Meantime, jubilant over the capture of Kwangchow and Shangcheng on the same day, Japanese troops speeded up their westward drive in southeastern Honan yesterday with, the Peiping-Hankow Railway as their next important objective.
Apparently fearing that the Japanese assault on the railway will take place in the Sinyang area, the Chinese command was rushing a large number of troops, estimated at 15 divisions, to that sector, according to a Domei dispatch from Honan on Friday night. The Chinese were said to be heavily armed with tanks and artillery.
The capture of Kwangchow and Shangcheng on Friday greatly weakened the Chinese defences in Honan, Japanese military observers said.
Part of the Japanese troops which occupied Shangcheng pushed on westward on Friday afternoon and reached the bank of the Chu River, one kilometre west of Shangcheng, at 230 o'clock, the Domei message from] Honan stated. Other units were mopping up stragglers in Shangcheng.
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