By the end of June 1946 Chiang Kai-shek and his U.S. masters thought that they were fully prepared and could wipe out the whole People's Liberation Army in three to six months. Accordingly, they launched an all-out offensive against the Liberated Areas, which began on June 26 with a massive encircling attack on the Central Plains Liberated Area.
Mientras tanto, los EE.UU. hicieron ingentes esfuerzos por transportar y pertrechar a las tropas del Kuomintang. Hacia fines de junio de 1946, Chiang Kai-shek y sus amos norteamericanos se consideraron totalmente preparados y capaces de liquidar a todo el Ejército Popular de Liberación en un período de tres a seis meses.