| Show WAR A6AINST RUSSIA Chinese Troops Numbering 120000 Take the Offensive and Drive Russians I from Chinese Territory 1 Berlin July Copyrighted 1000 by the Associated PtcssThe Chinese situation takes on a radically different shape on news which has reached here from Russia What Europe hitherto knew about the troubles in Manchuria was what the Russian Government choso to let pass Now a number of reports some of them official but n majority private have reached here from St Petersburg which tally in the main and paint the situation In Chinese Manchuria and along the 1500 kilometers of borderland ou the Siberian side of which the Amur river forms a frontier as much more dangerous for Russia than has hitherto been supposed Tho Associated Press correspondent has obtained at the Russian embassy here a partial though cautious confirmation con-firmation of the above statement IN OPEN WAR A military contributor of the Tage blatt says official Russian news showed that Chinese regular troops aided by irregulars numbering about 120000 are in open war against Russia They not only demanded the withdrawal of the Russians from Chinese territory but after the Russian refusal to withdraw the Chinese assumed the offensive and drove off the Russians from railroad construction and are undertaking hostile hos-tile operations against Harbin Bra I govestchensk and other towns shelling the last named place COMMAND AMUR RIVER What makes the Chinese hostilities extremely dangerous however is the fact that the Chinese by a series of recently constructed redoubts absolutely absolute-ly command the navigation of the Amur rivor tot a distance of twenty versts thus preventing Russian troop transports trans-ports on the only route open at least I until the fortifications shall have been taken by the Russians Thoucch the Russian censorship is again most severe regarding telegrams news reached here today from St Petersburg Pe-tersburg that Blagovestchensk had been taken by the Chinese who seIzed large amounts of money In the Ruaso Chinese bank there SERIOUS CAMPAIGN All reports agree that the Russian Government now considers that Russia I is actually at war In China that the shillyshally policy hitherto maintained will be dropped that Russia is now hurriedly preparing for L serious campaign cam-paign in north China separate from the other powers and that Russia will ndt be able or willing under thoso altered circumstances to bear an adequate share in the Tien TslnPeklng campaign paign The Russian forces available along tlc border and throughout China read re-ad to comprise twentysix battalions of the line twentyseven battalions of reserves seven teen Cossack regiments and seventeen field battercsrmokinc a total or about 7SOOO men > |
