Chapter Ten: A Bountiful Harvest—The Twenty-Fourth Regiment Strikes It Rich.

The sudden attack on the Tuiwei militia forces this time proved to be highly fruitful.

A whole cavalry battalion’s horses were seized by the 24th Regiment.

According to Su Changqing’s plan, the troops under his command would need to form a cavalry unit in the future.

After all, compared to infantry, cavalry had far greater mobility.

In an agricultural nation still incapable of mass-producing tanks, armored vehicles, troop carriers, and military motorcycles—mechanized transport vehicles—the cavalry was an extremely vital force.

The reason the Northwest Ma family army was able to wreak havoc and become the regional overlord in the Northwest was precisely because their cavalry moved like the wind, highly mobile.

Even the enemy invaders from the East had formed a considerable number of cavalry units during their invasion of Greater Xia.

Besides capturing an entire cavalry battalion’s warhorses, a large quantity of strategic supplies was also seized.

This time, the 24th Regiment confiscated one heavy machine gun, three light machine guns, ninety-two Mauser rifles, three pistols, eight hundred ninety-one Hanyang rifles, six thousand hand grenades, and nineteen thousand one hundred thirty-six rounds of ammunition.

The 24th Regiment paid the price of two soldiers killed and five wounded for this operation.

As for the militia’s logistical supplies, they all fell into the hands of the 24th Regiment as well.

After all, the militia’s pursuit of the Rainbow Army required considerable supplies.

Items such as barley flour, plenty of vegetables, even hundreds of pounds of cured meat and yak beef…

And a significant amount of condiments like oil and salt.

Of course, the cured meats, yak beef, and various seasonings were originally prepared for officers like Zhang Yuelai.

But now, all these goods were in the possession of the 24th Regiment.

In Li Yunlong’s words, this was a major windfall.

The 24th Regiment already had sufficient supplies of barley flour, yak beef, and edible salt before.

Now, having captured so many resources, the 24th Regiment no longer needed to worry about shortages while crossing the grasslands.

Moreover, the regiment could even actively gather up other Rainbow Army soldiers who had fallen behind, further strengthening the 24th Regiment’s power.

In addition to these food supplies, the 24th Regiment also stripped many clothes off the militia soldiers.

The climate on the grasslands was volatile with extreme temperature differences.

Having more clothes to fend off the cold was greatly beneficial to ensure the soldiers’ survival.

“We’ve struck it rich, struck it rich!”

“Old Li here has truly become a local tycoon this time.”

“Hahaha, if those fools Kong Erlengzi and Ding Wei saw this, they’d probably drool in envy.”

Li Yunlong’s eyes almost blossomed with laughter as he looked at the supplies the soldiers carried.

Morale throughout the 24th Regiment soared greatly after this sudden strike against the militia.

“Li Yunlong, what a meager achievement of yours,” Su Changqing said with a smiling glance.

At that moment, Su Changqing sat astride a chestnut warhorse—the very horse he had shot dead beneath Zhang Yuelai.

Well-fed and robust, it was clearly a rare and fine steed.

Most of the 24th Regiment’s supplies were carried by these horses.

The remaining horses were used to transport the wounded.

This arrangement greatly increased the 20th Regiment’s marching speed.

In high spirits atop his warhorse, Su Changqing looked at the young Rainbow Army soldier he had just rescued.

He had felt a vague familiarity with this young soldier before, and after seeing the bovine knee bone abandoned by Zhang Yuelai and others—chewed on and marked with teeth—he had some suspicions.

Now he had the chance to inquire about this young soldier’s identity.

“Child, how old are you? Where are you from? What’s your name?”

Facing Su Changqing’s questions, the young Rainbow soldier lifted his head while drinking water and eating barley flour eagerly.

“Report, Regiment Commander, my name is Lin Yu, from western Jiangxi, I am thirteen years old.”

“Before, when the troops crossed the grasslands, I was too young and couldn’t keep up, so I got left behind…”

Su Changqing nodded, “Lin Yu?”

“Is that knee bone yours?”

“Yes!” The young soldier shook his head and chuckled, “I was too hungry before, couldn’t help but nibble it a bit.”

“Actually, there wasn’t any meat left on it.”

Hearing this, Su Changqing confirmed the young soldier’s identity.

Before coming to this world, among the three articles that left the deepest impression on Su Changqing was “The Stubborn Little Rainbow Army.”

It told of a young Rainbow soldier deceiving his senior with a bulging packaged bovine knee bone—a regret his senior never wished to mention again.

Besides that, Su Changqing also remembered “The Golden Fishhook” and “Monument,” the former set on the grasslands and the latter during the crossing of snowy mountains.

Recalling this, Su Changqing glanced at the Rainbow soldiers who had been battered and deformed by local militia forces.

His eyes suddenly became moist.

“Comrade Lin Yu, you’ll be my bodyguard from now on, how about that?”

“Yes, Regiment Commander.”

Su Changqing nodded, then looked over to Li Yunlong.

“Li Yunlong.”

“At your command!”

“Send out some sharp soldiers to gather all the Rainbow soldiers who have fallen behind or gotten separated along the way.”

“Bring them here.”

“Our supplies are abundant now; we can easily support over a thousand more people out of this grassland.”

“It’s time to expand the 24th Rainbow Regiment.”

The 24th Regiment’s strength was just over a thousand, as the Long March had taken heavy tolls.

But now, with abundant supplies, saving those beloved Rainbow soldiers and expanding the 24th’s strength was a win-win.

Soldiers capable of completing a 25,000-li Long March had to possess unwavering faith and tremendous willpower.

They were treasures for building the army and establishing bases in the future.

Su Changqing was unwilling to give up on these most beloved comrades.

“Yes, Regiment Commander.”

…

Elsewhere, Su Changqing’s relevant suggestions coincided perfectly with what higher-ups had heard.

However, regarding the existence of a Rainbow Army faction in the north, there was no concrete evidence.

Thus, a large number of personnel were dispatched to gather useful information.

Seven days later, the Rainbow Army gradually emerged from the Pansong Grassland.

At the same time, the upper echelon reached a consensus.

Finally, the route was unified at this moment.

From the start of the Long March to crossing the grasslands, the Rainbow Army had been searching for a foothold but never found a suitable one.

Hence, even the top leaders were uncertain about the final destination of this expedition.

Now, the presence of Rainbow Army remnants in the north brought new hope to the soldiers and their leaders.

“Regiment Commander, orders have arrived.”

“This time, we should be able to find a place to establish a firm foothold.”

The long and arduous Long March was a severe test of the soldiers’ physical and mental endurance.

Countless beloved soldiers had sacrificed their lives, while some chose to leave.

The remaining comrades, willing to follow the organization to the end, possessed extraordinary faith and indomitable willpower far beyond ordinary people.

Su Changqing looked at the sun slowly rising in the east and let out a long breath.

Then, his gaze grew resolute.

“Let’s go.”

“We continue forward.”

“Yes, Regiment Commander!”

…