Hongkor.g, Jan. 9.
Twelve Japanese aeroplanes bombed Nanning yesterday noon. it was learned to-day, dropping altogether about thirty bombs. Some of the missiles fell on the French Catholic Mission, killing Father Martin and wounding Father Cuenot, of the Mission Les Etrangeres de Paris. Details of the Chinese casualties are not In order to consolidate and coordinate the operations of the Chinese guerilla units, at present scattered. in the Taihan mountains, on the Shansi, Hopei and Honan borders, the Chinese government has appointed General Chang Ying-wu commander-in-chief of the volunteers. General Chang Ying-wu was- the Peiping Garrison Commander when General Yen Hsi-shan was in control of the Peiping-Tientsin area.—Reuter.
Hair Mi m Retreat Tientsin, Jan. 9.
Demoralized by incessant aerial bombing and quick thrusts of Japanese infantry, half-a-million Chinese troops were reported to-day to be in full retreat along the entire North China front, Japanese reports here claim.
Giving way before the Japanese advance along the Pinghan Railway, Chinese units were said to be falling back, deeper into Honan.
Troops massed in southern Shantung were rapidly retreating towards Hsuchow, where strong defence works have been under construction for the past five years.
General Vu Hsueh-chung troops, which together with Salt Revenue Guards were responsible for the destruction of Japanese property in Tsingtao, were reported to be evacuating Shantung for new positions, between Hsuchow and Kaifeng, Honan, Strong units were also retreating along highways linking Shantung cities with Hsuchow, by way of Linyi, and Haichow, the, eastern terminus of the strategically important Lühghai Railway—Domei.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.