The final group of Chinese soldiers escaped under the cover of night on 10–11 May.[29][34] By morning, the Japanese had gained full control of Jinan, and took up positions in the walled city.[33] The city would remain under Japanese occupation until March 1929, when an agreement to settle the dispute over Jinan was reached.[2] The period of occupation was defined by oppression, with freedom of the press and assembly proscribed, postal correspondence censored, and residents killed for alleged sympathies with the KMT.[35]