The river is now, in effect, carving for itself a new bed in a southeasterly direction, the natural slope of the country, which must bring it into the Hwai River in Anhwei and from there to the lakes near Pengpu, thence to the Grand Canal and thence to the Yangtze opposite Chinkiang.
When that happens, as seems inevitable unless a drought replaces the normal rainy season in China's northwest, the lower Yangtze will be in flood and water from the upper Yangtze will find it diMeult to reach the sea and a flood in the Yangtze valley must take place. - A disaster probably as bad as that of 1931 may result while the effect on Japanese military operations can be imagined.
Unless a passage by the Yangtze can be smashed, Hankow taken and an annihilating blow to the Chinese armies be delivered very quickly the Inevitable result will be the prolonging of what is already proving to Japan a very expensive wat.
This flood may well be in course of time a landmark in China's history. The deliberate invitation of a disaster of fantastic size for military ends will probably long form the subject of Rerce argument, It may be the turning point in the war but even if it fully successful the cost in lives, damage to property and agricultural land so sorely needed will be terrific, Great Damage to Railways Chinese Drive off Engineers This main stream is eight to ten miles wide and moving slowly but relentlessly across country. Early on the breaks could have been closed but the troops which made them were determined that they should not be closed, Japanese engineers and troops set out to All the breaches. They were met by Chinese machinegun fire from pill boxes on the river bank west of the breach and then a few] field gun shells come over.
The Aight from Peiping to Kaifeng {s very interesting. One can see the enormous damage done to bridges and railways by the Fetreating Chinese, 'A railway service of sorts is running and between Peiping and Changteh Honan T sew about ten trains on the railway. At Peiping, Shihchiachwang and Changich enormous aerodromes fare being constructed. 'Thousands of Chinese coolies are busy levelling and, digging the surface up, sitting it for stones" and mixing it with lime' and other things to; make: enormous concrete-like runways, great deal of aircraft is visible everywhere, specially at Peiping, big bombers being lined: up. in rows.
Kaifeng itself shows some: signs. of war ravage but not so much as might be expected. Aerial bombardments seem to have been: directed only -at military. objectives, 'The station, which is outside. the wall, 1s. 8 shambles, tracks blown. to. bits and platforms. and', buildings. levelled. Some civilian betises round the station Inevitably. suffered," as did 'a nearby theatre, The English cathedral was badly. damaged by one. bomb. which fell some distance from its objective, Baracks outside the city were badly damaged by bombs. The streets. of the city are full of concrete shelters, pits dug in the pavements and similar things ready for street Aghting.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.