Advanced elements of the 200th Division arrived at Toungoo on March 8, 1942 and took over defensive positions from the British forces.

The city of Toungoo itself would be the main defensive position of the Chinese forces, with an outpost a few kilometers to the south at Oktwin.

Major-General Dai Anlan the divisional commander, sent the Motorized Cavalry Regiment and 1st Company, 598th Infantry Regiment to the banks of the Kan River 35 miles south of Toungoo and 12 miles south of the town of Pyu.

Upon reaching the outposts, they were ambushed by the Chinese troops hiding along the sides of the road.

Chinese armoured cars joined the attack and after three hours of fighting the Japanese fell back, leaving some 30 dead behind together with some twenty rifles, two light machine guns and some 19 motorbikes.