History of the Long March -- Page 13

Ma Cavalry

The Red Army had some Ma cavalry of the KMT harassing the rear. On the 20th, Mao set up a trap in the Wuqi area. Three rivers cut through the loess at this point. Mao put his men in a half-moon formation to lure the Ma cavalry up the valley. The Ma cavalry moved up to the attack, four regiments, about a thousand men in each. Mao's forces numbered about the same. Within two hours, the Ma fled the battlefield carrying the remains of their forces. The Red Army was home and no enemy faced them. Of the 86,000 who began, only 4,000 remained. The Long March ended. They had marched 25,000 li -- 6,000 miles.