390 CHINO-JAPANESE WAR. 
6000 Chinese advanced from the direction of Yingtzu and occupied 
this hill, the Japanese outposts retiring before them. General 
Yamaji, commanding Ist division, recognising the importance of this 
position, gave orders for an attack to be made on it on the 24th 
February. The hill itself was carried after about an hour’s fighting, 
but the Chinese remained in strong force in the villages to the north. 
General Yamaji was anxious not to advance any further, but at the 
same time wished to see the Chinese retreating. So he tried an 
artillery bombardment against one of the villages. He had four field 
batteries which concentrated their fire on the village for three hours, 
but without the desired effect; so eventually he had to send forward 
his infantry and the Chinese then retired at once. On this day the 
snow was up to the mens’ knees and the thermometer stood at zero 
(Fahrenheit) and whilst there were only 250 Japanese killed and 
wounded, they had 1500 cases of frost bite. 
On February 28th the 8rd division marched out of Haicheng, dis- 
persed the Chinese in the immediate vicinity and advanced up the road 
towards Anzanten. And two days later, on 2nd March, Anzanten was 
occupied, the Chinese retreating towards Liaoyang. Part of the 5th 
division had been brought across country from Howojo to co-operate 
in the attack on Anzanten and in the subsequent movements of the 
8rd division; and this force reached Anzanten, after a difficult march 
through the hills, on the 2nd March. 
The two divisions now turned sharp round to the west, marched to 
Newchwang, which was captured on the 4th March, after a long day’s 
fight amongst the houses, and then moved on towards Yingtzu. 
Yingtzu fell without a struggle to the Ist division on the 6th March, 
and on the 9th the final big battle of the war took place at Denshodai 
(Tienchwangtai). Denshodai is a large town on the right bank of the 
liao river which was then frozen, and as the Chinese had placed over 
30 guns along the river face of the town, the Japanese massed all 
their artillery opposite and sent their infantry against the two flanks, 
They had altogether 84 guns and 7 mortars in line. There was 
not much fighting, but many Chinese were killed in trying to escape. 
The town caught fire before the battle was over, and there was con- 
sequently only a small capture of loot. 
And now to return once more to our own doings in the south. We 
at last got definite information of an approaching attack on Wei-hai-wei. 
The troops told off for the work were the 2nd division and the half of 
the 6th division which was stillin Japan. They left Japan towards the 
middle of January and the fleet of transports conveying them assembled 
at Talienwan. 
On the 19th January the first 20 ships with part of the 2nd division 
on board left Talienwan and steamed across to the north-east point of 
Shantung the promontory, preceded by the Yayeyama Kan, a fast 
cruiser, which arrived off the landing place at daybreak on the 20th. 
A party was put into boats and sent ashore, but was fired upon by a 
small force of Chinese with two or three guns, so the Yayeyama Kan 
steamed close in and opened fire. The Chinese retreated at once and 
no further opposition was made to the landing. 
