N a surprise outflanking movement, a "mystery" Japanese column yesterday was within striking distance of the southern section of the vital Peiping-Hankow railway as its vanguards pro-grossed to within 70 kilometres of Hsuchang, 200 kilometres north. of Sinyang, Domei dispatches fi rom a Japanese advance base revealed The column, which had successfully overcome the vast natural obstacle in the form of the flood waters of the Yellow River pouring south from breaches in i! its embankments east of Chengchow, reached a line extending from Fukow to Choukiakow, in Honan, by Friday, the reports said.
In its westward' progress from an undisclosed point on the Lunghai railway line, this column captured Tai-kang and Hwaiyang, directly south of Lanfeng, on Monday, the dispatches revealed.
A "Floating Column"
Meantime, another Japanese army column temporarily "turned navy", appeared north of Kwangchow, key point in the Chinese defence triangle in south-eastern Honan, on Friday after proceeding 400 kilometres up the swollen Hwai River in ten day:
Leaving Pengpu on August 30, this "footing column" made its way up the Hwai River, which now has a depth of seven metres and a width ranging from 700 to 1,000 metres as a result of the diversion into its had of the waters of the Yellow River.
Occupying Fengtai on August 31, the column engaged about 400 Chinese soldiers at Chengyangkwan on September 2. After putting these to rout, the Japanese contingent proceeded 40 kilometres west on the river before meeting another body of Chinese troops. In an engagement on September 4, the column again over-came Chinese opposition, capturing four. launches and large quantities of equipment, including machine guns, before proceeding to Julio, near the Ahwei-Honan border, where 300 Chinese soldiers attempted to stem its advance on September 5.
Following a brief combat, reports said, this Chinese force was again put to flight, abandoning two small steam launches,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.