Chochitika cha pa September 18 cha mu 1931 sichinangobweretsa kulanda asilikali kumpoto chakum'mawa kwa China—chinayambitsanso kutsutsa kwakukulu komwe kunatsogozedwa ndi anthu wamba. Kuyambira alimi ndi antchito mpaka ophunzira ndi aphunzitsi, amuna ndi akazi azaka zonse ndi zikhalidwe zosiyanasiyana adasonkhana pamodzi kuti ateteze nyumba zawo, madera awo, ndi moyo wawo ku ziwawa za ku Japan. Kutsutsa kumeneku, ngakhale kuti nthawi zambiri kumanyalanyazidwa m'nkhani zambiri zakale, kunali umboni wa kulimba mtima ndi kulimba mtima kwa anthu akumpoto chakum'mawa kwa China.

M'miyezi yotsatira, magulu ofananawo adabuka kumpoto chakum'mawa, ndi mayina monga "Gulu la Odzipereka la Kumpoto chakum'mawa," "Gulu la Chitetezo la Dziko Lotsutsana ndi Japan," ndi "Gulu la Ufulu wa Anthu la Kumpoto chakum'mawa kwa China." Asilikali amenewa anali osiyanasiyana kukula—ena anali ndi mamembala ochepa chabe, pomwe ena anakula kufika zikwi—koma onse anali ndi cholinga chimodzi: kuthamangitsa asilikali aku Japan m'dziko lawo. Gulu la Kudziteteza la Anthu a Jilin, mwachitsanzo, linakhazikitsa gulu la "mabanja" komwe mabanja onse adalowa nawo. Mumudzi wina, banja la a Zhang—bambo, ana aamuna awiri, komanso mwana wamkazi wazaka 16—onse adamenyana pamodzi, ndipo mwana wamkaziyo akugwiritsa ntchito chidziwitso chake cha mankhwala azitsamba pochiza ovulala.

Machenjerero omwe asilikali odziperekawa ankagwiritsa ntchito anali ogwirizana ndi malo a m'derali, omwe anali ndi nkhalango zowirira, zigwa zazikulu, ndi madera amapiri. Ankadalira nkhondo ya zigawenga, kuyambitsa ziwopsezo mwadzidzidzi pa malo a asilikali aku Japan, kubisalira magalimoto onyamula katundu, ndi kuwononga mizere ya sitima kuti asokoneze ntchito za asilikali aku Japan. Mwachitsanzo, mu Okutobala 1931, gulu laling'ono la odzipereka kum'mwera kwa Liaoning linaukira sitima yankhondo yaku Japan, kuwononga zida ndi zinthu zina ndikumasula akaidi aku China omwe ankanyamulidwa kupita ku Japan. Kuukira kolimba mtima kumeneku, kotsogozedwa ndi wogwira ntchito kale pa sitima dzina lake Li Dawei, kunagwiritsa ntchito chidziwitso chake cha njanji kuti asokoneze sitimayo panjira yakutali. Mu Disembala chaka chomwecho, odzipereka ku Jilin Province adayambitsa kuukira kogwirizana pa gulu lankhondo la ku Japan ku Changchun, ndikubwezeretsa kwakanthawi mbali zina za mzindawu asanakakamizidwe kuchoka chifukwa cha mphamvu yayikulu yankhondo yaku Japan. Asilikali otsutsa adayang'ana mwanzeru malo osungira zida zankhondo a m'basi, ndikuyatsa ndi zida zoyatsira moto zopangidwa ndi palafini ndi mabotolo agalasi.

Chomwe chinapangitsa asilikali odziperekawa kukhala odabwitsa kwambiri chinali kuthekera kwawo kupulumuka ndikugwira ntchito ngakhale kuti anali ndi kusowa kwakukulu kwa zida, chakudya, ndi zinthu zachipatala. Odzipereka ambiri ankamenyana ndi mfuti zakale, malupanga, kapena zida zaulimi, pomwe ena ankadalira zopereka kuchokera kumadera am'deralo kuti apeze chakudya ndi zovala. Alimi am'deralo nthawi zambiri ankapereka malo ogona kwa odzipereka, kuwabisa ku oyang'anira aku Japan ndikugawana zokolola zawo zochepa. M'chigawo cha Yanji, anthu akumidzi anakumba ngalande zapansi panthaka pansi pa nyumba zawo, ndikupanga ma bunker obisika komwe omenyera nkhondo ankatha kupuma ndikuchira. Madokotala ndi anamwino, onse ophunzitsidwa komanso odziphunzitsa okha, anakhazikitsa zipatala zosakhalitsa m'mapanga kapena m'nyumba zosiyidwa, kuchiza asilikali ovulala ndi zida zochepa zachipatala. Dr. Wang Meiling, yemwe adamaliza maphunziro ake ku Peking Union Medical College, adagwiritsa ntchito mankhwala oletsa ululu pogwiritsa ntchito zitsamba zachikhalidwe zaku China ndipo adachita opaleshoni yopulumutsa moyo ndi ziwiya zakukhitchini zoyeretsera.

