Battle of Xuzhou
When the Second Sino-Japanese War began in 1937, Deng became the general commanding IV Corps and then the 45th Corps which was sent into the Battle of Xuzhou in 1938. There he was made Commander in Chief of the 22nd Army Group, composed of Sichuan divisions that fought the Japanese in the Battle of Taierzhuang. His force defended Lincheng, and Dengxian, north of Taierzhuang. From 1939 to 1945 he was the Military Affairs Commissioner for Sichuan &amp; Xinjiang Provinces.