27 MARCH 1926, Page 2

The " National " armies have since been steadily retiring

and many of the troops are now to the north of Peking. Feng himself has informed the Chief Executive that he haS once "again- " retired from politics " (which have becorhe synonyrnons with civil War) and is goilig to use the labour of his soldiers for quietly developing the agriculture of Mongolia.: This sounds well -but most generals whci haVe been beaten in the field have excuses. The best we can hope is that some person, or some group, will emerge strong enough to impose order. Whoever he, or they, may be the objective will be the treasury. But that "need not -dismay us- if it should 'become at last possible to regard the Government at Peking as a sub- stanee and not as a ShadoW. "Even if Chang and Wu should establish themselves at Peking, however, it would. still be necessary that they should agree... They have quarrelled - often enough in the past... Another point is that Feng is placing himself geographically in closer touch with his Bolshevist friends and we do not knew what may come of that contact.