The Long March was more than a physical journey, it was a voyage that furthered the cause of the Communist Party in China to indescribable ends. To further understand the effect the Long March had on the propaganda of the time, read Mao's thoughts, from "Report to the Conference of Party Activists," (December 27, 1935):
“[T]he Long March is the first of its kind in the annals of history, [it is] a manifesto, a propaganda force, a seeding machine…The Long March is a manifesto. It has proclaimed to the world that the Red Army is an army of heroes, while the imperialists and their running dogs, Chiang Kai-shek and his like, are impotent…The Long March is also a propaganda force. It has announced to some 200 million people in eleven provinces that the road of the Red Army is their only road to liberation…The Long March is also a seeding machine. In the eleven provinces it has sown many seeds which will sprout, leaf, blossom, and bear fruit, and will yield a harvest in the future.” (Emphasis added)
Feist, Herbert.
The China Tangle.
New York:
Atheneum, 1966. P. 180