"This godless place is now in continuous state of turmoil. There are four generals fighting for supreme power, and a fifth in the person of Li Shao-tsung, who com. mands a force that calls itself partisan' but is actually made up of ordinary brigands. Lung still holds Yunnanfu, and Generals Ho and Chang have joined. forces under the pretext of driving out the Kueichow troops, but they are simply waiting for a favourable opportunity to get rid of Lung. who, T may say, is under no lusians. General Tang, nephew of old Marshal Tang, has bec creating disorder along the Tall road, but as he has such a rotten reputation from the days when he was in Kueichow, no one is prepared to back him up with funds or arms.
"Barly this month the brigands cut the railway and everyone fully expected to seo Mengtze thoroughly looted and a fine mess made, but the Chamber of Commerce came forward as usual and for a {e0 of $60,000 the so-called partisans' departed to loot elsewhere,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.