Hankow, Apr. 8. N official Chinese report received here from the front this afternoon stated that the "Japanese troops, which were driven out of Taierchwang, fled in two directions—one to the north-west towards Yihhsien, the other to the north-east."
The main body was stated to be proceeding in the direction of Yihhsien and these forces, according to official reports, had again been bottled up by the Chinese troops which had proceeded south from Tsaochwang, on the Lincheng-Taierchwang branch line.
Another column of retreating Japanese are stated to have been cut off by the Chinese advance to the south-west from the Lini sector. At the same time, one brigade of Japanese reinforcements, which pushed southward towards Lini in order to meet their comrades at Taierchwang, is reported to have been held up north of Lini.
Meanwhile, the Chinese state that the prospect of the Japanese being able to send reinforcements down the Tientsin-Pukow line is very thin, because practically the whole section of the track from just south of Tsinan to Taian has been torn up.
In this connection, an interesting report has been made to Reuter by a foreigner, who arrived here recently from the Tientsin-Pukow sec. for. regarding the efficiency of Chinese methods of destroying the rai way line. He stated that the soldiers had not only removed the tracks and sleepers, but had also flattened out the embankment for miles, so that after a rain it was almost impossible to realize that there had been a railway there at all.
Many reports are still filtering in regarding Chinese successes in the Taierchwang sector on Wednesday. The newspapers are full of graphic descriptions giving an hourly progress of the battle and detailed figures. Many of these are grossly exaggerated, but well-informed foreign circles believe that the Japanese have undoubtedly had a set-back in that sector.
Chinese official despatches put the casualties at about 7,000, adding that large number of wounded Japanese soldiers are being picked up and given first aid, while several thousand prisoners Have been taken."—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.