LOOKING FOR FIGHT.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 46, 24 February 1927, Page 9

LOOKING FOR FIGHT.

Britons Anxious to Tackle Bolsheviks. OFFERS TO CHANG. (Received 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, February 23. Twelve ex-officers, headed bv an artilleryman, Captain David Living-stone-Learmonth, a descendant of the famous explorer, have cabled General Chang Tso-lin offering their services against the Bolshevist cause, and are inviting other adventurous spirits to ■enlist. The leader said: 'We expect to lose our heads or worse if we are captured by the Cantonese, but we are readv to start immediately."—(Sydney "Sun.' 1 ) WU PEI-FU VANQUISHED. FLIGHT TO MOUNTAINS. SHANGHAI, February 23. Reports from the Honan Province state that General Chang Chung-chang, finding that Marshal Wu Pei-fu (defender of Honan Province) was obstinately resisting his advance sent out acrainst him a vanguard of 6000 W li i t e Russian troops. Knowing that if they were captured they would be beheaded these troops fought XX 1 — \TTmm

v. . 1w„ p• r SO fiercely that Wi Marshal Wu Pei-ru. was d e f ea ted. am fled to the mountains. The losses of the Russians are reportei to have totalled 3000 men.— (Sydne; "Sun.") CLASH EXPECTED.

SHANGHAI, February 17. A serious clash has been expected between the forces of Chang Tso-lin and We Pei-fu, owing to the attr in North Honan forcing Wu's withdrawal south

of the Yangtse River. Wu sent a telegram to Chang demand

J ing the stoppage of his advance, and declaring that a serious misunderstandj ing is bound to result if he does not 1 stop. j He threatens the mobilisation of his } entire army of 100,000, but Wu's position is precarious because Chang Chungchang was also advancing in Honan along the Lunghai railway from Shang- . hai. 1

THREE-CORNERED COMBAT

SHANGHAI, February 17. | The general Chinese situation is at its j most critical stage since the beginning 1 of the crisis. The Hankow negotiations are over-1 shadowed by the imminence of fighting ! on an extensive scale in Honan Province. ( The warfare raav settle definitely the , future government of China. j The seriousness of the struggle is in-' dicated by the fact that more than 300,000 troops are involved in a threecornered clash between Chang Tso-lin, Wu Pei-fu and Feng Yu-hsiang (the "Christian" general). j Although Chang Tso-lin and Wu Pei- ' fu are supposedly allies against the Can- j tonese, who are under Feng Yu-hsiang,! they have been at loggerheads for a ' considerable period owing to Wu's rc- | fusal to take the field against the | Nationalists. j The situation took a sensational turn ; when it was announced that Feng Y'u- ; hsiang was advancing in West Honan Province with 120.000 troops for the purpose of preventing Chang Tso-lin from carrying out his stated intentions of attacking the Cantonese headquarters at Hankow. I Simultaneously the Cantonese are advancing northward from Hupeh Province with the object of assisting Feng. The Cantonese claim that Feng Y'u- ; hsiang is prepared to launch his entire army against Chang Tso-lin in order definitely to settle the question of the control of North China, and to drive the Mukden war lord back to Manchuria, j