The operations which have brought the Japanese forces to within a mile north-west of Tazhang obviously accentuate the diffüculty of the Chinese position in the now very acute Kiangwan salient. No doubt the Chinese High Command has fully appreciated this development, but it is not easy to gauge whether it considers the time has come for a retirement to the next line of defence. If delay in effecting that movement be too long there is, of course, a distinct danger that the Japanese right wing operating from the north will cut off retreat from Kiangwan. The possibility that success in holding Kiangwan has generated a reluctance to relinquish that position must be taken into account. Strategic considerations, however, should be paramount in the minds of the Chinese General Staff; otherwise it would be poor consolation to have to set off electrical courage against a disastrous loss of effectives. The position at the North Station still seems to be maintained in spite of the damage inflicted on the administration building, but as the pressure from the Japanese workitig southwards on to Chapei increases the right flank of the Chinese line will assuredly require adjustment if freedom of communication with the main defensive positions is to be retained.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.