Success of Military Operations Against the Red Armies of Swabue: Hope that Reign of Terror is Ended Frost 04
Swatow, Apr. 9 (delayed).
During the past ten days the fear of the communist advance through the Hueltai district reaching Swatow itself has been gradually dissipated. Troops have been comin from Canton, and reinforce ments sent to the threatened points, and there ig a prevailing confidence that the commonists are now well held. 'There must have been some fairly stiff fighting on the other side of Chaoyang, for wounded are arriving here in' dargo numbers. The provincial troops have been pushing up along the coast from the south in their rear, reoccapying:
territory that they have J, and are in close contact being concentrated against them on the north side; so that it begins to Took as if the plan of surrounding them and making a final despatch of them might be carried out.
Jufung region, of which we had heard. 80 much, seem to have been thandoned by the communists after very litle effort to defend them. 1 have direct information regard ime one of them from a young medical Who was in the place when the attack was made, and from his account there seems to have been very litre fight at all, He had been taken up there from the mission hospital at Swabue to attend to the wounded communist. soldiers, and was there for months. He wisely rade his escape in the general con fashion, and avoided either—being Killed" by" the communists asa traitor, or by the soldiers asa compwnist. The stores of money that had been aceumolated there had een removed some time before, Dut there is no information as to where they went. The easy. surrender of these places is mo doubt accounted for by the Chinese soldier's invincible distaste for The Principal Danger The weak link in the chain is on the Kieyang side, and it is possible that they might make a break away in that direction for the wilds of north Fukien. It is to be hoped that in this instance the traditions of Chinese military strategy will be and no back door left open for the retreating enemy. There seems little doubt that most of what can be culled the communist army proper—that is, the remnant of the Red army that occupied Swatow and the neighbourhood very temporarily in September, and the reinforcement that they have had from scattered units of Chang Fanel's army, shed in his retreat from Ganton—is now concentrated about the borders of the Puni yang, wud Hueilai districts, the notorious P'ing Pai in command; and if it can be summarily disposed of, the back of the communist strength will be broken.
Mountain Strongholds Abandoned It is surprising that the two mountain strongholds in the Hale being surrounded with no way of escape open.
Tittle seems yet to have been done in dealing with the local eomuriists throughout the districts. The soldiers hold the chief tow and cities, but beyond a short radi outside them communism still holds sway, Two attempts have been made retake Swabue since its occupation by the military, but the tacking forces have been little more han rabbles of peasants very ilequipped, and they have been easily driven back. The policy seems to to leave the general settlement of the districts until the main communist force has ben disposed of.
Forces of Disorder Near Swatow Swatow is not being allowed to forget that there are forces of disorder not far away. A few nights ago the railway line was again cut in two places, and the tank for supplying water to the engines burned down, Tt was done by a body of some hundred men, who disappeared again ax suddenly as they had appeared.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.