CHINO-JAPANESE WAR. 389 
the Marshal to join hands with us round the table and sing “ Auld 
Lang Syne.” 
Whilst we were thus waiting at Kinchou for the expected attack on 
Wei-hai-wei, the lst army had been pushing forward in the north. 
On the 19th November part of the 8rd division had occupied 
Siuyen, and on the 8th December the greater part of this division was 
concentrated there. ‘'achimi’s brigade of the 5th division was at 
Howojo and had several fights with the enemy towards the north and 
north-east ; and the rest of the 5th division was in the neighbourhood 
of Kurenjo. 
The 3rd division having received orders to take Haicheng left Siuyen 
on the 9th December for that purpose. Simucheng was occupied on 
the 12th without any serious fighting, and Haicheng was occupied on 
the 18th December. 
During this advance a detachment had been sent westwards towards 
Kaiping to cover the left flank. A large Chinese army was reported 
to be at Kaiping; and on the 17th December news was received that 
this army was marching towards Haicheng. General Katsura, com- 
manding 3rd division was anxious to prevent a junction between this 
force and the Chinese troops in the direction of Liaoyang and moved 
out therefore on the 19th December to find and attack it. The battle of 
Kogasai was the result and the Chinese were completely defeated. I 
have no time to describe this battle, but it was a very hard day’s work 
for the Japanese. They started from Haicheng at 4 a.m. on the 19th 
and after marching about all day through snow two feet deep, and 
fighting a battle just as it got dark, they had to start back to Haicheng 
during the night, and some of them did not arrive till 2 p.m. on the 
20th. And all this time they had had hardly anything to eat. 
The 3rd division then remained peacefully at Haicheng for about a 
month, and utilised the time in preparing for a Chinese attack. The 
Chinese made no less than four attacks whilst the 3rd division was there 
—on the 17th and 22nd of January and on the 16th and 21st of February. 
But these attacks were of the very feeblest description and were all 
beaten off with ridiculous ease. 
On the lst January the lst brigade of the Ist division, which 
had previously moved up to Fuchou from Kinchou, started north- 
ward to take Kaiping and to communicate with the lst army, and 
two field batteries and two squadrons accompanied the brigade. 
Kaiping was taken on the 10th January after a sharp fight in which 
the Japanese had to cross a frozen river—about 60 yards wide— 
before closing with the Chinese, who occupied a line of entrenchment 
on the far bank ; and on the same day communication was established 
with the lst army by way of Tashihchiao (Taisekikio). 
The remainder of the 1st division moved north from Kinchou on the 
10th February and reached Kaiping on the 20th and following days— 
and the division was now counted as part of the 1st army. 
The outposts of the Ist brigade were then pushed forward to 
Tapingshan, a remarkable hill about two miles long and 180 feet 
high rising by itself in the middle of the plain, and therefore of 
considerable military importance. But on the following day about 
