Since the departure of Hsiong Keh-wu and his troops, who are now quartered in the north-east of the Province, political conditions have been very quiet. Lit Ch'ao has been nominally in charge, though most of his own Division {the 5th) have been holding the cities between Chengtu and the districts occupied by General Hsiong with the Ist and 2nd Divisions. Lu Ch'ao has so far succeeded 10 dissuading the Yunnan and Kueichow Generals from entering Chengtu, though it is quite evident that Ku P'in-chen and Chao Yuhsin would not hesitate to come if such a course of action was in their best interests. As it is, the Yunnanese have sent over 2,000 of their troops into the city under Lu Shih-t'i (of Wanhsien junk tax fame, a Kiangsi man and the new Commander of the 2nd Army of Szechuan) to keep an eye upon Lit Ch'ao and to see that he does not act against the interests of the Confederacy.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.