Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-05-14
south China
FORCES MOVE
TOWARDCITY
Picking Objective As
Foreigners Prepare
To Defend Nationals
Monday

SHANGHAI. May 1I.-P-For-
eisn forces prepared to guard their
nationals today as the southern (Na-
t%ionaiist) troops advanced on Tient-
sin, so miles southwest Of Peking,
their objective in the Nationalist
spring drive.
As the Southern troops moved
north, the Nationalist council form
ally called President Coolidge's at
tention to the recent clash between
Southern and Japanese forces in
Tsinan and asked the attitude of
the United States government "to-
ward this grave situation created by
Japan"
Capure Of Tientsin by the South
erners would cut Peking off from
the sea and the Northern command
er, Chang Tso-Lin from his base
and headquarters in M~anchuria.
A large foreign population in
Tientsin would be placed in a pre-
carious situation such as resulted in
grave clashes at Marking last year
and at Tsinan.
Foreigners On Guard
Foreign military commanders who
have a force Of $500 troops at their
disposal, decided to establish an out
post line on a radius OF seven miles
from the city. Japanese troops
were assigned to guard strategic
points in the foreign concessions, in
GLIDING the eastern railway station
At the junction of the important
lines linking Tientsin and Pukow,
opposite Marking, and Peking and
Mukden.
Four thousand OF the foreign troops
in Tientsin are Americans who are
equipped with 20 a~irplanes, five
tanks and five field guns. One
thousand are British. 5000 are
Of the Japanese troops had been
withdrawn for duty in Tsinan and
other Shangtung province points.
The foreign preparations were be-
ing made in the face of Nationalist
claims Of a victory at Tsangchow,
fifty miles south OF Tientsin on
the railway leading to Tsinan. Cen
eral Yen Hsi-Shan, military gov
of Shansi and ally Of the Nan
king Nationalist government, an
nounced that his troops occupied
Tsangchow after a lightning adj
vance. They captured 1000 North
erners with a large booty and arms
and ammunition.
Protest 10 u. s.
General Yen apparently had swept
down the Valley of the Puto river
and cut off the retreat of the North
ern forces fleeing from Shangtung.
Another ally Of the Marking regime,
General Feng Yu-Hsiang, was last
reported as having occupied Techow,
So miles south Of Tsang-Chow near
the Chihli-Shangtung border, driv-
ing out the Northerners who con-
centrated there after the fall of
Tsinan.
The Nationalist protest, growing
out of the clashes which followed
their occupation OF Tsinan, made
no specific request TO President
Coolidge for Intervention. It read:
Japanese troops have invaded
Shangtung, actually waging war
against China. The Chinese people
remember that the Shangtung ques-
tion was settled through the offices
Of friendly powers. especially the
United States. "a reference to the
Washington conference of 1922
and the mediation of the Earl OF
Balfour and Charles Evans Hughes
by which China regained Shangtung
from the J~apanesel.
Reject North Peace Move
Eve desire t. know the attitude
Of the United States government and
people toward this grave situation
created by Japan"
The action followed closely on the
heels of the Marking protest to the
League of Nations claiming that
Japan had violated China's integrity
and independence.
The N~stionalists, through the Kuo-
min new agency, also announced the
rejection of Chang Tso-Lin's peace
o%vertures. Chang in a telegram to
all civil and military lnaherr -.