Afterwards , China began to adopt the Fabian strategy of " trading space for time " ( ) . The Chinese army would put up fights to delay the Japanese advance to northern and eastern cities , allowing the home front , with its professionals and key industries , to retreat west into Chongqing . As a result of Chinese troops ' scorched earth strategies , in which dams and levees were intentionally sabotaged to create massive flooding which causes thousands of death and many more seeking refuge During this period , the main Chinese objective was to drag out the war for as long as possible in a war of attrition , thereby exhausting Japanese resources while building up Chinese military capacity . American general Joseph Stilwell called this strategy " winning by outlasting " . The NRA adopted the concept of " magnetic warfare " to attract advancing Japanese troops to definite points where they were subjected to ambush , flanking attacks , and encirclements in major engagements . The most prominent example of this tactic was the successful defense of Changsha in 1939 ( and again in 1941 ) , in which heavy casualties were inflicted on the IJA
create massive flooding
1938 Yellow River flood
Second Sino-Japanese War