Nie Rongzhen
The future field marshal of the communist force, Nie Rongzhen was in charge of eradicating bandits in northern China. In April 1949, orders were given to suppress local bandits, emphasizing on not to underestimate these bandits. A month later, a conference on bandit suppression was held, setting the strategies that included adopting political pressure against bandits, and mobilizing the general populace to eliminate the social bases of bandits. In June 1949, further strategies were devised, concentrating on using small striking force in quick assaults, instead of ineffective large formation that was easy to be discovered and slow moving.