Those rumours sweep over Peking jin periodical waves, carrying con vietion to every Chinese resident and to a good proportion of the foreigner and then recede and are completely forgotten for a time. An illustration of this is the rumour of in the south always take stret exception whenever the write tions its recurrence here. This story has the least possible foundation in. Fact, but is undoubtedly the most Popular throughout North Chi That is why the Nationalists hate to hear it quoted.
Taken simply as fiction these war stories are an interesting revelation of the popular attitude i China towards the Nationalist leadfers, All sorts of ecrabinations are envisaged, but they' are binations against Feng. Vu-hsiang. Usualty it iz supposed chat if Wu comes back: he will first Signe Fong Yecksong nod then joi the Fengtien forces again reclaim the whole North. If fg not in the picture, then it may} union of Shansi' and Fengtien against Feng.
Sometimes Chiang Kai-shek and] the Wu-llsn are preparing to attack, Feng from the south while Yen Hisi-shan and Pei Chung-hsi are wvout to attack him from the north. Sometimes it is said that the Wufansu revolt will reopen ing, not og a Mohammedan]
against the Chinese, of the whole popula tion against Feng Vu-hsiang and the Moslem renegade Mx Fu-hsian which movement. will then be supported from this angle by Pel Chung-hsi, a loyal Moslem, and by! Yen Isi-shan. Tt is. incidentally] worth mentioning that the local public refuses to believe in General Pei's very real illness. They do not want to admit that they may] possibly Jost a champion against Feng Vu-hsiang.
It is impossible to know in Pel Whether or not all" this smoke covers a smouldering fire or not. It certainly does indicate a state of mind in North China which no observer can afford to ignore.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.