The Marco Polo Bridge incident occurred from 7 to 9 July 1937 when Japanese garrison troops in Fengtai, southwest of Beiping, clashed with Chinese forces at the Marco Polo Bridge. The battle was at first limited to a local conflict and some hurried negotiations restored order, but soon thereafter new incidents flared up and Japanese forces began offensive operations. The incident was costly for the Republic of China, and it would lead to the brutal Second Sino-Japanese War, which would see the deaths of millions of civilians and soldiers on both sides.
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