During the 1930s, Japan expanded its territory, specifically into Manchuria, a region in northeastern China. The Chinese leader, Jiang Jieshi, chose not to confront Japan for several reasons. Let's delve into the reasons for Jiang's decision and its consequences.

Jiang Jieshi’s GMD army (also known as the Nationalist army) was not strong enough to face the well-trained Japanese Guandong Army. Imagine sending a high school soccer team to play against a professional team - the odds would be highly in favor of the professionals. Similarly, Jiang knew that resisting the Japanese would likely result in a swift defeat.

Sending his best soldiers to Manchuria would have weakened Jiang’s hold on the rest of China. At that time, China was still fragmented, and Jiang needed his troops to maintain control. It's like trying to plug a leaky dam with your fingers; if you move one finger to plug a new hole, you might cause another leak to start.

Jiang considered the Communists a more significant threat than the Japanese, referring to them as "the disease of the heart." He focused on defeating the Communists rather than confronting the Japanese. In terms of priorities, it was like focusing on a term paper due tomorrow rather than worrying about a test next week.