One of the Chinese heroes whose exploits long ago became legend was General Ma Chan-shan ("Giant Horse"). General Ma was no giant (5 ft. 8 in.), but he was an expert horseman. Thin, nervous, explosive, scratching his chin or mustache as he talked, General Ma smoked a little opium for pleasant dreams, woke from them fresh for action at 5:30 every morn ing. Operating in the far north, he organized a fantastic-appearing but formidable cavalry force made up mostly of Mongols and Manchurians, whose feet almost dragged on the ground astride their tiny Mongolian ponies. They wore badges...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
