The preparations which have been going on all the winter in transporting grain, flour, ammunition, etc., to the south side of the Yellow River, also to the outpost Ch'apuch'a, south of the Kokonor, are almost complete. A tax is being levied on every village for silver to buy mules and yaks, which is bearing hard on the poor farmers, who have had tax upon tax laid upon them since the dawn of the Republic. Six thousand troops are ready to start, 3,000 foot and 3,000 horse soldiers, and intend to enter the Golok country by five different routes.
The Golok tribes have never submitted to the Chinese Government and have, therefore, always been debarred from coming to the border towns to trade. Five or six years ago a deputation came from them to try and open negotiations with the object of submitting, but were not successful. To go direct to Jyekundo, a town on the southern side of the region controlled by the High Commissioner of Sining, you must go through the Golok country, which takes 18 days, er take the circuitous route which takes nearly three months. As a Magistrate has been appointed te reside in Jyekundo, and troops are stationed there, it is very inconvenient to go the circuitous route owing to the time it takes and also very dangerous to go through the Golok country without a good escort. Even then one may oe challenged by the wild Goloks. Several times, parties have been attacked and this accounts for the expedition now in preparation.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.