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at Hangchow, which is 100 miles distant from Shanghai, was bombed from the air.
On March 1st, as the frontal attack had advanced but slowly, the Japanese Army Commander initiated a wide enveloping movement by landing the main force of the 11th Division at some distance on the right bank of the Yangtze River, in the vicinity of Tsiyakow, for the purpose of making a surprise attack on the left flank of the Chinese Army. The manœuvre was successful in compelling an immediate retreat of the Chinese forces beyond the 20-kilometre limit originally asked for in the Japanese Commander's ultimatum of February 20th. Woosung fort had been evacuated by the Chinese troops when, on March 3rd, it was entered by the Japanese troops after many aerial and naval bombardments. On the previous day, bombing operations had been extended as far as 7 kilometres east of Quinsan Station on the Shanghai-Nanking Railway, with the alleged object of preventing the transportation of reinforcements to the Chinese front.
On the afternoon of March 3rd, the Japanese Commander gave the order to stop fighting. The Chinese Commander issued a similar order on March 4th. A strong complaint was made by the Chinese that the 14th Japanese Division was landed at Shanghai between March 7th and 17th, after the cessation of hostilities, and about a month later was transported to Manchuria in order to reinforce the Japanese troops there.
In the meantime, attempts to secure a cessation of hostilities through the good offices of friendly Powers and of the League of Nations had been continued. On February 28th, the British Admiral, Sir Howard Kelly, received on his flagship the delegates of both parties. An agreement on the basis of mutual and simultaneous withdrawal and of a temporary character was proposed. The conference was not successful, owing to the differing opinions of the two parties as to the basis of the negotiations.
On February 29th, the President of the Council of the League of Nations made recommendations which contemplated, amongst other things, "a mixed conference in the presence of other interested Powers in view of the final conclusion of the fighting and for a definite cessation of hostilities, subject to local arrangements". Both parties accepted, but a successful outcome of the negotiations was rendered impossible by the conditions of the Japanese delegates, who demanded that: (1) the Chinese troops should first begin to withdraw, and (2) the Japanese, having ascertained that the withdrawal was taking place, should then retire, not, as formerly stated, to the International Settlement and the extra-Settlement streets, but to an area extending from Shanghai to Woosung.
On March 4th, the Assembly of the League, recalling the suggestions of the Council, (1) called on both Governments to make the cessation of hostilities effective; (2) requested other interested Powers to inform the Assembly on the execution of the previous paragraph; and (3) recommended negotiations, with the assistance of other Powers, for the conclusion of the arrangements in order to render definite the cessation of hostilities and to regulate the withdrawal of the Japanese troops, wishing to be informed by the Powers on the development of these negotiations.
On March 9th, the Japanese sent a memorandum to the Chinese through the intermediary of the British Minister, in which their readiness to negotiate on the basis of the points laid down by the Assembly was expressed.
On March 10th, the Chinese replied through the same channel that they too were ready to negotiate on this basis, but on condition that the conference should be limited to matters pertaining to the definite cessation of hostilities and the complete and unconditional withdrawal of the Japanese troops. On March 13th, the Japanese intimated that they were not disposed to regard the Chinese reservations as modifying the sense of the resolutions of the League of Nations or in any way binding on themselves. They thought that both parties should meet on the basis of the resolutions.
