 The original communist plan was to capture Tanggu first to cut off the nationalist escape route via sea and then force the nationalists in Beijing and Tianjin to surrender, in order to save the two historical cities from the destruction of the war.However, the nationalist resolve to defend the cities to the end was strong and reconnaissance had revealed the sounding regions of Tanggu was not suitable for building fortifications and deploying assaulting forces, and the region strongly favored defenders.The communists were forced to change their plan by attacking Tianjin first.