Persistent rumours, which has yet have not been confirmed, state that this spectacular advance was caused fy defections among the Kwangtung and Kwangsi troops, who in large numbers, it is said, threw down their arms and went over to the Japanese and became ihe vanguard ihat led the Nipponese in their triumphal march on this one time capital of Kwangsi.
it is stated that before reaching the Kwangsi border the right wing of the four advancing columns, led by Chinese troops that had surrendered, left the Yungning highway and, turning northward. made a ràpid match over marrow pathways through the hills emerging on the major road which links Wing-shun with Nanning near the market of Pomiu, These forces are said to have met little resistance and pressed on past Leunghing to the market of Tintze reaching the latter place on November 23, Civilians Evacuate For several days before these troops arrived the civilian population had been pouring out of the city. Merchants with their clerks and helpers heavily loaded with merchandise passed through the city gates; shopkeepers with their various wares, trudged along; students rudely forced to leave school and college and wander afar were seen in large humpers in the endless procession of
their homes, while household-wanderers that were fleeing ers, men and women, laden with bedding, food and utensils, with children tied on their backs or trudging at their side plodded wearily onward.
humanity pressed on in long un-pit crowds of unfortunate ending streams from morning might, over all the winding pathways that led to the distant hoping to find shelter in some of the isolated homes or hamlets; in villages or market towns and trusting to uhctrtain fate to direct their footsteps Soméwhere to a place of refuge Where their lives might be preserved ana where they. might escape the Horrors of war that had come upon During the night of November 23 aha on the following day other Japanese troops arrived and under the protection of their planes crossed Severe on a large scale the West River in several places.
rapidly developed in both the eastern and western suburbs of the city. The Chinese ably led and fighting desperately charged and countercharged regaining lost position only to lose them again after another fierce counter-attack.
Some important points were gained d lost as many as five or six times and the ebb and flow of battle continued until, aided by reinforcements that continued to arrive daily the Japanese finally gained complete control and the flag of the Rising Sun waved unchallenged over the city of "Souther Tranquility" where a populous formerly numbering 1 000 had now been reduced to less {han half that number.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.