There has been no love lost. between Generals Yen and Chiang since Into last June when Chiang Kai-shek came to Peking. At that time there were stormy scenes between the two, but Yen really wanted, and has always hoped for unification of the country, so he yielded much and even persuaded General Feng Vu-hsiang to listen to Nanking's terms. More than that, Yen literally underwrite the Promises which Chiang Kai-shek, made to Feng, and never since then is said to have regretted so doing.
At those June conferences in. will be recalled, a compromise was reached which for a time averted civil war between the Manchuria's Sympathy an Even more significant than these allegiances is the fact that Manchuria is now alienated from Nanking. The Nanking Government, of course, never succeeded in maki Manchuria's alle name and the flying of the white and blue flag, tut since the humiliation which Mukden suffered fat the hands of Moscow Marshal Chang Hsueh-liang has openly announced that whatever Yen decides will abide by. In fact the Young Marshal has gone even further than this, and has sent several train loads of war supplies southward to Tientsin for Yen's usc—train loads of flour and kaoliang, rifles and revolvers from the Mukden arsenal, and even 30 pieces of field artillery accompanied by an adequate. supply of shells. hun troops, of supplying them food, of proceed. ing in good faith with factional (or regional) disbandment. Feng looked askance at these promises, and then in order to keep the peace General Yen promised Feng that if Nanking did not send money for provisions, he, Yen, would make good Nanking's promises, Nanking sent no money, it is alleged, sent no food, did not begin disbandment. Instead, according to spokesmen of the Northern factions, emissaries of the Nationalists approached individual Kuominchun commanders trying to buy their allegiances. Much money changed hands, but in most cases the Kuomin chun generals received. their prices with tongues in cheeks—and then used the money to arm for the rebellion which began in October. Some people say that the Kuominchun generals, prompted by secret advices from General Feng, made the overtures—but whatever may be the true version of how the borg ing began, itis a grim practical joke that Nanking money literally financed, in major part, the fighting which' occurred against Nanking in Honan and Hupeh in October and November.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.