In the same year, the September 18 Incident provided for the Japanese a pretext of invading China. Chiang regarded the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as his archrival and placed priority on the suppression of CCP forces, rather than the Japanese. Chiang thus ordered He to Northern China to negotiate compromises with the Japanese, as he was known to be on friendly terms with some of their leaders. In 1933, Japanese armies invaded Rehe and broke through the KMT defense along the Great Wall. He Yingqin replaced Zhang Xueliang as chairman of the Beijing Military Committee, which was the supreme organ in charge of the military forces of Northern China. He advocated no direct confrontation with the Japanese troops, and signed the Tanggu Cease-Fire Accord with General Yasuji Okamura, who was deputy chief of staff of Kantogun at that time.