On the Yangtse
As a military problem, the crossing of the Yangtse increases in difficulty as the river rises, a seasonal process which normally begins about this time of year when the Tibetan snowfields start to melt. If therefore the Communists intend to dictate peace at the point of the sword they are likely to start crossing in the fairly near future and there are some signs, including minatory announcements by their own radio, that their armies may already be on the move. They have no reason to expect much serious opposition. The long breathing space which they have allowed their opponents has not seen any accretion of either moral or material strength to the Nationalist forces, and to describe the cause of the Kuomintang as moribund would be to overestimate its vitality. Both sides, as a matter of fact, need peace almost equally badly, for although Com- munist inexperience is not having quite so dire an effect on the economy of the North as Nationalist corruption is having on the economy of the South the whole country is crying out for a period of reconversion and reconstruction. Li Tsung-jen, who has been remarkably single-minded in his efforts to bring about a settle- ment, has done a great deal to deprive the Communists of any valid excuse for resuming large-scale military operations, and it ought to be clear to Mao Tse-tung, who holds all the aces, that he can get what he wants out of Nanking without any further fighting. The actual terms of the peace which he imposes on the Nationalists are after all of secondary importance, since neither side will abide by them ; but a peace of whatever nature would represent a step forward for China.
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