To cut off the escape routes of Chinese refugees, the occupation of North Guizhou was planned, which could be used to stage an attack on Chengdu through Yibin.

The north Japanese army division would have had the option to either advance towards south Shaanxi to capture Xi'an, or towards Hanzhong to take Chengdu directly.

Alternatively, Japan could have utilized airborne forces to cut off Chinese escape routes and take the Chongqing metropolitan area directly.

It was also possible that the Japanese army hoped that a terror campaign against Chongqing would force the Chinese authorities to break from the Allies and make a separate peace with Japan.

According to General Chiang Wei-kuo, should the invasion be successful, the Japanese might have intended to put Wang Jingwei's puppet regime in charge of Chongqing.

The Japanese suffered frequent losses at the end of September 1942, and decided to delay the implement of invasion plan for Sichuan.