After the Battle of Grdelica, the Serbian army managed to break into the Masurica Valley leaving the road to Vranje open and unguarded.

General Jovan Belimarković was the commander of the Serbian Army; his forces were deployed east of the South Morava River.

[1] By 23 January 1878, the army, together with irregulars and local rebels, had captured Surdulica and Vladičin Han, as well as a string of villages in the Vlasina region.

Lieutenant Stepa Stepanović of the 1st Šumadija Division left Priboj on 25 January and visited Serb villages in the Poljanica region to stoke unrest and attack the Ottomans from the rear.

With their help he formed a rebel battalion manned by the male inhabitants of Golemo Selo, Gradnja, Studena, Kruševa Glava, Tumba, Drenovac, Sikirje, Vlase, and other Poljanica villages.

As soon as the fight began, the Serbian company was aided by the newly arrived battalion so the Ottoman unit was routed and forced to flee to Vranje.

[4][5] To achieve Belimarković's plan, on 28 January, the commanders of Šumadija Corps issued an order to take fighting positions.

The brigade took up fighting positions from Moštanica bridge on the South Morava River to the surrounding villages of Bresnica and Ranutovac.

The second Šumadijska division penetrated into Poljanica from the direction of the Veternica river and Porečje to encircle the Ottoman forces in Vranje.

[6] The Šumadija Corps command met on 29 January in Priboj to discuss the plan for the attack on Vranje, and to effect the deployment of units towards the Ottoman positions.

The Second Šumadijska Division, with some units of the Volunteer Corps, and the rebels, were tasked with moving towards Ottoman defensive positions on the mountain of Pljačkovica.

Kragujevac and Kolubara Battalions, reinforced with the rebel detachments from Poljanica, took up positions near the villages of Beljanica and Devotin at the base of Pljačkovica.

[citation needed] Each of these units, especially the artillery, had to take their positions during the night (between 28 and 29 January) so that the Ottomans would be unaware of their location, and the preparations being made for an attack.

Food and spare ammunition was divided, a field hospital was set up to accept wounded fighters, and in some units personnel was replenished.

The Staff command of Šumadija Corps issued orders for preparations of the reserve positions at Mazarać in the event Serbian Army was forced to retreat.

[10][11][12][13] One of the main fortifications of the Ottoman defense positions was on Pljačkovica Mountain towards which the Second Šumadija Division of the Serbian army marched.

Another of their important strategic defense points was Čevrljuge hill towards which units of the First Šumadija Division and the Volunteer Corps marched.

The best fortified and connected Ottoman army position at Vranje was the line between Čevrljuge hill and Dva brata—a length of about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi).

Fierce battles were fought continuously for about three hours, and Serbian units were halted due to strong Ottoman attacks.

[16][17] At this point, Šumadija Corps' General Jovan Belimarković took over direct command of the Serbian army and its battle positions near Vranje.

Therefore, the Serbian command decided to attack Ottoman positions at: Kumarevo, Šuplji kamen, Toplac, and Katalenac near Zlatokop bridge.

[18] As the main Ottoman forces were concentrated on the Čevrljuge hill, General Belimarković issued an order to the First Šumadija Division to prepare to attack and defeat them.

At Krstilovica, Ottoman units attacked the Second Šumadija Division which included a company of rebels from Devotin under the command Stepa Stepanović.

Serbian units not only managed to hold their positions, but they moved closer to within about 200 metres (220 yd) and opened fire on the Ottomans.

The commanders laid out a plan to form an easily movable detachment that could pursue the fleeing enemy not allowing him to regroup and fortify new defensive positions.

On the morning of 31 January, the Šumadija Corps Command issued an order that the Serbian army should continue to attack with the goal of occupying and liberating Vranje.

Vranje was formally surrendered to the Serbian army by the prominent Ottoman feudal lord Ramiz Paša Husejinpašić.

Some Ottoman army defense units located at Pljačkovica and Krstilovica were uninformed of the fall of Vranje and continued to fight.

[27][13] During the Serbian–Ottoman War (1876–1878) most of the Muslim population (Albanians and Turks) of Vranje fled to the Ottoman vilayet of Kosovo while a smaller number left after the conflict.

Twelve years later, on 1 May 1890 they awarded him with a diploma and once again they thanked him for "the wise command of the Serbian army, which brought ever-anticipated freedom to the Southern Serbia.