JAPANESE TROOPS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 84, 9 April 1938, Page 9

JAPANESE TROOPS

SEQUEL TO DEBACLE

TOWN SET ON FIRE

HEADQUARTERS THREATENED

(United Press Association—By Electric Tele-

graph—Copyright.)

(Received April 9, 12.10 p.m.) ■- HANKOW, April 8. Japanese troops who escaped from the Taierchwang debacle set fire to the town of Yihsien to cover their retreat.

Chinese columns threaten to surround the Japanese headquarters, and others are destroying railway tracks and bridges in order to prevent the Japanese reaching the main Tientsin-Pukow railway line. General Sun Lien-chung reports the capture of 500 prisoners, who had been without food for sixteen days owing to the Chinese surrounding them.

The populace at Hankow gave itself over to rejoicing throughout last night, further encouraged by a report that two Japanese divisions had been systematically cut up while retreating from Taierchwang.

The Chinese are still hotly pursuing the remainder of the fugitives, a section of whom reached safety at Shih-

shuyuan.