sentences:  After those former nationalist-turned Japanese puppet regime force had rejoined the nationalists after the end of World War II, they refused to surrender to the communists, the only Chinese force in the region according to Chiang Kai-shek’s order.This had obvious lead to numerous clashes with the communists and the local population that strongly supported the communists, and eventually the full scale battle between the two sides erupted in December 1945.The communist 7th Column of the New Fourth Army and the Independent Brigade of the communist Central Jiangsu Military District joined their forces in attacking the positions held by the former nationalist-turned Japanese puppet regime force who rejoined the nationalist, and with strong popular support, the communists easily overwhelmed their nationalist adversary and by the time the battle concluded in the end of December 1945, over sixteen major cities, towns and vast area along the highway from Yangzhou to Taizhou, Jiangsu including Yiling (宜陵), Embankment Head (Tangtou, 塘头) and the Village of Guo (Guocun, 郭村) had fallen into communist hands.