Chapter 50: Six Hundred Horses, Long Yun Presents the Map

Zhaotong could hardly be called a small town, yet after two days of searching, the military supplies procurement team had only managed to secure fewer than fifty mules and horses—a quantity falling drastically short of their needs.

According to Long Wencheng’s ideal blueprint, the ratio of livestock to personnel should ideally hover around one to three.

At present, the ratio was not even one to five.

When questioned, Old Qiu from the procurement department merely threw up his hands and rolled his eyes.

"Division Commander, I'd gladly buy the very donkeys the villagers use to turn their millstones if I could, but they simply aren't available anywhere."

Next, they sought out Wen Song, whose family background was in commerce, figuring he might know the secret channels.

Alas, Wen Song responded with the exact same gesture and expression.

"I never really paid attention to my family's business; my only passion is artillery."

With that, he returned to polishing the barrel of a mortar.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and the guard Hu Erleng stepped inside.

Originally a member of the Nationalist Central Army's cavalry squadron, Hu Erleng had been captured and subsequently integrated into the Red Army. Long Wencheng had noticed that the man possessed long legs and could run remarkably fast; in an era where communications essentially relied on running feet, having him serve as a personal guard proved quite useful.

Hu Erleng was equally pleased, viewing Long Wencheng as a high-ranking official whose favor brought immense prestige whenever he trailed behind him.

Now, he stood beaming at the office door every day, eagerly hoping Long Wencheng would dispatch him on more courier missions so he could show his face at the various regimental headquarters.

"Division Commander, Battalion Commander Lin is here."

During the campaign to capture Guiyang, Lin阙 and the subsequently captured transport battalion had been incorporated into the Red Army, and Lin阙 now served as the commander of the transport battalion.

Whatever else might be said, he was undeniably a professional in this domain. Throughout the march, he had managed all logistical supplies with exemplary organization and maintained impeccably detailed records.

"Battalion Commander Lin, what brings you here?"

Long Wencheng asked, looking up from the procurement manifest.

Lin阙 blurted out without preamble:

"Division Commander, do you want any horses?"

His heavily accented speech reached Long Wencheng's ears sounding strangely like, "Division Commander, do you want a mother?"

Puzzled for a moment, Long Wencheng replied:

"I already have one; I don't need another."

Hearing this, Lin阙 hastily urged:

"Well, getting a few more can't hurt, right?"

Thinking Lin阙 had clearly lost his mind, Long Wencheng wondered why on earth he would need a collection of mothers. Then, a sudden realization struck him—surely the man had said "horses."

"Are you talking about mules and horses that can be ridden and packed?"

Long Wencheng tested cautiously.

"Yes! I have a reliable connection, Division Commander. As long as you provide sufficient funds, I can acquire them for you."

He declared with absolute confidence.

This revelation immediately invigorated Long Wencheng. To achieve his envisioned "mule-and-horse-ization," the force still needed to procure over five hundred more mounts.

"You can actually get them? I need a considerable number—at least five or six hundred. Northern horses would be preferable, and we cannot afford to wait too long in this location."

Long Wencheng calculated the timeline. "Five days at most."

"Yes, I can definitely secure them."

Lin阙 affirmed with unwavering assurance.

His confidence stemmed from his background prior to enlisting: he had been a horse trader, operating for years across the Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan regions.

Demand for pack animals remained perpetually high across these mountainous territories, where horses served as the premier mode of transport.

Thus, once the right channels were identified, procuring a substantial herd was by no means an insurmountable task.

Naturally, prior to authorizing the purchase, Long Wencheng specified his preferences: Northeast and Mongolian horses were ideal, with Tibetan horses being the absolute best due to their cold resistance, which would prove vital for surviving the ascent over snow-capped mountains.

If those proved entirely unobtainable, Guizhou and Yunnan ponies would also be acceptable.

Lin阙 confirmed there would be no issue, and promptly set out through his private network to contact local horse dealers.

Naturally, these were not the conventional merchants trading openly in public markets; the dealers he sought operated hand-in-glove with bandits.

China during the Republican era was mired in chaos, and even by the conclusion of the War of Liberation, millions of bandits still roamed the country.

Particularly in the Southwest, banditry ran rampant.

