'The Southerners' main forces, Mr.
Chu said, had arrived at Changshan, a town on the Kiangsi-Chekiang border, about 500 }i by water, and 800 ti' oyetland, through mountain passes, from Hangchow. Owing t poor means of communication and the lack of sufficient junks to transport troops down the Chientang iver, the Southerners found it dificult to come vown river to join hands with Gon. Chow Feng-chi, the Allied general who commands the 3rd Division and who is said to have Jdeserted Marshal Sun Chuan-fang, and accepted the rank of commenter lof the 26th Nationalist Army, Gen. Chow is at Fryang, in which town the Southerners propose to establish [their Chekiang headquarters if they: actually get into the province. Until they join hands, there will not and cannot be any actual fighting.
Attempt that Failed Continuing, Mr. Chu said that! Gen. Chow had definitely expressed his attitude and had circulated a telegram (which had been censored by Gen, Chen Yi, Civil Governor of Chekiang) to the effect that he would adhere to the wishes of the people and perform his duties for the Kuomintang and the country. Daring the recent scare regarding the capture of Hangchow, Mr. Chu said, Gen. Chow and two regiments accompanied by a small band Cantonese in mufti, actually enter ed the city but, upon seeing that they had too small a force to cope with the large number of loyal allied troops, it was decided to withdraw and' avoid any risk. Gen, Chow then withdrew to Fuyang to await the arrival of the main Cantonese force.
"Of course," Mr. Chu explained, "ft was not against the Allied forces alone that they would have to fight, hut against the Shantang-Fengtien forces a9 well, s0 no action will be taken until the southerners. arri at Fuyang. On the other hand, the! Allied troops are being posted along the Hangchow railway in large members and the Shantung troops fare drifting incessantly into Nanking.
In view of such conditions, said, war was inevitable and he was inclined to think that the first clash would take piaes, not around Hangchow oF along the Shanghai-Hangchow line, but near Changchow, on the Shinghai-Nanking Railway. Hangchow might be taken as a route station but not as a base, as the city was open to attack from all sides,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.