Information from Chinese: sources received here today from Shanchen, about 30 miles south-west of Kushih, indicates that the Japanese at Kushih are turning southwards in the direction of Shanchen. Chinese observers consider that this new move has as ts object a drive south-westwards along the highway passing through Shanchen and Machen towards Hankow. Kushih, Shanchen, Macheng and Hankow are in a straight line running north-east to south-west, Machen being about 50 miles from Hankow. Hindering a drive along this route, Chinese circles declare, would be the strong Chinese defences in the hills between Shanchen and Machen.
Turning to the south bank of the Yangtze, Chinese reports state that the fate of Sikuling and Wushihmen, fon the road to Nanchang, hangs in the balance as fighting is still proceeding around those two points, There are two important highways leading to Tehan, immediate objective of the Japanese, One of these runs from Singtze to Tehan via [Stkuling, passing through narrow "corridors" at Wushihmen and Sikuling, with towering mountains on either side, Here, the Chinese are said to have erected strong defences, with barbed-wire, tank mas chine-gun nests and artillery' units effectively placed and well hidden.
It is generally believed here that the Japanese will direct their main drive to Tehan towards Sikuling, in lorder to reach Tehan without facing the Chinese defences at Wushihmen, These defences, Chinese circles claim, are almost impregnable.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.