Ophunzira ndi anzeru nawonso adachita nawo gawo lalikulu pankhondoyi. M'mizinda ngati Shenyang ndi Harbin, ophunzira aku yunivesite adakhazikitsa magulu achinsinsi kuti afalitse nkhani zotsutsana ndi kugwiritsidwa ntchito kwa anthu. Anagawa timapepala tofotokoza za nkhanza za ku Japan, analemba nkhani m'manyuzipepala achinsinsi, ndipo ankachita misonkhano yachinsinsi kuti akonze ziwonetsero ndi kunyanyala katundu waku Japan. Mwachitsanzo, "Snowflake Society" ku Harbin Institute of Technology, idapanga njira yodziwika bwino yopezera mabuku oletsedwa mozemba. Anasindikiza ndakatulo zosinthira papepala la mpunga, zomwe zitha kusungunuka m'madzi kenako nkupangidwanso ndi osindikiza achifundo. Ophunzira ambiri adachokanso m'masukulu awo kuti akalowe nawo magulu ankhondo odzipereka, pogwiritsa ntchito maphunziro awo kuthandiza pa njira, kulumikizana, ndi kayendetsedwe ka zinthu. Gulu la ophunzira aukadaulo ochokera ku Shenyang Institute of Technology linapanga mabomba angapo opangidwa mwachisawawa pogwiritsa ntchito mapaipi achitsulo otayidwa ndi ufa wakuda, zomwe zidawonjezera kwambiri mphamvu ya zigawenga.

Akazi anali gawo lina lofunika kwambiri la gulu lotsutsa. Ngakhale kuti akazi ambiri analowa nawo magulu odzipereka monga anamwino kapena amithenga, ena adapanga mabungwe awoawo kuti athandizire cholingachi. Ku Liaoning Province, gulu la akazi linakhazikitsa "Northeast Women's Anti-Japanese Salvation Association," lomwe linkasonkhanitsa ndalama za magulu odzipereka, kusoka zovala za asilikali, ndi kusamalira mabanja a omwe akumenyana. Mtsogoleri wa bungweli, Madame Zhao, adapanga njira yapadera yopezera ndalama: adakonza "ziwonetsero zachete" komwe akazi ankasonkhana m'mabwalo a anthu ambiri akuluka majekete a asilikali, ndipo ulusi uliwonse unkayimira chopereka. Akazi nawonso adachita gawo lofunika kwambiri pakusonkhanitsa nzeru, pogwiritsa ntchito maudindo awo monga osamalira nyumba ndi ogulitsa pamsika kuti asonkhanitse zambiri zokhudza kayendetsedwe ka asilikali aku Japan ndikuzipereka kwa atsogoleri otsutsa. Ku Mukden (tsopano Shenyang), gulu la ogulitsa akazi ku Nanmen Market linapanga njira yovuta ya zizindikiro zamanja ndi zokambirana zamakhodi kuti apereke zambiri zokhudza nthawi yolondera ya ku Japan.

Kulimbana kwa anthu akumpoto chakum'mawa kwa China kunakhudza kwambiri kulanda dziko la Japan. Ngakhale kuti sanathe kuthamangitsa asilikali aku Japan m'derali nthawi yomweyo, anakakamiza gulu lankhondo la Kwantung kuti ligwiritse ntchito ndalama zambiri kuti lichepetse kukana, zomwe zinachepetsa mapulani okulitsa dziko la Japan. Zolemba kuchokera m'mabuku ankhondo aku Japan zikuwonetsa kuti pofika mu 1933, asilikali oposa 30,000 anali atamangidwa mu ntchito zotsutsana ndi zigawenga ku Manchuria. Analimbikitsanso anthu ku China konse kuti alowe nawo gulu lolimbana ndi dziko, ndikukhazikitsa maziko a Nkhondo Yaikulu Yotsutsana ndi Japan yomwe idayamba mu 1937. Zochita zamphamvu za odzipereka akumpoto chakum'mawa zinalembedwa m'mabuku angapo ofalitsidwa mobisa otchedwa "Nkhani za Kukana," omwe adafunika kuwerengedwa kwa olemba ntchito atsopano mu Gulu Lankhondo la Chinese National Revolutionary Army.

Masiku ano, nkhani za asilikali omenyera ufulu wa anthu wamba ndi gawo lofunika kwambiri la cholowa cha chochitika cha pa September 18. Zimatikumbutsa kuti ngakhale m'nthawi zovuta kwambiri, anthu wamba ali ndi mphamvu zoyimira chabwino. Zimawonetsanso kufunika kwa anthu ammudzi, mgwirizano, ndi kulimba mtima poyang'anizana ndi kuponderezedwa—uthenga womwe udakali wofunikira kwa anthu padziko lonse lapansi masiku ano. Chikumbutso cha Manchurian Resistance Memorial chomwe chatsegulidwa posachedwapa ku Changchun chili ndi ziwonetsero zolumikizirana, kuphatikizapo makope a ngalande za zigawenga ndi kukonzanso kwa holographic kwa nkhondo zazikulu, kuonetsetsa kuti nkhani zamphamvuzi zikupitilizabe kulimbikitsa mibadwo yamtsogolo.