Big War

Of small wars between Chinese factions there is no end; but when the Imperial Japanese Government begins to pour troops into China, then a big war looms. Last week 5,000 small slant-eyed warriors embarked upon Japanese transports and prepared to sail for Shantung Province, China, where some thousands of expatriate Japanese reside. Aboard the transports was a numerous staff of technicians, prepared to take over at a moment's notice the railways and telegraphs of Shantung.

Meanwhile, the major Chinese factions of the North and South had given occasion for Japan's threatened intervention by suddenly renewing with full vigor, last week, their perennial civil war.

The South China Nanking Government sent its main offensive thrusting up through Shantung against the North China Peking Government. In collaboration as commanders of the Southern armies were the great marshals Chiang Kai-shek and Feng Yu-hsiang. They concentrated last week upon capturing Tsinan, the capital of Shantung, which was defended by Marshal Chang Chung-chang, a subordinate of the great Peking dictator, Marshal Chang Tso-lin.

Though the Southerners reported that they had actually taken Tsinan, the facts appeared to be that its fall was merely imminent and that the casualties on both sides had been unusually heavy.

During the week both Nanking and Peking protested to Tokyo against the sending of Japanese troops to Shantung.