COMMENT FROM A MAN ON THE SPOT
INTERVIEW WITH THE REV.C.N.MYLNE
In view of our Peking correspondent’s message announcing the capture of Suifu(叙府) by the rebel forces an interview which a representative of the“North-China Daily News” had with the Rev.C.N.Mylne(美能易,循道公会播道人),who has just arrived in Shanghai from north Yunnan via Suifu,will be of interest.
Mr.Mylne left Weining(威宁),on the Szechuan-Kueichow (四川-贵州)border a little over a month ago,after seven years residence in north Yunnan.He journeyed due north to Chenhsiung(镇雄) and had purposed following the ordinary road from there to Suifu on the Yangtze The authorities,however,thought it would be safer for him,in consequence of the prevalence of bạndits,to travel across to Laowatan(老鸦滩) some distance north of Chaotung(昭通) on the main Chautung-Suifu(昭通-叙府) road.
He did not see any evidence of military activity on the part of the rebels in Yunnan nor,though he made special inquiries did he hear of any,and he is of the opinion that the forces which have occupied Suifu are composed of Szechuanese soldiery,aided,perhaps by brigands,of whom there are large numbers.A large number of Szechuanese troops stationed along the Szechuan-Yunnan border revolted a short time back and he thinks that they must be the forces to which our Peking correspondent refers.Indeed Mr.Mylne is rather comforting about the trouble in Yunnan.The ordinary Yunnanese,he says,cares nothing whatever about the monarchy and is not in the least interested in the question.Nor he thinks,are the troops which Tsai Ao(蔡锷) has at his command capable of giving the Central Government very much trouble.At all events those who escorted him on his journey were badly clad and very poorly armed with rifles of an old pattern.
Asked what hand Tang Chi-yao(唐敬尧) had had in the revolt,Mr.Mylne replied that he was a mere boy,who had been thrust into a position which he was too young to fill with the result that he had been made the tool of men stronger than himself.Mr.Mylne pointed out the very great difficulties which northern Yunnan presents from a military point of view and expressed the opinion that Tsai Ao’s troops would remain comfortably tucked away in the capital for the very simple reason that they were not sufficient in number to guard the approaches to Yunnan.He admitted that were the revolt to spread into Kwang tung(广东),it would assume a very dangerous character,but he did not appear to be any way alarmed at the proportions which it has 80 far reached.
Mr.Mylne’s information is confirmed by letters,dated December28,which have just been received in Shanghai from Chaotungfu(昭通府).They make no mention whatever of any movement from Yunnanfu northwards of such a large body of troops as would be necessary to occupy Suifu.
柏苗注
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The North-China Daily News.Monday,January 24,1916.
