Peking, Mar. 17.
The Kuominchun General Shang Chen, a. Shans militarist, and 57, Kuominchun and Shanst generals. issued on Saturday 2 circular message. request-"Generals Yen Hsi-shan. and Feng Vu-hsiang to take the posts respectively of the Commander-in-chief and Vice-commander-in-chiot of the troops under their command.
Within the last few days, the 37th and 38th divisions "of the Shansi Army have commenced moving. towards the Tientsin-Pukow and Poking-Hankow Railway areas. The 40th and dist divisions have, in the meanwhile, been sent to Taiyuan from Stichiashuang, where they ave been stationed.
Ail. of the troops belonging to. General Shih Yo-san have crossed the Yellow River and in Chengchow only a part of General Han Pu-chu's "troops is now stationed. General Han Fu-cha has sent emi saries to various quarters endeavouring to express his peaceful Mukden's Support Claimed Nanking,. Mar. 17.
A telegraphic report from Mukden states that at the conference of the ranking North-Eastern Commanders called by General Chang Hsueh-liang last Friday to discuss the situation in the North, the Manchurian authorities unanimously decided to support the Central Government's policy of peace and national unification. General Peng, Peng-jen, personal representative of Commander-in-Chief Chiang. Ki shek, will be leaving Mukden shortly. for the capital to submit a detailed report on the attitude of the Noxth-
Commander-in-Chief Chiang Ki shek is understood to be considering the appointment of a high military officer of the Central Government to stationed at Chengchow zxume full responsibility there in the event of hostilities breaking" out between the Government forees and the rebellious northern troops. The rew appointment was recently suggested by General Han Fu-chu, Commander of the 3rd Route Army end concurrently chairman of the Honan Provincial Government, in a telegraphic petition to the State Council stating that with the Te-torn of Feng Vu-hsiang to Tung-kuan, the reappearance of the Kuominchun in Honan might be momentarily expected.
Press reports of the "defection" of the two Honan commanders, Generals Han Fu-chu and Shih Yu-San, are officially denied at the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief. As proof of the groundless nature of the rumours, it is pointed [out that the resident representative of the two commanders are still in the Capital and are in_constant communication with the Provincial Headquarters. Their offices, too, it is stated, have continued to function in spite of all sorts of alarming reports, Due to pressure of official duties here, Commander-in-Chief Chiang his departure on his In the meantime, ho ever, General Chiang's special trai is being held at Pukow in readiness to speed northwards as soon as he has attended to urgent civil and military affairs, Tt fs learned at the Commander inChief's Headquarters that as a result of yesterday's conference at Tongshan between General Chiang andthe ranking military com leanders now in the Capital, General Ho Ying-ching, Inspector-General of -Military Training and concurrently Minister of War, will be appointed Field-Commander ~-with Headquarters at Chengchow when the Government decides. to dispatch punitive expedition: against the rebellious Shansi forees.
General Ho' Chenchun, Director the Hankow Headquarters.of the Commander-in-Chief, returned to Genbral Ho wil be in charge of the post'by aeroplane this morning. southern section of the Peking-Hankow Railway Line in case hostilities break out in Honan, General Wang Chin-yueh, Commander of the 7th Army, has been appointed concurrently Commander of the 2nd Main Reserve' Units which will comprise the 6th Division under General Chao Kusn-tao and the 47th Division, These latter forces will be held" in readiness in northern Hupeh and southern Honan to reinforce the Government forees at present garrisoning the Ghengchow area.
Owing to official duties, Commander-in-Chief Chiang Kai-shek has temporarily delayed his departure to north Kiangsu. In the meantime his special train is being held in readiness "ut Pukow.—Kuo Min.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.