Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-05-06
Liberal Army IS Now in Control Of Peking

hcited during the night by an attempt OF
the soldiers outside to ram the gate
and gain entrance. The guards on top
of the wall dispersed the attacking
troops with machine guns. No for
eigners were injured.
Hammered Chang With $4,000
With $4,000 troops General WI en-
eircled Chang Tso'Lin'g forces out
side Peking and after 10 hours OF re,
lentless cannonading, machine fire ana
infantry charges, routed his opponent,
making himself master of the capital.
Wu's forces camped Thursday I'M
molested outside the city while Changs
soldiers were scattered, having retired
with the main body down the railroad
toward Tientsin, or dispersed In I'M
organized mobs over the hills.
The routed army left behind artillery
munitions, horses and loaded cameis;
and its wounded and dead. The total
casualties in Thursdays fighting are
believed to have reached 5000 to 1000
dead and wounded.
As the fighting wa brought near
Peking's walls. warning was sent the
city authorities that soldiers were
about to enter the capital. The gates
were Immediately closed, only Tor
eigners who had been put out being
permitted to enter.
Railroad communication in all direc-
tons has been severed.
The struggle between Genrals Chang
Tso-Lin and WI Pei-Fu, which has
reached it's climax in the present cam
paien, was foreshadowed in Associated
Press dispatches in September. 1871,
when it was outlined as a battle be-
tween militarism in China under the
leadership of Chang. the most power
full military governor of the republic.
and Liberalism, with WI as its standard
bearer.
Leaders Ar Contrasts
In personality. the men are exact
opposites, while their present relative
positions from au outstanding paradox
in Chinese political history. Chang.
regarded as the war lord and advocate
of a military hegemony. sprang from
the people, being ~uneducated and
gained his dominating position through
force of character and personal brav-
cry. WI came from the upper classes,
distinguished himself in his younger
years old won the Chinese degree
equivalent to bachelor Of arts in a COM
p~etitive military academy near TENT
sin, where he graduated with honors.
Chang Fought Against Russia
Chang fought under the mikado's
banner in the RussiO-Japanese war as
a leader Of a Chinese 'b%unghutsu" or
guerilla force. At the close Of the
campaign be passed into the Chinese
government service and became so
strong as a military leader that his
machine guns at n time overawed
quire into a number of charges against
him as military governor of Fengtien.
The investigation was dropped. WI
prominent in the drive against the
Anfu club, or coalition of militarists
two years ago, when that organization
was broken up and its leaders i'm
prisoned.
In September, 1921, his operations
cast the first shadows Of the struggle
which now has developed between
himself and Chang. At that time he
led his troops against the Human
rebels, drove them out of Hupei into
their own territory and then turned
on the Szchuan or southern forces,
acting Independently of Sun Vat Sen,
president of the republic of South
China. At Ichang, General WI out
thanked the Szechuanes on both wings
and completely crushed them in what
American observers described as "the
finest piece of strategy ever employed
by a modern Chinese general" Fol-
lowers of political events in China
tacitly admitted that Wu's victory at
Z~zechuan prevented the furthr disin-
Zechuan prevented the gurther disin-
an obstacle in Chang Tso-Lin's mill
tary hegemony in northern China.