When it was learned that Chang Chung-chang had gone down in Person to fight with these large southern forces there was gloom in the north, for he is noted ax bungler of the first rank.
The position is quite interesting. Tsining, Marshal Sun's headquarters ig on a branch of the railway 20 miles from the main line and a southern advance not only jeopardizes his left flank but will cut him off entirely from his northern base and connections, But on the other hand if he sits tight he ix an equal danger and menace to any southern force that attempts to go further north. The cal strength or weakness of either side is the Wei-shan lake, which in dry weather is largely swamp and mud flats, but or-dirianly is about 100 miles Tong and ten to 30 miles wide, Tsining near the northwestern end of this shallow lake and Hanchuang at the south-east end, and the Tsin-pu railway skirts ite edge for a considerable distance, Further east is a jumble of mountains, so that the only practical road is up the Tsin-pat Peking, Apr. 17, The Shantung army, under General Chang Chung-chang, which iw now constructing a strong defen sive position along the line of the Chieh-ho, to the south-cast of Tsining, has' apparently experienced set-back in recent encounters with the Nationalist forces, for 10,000 troops were hurriedly sent up from. Tsinan on April 16.
The advance guard of the Shantung army in the Tientsin-Pukow Railway zone is now anid to be about 20,000, and the loss in the recent encounters covers the most part of the 30th, Bist and the 5th Shantung armies as well as about 7,500 rifles.—Toho, northern Offensive Regu
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.