The Ankuochun spokesman invited foreign correspondents here for interview this morning "to discuss, the Shansi was At the outset the correspondents, pointed out that the interview would probably be worthless as the Censor; was suppressing all news unfavourable to Fengtien.
The spokesman assured the cor. respondents that he had summoned the Censor to his headquarters and had ordered him to use greater dis-[cretion in the future, The spokesman lengthily described the past relations between Fengtien jand Shansi. His. remarks were largely an amplification of the mandate ordering a punitive expedition Jagainst General Yen Hsi-shan, the gist of which way that Fengtien saved General Yen when he was at-
/Mukden, while they must rely chiefly Jon "Russian supplies which take weeks to come and, owing to the die tance, cannot arrive in sufficient quantities for a war. Even their supplies of gasoline are very limit fed, and they must fight vigorously in'an attempt to gain complete suc cess within a few days: hence our policy is to remain on the offensive and to avoid decisive engagements, for then their supplies will be com-lotely exhausted."
The spokesman cited as an me stance a recent case in which out of 50 cars containing ammunition from Russia for Marshal Feng Vu-hsiang jonly three arrived, the remainder Drenking down on the Gobi Desert, The Evacuation of Kalgan ""We voluntarily evacuated Kalgan the spokesman continued, "partly because this war feame as 8 surprise and. partly he-ewe considered it wite to fight fon ground of our own choosing, He quoted the ease of Marshal Wu. Pei-tu, who, ho. said, was not defeated' and crushed at Loyang but met defeat when he attempted to invade Manchuria. The present withdrawal, he declared, was likely to lead to the overthrow of General Yen Hsi-shan in a similar manner, "There is no danger in the south, where Marshal Sun Chuan-fang can hold his own on the Tientsin-Pukow me," the spokesman went on, "while the Chihli-Shantung allies enn match Marshal Feng on the Lunghat line. Our relations with General Range Senge-chi are ood, His delegates fre still here, The reports that he has allied himself with' Shansi are untrue. Adequate measures are being: taken to preserve order Peking and Tientsi Tu answer to. a question the spokesman denied that Paotingta had fallen, All that was going on at present was a concentration of troops. No serious fighting hud occurred, he concluded—Reuter, Shan Defeated at Paotingtix Peking, Oct, 8. officially announced that after two days' fighting along the Pel Suiyuun Railway front, the Shi forees have been defeated and driven the Fengtien troops re-capturing 'Suanhuafu and disarming and taking prisoner five battalions besides capturing much ammunition 'The Fengtien troops continue to ail-vance and are harrying. the retreaters' rear. On the Peking-Hunkow Railway front the Fengtien forces are still on the defensive except nea Paotingfu, where after the Shansi vanguard had reached within 8 (about 3 miles) of the city, the Fengtien troops Igunched a success fal counter-attack' and foreed back the Shansi forces 80 li, thus remov~ ing all present danger to Paotingfu.
Tt is officially stated that a general counter-attack along the Pel
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