Many films produced later, such as *The Suppression of Bandits in Wulong Mountain*, depicted historical efforts to eradicate outlaws in this very region.

The individuals Lin阙 needed to contact were mounted bandits, precisely because those groups commanded large numbers of horses.

Upon learning that Lin阙 intended to buy horses from bandits, Long Wencheng’s initial impulse was to ask why they shouldn't simply deploy troops and seize the animals by force.

On second thought, however, those outlaws were as elusive as the wind, and since his force primarily consisted of infantry, surrounding and annihilating them would prove exceedingly difficult.

Crucially, the Nationalist Central Army was still hot on their heels; they could ill afford to become bogged down in prolonged skirmishes.

Therefore, it was far simpler to pay for the animals and save the trouble. As for bandit suppression, that could wait until the War of Liberation had run its course.

Three days later, Long Wencheng inspected the horses brought back by Lin阙. Their overall quality was acceptable, and the quantity was more than sufficient, totaling over seven hundred beasts.

The breeds were somewhat mixed, including Yunnan ponies, Guizhou ponies, and Sichuan horses, alongside northern breeds such as Northeast and Mongolian horses, which constituted roughly half the total.

This pleasantly surprised Long Wencheng, who recognized that such a herd would genuinely enable the troops to achieve full logistical mechanization—or rather, animalization—and finally provided a reliable means of transporting their massive stockpiles of supplies.

Later on, they could procure additional Tibetan horses and yaks from Tibetan herdsmen, which should comfortably suffice for traversing the upcoming snow mountains.

According to Lin阙's subsequent account, the procurement process had actually been fraught with peril.

A bandit chieftain had initially attempted a swindle to obtain something for nothing, but upon hearing that Lin阙 represented the Red Army, the boss grew somewhat wary. Having acquaintances within the Yunnan provincial army, he had heard tales of the Red Army's formidable combat prowess.

Compounded by the generous sum offered by Lin阙, the chieftain weighed the pros and cons and ultimately chose to honor the agreement.

As the horse procurement concluded twenty li outside the walls of Zhaotong city, a cavalry reconnaissance company led by Lin Tong was currently pursuing a speeding truck along a highway.

While trucks generally outpaced cavalry, the era lacked paved surfaces, preventing the vehicles from reaching their full potential.

A jeep bouncing along a dirt road could scarcely outrun a horse.

"Stop the car, or we will open fire!"

Wielding a Mauser C96 pistol, Lin Tong galloped alongside the rear flank of the truck.

The driver glanced back and pressed the accelerator harder.

Finally, Lin Tong pulled the trigger, blowing out the truck's rear tire.

As the tire deflated, the vehicle slowed markedly, and a few successive shots rendered it entirely immobile.

"Red Army grandpas, spare my life! I have elderly parents and young children at home!"

The driver scrambled out of the cab and dropped to his knees, pleading for mercy.

Meanwhile, two men in the rear passenger seats clutched a pair of heavy crates and bolted desperately toward the woods.

Without a second thought, Lin Tong led his men in hot pursuit, cutting off the two escapees.

Surveying their military uniforms, Lin Tong asked coldly:

"Identify yourselves. What is your unit designation?"

"We will never tell you!"

One of them replied with a defiant glare.

The moment the words left his mouth, a bullet whizzed past his cheek and struck a tree behind him.

"Will you talk or not?!"

The man collapsed to his knees with a thud.

"Spare us! We're from Grand Marshal Long's security regiment..."

When the crates were forced open, Lin Tong’s eyes lit up, and he shouted:

"First Squad, take these three back! Everyone else, follow me!"

With that, he hoisted the crates, spurred his mount, and galloped full speed toward Zhaotong city.

Long Wencheng was admiring the newly purchased warhorses when the frantic sound of approaching hooves reached him.

Seeing Lin Tong dismount with a tense expression, Long Wencheng instantly knew another critical piece of intelligence had arrived.

Could the Nationalist 34th Division have caught up?

And what was the significance of the crates Lin Tong carried? Had they struck some unexpected windfall?

Stepping into the office and watching the crates being opened, Long Wencheng finally beheld their contents.

"A map of Yunnan!"