In October 1934, over 80,000 Red Army soldiers gathered in and around the city of Yudu for a 10-day period of rest and preparation before safely crossing what would be known as the “First Crossing of the Long March.” During this time, the 300,000 residents of Yudu implemented a strict red alert, meticulously controlling the flow of information and creating misleading appearances to confuse enemy spies. As a result, the Kuomintang operatives remained oblivious to the Red Army’s movements, only realizing a month later that the troops had successfully relocated. This remarkable feat has been heralded by historians as a miracle, particularly considering that in today’s age of rapid information exchange, it’s almost unimaginable for such a vast group of people to keep a single monumental secret.

What do you think made it possible for the people of Yudu to maintain such a secret during that time?