Military Affairs Commission
In the following years, Cheng served in several capacities, including Chief of General Staff of the Military Affairs Commission (which was chaired by Chiang Kai-shek himself) from 1935 to 1937. When the Second Sino–Japanese War began, Cheng Qian was made Commander in Chief of the 1st War Zone in July 1937, responsible for defending Beijing, Hebei and the strategic Beijing–Hankou railway, while also concurrently serving as Governor of Henan Province from 1937 to 1939.