Shanghai, Feb, 23.
Japanese Army aircraft yesterday staged a series of destructive raids upon towns in Northern Honan and Shansi, At the Chengchow station yesterday noon, the planes demolished large number of troop trains, Other alr units bombed Chinese military establishments in "Yush Linohsion, Tsinhsten, and other im= portant towns In southern and south= eastern Shans Reports received by the headquar-tors here from field commanders indicated signal success in the "mop= ping up" operations in the area between the Tsinpu Railway and the coast, Chinese units formerly stationed in 'Tainan and 'Tsingtao were reported to be retreating towards Haichow, the eastern terminus of the Lunghai' tine, Chinese counter-attacks upon Wen-shang, directly north of wareracked Tsining, were brought to a close two days ago, with routing of the Chinese Elghty-First Division, commanded by General Chan Shu-tang, the reports capturea Peiping, Feb. 23.
Menghsion ford, made famous by the crossings of the Yellow River effected there by troops for 2,000 years, to-day again echoed to the tramp of marching fect.
Japanese troops, striking rapidly south from Paoal, western terminus of the Honan Railway, "yesterday captured Menghsion village, eld Aispatches reaching Peiping {onieht said, 'With the occupation of this strategic town, the portion of Honan Province north of the Yellow River was almost entirely in Japanese hands. East of the Peiping-Hankow Railway, Japan-ere forces have teache' the Yellow River at a point south of Fengkiu.
Another " Japanese column, dispatches received here said, yesterday Kad taken Tsiyuan, terminus of the motor road from Pacal, thirty kilometres west of Hwalking—Domel.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.