Some 130 miles by sea down the west coast of India, south from Bombay, lies the little district headquarters of Ratnagiri. The name means “the hill of jewels.” On the highest point of land, within the civil station proper, there is an imposing stone residence of some thirty rooms, including a detached section of private quarters. This structure, now utilized as a dwelling by the Collector of Ratnagiri, was for some 25 years the home of King Thebaw and his two Queens. Except for Kipling's famous song, Thebaw and Su Paya Lat and Su Paya Gale (who were sisters to each other and half-sisters to the King) would have been almost forgotten. They were after all but tinsel rulers of an unstable throne.

In the Official Gazette [Kampô] for last April 18 [1941] were published the determined population figures (resulting) from the national census which was conducted on October 1, 1940.

By the end of September, when General Headquarters were finally moved to the Kiangsi area, the center of fighting had of course moved to Kiangsi. Part of the General Political Department went with them. The troops that came from all quarters to join up with us were very numerous, and as a rule the first thing that such troops requested was that political workers be sent to them. In the eyes of the old-fashioned war-lords of that time “political work” had become a necessary insignia of the Revolutionary Army, like the unfurling of the bluc-sky-white-sun flag. They did not have the slightest idea of the real meaning of political work, but they were well aware that the main point of difference between the organization of the Southern Army and that of the Northern Army lay in the presence or absence of this kind of work. When the Southern Army, which had an organization of this kind, was victorious, they concluded that this sort of thing was an excellent means of strengthening troops; and therefore political work became a favored child for a period. The troops which came from all quarters to ally themselves with us being many, the workers that we sent out to various places were also many. Before long all the propaganda workers in the propaganda battalion over which Hu Kung-mien had charge were sent away, and [Hu] Kung-mien himself could not escape being sent to Kiangsi.