun Liangcheng and the two half-divisions led by Zhao Biguang and Huang Zihua, which surrendered.¹ You have seen with your own eyes the fate of the three armies under Huang Baotao, Huang Wei, and Sun Yuanliang. You should learn from the example of General Zheng Dongguo in Changchun² and from the current example of corps commander Sun Liangcheng and division commanders Zhao Biguang and Huang Zuhua and immediately order all your troops to lay down their arms and cease resistance. Our army will guarantee life and safety to you, high-ranking officers, and to all officers and soldiers. This is your only way out. Think it over! If you feel this is right, then do it. If you still want to fight another round, you can have it, but you will be finished off anyway.

#Headquarters of the Central Plains People's Liberation Army

#Headquarters of the Eastern China People's Liberation Army

#17th of December