It has been caid that trouble in China usually begins in Szechuan and if that is so the following facts may prove a warning. Somewhere about the end of January, orders were issued by Liu I-chin, Governor of this province, that the Zth Division Szechuan troops were to be disbanded, Gen. Ching Kuehtong being an enemy of the present Governor. Gen. Ching is on friendly terms with Teng Hsih-hao (3rd Division), who in turn is friendly with Wien and Tang, of the 2st and 22nd Divisions, so these allied generals took up the offensive, fought their way from Chungking to Chengtu and took up a position outside the walls of the provincial capital, whereupon the Governor called for an armistice, asking for three days' grace'to give him time to evacuate the city. He also requested that they should retire 20 Hi, leaving the big road open for his retreat. These requests were acceded to, but, instead of evacuate ing, the Governor, with the help of the Ist and gnd Divisions, under Gens. Tan and Lai, took up the offensive.
The allied generals were taken by surprise and were driven back after some fighting, but made.a big stand at Tehyang. They were again driven back, but returned to the attack and bombarded that city for five days. For one period of 30 hours they kept up an incessant bombardment of rifle, machinegun and artillery fire. This battle seems to have been quite one of the severest in this part of the province for some years. Considerable havoc has been caused in Tehyang to' life and property, and the losses in dead and wounded on both sides have been very heavy. The attackers lost between 800 and 900 wounded at Tehyang only. Some of these were permitted to go through the enemy lines to-hospitals in Chéngand 500 were sent to the Friends' Mission Hospital in fingchuan.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.