1937-07-28 — Page 9

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.