Tientsin, Sept. 24.
Two Chinese strongholds in Hopei,—Paotingfu and Tsangchow—were captured to-day by the Japanese forces, the headquarters of the Japanese Garrison in North China announced this afternoon, Paotingfu was entered by Japanese troops through the North and the South Gates at 1030 o'clock this morning.
Following a general offensive on Tsangchow launched at 5 p.m. yesterday, the Chinese forces began to retreat south and south-east of their positions, the communique said.
Gen. Count Hisaichi Terauchi, Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese expeditionary forces in North China, this morning congratulated the Commander of the First Japanese Army on his success in capturing Paotingfu, and "thus securing a new base for Japanese military operations."
"Military Glory"
"Congratulations are also in order," the Commander-in-Chief said, "because the First Army has dealt a deadly blow to the Chinese forces, thus further enhancing Japan's military glory." throughout the morning and ihe A steady stream of communiques
afternoon reported further Japanese successes in consolidating their positions in the newly-won territory.
With the Japanese forces attacking the walled town of Paotingfu from the east, west and north, the Chinese defenders began No leave Paoting last night. one of the commiuniques said. Mo attack was launched from the south side because of the marshy nature of the terrain, The Chinese were said to be retreating in disorder to Peicheng end Changtien but isolated units were fighting desperately this morning against encirclement, Casualties sustained by the Chinese in the battle of Paotingfu, another communique cane, numbered 10,000. Japanese losses, the statement added, were "very small."
Tsangchow, an important station on the "Tientsin-Pukow line, was taken by the Akashiba, Nagano and Numata Japanese to Push On Tokyo, Sept. 24.
The capture of Paotingfu and Tsangchow supplies the. Japanese Army with new bases for a drive upon provinces lying south and west of Hopei, an Army spokesman said to-day.
The victories, he declared, were "important strategic achievements, which must inevitably result in the complete abandonment by the Chinese of their military plans in North China,"
The Japanese Army, he emphasized. has now been placed in an "advantageous position" for her drive upon Shansi and Shantung.
"This is just the i of Japanese victories" he said. "With the Chinese showing no signs of a changed attitude, we shall continue cur efforts to secure the decided objectives."
Paotingfu and Tsangchow, he went or, were the terminals of a Chinese defence line, decided upon in September, 1995, "after a study of several years."
This line, he concluded, was reroot by the Chinese as impregnable to Japanese attack. Its capture "shows conclusively that the Chinese strategy erred."—Domei.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.