Following this defeat Japan intended an encirclement against Xuzhou and deployed the North China Area Army to the north and the Central China Expeditionary Army to the south . The North China Area Army had four divisions and two infantry brigades drawn from the Kwantung Army . Central China Expeditionary Army had three divisions and the 1st and 2nd Tank Battalions with motorized support units formed into the Iwanaka and Imada Detachments , which were ordered to advance to the west of Xuzhou to cut off and prevent Chinese forces from withdrawing towards the west . The 5th Tank Battalion was used to support the 3rd Infantry Division advancing north along the railway to Xuzhou . Additional troops were deployed in the Battle of Northern and Eastern Henan by the North China Area Army to stop Chinese reinforcements from the west . A Chinese counterattack here resulted in the Battle of Lanfeng . However , with the approach of the Central China Expeditionary Army from the south , the overall situation was grim , and Chiang Kai-shek ordered the withdrawal of the armies . The demolition of the dykes holding back the Yellow River allowed him more time for the preparation of the defense of Wuhan , but the resulting 1938 Yellow River flood also destroyed much of the area around the new course of the river
1938 Yellow River flood
1938 Yellow River flood
Battle of Xuzhou