Minister of War Come Down to Arrange Peace with Tuchun of Chekiang: Peking's Desire to Stop War and Relieve Sufferings of People From Our Speci IAL CORRESPONDENT, Although some of this letter is out of date owing to the delay in the post, for example the- account of Marshal Chi's collapse at Wusih, it fills in certain gaps and contains much interesting information, particularly as regards the Tuchun of Chekiang and the Government's pacificatory intentions, Nankihg, Jan. 28.
Marshal Wu Kuang-hsin, the Minister of War, has come here from Pekivig, and has been in deep consultation with Marshal Lu Yung-hsiang. The two h exchanged telegrams with General Sun Chuan-fang, and this morning telegram was received from Sun asking Marshal Wu to meet him in Shanghai to negotiate for a separate peace between himself and Promised the sum of $3,000,000 to id the war sufferers' all over ingsu's View of Fengtien I put it to the Marshal that Chis supporters claimed that the people of Kiangsu were sympathisers of his, and were strongly opposed to the invasion of their province by' the Fengtien army.
Marshal Wu denied this altogether. So far from resenting such invasion, he said, the people of the Province welcomed the Fengtien soldiers. The Mukden troops invariably paid their way, and the people were glad of their presence because—they drove away the Kiangan soldiers, all of whom were simply robbers and murderers Questioned regarding the strength of the Russian regiment, Marshal Wa claimed that they numbered 1,500. They were comprised, said, principally of Cossacks, and were entrusted with a quantity of heavy artillery. He praised their fighting qualities very highly, and, indeed, enlarged with enthusiasm on the behaviour of all the Fengtien forces in action, Russians and Their Pay Meanwhile I have been pursuing Inquities regarding the strength of the Anfu Government, and intimate. ing that he had withdrawn all his Chékianse troops into Cha The Minister for War was kind enough to grant me a general interview on the situation to-day. He was jubilant regarding the negotiations with Sun Chuan-fang, and is confident that they will, be 1 able to come to terms.
Desire to Stop Fighting Questioned as to what the intentions of the Government were to Fs Marshal Chi personally, supposing him to be captured, Marshal Wu stated that his life would be spared, but he would be taken to Peking and thrown into gaol. He went on to say that if Chi Hsieh-yuan would surrender himself and agree to forgo all further fighting, the Government would be prepared to spare both his life and property, and would probably defray the expense of sending him out of the country.
I asked Marshal Wu why the Government should be so generous to one whom they must regard as a rebel, if it were so simple to go in and smash him completely, The reply was: "The Government. do not wish for more fighting than they can help: they wish to spare the people suffering if they possibly can.
is Marshal Chi who forces us to fight.
"That being the case," I asked, "what do the Government intend doing to recompense those people who have already suffered?"
Marshal Wu said the Government was very poor, but Chang Tso-lin himself was reported to have
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.