The Battle of Nanjing, also known as the Rape of Nanjing, was a particularly horrific battle during World War II, from December 9, 1937 to January 31, 1938. After the First War world, Japan was suffering from crucial economic complications. Due to the American stock market crash, they were not buying any products from the Japanese and business was deteriorating. They began demanding more territory and were bothered by countries investing more in China. The Japanese viewed China as a threat and assassinated Chang Esolin and blew up one of their own railways located in southern Manchuria on September 18, 1931. Not only did they blow up the railway, but they also murdered Chinese guards. and invented a story that made the Chinese look terrible. This then gave the Japanese justification to obtain Manchuria and rename it Manchukuo. The Chinese were driven mad by this action and a group of Japanese Buddhist priests were besieged by a Shanghai mob. One of the priests was murdered and the Japanese immediately responded by bombing the city of Shanghai. The bombing killed thousands of civilians and infuriated the Chinese so deeply that it provoked a full-blown war with the Japanese. When the Japanese arrived at their destination of Nanjing, the Chinese were apathetic to their demands for surrender. General Iwane Matsui and Lieutenant General Prince Asaka ordered the Japanese 36th Infantry Regiment of the 9th Division to bombard the Chinese at Guanghua Gate. Their technologically advanced weapons completely devastated the Chinese troops, and they were able to enter Nanjing through the demolished gate. Tang Shengzhi, the fundamental leader of the Chinese troops... middle of paper ...... Matsui had said: "Prince Asaka and Lieutenant General Yanagawa... were there. I told them that everything was lost in an instant because of the brutality of the soldiers. And can you imagine, even after that, those soldiers made fun of me. Tang Shengzhi was the first commander of the Chinese during the battle, as Chiang Kai-Shek did not want this burden. “Nanking Massacre”. Encyclopedia of the New World. np, September 5, 2008. Web. March 8, 2014.C. Pierre Chen, . “Battle of Nanjing and Rape of Nanjing.” World War II Database. Lava development. Internet. March 8, 2014.na, . “Rape of Nanking”. Constitutional Rights Foundation. Constitutional Rights Foundation. Internet. March 8, 2014.C. Pierre Chen, . “Iwane Matsui.” World War II Database. Lava development. Internet. March 8, 2014. Chang, Iris. Rape of Nanking. New York: Basic Books, 1997. Print.