The extreme end of the valley is! contiguous with the Mull country, whose king was murdered only last year. Known or unknown to. the Reds the Mull country is now a hot bed of discontent and some 500 Tibetans are on the war path, ready to link up with anyone who will help them to find revenge for the murder of their King. It-may be that the [Reds will find sympathy here: untor~ tunately.
To the east of the Chienchang, and! uring. the whole of its length, lies the wild, ungoverned Lolo territory. What will be their reaction? Are the Reds interested in opium? the Lolos come down from their mountain. fastnesses and block their [progress north? Will they unite and. fspoll the land? These are questions. that only time will answer. How-lever there is another factor.
"The Chienchang Valley, as far south the Yunnan border comes directly lurider the control of Liu Wen-huei the present war-lord of Yachow and the Marches, and the dislocated governor of Szechuen. What then is Gen. Liu prepared to do? The Reds have. already occupied a part, of his territory and quite prepared 1o occupy more, practically cutting off the general's own supplies.
It'Gen, Liu throws some 20,000] men down the Chienchang he has to Reds viewed from any standpoint, is very' serious for Liu Wen-huei, and unless he can defend his position and keep the main road open between Yachow, 'Tachienly, and' Batang, elimination may chase him into oblivion. But does so, it simply means. the Red. occupation of the Tibetan frontier, and the closing of the main highway between China and Tibet That the Red forces will occupy Tachienlu seems very unlikely. Taehleni is OO00 ft. high, grows very good potatoes and different vegete les, But very little else. A Red army of 5,000 men would eat the place out in a week leaving themselves high and dry in Starvation JCamp. Practically all foodstuff eaten in Tuchienlu is carried from the! Chienchang, some five days from the frontier.
Liu Wen-huei, with the help of the Lolos and the Tibetans and his own large army, can hold the Chien chang Valley and thus frustrate the Reds the situation may be held heck until the nationalist troops. command of the province.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.