THIS CHINA
Large-Scale Conflict To Decide Fate Of N. China
JAPANESE OFFENSIVE ON OLD CAPITAL STARTS
FOREIGN TROOPS MAN WALLS OF LEGATION
QUARTER
JAPANESE DEMANDS
INACCEPTABLE
Demilitarisation Of Peiping Impossible
Peiping, To-day
Old China Hand
London, To-day hoccurred last night Palmer, formerly
con of the Chinese Mis- sion hospital at Changchoufoo.
of the coastal provinces will also
wed into interior districts.
ected the new Japanese demand yesterday to discuss the
athdrawal from Peipu
sto
Canton
Flat rejection yesterday by General Sung Cheh-Fierce fighting broke out in the General Yu Han-mai, the Kwang- yuan of the new Japanese demands for virtual de Piping area last night shortly after tung military chief, held a militarisation of the Peiping area was followed
General Sung Cheh-yuan had flatly last night by the long dreaded Japanese attack on Peiping, and the opposing armies, after prelimin-newly ary skirmishes, are now at grips in what is obvi- ously a large-scale conflict which will determine the fate of North China.
arrived 182nd Division,
tion to the Sith Division
Colonel Matsui, Chief of the Ja GOVERNMENT TROOP panese Military Mission in Peiping, indicated that this was regarded also
MOVEMENTS as rejection of the Japanese ulti-
Concentrating In North
marams.
L-semi-official Chinese
points out that
de were tarisation
Scenes reminiscent of the siege of the Lega- tions in the Boxer trouble of 1900 are being enacted in Peiping, where British, Italian, French and American troops are manning the walls of the Le which was totally ma gation quarter, in which the entire Japanese popu- Hoper Council. lation and many Chinese have taken refuge. BLOOD-BATH AT TUNGCHOW
Nanking, To-day.
the
at Army re reported
The forces mobilized in the No various directions. to be preceeding to the North from
Forty train-loads of the vanguard of General Pang Ping-shun's 40th
Fighting at the Tuan River ex tended over a wide rea, Japanese aeroplanes being extremely active in machine gunning Chinese troops.
The headquarters of the 29th and General Liu Shin's 2nd Route Army are said to have passed [Route Army are being removed
Shihchiachwang in Western Hopei,
The Japanese forces launched an attack on from Nanyuan to Perping, white Peiping yesterday evening, according to official in- carts, lorries and motor-cars laden with equipment were streaming all formation received by Chinese military headquar-day yesterday. ters here.
A severe engagement is progressing, and the rattle of rifle and machine-gun fire and the roar of artillery is being heard all round Peiping.
The first part of the Japanese ultimatum was to expire at noon, local time, yesterday, but Gen- eral Sung Cheh-yuan requested an extension of three hours.
At 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon, General Sung Cheh-yuan replied rejecting Japanese demands, the Japanese forces promptly launching their at tack.
Fighting first started at Nanyuan, five miles south of Peiping, where the battle was especially
severe.
on the way to Paoting, yesterday. trenches and encampments is being Near Peiping, construction of
pushed in preparation for the ar-
The nature of the present fight- ling suggests that the Japanese have val of re-inforcements from the Central Army. Two divisions of begun a -determined drive to dis-
troops are building emergency en- lodge the whole of the 29th Route Army from the Peiping area.
campments "near Papaoshan, and defences are said to be under way Reuter.
at Weimenkou and neighbouring villages. A brigade that yesterday assumed positions near the Race Course, west of Peiping, is helping to build encampments along the
JAPANESE ARMY "INSULTED”
Unforgivable Chinese Action
Tientsin, To-day.
Peiping-Hankow Railway.
Between five and six regiments are constructing encampments on a line from Changsintien along the
Colonel Matsun, on behalf of Gen-bank of the Yangting River.
feral Katsuki, Japanese G.O.C. in North China, notified General Sung
Cheh-yuan at midnight that the Ja panese Army was compelled to take
independent action in view of the insincerity of the Chinese Army in
Union News
CHINESE COUNTER
DEMAND
Peiping, To-day.
Official reports state that only one man, who is carrying out the terms of the agree General Sung Chen-yuan called a seriously wounded, escaped out of a force of 500 ment, as was evidenced by repeated meeting of his senior subordinate members of the 29th Route Army when the Jap- provocations, including the firing on officers which lasted the whole of Japanese troops at the Chang Yi Monday night. They unanimously anese planes bombed and machine-gunned the Gate, which was an insult to the came to the conclusion that the Ja Chinese garrison of Tungchow yesterday morning. Japanese Army and unforgivable. panese ultimatum had to be reject
Reuter.
Colonel Matsui demanded theted, and that as long as the Japanese withdrawal of all Chinese troops.
were on Chinese soil there side Peiping because their pres
end to the Sino-Japanese would lead to confusion and ho lities involving the and the lives of
FOREIGN TROOPS STAND BY
Peiping, To-day.
British, Italian, French and American troops are now manning the walls of the Legation Quar- ter, where the entire Japanese population and many Chinese have taken refuge.
Many Chinese families yesterday hastily built bomb-proof shelters in the gardens of their houses. The British Embassy yesterday advised all Bri- tish women and children living in the Chinese part of the city to withdraw into the Legation Quarter by night Renter
BOMBING OF NANYUAN
Tientsin, To-day
residents Renter
REMOVAL OF THE CAPITAL
From Nanking To Interior
Japanese troops launched an attack on Shi- also yuan at 5.30 this morning according to ast
by Japanese
in Tientsin
mora Reuter
Japanese the Ja
terday
for
that Japanese aeroplanes anyuan during he course of this nflicting heavy losses on the enemy.