Considering Chang Tso-lin's long of communications, which will perhaps a whole Division: between Shanhaikuan and the Shantung border, and the reported defection of "Chihli and Shantung soldiers in the Fengtien ranks, Chang Tso-lin's position here is now deemed precarious. At the most he can place but 40,000 men field against Fen Vu-hsiang, whi the latter still will have sufficient men to strike at the Fengtien communications at either Lanchow or Chinwangtao, just as Fengtien did against Wu Pei-fu. Te is true that Feng. Vu-hsiang now is closely watched in Tientsin and may possibly be prevented from getting back to Peking, but this is consider-to make no difference. Feng's Brigade Commanders, Chang Tzechiang and Li Ming-chung, are absolutely loyal and capable officers. Hu Ching-yi also is too vigorously Kuomingtang in sympathies to permit Chang Tso-lin to capture Peking.
As the situation stands at pre-) sent, everything points to war. One of the most reliable indices to trou! ble is General Yang I-teh who seldom makes a move unless there is some serious import. This morning he applied for sick leave, a very, rare request from him and local Chinese are infinitely more busy looking for his reasons than inquiry ing after his health.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.