Japanese give southwards along the Tientsin-Pukow Railway has been ris that gunfire their troops to the south of he Lunghai alla are now within 100 alles of each other. sipatang, the spokemnan concluded, strengthening the defence Chinese forces, are at present sere coen" being ated. capital of Honan Province, and rush-Eninss "roving "noth along™ the {ng reinforcements to that sector.
This action was taken upon receipt fof reports of the Japanese forces Japanese Report fter tempting to cross the Yellow Rive Tsinan, Mar. 24, the. vicinity of Kaifeng, be Placing itself In a position for tween Chengchow and Hsuchow, with. tral thrust at Linyi (Yichow), the the intention of cutting the Lunghai only remaining Chinese stronghold in Railway. [south-eastern Shantung, a strong General Hu Tyung-nan, - Come [Japanese column yesterday afternoon mander of the First Army Corps, occupied Tushuchen, eight: kilometres who is at present in charge of the north-east of their goal. In entering Chinese defence force on the south the town, the column broke through bank. of the Yellow, River in the strong Chinese defence works, man-Tungkwan sector, is" personally in-Ined by Szechuen troops.
Jspecting the defence works on the The fall of Tushuchen, Japanese: south bank of the river. military authorities here claimed, The spokesman at the. headquarters spelled the doom of Linyl of General Chiang Kal-shek an-'On the right flank of the Tsinpu: hounced to-day that a crack Chinese front, a Chinese force of 3,000 men brigade Thad Inunched acount was reported to have made vain attack, on March 22, on the Japanese and costly attempt to re-ta Lin. forces entrenched in the vicinity of Important railway station Yinhsien, east of the Tientsin-Pukow }40 miles from Hsuchow, "The Chin-Rollvay, and had forced them to ese column, reports received here withdraw into the walled city. said, crossed Lake Welshan in junks At the same time, he continued, fon March 22. The ttle flotilla was the Chinese high command had spotted carly yesterday morning, ordered another detachment to jand Army aircraft were immediately strike at the Japanese forces in the dispatched to bomb it. neighbourhood of Hanchwang, by 'The junks were simultaneously' Manking movement from Huangshan' made the target of intensive fre and. Yinping. from' artillery and machine-guns in /Tsaoma, eight Kilometres south-west At Grand Canal The badly depleted The lett wing of the Chinese force, the reports claimed, fled back troops operating west of the Tientsin~ to its base.—Domel, Pukow Rollway had moved across the Grand Canal from Kinghsiang and Chuyel inthe direction of Tsining, Hankow, Mar, 25, the spokesman declared.
'Taking advantage of a thick fog, "The Chinese forces concentrated which "made visibility' impossible the Grand Canal, the spokes-beyond Atty yards, a Chinese fying man went on, and also at Taierch~ column crossed the Wen River and wang, long Lincheng to the Tsa0chreached Ningyang, west of the Tien-wang Railway, were launching.
Usin-Pukow Railway and north of furious attacks' on the Japanese: Yenchowfu, it is claimed here. positions south-east of Yihhsien, de-brings them approximately 100 miles polishing many Japanese tanks. behind the Japanese lines north of Chinese reports" claimed that Japanese anlillery positions had.
Grand Canal. The column is {he closing ofthe allay and the withdrawn to the rear for fear of] to be advancing to the north-east jeaplure by Chinese attackers. Severe towards Tawenkou and to the south fighting, they assorted, was now towards Taian.
Jeong on in Tangtoucheng, in, south-Another Chinese fly column feast Shantung, cast of the Tientsin-crossed Nanyang Lake, west of the Pekow Railway, and north railway, and is advancing towards the Lingyi, as the Chinese troops were: oilway between Tsouhsien and attempting to encircle the Japanese Lianghsintien. forces there who were offering] Chinese forces on the Tiemsinstubborn resistance.
Pukow Railway front, under the 'The Japanese were' attempting, command of General Li" Tsung-gen, first, to protect the near of their Anunched a general offensive yester-forges retreating from Chuhsion today moming against the Japanese wards Yishui, and, second, to prepositions along the railway north of vent Chinese troops from advancing the Grand Canal, west towards the Tientsin-Pukow Railway, thereby threatening the Japanese Concentrating at Yihhsten rear of the Japanese troops operatolegram from General Ing' in the vicinity of Henchwang. the Chinese forces on the Tientstn. Shanst Pukow Railway front, was received Tuming to the Shansi front, the fat the headquarters "of General Chinese military spokesman stated Chiang Kal-shek yesterday. 1 hat Chinese troops crossed. the stated that Japanese forces were Yellow River on Monday and attack-concentrating at Yihhsien, north Jed the Japanese forces on the north feast of Hsuchowfu. As the Chinese bank in the, vicisity of Pingl, troops were launching an attack in north-east of Tingwan, under cover {the direction of Yihhsien, the Japa: of arillary fire. Fighting was going nese were reported to be selting fon"n the vicinity of Pinglu. fire to buildings inside the city.
Gunfire was. audible yesterday walls" reparation for street Kaifeng, the capital of Honan pro-Aghting.
Vince, when about 900 Japanese at 'The Chinese defence on the rail Fengchiu, on the north bank of the way, north of Hsuchowfu, Yellow River, opposite Kaifeng. were south bank of the Grand Canal, attacked by Chinese mobile unns, the north of Hanchwang, was now Spokesman' declared." Following the secure, the report said following the arrival of fresh Japanese reinforce arrival of crack Central ments, the Chinese mobile units Fe-red. /ment divisions commanded by Gen. eral Tang En-po, who distinguished "Fapanese troops at Maoisingtu and himself in the defence of Nankow lyuanchu, in north-west Honan, on Pass last August, the north bank of the Yellow River General Tang's divisions were! west of Chengchow, he stated, were taking over front line positions from Tetrealing east-along the north bank the Szechuen divisions, which had the Peiping-Hankow Rail suffered heavy casualties in the in the direction of Sinhsiang.
Aghting during the past' fortnight
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.