rose Our Own Commarosoest Kanhsien, S. Ki, May 13.
Two years has sufficed to bring a startling change in communications in Kiangsi province. Last January fon return from furlough, it was amazing to find what strides the seven league boots of the army. roadmaxers had made. Up to the carelessly cut down, more sand accumulated in the river beds, and the necessity of heavy outpost duty Kept able bodied men and women from the work of repairs. Thus near Hsingkwoh, since I last traversed this road, one once fertile valley is now almost totally filled will be established on the Sikong-Seechuen border, with headquarters in or about Kangting, if the plans of the Communists in West China are carried out, according to usually reliable information reaching Shanghai on Tuesday, May 28, 'Attempts by troops of the Government and the Szechuen provincial authorities to intercept the Communists' In their northern and western drives have only been partially successful. They have prevented the Reds from entering the more populous and wealthy parts of the pro vince, They checked the Reds' early rive' from Kweichow through cen tral Szechuen, but they were unable to put the same barriers in front of them when they changed their route and entered the province further to the west.
The Communists seem to be converging from three different direc tions upon the Kangting area, From the north-east of Szechuen, the Reds under Hsu Hsiang-chien, after having once been driven out of the province into Shensi, in an apparent attempt to enter Kansu, and having met very Little resistance when they returned, fare the closest to. their objective. At the beginning of the month they were secure in the aren between the Kialing and the Pel Rivers in northeast Szechuen, About May 1, however, they began a rapid march westwards, They reached Kiangyu on May 5, and in astonishingly short time, had got to Peichuan, a small city to the north of Mowhsien.
A Change of Direction them to be heading Airectly westwards, provincial troops advanced to. Mowhsien and Anhsien in the hope of harrying their flank and turning them northwards, The Reds, however, suddenly turned in a southerly direction, and the provincial troops, after what is described as only a nominal resist ance, withdrew in front of them. By May 20 the Reds were past Mowhsien, whence they moved down the course of the Hei River, and when last re~ ported, had passed Wenchuan and had changed their direction towards the south-west, a route that would take them straight to Kanging if not interrupted, "The Reds under Chu Teh and Mao Too-tuns, whose march from Kiangsi, through "Hunan and Kweichow, into
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.