Tientsin, Oct. 10.
Cutting off the retreat of Chinese troops from the Chengting area, Japanese military aircraft yesterday destroyed a number of bridges on the Pinghan and the Shihchiachwang-Taiyuan Railways.
The destruction of the former prevented the retreat of Chinese troops into Tsingsing, a natural stronghold flanked on three sides by tall mountains.
With the Fengtsun bridge blown up. the Chinese troops were also prevented from withdrawing to Shunteh, south of Shihchiachwang, on the Pinghan Railway. The destruction of this bridge caught several tens of Chinese military trains in a trap, the Japanese military authorities here claimed.
Chinese troops attempting to cross the Bute River yesterday afternoon were. according to a Japanese communique issued here this morning, were subjected to vigorous Japanese machine-gun and artillery Gre. Leaving "hundreds" of bodies behind them, the Chinese unit, which numbered 600 men, fled towards Shihchiachwang. Making use of the Chinese pontoon bridge, the Japanese detachment crossed the river and pursued the Chinese unit, the statement asserted.
The main body of the Japanese force operating on the Pinghan line bulletin issued by the Japanese headquarters describes as a "military sacrifice the results of which cannot yet be foreseen." An area of 7,000 square kilometres is now under water in the rear of the Japanese front.
This catastrophe is attributable partly to the destruction of the dam of the imperial canal, partly to the heavy rainfalls and partly to the lack of supervision of, the waterways since the outbreak of the hostilities.
Owing to the cutting of the railway embankment the only route along which reinforcements can be sent to the Japanese left wing is now temporarily "blocked.—Trans-Ocean.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.