four of these campaigns, the Communists were able to drive away the Guomindang, but during the fifth encirclement, the strong Guomindang routed the Communists from their base. In making their escape, the Communists embarked on what would become known as the “Long March,” a brutal six-thousand-mile trek that lasted slightly over one year, until the Communists settled in a new base area in northern Shaanxi.
