Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-04
What Campaigning Means in That
Part of China.
OBSTACLES ALONG TIE RIVER ROAD
Rains Make Vast Swamp Of the
Whole Distance.
THE POISONED WELL S

The allied forces have fought for and
won their base of supplies Tien Tsin, but
that Is very small part of the task cut
out for them in a march upon Pekin.
Forty years ago, when the Franco-Brit
ish force marched to Pekin-a body not eX-
ceedlng 6oOO-they met with comparatively
little resistance, because China was then
very much engaged in supressing the Tae-
ping rebellion. Today matters are very
different, first, because the disparaging diff
terence in the fighting qualities of the op-
posing armies Is not empha sized as it was
then, and, second, the native element, then
generally passive. is playing an active part
IN the present difficulty. The meaning of
this Is not understood by the average read
err but the facts are that a coolie corps did
nuch Oh the transporting during that cam
paiSn, the natives readily lent themselves
TO supplying subsistence and, during some
OF the actions, gathered in large crowds
dangerously near the line of fire and viewed
the slaughter of their own soldiers as a
spectacular performance of no national con-
Germ The grievance then was a govern
mental one more than an affair of the peo
PIE and the latter, apart from the paid
lighting men and the Tartar element treat
ed the matter and the invaders with a
very large share of unconcsrn. The news
reports that the natives are deserving Tien
Ism nave an omlnous significance, for they
">~'AiiI
advance and just so much fuel to the flame
of native antagonism to the foreigner.
another element of insecurity is the I'M
certain status of some of the powers and
tne dilnculty of unity and concerted action.
Ihis was very much present in the cam
palgn of 1860, the incompetent Montauban
vigorously opposing the very tactics that
won most of the battles. But the energy
ana numbers of the British could have car
RED the day, something hardly possible now
with anything short of the combined arms
OF the several interested forces present.
some knowledge of the geography of the
country between Iien Tsin and Pekin is
sent1al to grasp of the work before the
renewing column-a geography that is sub
1ect to many changes with the variations
of the weather-and just now the region is
undergoing one of the most hampering
changes The rainy season. which lasts for
a number Of weeks, sets in between the
end of July and the early part of August
and roads at other times passab.e at once
become aXie-deep in mud. while the river
channels are lost in the general inundation,
making navigation just that much more
dlncuit when in other countries the wealth
of water would facilitate passage This
doubles the toll of water TRANSPORT and
renders practically out of the question
travel over the usual roads
EightySiN Miles to Cover.
Pekin is distant from Tien Tsin something
ike eighty-siX miles, and the road gen
orally followed lies along the west bank of
the Ta-ho as the Pei-ho is locally called
between these two cities. Above Peh-tsang
the river is uninfiuenced by the tide The
Ta-ho Is navgable to Tung-chow. really
Pekin S port of entry, for craft drawing not
over eighteen inches of water Bevond that
water transport is carried along the J-liaus-
no, a staEnant, currentless stream passing
west to the east side of the Chinese civ
but. owing TO the absence of locks good.
have all to he transshipped at each weir
nf In I,,,
tcally prohib.tive. A high embankm, MT
runs along both sides of the river from
1ien Tsin to chanchia-Wan. This embank-
ment was constructed to prevent the inlln-
sons. and as far as Iang-tSun the road
passes along this embankment. Up to Ma
tow the surrounding country is a nearly
level plain, with scarcely even an OCCASION
al hillock to break its m0notony and s4,siIy
susceptible Of flooding in case the Ta-ho
breaks its way through the restricting EN-
bankments. Beyond Chan-chia- wan the
country becomes more and more undulating
as the hills are approached. working lp To
the high Land to the west and north of the
capital. Beyond Chan-chia- and I'M ia
Pekin the country is cut up by deep bitches
ana hollow roads, which bounded on
either side by steep banks, the height of
the banks increasing with the amount OF
trathc over the roads. IN many cases the
roads are from six TO eighteen feet deep.
ana while generally lmpaS sable in wet
weather, would prove very dangerous lurk-
ing places for ambUscaGcs during the drier
seasons. The embarked roads up to Chan
chia-wau likewise form natural breast
works of a formidable and extended nature
At this season of the year. with the Ta-ho
and its tributaries filled by the present
freshets, it would be no difficult task for
the Chinese to break through the guarding
emDanknrnts and to food much of the sur
rounding country up to Matow, and at the
Same time to destroy that road over which
all traffic has gone for ages. To do away
with this danger the Chinese have main
tanned system of safety valves in the
way of oVerfiOwS at several places along
the eastern bank of the Ta-ho the wafer
being allowed to flow in great volumes into
the country beyond the right bank ascend
ing.
These places can be readily closed, and
the outlet made into the territory over
which the allied forces must march on
their way to Pekn. Official Indifference to
the flooding of the lands to the eastward
has annually led to beggary and destitu-
ton Of the ponulace in this region, and,
with the well-known Chinese official value
of native life. the extension of this misery
and loss in the name of defense would be
only too readily justified. A trip by boat
from Tien Tsin to Tung-chow some years
ago at this season, under the most favor
able conditions. consumed a week; bur to
strangers unfamiliar with the course the
swift current, the ever-changing channel
and tortuous wanderings of the stream, and
the ceaSeiess grounding of the boats. even
If means of transport are to be had, would
be a matter of double that length of time.
Terror of TOrpednes.
We must not forget that it Is perfectly
feasible to plant this waterway with tor
pedoes, just it IS possible to mine the
road over which by physical conditions the
allied army would have to make its way
This mining of the road might not seem to
harmonic with the strcter ethics of mod
ern warfare. but tallies perfectly with the
Chinese notion of how things should be
done, and was actually so practiced dur
ing the war with Japan, especially around
the approaches to PelSin. A peaceful Chi
nese merchant narrowly escaped from one
of these mines. while his mule which had
trodden upon the fuse, was blow to atoms.
We must not consider the railroad at ali.
for if it is not destroyed it certainly viii
be. The road between Hosiwu and MatoW
Is deep and bad, even in dry weather the
rain only turning the deep dust into SO
much mud.
Were the country only well wooded it
would not be such hard task to build
military roads, but low and sandy and de-
void of anything but scrub generally, the
work Of repairing any damage the Chinese
may do to the regular thoroughfares would
be a Ions and difficult undertaking. This
limitation of route of advance naturally