However, their failure to defend against a series of coordinated Chinese counter-attacks forced them to completely withdraw, resulting in territorial control returning to the original status quo.

[1] Japanese commander General Yasuji Okamura deployed the 13th and 16th Divisions from Zhongxiang to drive northwards along the Dahong mountain ranges and attack Zaoyang from the south on 1 May 1939.

[1] On 3 May, Japanese commander Lieutenant General Yamawaki Masataka dispatched the 3rd Division and 4th Cavalry Brigade to attack Suixian and Tongbai from Yingshan and Xinyang respectively in an attempt to encircle Tang Enbo and Li Pingxian's 11th and 31st Army Groups.

[1] However, the Japanese were less successful in the Tongbai mountain ranges, where they faced the Chinese 13th, 84th, and 85th Corps, led by NRA commanders Zhang Zhen, Qin Lianfang, and Wang Zhonglian respectively.

[1] During the month-long campaign, the Chinese incurred a total of 28,000 casualties, a significant portion of which was due to the Japanese Army's continuous and extensive use of air attacks and chemical weapons.