{twas on Saturday, Februmy, 9 at night that the city of He-yang suddenly was enclosed by beween 12 to 18 hundred solrs, who early in. the following morning opened o brisk fire and made a determined, though attempt to enter the city.
The enemy had chosen a favour: blo time, because the General for the troops. in Hoyang and connecting military district, as) wolt as the Colonel, who had the direct command of the city troops and several of the Stalf-officera had gone to their homes in the city of Pehshui for the Chinese Now Your holidays, and wore entirely unprepared' for. hostilities of, this kind, 'Thus the city wea only defended by the troops at home, until the General and the Colonel had time to return with additional soldiers, 'Thereupon the troops wore ordered outside to attarke the enemy, who kept up' a hard Gght, and' only retivod stop by atop, in some directions 20, in others 20 Ti from Hoyang.
'THE NATURE EY THE WAR, his was for some 10 days, and atill is, rather difficult to decide.
was' soon learnt, that the fore-moot attackers were two former Majors of the Hoyang genial. 'Thos, like nearly all of General Kao's troops, had formerly been robbers, like' Kuo himself. But while Kno, very much impressed General Feng Yuchsiang's sta, while he was in this "pro-Vince, shad in fact, begun for reform' himself og well as his army, thos two majors of his, 'Tuan and -Wang, would not "reform. 'Thus Kao' started war on the former in. the town of Woichuang, with the intent of re lieving' him of his weapons, bud Tuan" was able to escape with what of them and came and joined Ma," chistui-changy"" in Huncheng. " Major Wang, stationed in Hoyang, wae just' about to hyo relieved of his weapons too, fmaune it bad een Known 3 we that he weeretly had assist-robber bands in the neigh: bovurhoods but "he managed to escape with one company of his wolilors with their rifles nod atm, munition; and having" gathered some robber bands about him, wont and joined Ma, "eiling," selves any rascals, provided they' in Hancheng, was gladly re-avo guna and. can add "to his atrongth, For about the said number of days it was "generally thought, that a war of revenge only was fought, and that these two Majors were assisted by Ma "eziseveral Telegrams. from Tuy the gentry of Hoyang sent
to the Tuchun in Sian inquiring about the nature of thie business, Int no answer was received, voLumtouL, war on xor!
While General Kao, a the; ach of driving Ma ® ssisling's™ troops back to Hancheng, it became known that large bodies troops had' entered his district from the southwest and were fighting his troops in that. direc tion, Arcoraingly. he recalled all troops to. Hoyang and leav-1,000 men to defead that city, tock the rest with him and went westward to agcertai wh it was that hud attacked him there.
Soon it became known however, that the whole warplane had been Inid by the Tuchun, Liu, in Sian, and that he had used the anta ganism between Mw's and Kao's roope to start the so-called "punitive expedition," with the whjost of destroying entirely the wer of Kao, who had proved the ast tobe a hard fighter.
the Governor's troops, £0 over-scuning in numbers, brought vith them plenty of artillery of whish Kao had' none, and oven ig guns, they soon took several his. posi jone and marched to: wards his stronghold in the city bePidprog Migr iirc gie fea of Pehshui, which according to
ground.
This city has been besieged and bombarded now for five dave, and today, February 99, the news has come that Kao has fled, jotter having killed & great num: ber of the attacking troops, and that he took with him' about 1,000] men, og well as his families and valuables, The Colonel, left to take care] of Hoyanghsica, was later off ed the command of his moste troops, if ho would offer alle ance tu the Governor, and ug That his master had to give up ddfee and' handed tha city' over city after city, he accepted th
to Ma ting, who was be sieging it, CHILE PARTY THE BEAL Ata, However the nature of the war is not yet clear. Though many believe, what the. proclamation now posted all over the district says, that it is purely a punctiveexpedition directed against Goa. eral Kao alone, it is to the server hard to believe, that each stern measures would be taken against him for such faults, as are mentioned in the proclama-ion (whereof some are: entirely] false), secing that some of the leaders of the troops ordered. to tac him," do nct "discipline Kao. and their characters. fil weir troops nearly as well'
far short of his.
rrovally, I with many others, inclined to oredit the rumour that has been floating about. long, that the younger political olement in the provines is about to start a wor against. Wu Pei-fu and Tsao Kun with the dbjece of "diminishing their pow Wo are tchd too, that- after Kao, the Colonel of Puchenghuron ig next to be attacked, and after him the cities ocoupied by General King in Ulinfu are to be dealt with, beginning with the city of Lochdan, that lies to the north of Pehshui.
However, piaas may be alterd according to circumstances. While theta lines are penned a great war council is being held in the city of Tungchowfu, which the Tuchun himself has actually) come to conduct.
No doubt there iv important] business at stake, ANOTHER LEADER ADVANCINO, But while they now are congratulating themselves on the superficial victory won over Gen-oral Kao, owing to their big guns, reliable news has already reached us, that General Ching from the north ig alo on the move, and that hig troops have reached and how talien Tehulanhsien to the north ig|0f Hancheng. The city there -was almost emptied of troops, when Ma ordered a regiment. from there to assist him in attacking Hoyang. In its absence, however, 'Ching's troops had' entered Tehuaa, and now Ma's Ichuan regiment, together with two other regiments of his, are on their way back to Ichuan to retake it Thus itis evident, that war} between different factions in this} province has commenced and we may at any time cee the Chihli general in Trmgkuan tabs 2 of the Tuchun's troop:
ion to the north and fol-his rot altogether concealed ambition to place himself in chief Gommand of the provines, cause everything points to fact that even this beginning is afte all a war between north and! soul will steadily rie. At ug on March 7, the water mark was 9.1 feet-rising. Han-Kew on the same date recorded 6.1 fect steady. A vessel drawing 17 fect could reach Kitkiang. at Cho present State of, the channels,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.