NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE Japanese have won the first great battle with the Chinese. The latter, twenty thousand strong, commanded by the celebrated General Tso, who crushed Yakoob Beg in Kashgar, were encamped within the strongly fortified position of Ping-Yang, when they were,. on Sunday morning before daybreak, attacked by the Japanese Commander-in-Chief, Yamagata, with forty thousand men. These were divided into three columns, of which one attacked in front, one on the right, and one, which had executed a tremendous march over the hills to gain its position, from the rear. The Chinese defended themselves against the troops in front; but the assault in the rear took them by surprise. A few of them, about two thousand, died fighting, but the immense majority lied, and, finding themselves surrounded, surrendered. More than fourteen thousand were paraded as prisoners before the Japanese Field-Marshal, Yamagata. The whole of the Chinese Staff were taken, including General Tao, with a number of guns and immense stores of supplies and ammu- nition. The Japanese General, leaving Ping-Yang strongly guarded, immediately commenced his march northwards, his object being to seize Moukden, the old capital of the Man- aus, and so control all the passes and the road to Pekin. This operation will take him a month, even if he has no army to fight before entering the passes.
