Peiping. Nov. 4 ure of Chinese positions near oilway station at Changteh in northern Honan, by a Japanese frontal attack, is claimed in Japanese communi to-day, A mobile force encircled the city and reached the south gate. Chinese troops are reported to be withdrawing southward, Taiyuanfu, capital of Shansi, is closely beset by Japanese forces.
An advance guard of cavalry claims to have reached Taian, twelve miles east of Taiyuanfu, while the main bodies, encountering only spasmodic opposition, have passed Anlochen and Sungta, a few miles behind. Japanese troops advancing from the north took Chinese positions near Kuanchungchen and Shihlingtou, 20 miles from Taiyuan. column occupied the town of Hsin-hsien, while another Japanese force reached Shouyang, 33 miles east of Taiyuanfu, after fighting over 40 miles of precipitous terrain.
Fifteen Chinese divisions were engaged against the Japanese i northern Shansi in the past three weeks, says a Japanese communique which states the Chinese suffered 30,000 killed and wounded.
"The Chinese in Shansi," a Japanese spokesman said to-day, "furnished the most obstinate resistance in our experience in North China."
The Japanese also claim that the former Red armies, fighting vigorously in the Wutai mountains, in northeastern Shansi, are also in retreat.
Meanwhile, the higher mount' in the province are now covered with snow, while the smaller creeks and rivers are frozen—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.