CHINA: Young Marshal’s Escape

After killing 7,000 Communists in his recent drive, Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek bore the brunt of Chinese Soviet counter-attacks last week, operating from his field stronghold at Kweiyang. In press handouts the Generalissimo reported that Comrade Mao Tse-tung (“Chinese Lenin”) now has no fixed headquarters or abode but moves with his Chinese Soviet Government in nomadic fashion from province to province. Moreover the Chinese Lenin was said to be so ill that he has to be carried on a stretcher.

Over these bits of good news Generalissimo Chiang smacked his thin lips, enjoying tea with “Young Marshal” Chang Hsueh-liang. This gilded Chinese youth fell heir to the fabulous loot of his mighty War Lord sire, the late, great Chang Tso-lin, drinker of hot tigers’ blood and toyer with hotter women. Last week the Young Marshal was still trying to make good, fooling around the Communist war zone in his shiny new Boeing plane.

After tea and compliments Young Chang ordered his U. S. pilot to fly him to Yunnanfu. Half an hour later he was soaring over Chinese Communist troops, too high and too swift to be pinged by their poor marksmanship. Suddenly the Boeing began to sputter and Chang’s heart was in his mouth. If his plane were forced down and they caught him, the Young Marshal could count on being tortured carefully to death. As his U. S. pilot put his ship prayerfully into a long glide, bullets came pinging close, but on she skimmed. Abruptly she resumed her sweet thunder, banked, climbed, soared into the zenith and at length brought Young Marshal Chang safe to Hankow.