Tokyo, Nov. 11.
Caught in a Japanese noose of men and steel, 800 Chinese officers and men lost their lives in an engagement north of Canton on Monday, the army section of the Imperial General headquarters claimed in a communique issued here today.
The Japanese operations, designed to protect Canton from a possible counter-attack from the north-west, were successful, according to the a ouncement. Japanese troops, it said, were in occupation of Hsinchieh, 20 Kilometres north of Canton, and of Fayun, 45 kilometres north-west, of the Diy of Rams.
The enveloping movement against the Chinese north of Canton, the announcement revealed, was' carried out by two columns,' one of which erossed the Liuki River in the face evening to press north along the Canton-Hankow Railway. Another column followed a. circuitous route to occupy Hsinchieh, On Monday, the two columns attacked the Chinese in a pouch cre ed by the two-pronged thrust from the north, south and east, putting the defenders to rout.
Ti retreating, the Chinese abandoned more than 800 dead. the com-unique asserted.
During these operations, the nouncement added, 2,000 tins of gnsoline, large amounts of bridge repairing' materials and "considerable" quantities of machine-guns and rifles were taken—Domei.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.