In early September, Japanese General Toshizō Nishio of the "Japanese Expeditionary Forces to China" and Lieutenant-General Seishirō Itagaki set out to capture Changsha, the provincial capital of Hunan.
I starten af september indledte den japanske general Toshizo Nishio fra "Den japanske ekspeditionsstyrke i Kina" og generalløjtnant Seishiro Itagaki en operation, der skulle erobre Changsha, provinshovedstaden i Hunan.