The main body of Chang Chung-chang's army: is concentrated on the Shantung border in the vicinity of Lincheng and is hopelessly demoralized. The Kuomintang is in: correspondence with at least 40 of officers and also controls -in tung grow force of lits. His men, among whom northern agents have been making sas to the reason. for his inability to make a-stand, have said that they were willing to Jai fairly by During the last 18 months they had received 20) cents euch, so they were each realy to fire two shots in his interest, but they were not going to risk their lives by firing three.
Vu-pu, Governor of Chi gether, and all support but, foreseeing a possible occupa-on of Shantung by the South, hay had delegates in Chiang Kai-shek's Jeamp trying to learn on what terms fie can subscribe to the Three Principles and retain Shantung and For a year past it has been openly confessed that. in command of any thing bigger thea a company Chung-chang was useless, was a disgrace to. the fiearve and that his army -was weak spot in the line. Yang Y ting has openly: ridiewled interviews. It is absolutely certain' now that he must go and it is very ikely that, at an impending con ference in Peking he will be asked to go. It seems not unlikely that Sun Chuan-fanz will then take his place. If Chang docs not give up hic command gracefully, it is prob-Jable that Sun Chuan-fanz will move, from his present position to Tsing-t20 overland-and establish himself on the Tsingtao-Tsinanfu railiray participate in a joint -attack Tsinanfu The most interesting figure in the north at the moment is Governor Yea Shih-shan of Shansi, who has hoisted the Kuomintang' flag "and has "moved down to the Peking-Hankow railway and occupied a section of it. South of him there 4s, now nothing on the railway: between hhis forces and those of Feng Yuhsiang and Tang Sheng-chih, though neither of the latter has crossed the River or is likely at the t to clo 80, since both are busy ching one another and neither feels strong enough ta venture on a campaign into the north. It is positively asserted by the Yen Shih-shan agents who have been here that his pro-Kuomintang gesture was not hostile to Chang Tso-lin but meant to checkmate Feng Vu-hsiang whom he fears and distrusts—as do all factions, Before making h venture into the arena he arranged for the withdrawal of the Fengtien troops to points north of Shihehi Jehuang. where his railway connec with the Peking-Hankow line, and the Fengtien line now extends from Paotingfu on the railway, Tamingtu, on the Wel River in southern Chihli, so that the fighting between Fengtien and the Hankow= ites on the Yellow River is over. The Red Spears, who are hostile to everyone, helped to make their position untenable. Incidentally this farmers' defence league is. growing by leaps and bounds in every north-fern province and has become much more the horror of the Northern militarists than the Kuomintang soldiers
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.