Prince Konoye, the Japanese Prime Minister has, apparently," high hopes of the offensive which Is now developing in Shantung, for he believes. that it may force Chiang Kai-shek to sue for peace, though Japan would not accept his proposals, From the telegrams to liliand it seems that the Japanese are striking at Hsuchowfu from no less than five directions, have failed to make much headway at Talerchwang which has proved a bitter disappoint. ment to them. The most important development concerns the advance of the columns operating out of Pengpu and driving in a northwesterly direction towards Kueiteh and Tangshan. Should they succeed in doing this, and, consequently, culting the Lunghai Railway, the Chinese forces in and around Hsuchowfu would be completely cut off, and any idea of being able to retreat to the westward would have to be carried into effect long before the Japanese columns reached their" objectives With the Japanese columns at Mengehen 45 miles northwest of Pengpu the neck to the Hsuchowfu salient is being reduced in width, and, unless this move can be halted by the Chinese, the time should not be far distant when the Chinese command will have to consider withdrawing from a position which at resent gives them command of the important railway junction. Following tactics adopted the post it is reasonable to suppose that the Chinese will not allow themselves to be cut eeeueuyy B BSEEESE BELIE BOB OH BREN BY SBERRREERE BES off by the Japanese and foreed to make a desperate stand for Hsuchowfu, which with communications cut could only have one result, and if they follow precedents which they have already established, further Japanese advances northwest from Pengpu will oblige the Chinese command to extricate their forces before it is too late and the pincers close on them. If that were indeed to happen it would amount to the first really serious defeat inflicted the Chinese, and would involve the loss of a Sonsiderable amount of material as well as in casualties. If the Japanese can be stopped the situation should remain satisfactory to the Chinese, but, if the advance continues, there can be only one answer, if China wants those forees to fight another day.
The Descent on Amoy The landing of the Japanese at Amoy may be regarded as a portion of the greater scheme designed {o bring about the end of the long struggle proceeding in Shantung. The Chinese have been concentrating large forces for the purpose of holding on to Hsuchowfy and giving the Japanese the sternest battle of the whole campaign. Chinese have still lars sources of men and are undoubtedly training large numbers eventually to take the field and make up the huge wastage with which the fighting has been characterised. They have been able to concentrate sufficient forces north of the Yangtze to hold up the Japanese for some months, and though it seems that the latter are now being able to make a move, the forces opposed to them are by no means to bedespised, A landing in southern China, even if it is only a feint, would have the effect of preventing the further massing of troops north of the Yangtze and by the use of comparatively small forces in places like Amoy and Swatow, and even points further south would give the Chinese a much longer front to take care of and operate against the large concentrations of forces which have proved so inconvenient to the Japanese armies. There is also the possibility that Japan will' attempt to close south China as a door through which valuable supplies reach the Chinese Government at Hankow, though that will require larger bodies of men than they appear to contemplate utilizing at the moment, and the probabilities are more in favour of the feinting theory than the wholesale embarkation upon a campaign for the complete subjugation of south China.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.