In August 1937, early in the
Second Sino-Japanese War, he was made chief of staff of the
120th division of the
Eighth Route Army. During the following
Chinese Civil War, he was the commander of the 18th Army Group. After the war, Zhou held several political offices. He was a member of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Commissions of National Defense, a member of standing committee of the 3rd and 4th
People's Political Consultative Conference, a deputy of the
1st and
4th National People's Congress. He was a member of standing committee of the
5th National People's Congress between March 1978 and his death in June 1979. He was also a member of the
National Defense Commission. He was a delegate of the
7th and
8th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. He received the rank of
General in 1955. ==Death==