In an attempt to eradicate the enemy and secure the city, the Nationalists launched an offensive against the Communists in late February. However, the former bandits proved no match for combat-hardened Communists who were veterans of the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Nationalist force, consisting of former bandits from the Pressuring Nine Dragons (Ya Jiu Long, 压九龙) gang, attacked the communist Siping Group and inflicted more than a dozen fatalities and injured a Communist squadron commander, Cheng Bizhen (程秉贞). The Communists quickly counterattacked, completely annihilating the attacking Nationalists.