Despite the unification of China in 1928 following the Northern Expedition, tensions between the local Sichuan warlords remained high, engaging in arms races and recruiting larger numbers of men, which was idelogically opposed by the Nanjing government.
The incident led to calls for peace which saw a brief end to the fighting until the 21st when it restarted due to movements by the armies of Liu Xiang.
on 28 October Yang Sen's forces reached the Western gates of Chengdu, where after heavy fighting in the suburbs they were repeatedly beaten back.
On 9 November following a bloody battle at Luzhou, Liu Wenhui withdrew to the western bank of the Tuojiang with 90,000 men defending the riverbank.
Liu Xiang and other warlords, fearing the arrival of more communist forces currently in Guizhou conducting the Long March, began preparing for war against the 4th Route Army.
Liu Xiang like many warlords was a notorious extractor of wealth via taxes but even this was not sufficient as the large costs of the war led to payment of workers falling into arrears and strikes ensued.