After a foraging raid from this "hsien' city to the east in the direction of Kaowang a market centre in the midst of an utterly famine-stricken region near the Shantung, (Haifeng) border, the hungry horde turned southwest and decided to occupy the villages about Wangshu, half way between Yen-shan and Chengyun. Their stay here was brief, barely a fortnight, after which they moved their headquarters to Mengchiatien, a market town 20 li to the west. It was in the villages surrounding—this centre that your correspondent found them to-day in the course of 8 journey from the south. During a week's tour through portions of Yenshan, Haifeng. Chengyun and Lading counties, I was constantly aware of the fear and uneasiness in the minds of the people caused by the presence of such a body of defeated troops in the neighbourhood, and many were the stories heard of what they were doing in the unfortunate region. where for the moment they had halted, As a precaution against possible contingencies, the magistrate of Chengyun has iniposed a levy upon the people of this district, each village having been asked to contribute a definite amount of grain, and hard cash—to- propitiate these uniformed robbers. A village which I visited had recently sent in 40 catties of grain and $20.
Though this tax appears small, the total gathered from the 500 odd villages of the county represents a considerable amount in these hard times, but the people would far rather pay this from their meagre resources than be exposed periodical raids from the unscrupulous soldiers.
Waar Do Tue Tvcuuns Cane?
Lung Chi-kuang is now in Peg, probably doing his best to extract pay for his hapless com mand, but so far nothing has come to hand. Other and huge bills are awaiting payment, presented by the victorious tuchuns, Tsao Kun and Chang Tso-lin, after their comic-opera campaign of the summer, and no one has any time to consider the comparatively insignificant claims of the people for relief—not from famine primarily, but that which accentuates famine, the ravages of hungry and vagabond troops, who should long ago have been relieved of their arms, disbanded and sent to their homes. Yenshan is easily the most barren, poorest and most cruelly famine-hit district of those visited during the past week, and
re I write. bands of eddiers are here within a dozen miles of plundering villages at will, exasperated it may be in some measure the indifference of the authorities to their existence and regardless of their fate in the coming winter. It is a scandalous, state of affairs that calls for the utmost and widest publicity in the hope of speedy relief.
In my journey to-day from Lao- days Ting city when approaching Ly market centre of Mengchiatien, we were made aware of the presence of a considerable number of soldiers in the villages, to the south. There is no kaoliang harvest in this region, and the miserable stunted Indian corn stalks with—their shrivelled cobs will yield a problem-tical "one tenth" of the normal crop to their depressed owners. Problematical, I. so saw groups of soldiers in twos and threes wondering lazily across the fields all over the country side. In each village round Mengch some hundreds of these braves are quartered, most of the inhabitants having been required to vacate their own homes. and huddle together in families. The best house-, of course, have been appropriated by the troops, the villages have to make the most of an intolerable situation.
Homes Weeckep ror Fort.
Outside Tachaochia information was supplied by @ dispirited farmer to the effect that in the absence of an adequate supply of fuel for the troops billeted there, the villagers had to stand by helplessly and seo some of their nomes torn down and the beams, doors and window frames chopped up and consigned to the flames by their pitiless unwelcome guests. Trees, even fruit-bearing dace trees, "vorticularly productive this year, have been stripped of their branches to serve the same purpose. Worse still, the women folk are exposed daily to tne brutal attentions of the troops, and no family is safe. In Mengchiatien itself we found a similar state of affairs, though most of the information was gathered from isolated people along the roadside beyond the boundaries of the village.
The idle soldiers filled every inn in the village and, probably owing to their suspicions of inquisitive strangers, we were refused even the modest pot of tea, procurable everywhere by thirsty travellers. Leaving Mengchiatien, where by the way some enterprising soldiers have started a. butcher's business to their great profit seeing that large numbers of animals are being sold by their owners for lack of fodder to support them, we passed the village of Wangtienwuchia where the headquarters of the troops are established in the premises of a wealthy ily now fallen on evil days. tactically all the officers of the force are to be found in residence here, the soldiers quartered in the neighbouring villages being left to their own devices, a plan no doubt satisfactory to all ranks. Foraging parties of men go out daily to commandeer supplies from _villages beyond the area occupied. If these are not forthcoming a threat to send troops to billet themselves upon the people immediately has the desired effect. Heavy taxation preferable to spoliation, submit.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.